And finally: Tiny Ted(s)

I had the most fun with these guys.  It was the quilts.  The quilts made me swoon.

I don't even know when or how I made the decision to create them.  Just found myself cutting wee strips of fabric and sewing them together...

Making is fun, and these were especially fun to make.  It was hard to stop at five, and to be honest, it won't be long before I make a whole bunch more.  For what purpose?  Who knows.  For fun.

Goodbye little bears!  All heading off to new homes... I'm glad we're keeping one...

Mini DIY Teepees

Having the party in a teepee made this particular favour seem quite obvious.  A mini teepee for their Tiny Teds' to camp in.  I googled teepee instructions, and used their template to make my own, with a few added extras.  Each packet has a set of instructions too.  In retrospect I should have hunted down some heavier weight brown card... *shrug*.  Next time.

I hope the kiddies decorate them, I'd love to see how each looks made up...  Maybe I'll hassle their mamas' for pics.

Dunno about you, but this sort of thing would've been right up my alley when I was a kiddo.  DIY, mini, packaged.  All things that were lovely to me back then (and erm, still are actually!).

MIni Bunting

Pretty self-explanatory.  I already had all the triangles cut out from a previous project, so it was easy to whip these up.  And packaging was quite fun...  I plan to make a bunch more of these at some point, perfect for Christmas stockings and little thank you notes.

Party

There were lots of little details, but the celebration itself was very simple.  We ate food, we read stories, we picnic-ed and we played a game or two.  There were some lovely gifts to unwrap, and lots of running about.    

This beautiful teepee by Mocka added much charm (full review in another post), with the kids rushing from food table, to picnic mat, and finally retreating into this quiet space.

Even though the little bits of decorating & food prep & favour making did take some time (most done during the quiet months leading up to the party), the day itself was relatively simple and stress free. The Hawkes Bay surroundings were picture perfect, and the guests were very close friends and family.  Simple and sweet.  Perfect for our two year old (though she did lose the plot on more than one occasion, if you must know the absolute truth!).  Next I will show you the favours (I've been dying to for months), and the gift we made for her...  

And honestly, I feel like having a few very quiet days between now and the next round of celebrating.  

It was all about the treat table...

For me anyway.  The rest of the party planning was like this; "oh, we'll play pass the parcel, we still have the parcel we didn't use for her last party... And the kids can all just play.  Kids like playing..."  For me, the thoughts, the dreaming, the planning & preparing was all based around that little treat table (oh and the favours, but I'll get to those soon).  Mini food, it kills me.  Months ago I decided that her party would be all about mini food, which I am tempted to buy every time I step out to buy groceries.  I just like mini stuff.

Behold the mini food:

Then there was the cake.  I have a friend who designs and makes the most amazing cakes, and I'm afraid to say that my little efforts are absolutely nothing in comparison.  But, I was quite happy with how this little one turned out.  I figured that I'd just make use of my drawing skills for the cake design, and it was quite fun seeing what I could come up with.  I sort of recreated a scene from the book, but in a very basic way...

The actual baker of the cake was my darling big sister, who made the cute little cupcakes and the mini American Hotdogs too...  Thanks sis!

Food list:
(store-bought)
Baby carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Mini Gherkins
Mini Wafers
Mini Mallowpuffs
Mini Oreos
Mini M&Ms
Snack size cucumbers (for sandwiches & with crackers)
Savoury mince pies
Cheerio sausages (for hot dogs)
Mini Sesameal crackers
Small slices of cheese
Lemon & barley cordial + soda water
(homemade)
Lemon cake
Lemon cupcakes
Wholemeal hot dog buns
Ice bowl (all made by Ku)