Let's Play Outside Birthday Theme

Hello, again!  How was your weekend?  I'm sorry for my absence on Thursday and Friday - as I mentioned on Monday, it was a very busy week and the weatherman wasn't helping me out any.  When I made the invitations for my son's third birthday party - which was scheduled for Saturday - the weather was predicted to be sunny and 80 degrees; perfect weather for an outdoor party.  By the time Wednesday rolled around, however, it'd been changed to 55 degrees and rain.  So we had to bump the party up to Friday afternoon and I had to start working double time to get everything ready for it!  And today I can show you all the details.

Brady loves playing outside so this year we decided to base his party on an outdoor theme.  For the invitations I first spent an afternoon collecting items at the park with my son: pine cones, grasses, leaves, etc.  I then arranged them to look like letters and hand drew each one.  Then, using the computer I pieced each together to create the wording I needed for the invitations and, later, the rest of the party details.

We hosted the birthday party beneath some trees at our park, right near a
little pond that's home to a family of ducks.  We hung bunting from the
trees to mark our little spot and set up a small table with all the
party goods right beneath it.  Blankets were spread on the grass for the
children to sit on while they ate from their own little picnic box
(full of muffins, cheese, apples and a drink).  We played games like
duck-duck-goose and a nature scavenger hunt.  Then the kids colored
paper sails for their walnut
boats and set them afloat on the pond. 

The cake was chosen months in advance and my son was beyond excited
about it.  We made a rainbow cake, each layer being a different
color.  It turned out beautifully and was also an excellent way to teach
colors and color combinations as my son and I mixed the dye into the
layers together.

Favors consisted of a bag full of bubbles, sidewalk chalk and a
leaf-shaped rice krispie treat.  And I packaged little kraft boxes full
of bits of bread for the kids to feed the ducks with while they waited
for their parents to come get them.

The party was a success and well worth all the effort put into it.  Planning children's birthday parties may well be the most entertaining project out there.

{images by me}

Bloom 101: Grape Hyacinth

I've been thinking to myself for some time now about how much I love flowers but how little I know about them.  I wish them permanent residence in every room of my home - but what kinds?  When should I look for them?  And how should I arrange them?  I know I'm not the only one with such questions, so I'm setting out to answer them.  Each week I'll feature a different flower that's blooming at the time.  I'm starting out with grape hyacinth, which I found growing wild in my backyard just a few days ago.  Isn't it beautiful? 

The musky-grass fragrance is really divine; I love it.  It doesn't permeate the house, but you can really smell it when you get close to the bunch.

To make this adventure even more fun, I've made it so you can download this little gathering of floral information and print it on a 3x5 card (it'll print out on a full sheet of paper...trim it down to the marks for 3x5).  Paste each one in a pretty little journal and soon you'll have a guide any florist would envy.

I'm so excited to be starting this project; it's really such fun.  Lilacs and peonies are next in queue.  Which flowers would you like to see?  Please share!

{images by me}