Sweet Ballerina Bliss

My eldest sister Rosa and her beautiful family came to town this weekend, and her eldest Zora was having a Birthday party!! Hooray 4!! Initially, the plan was for a beach party which I love (see previous posts), but then the plans changed and the party was going to be a Ballerina party held at my sister Niki's lovely new home!! So first things first.....Inspiration!! (My favorite part!!) Scouring google images for ideas is most fun; I often, and highly recommend it!! Here's what I found and what I used....Yay!!

http://blowoutparty.com/blog/2011/01/glittery-ballerina-birthday-party/

Isn't this gorgeous!! I really love this and I love this blog ~~ Thanks again google-I!
This one party had so many great components that I really didn't need to look further.
 My favorites were the meringue ballerina cookies and the wands. My meringues were not as nice, they were messy but awesome!! I drew the outline of the dancer and started cutting them out ~~ I really need a die cut machine.

My grandmother used to make meringue cookies during the holidays, she called them Angel Kisses so I think it was fun for everyone to see them at a family party again.

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeringueCookies.html I varied a little as I used different flavoring, which leads me to another discovery ~ Flavoring oils!! The oils are just $1.75 a piece and three drops of the oil is equivalent to a teaspoon of say vanilla extract. I used peppermint (my favorite), strawberry, raspberry, and vanilla. I found these at a local foodie store that I love, and that; a) makes me wish I could really bake, and b) makes me wish we were rich I want so many of the awesome things in this store ~ Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium http://www.rollingpinonline.com/ .

The other idea I used from this blog was the party wands I wanted to do something safe for the babies and also that included the boys: these were super fun to make. I first went out and gathered some tree branches from the back yard. Then I whittled them down to remove the sand and bark

2 things ~ yes that's my fat leg and yes that is a kitchen knife. Apparently, I didn't have the proper tools or a kind photographer. My husband didn't follow his only instruction which was; do not get any part of me in the picture. So after the bark was whittled away I then sanded down any little stumps I was able to use a power tool and I loved it (made things so much easier)!!

Next I started making the wand toppers this was fun and totally an idea of my own so I really wanted to do a good job and I was really proud of myself.

  I used cookie cutters to make the shapes I filled them with a sheet of tissue paper then I used modge podge (the stuff of gods) to paper mache them together I did both the front and back while in the cookie cutter then removed to mache the sides. I used crepe paper to mache the first two -to- three layers then I added colored tissue paper for an additional two layers. They were a bit sticky or tacky because of the modge podge but they were soft and squishy which I loved. I hate when kids are given toys that turn into weapons and all the other wands I'd seen (in the stores) were either a really hard acrylic or wood. My son picked one up and said, "mom this looks good can I eat it" of course I said no and he replied "but it's so soft and chewy feeling." Mission accomplished babies probably would chew on it but it wasn't toxic and the bigger kids wouldn't kill each other yay!!

To finish them I wrapped each stick in crepe paper or ribbon, added some ribbon to the tops, (my mom did this by simply tying the ribbon on) then I used my exacto to poke/carve a hole in the toppers filled the holes with hot glue and attached them to the sticks then voilà we have wands!! (there were 15 of them)

I also fell in love with these ~~http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2010/08/paper-ballerina-garland.html

I drew an outline then cut out from (accordion folded) tissue paper I didn't have time to tape and hang all of them but I managed to use some of them!

Last but certainly not least I made a banner!

Sorry for such a long post but everything was so pretty that cake was gorgeous~~ My aunt Alice made it she is amazing!! Which I think may lead to a post of all the cakes she has made I think I have a pic of most of them and they truly are things of beauty!! Yep I'm pretty sure that will be my next post!! See you next time!!