The princess party

I will spare everyone the details of my inner turmoil over Bo's princess birthday party yesterday. You already know how I feel about the princess trend, so, yes, it was kind of hard to see my daughter go so bananas for all things pink and princessy over the last few weeks. There's no doubt that it has caught her attention, though, so we just tried to avoid the Disney stuff and focus on the fairy tales and the magic of it all. In the end, it was a very sweet birthday party and, needless to say, Bo was over the moon. Which is kind of the point, huh?

Here are some shots of the fun we had ...

First the princess cupcakes, starting with a crown:

And then a glass slipper:

And my personal favorite, the pumpkin:

And here's how it all looked together:

Bo wanted to put the top cupcake in this cute little birdie I found the other day at Goodwill, so we added it later:

I had a grocery-store bakery make the cupcakes and frost them, and then I made the fondant toppers based on some ideas I'd seen on Flickr. I know in the past I've touted the ease of making your own fondant out of marshmallows and powdered sugar, but--holy cow--that box of fondant you can buy at Michael's is even easier. And it doesn't taste that bad, especially if you're 4 years old or so.

To decorate the table, we used our handy-dandy "hip hip hooray" banner from last year:

I made princess party hats using the same method we made rainbow hats last year, except I added a bit of tulle and star garland to fancy them up a bit. 

We don't like to go overboard with gifts, and Bo was just as thrilled to get some simple things she really likes, like a pack of bubble gum, a bicycle helmet (pink, of course), and a battery-operated keyboard I found for $5 at a garage sale (FYI, we're totally regretting that one this morning. Don't do it!!).

I knew, though, that what she really wanted was a princess dress. So this is what I made.

Cinderella, following McCalls 5494:

I used cotton to try to tone it down. It's quite a full dress, though, and sewing the bodice to the skirt was like sewing a quilt because it was so thick. 

By the end of the party, she had to try it on.

And she pretty much hasn't taken it off since.

I also made her a Princess Fiona (from Shrek) dress.

Yes, the sleeves are ridiculously long. They're supposed to be flowy and Medieval, but they're really just hard for her to deal with. I'll shorten them when I get a chance.

But my favorite gifts Bo received were the homemade cards from her friends and cousins.

She loves them, too, and keeps asking me to read them to her this morning.

Comments

[red.neck Chic]

Oh - it is especially cute and fun WITHOUT the Disney!!! You did a WONDERFUL job!!! I know she had lots and lots of fun!!!

:-) robelyn

[Carolyn L.]

Ya know, if this whole writing/blogging thing doesn't work out, I see a party planning business in your future. What fun!

[The Leftoverist]

Ditto the party planning comment. What are you going to do for her 16 birthday?! I'm never letting my kids see photos of this party or they will doubt my love for them. You are amazing.

[Megan]

You guys are funny. Don't tempt me on the party planning career. That sounds like fun. I will add it to my long list of future careers for myself, my favorite of which is running a downtown food cart.

And, seriously, the party was very simple. No organized games or anything (unless a pinata that was struck down in three blows counts). We really threw it together in just a few days.

Sarah--I have a feeling she'll want nothing to do with me when she's 16, so I'm having the fun while I can!! Speaking of careers, when are you and your sister going to write/illustrate a cookbook together?

Thanks, Robelyn. The Disney stuff makes me want to gag. That company knows what it's doing, though. Bo is really drawn to the images of the Disney princesses whenever she sees them. Kind of like how I'm drawn to the leftover cupcakes every time I open the fridge this morning ...

[nis]

Adorable, Meegs...really all of it was so sweet. MK is sitting next to me enjoying the photos, too. She wanted to know "how many is Boston now?" and was excited to discover that they are now the same age. Our sweet girls!

[nis]

when I went to post my comment part of the captcha was "yum". Fitting for a birthday party with cupcakes, no?!

[kristine hanson]

d.a.r.l.i.n.g.

[Klay]

When you think about it, the princess thing is much better at 4 than 20 or 30 or 40!

Also, in addition to party planning you could easily be a costume designer, so many careers to choose from :)

[Megan]

Cute, Nis. Give that kid a smoocheroo from me. Hey, I'm planning on being in Portland in October sometime. Whenever the Run Like Hell half marathon is. Not that I'm doing the half marathon. Probably the 10K. But maybe the half ... we'll see.

Klay, that is a great compliment coming from you, the costume designer extraordinaire. That must have been an amazing job. You'll have to tell me all the details sometime.
And as for being a princess at 20 or 30 or 40--yes! You're right! But I think that's our fear. If the seed gets planted now, will we have a diva on our hands down the road? Probably not, but yikes just thinking about it.