How to make a Princess Party in 48 hours flat

I know you probably won't believe me when I tell you this was a very low-key party... but it was. The cardboard princess castle is very deceptive! It makes it look like I went to a whole lot of trouble when actually this was a very simple party to put together (apart from the #@$#% cardboard princess castle, of course!) By the time this princess party finally rolled around, I was well and truly over it already. So much so that I did absolutely nothing to prepare for it until Thursday last week - yep, a whole two days before guests were due to arrive - when I suddenly panicked and stopped hitting the 'Snooze' button.

The Badoo had five little friends and then the cousins and a Cappers' friend rounded us up to 13 party goers. Thirteen is small for me - I'm the fool who made 25 monster softies as a 'thank you for coming' not so long ago. With this party, I just made easy-peasy lolly bags. I made the princess castle printable to fold and clip on the top with pegs that were part of a $2 shop Christmas card hanger thingy I picked up last Christmas.

The cake... well, now... that looks like it was trouble, right? But no, not for me. For my SIL it was probably a whole lot of trouble, but then she is the world's greatest aunty (and surely you can no longer suggest that there could possibly be a greater one). How amazing is this cake!?

She also made the fabulous crown biscuits and the cute little heart-cut fairy breads. In fact, she made all of the cool looking food and I made the easy food. Food is not my thing.

I made Happy Cow cream cheese triangles - with a little olive nose, black icing eyes, mortadella ears and a sliced sour licorice strip for a tail. They look so cute, but can you imagine what they tasted like?

Watermelon and rockmelon cut out with biscuit cutters and stuck on a cake pop stick. I knew I'd find a use for all those cake pop sticks!

Breadsticks dipped in white chocolate, rolled in sprinkles and called princess wands. And the drinks: my usual little milk bottles and a castle printable I ran off the printer. The straws were from the $2 shop (I know! Score!). Incidentally, the little bottles I use are just the Yoga Peach Nectar juice bottles with the drink drunk and the labels removed (to make room for printed party labels!).

And my new thing: cake push pops. You can buy the push pop tubes from Something for Cake. Then it's just a matter of baking a cake (I made a raspberry cake), but instead of baking it in a standard 20cm tin, I baked it on a biscuit sheet (one with small sides) for 20 mins instead of 40 mins. Then I cut out circles of cake using the top of the push pop tube, dolloped in a bit of butter icing, cut another cake circle, dolloped and spread another icing layer, popped on a lolly raspberry, snapped on the top and... yuuuuum. These are really, really yummy. You can put all sorts of things in them - lollies, jelly, fruit and cream. I'm going to put a surprise something in the lunchboxes on Friday.

The wind was howling outside. See the flags fluttering madly in the driveway? They were made at 2.37 am when I suddenly decided we needed to create an 'immediate sense of occasion' on entrance. LOML disagreed that this was a necessary party element for the under 5 set and promptly went to bed.

They are made out of $0.75 per metre (Lincraft sale!) skirt lining material, the same stuff I used as the backdrop hanging behind the castle. It's all hanging up on jute string that we thumb tacked to the walls using a thumb tack either side and one 'holder' in the ceiling. I am very surprised it stayed up for the duration.

As it was also raining off and on, we kept the games indoors and simple - my usual musical cushions / musical statues combo and a craft activity. I've actually decided that musical statues is too hard because you have to 'judge' the kids statue-like capabilities. At least with the cushions they are either on one or they're not.

Other than the musical dancing games and the craft activity - created, directed and hosted by Cappers - they pretty much just ran around outside and had a ball.

 

We also had a hair /makeup/nails makeover table because, let's face it, it was the Badoo's party.

And then there were the decorations.

Throne hastily put together when the Badoo walked in, eyed the magnificent castle, the delicious food, the pretty balloons and said, "where's my throne?" Dear god, I can't stand children. Anyway, because I am an unfit mother, I panicked and produced this throne.

I made all the little bunting out of leftover party streamers from Cappers' rainbow party. Cut, glue, fold and cut into little flags. Very simple, but I think it looks terrific.

The castle really was magnificent. It is now doing duty as the girls' cubby house and they are personalising with textas and crayons (Badoo lives on the left, Cappers on the right). I made it out of fridge boxes - just cut it up with a scalpel and scissors, strung it together with zip cable ties and stuck bits of cardboard on it with Liquid Nails. Painted the lot with leftover paint. It cost me exactly nothing except my sanity. I would show you the fabulous castle made by a proper crafty-clogs wearer that gave me the inspiration, but I would be too embarrassed.

 

So, there you have it. The long-awaited Princess Party is finally done. I'm so glad I'm off-duty until Cappers' slumber party in October. I need a break!

Have you ever made something out of cardboard boxes?

♥

You can see the princess party invitations here.
And other parties I've foolishly (it's a love-hate relationship) pulled together here.
And a guides for getting a party together here.

♥

If you're keen, here are some other parties I've gone mental over:

Max's Farm Party (with random windmill)

Badoo's Princess Party (complete with castle)

Cappers' Rainbow Party (featuring 22 rainbow tutus)

Max's Harry Potter Party (starring 10 Harry Potters and a potions class)

Cappers' Mermaid Party (with first-attempt fondant icing)

Badoo's Pink Party (where everything is... pink!)

Max's Monster Party (including 27 handmade monster softies)

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