~ * ~ Bettsy's Blog ~ * ~: A Very Merry Unbirthday

Last Saturday I had my long awaited for 22 and a half birthday party. Having not had a 21st or a 22nd, I decided I needed to do something to commemorate my being and since the weather is in theory nicer in November than it is is May, I decided to have an outdoors fairy party. You see, I also considered myself a little bit hypocritical being a "Birthday Fairy" when I myself had never actually had a fairy party!

So after weeks....or actually months (!) of saving and planning and replanning and designing and more planning, Friday arrived and I set to work on that most important of birthday tasks - the cake. Now, as usual before undertaking a task, I consult Google images for ideas as well as TradeMe - those in attendance on Saturday will be laughing as yet another TradeMe reference slips out! So anyway, I was looking for cake ideas and found this:

If this doesn't scream "Janine!" then I don't know what does! So, I thought (somewhat unconvincingly) I could do that, and save the $95 the lady was charging for it. So I did. Only better. In my opinion anyway. And not too sound too modest, but in a few other peoples' opinions too. Hey! I am very proud of my attempt! It's my party and I'll boast if I want to!

Anyway, judge for yourselves:

Mum, who stayed the night and gave me a hand with everything (Love you Mummy!) was pretty astounded that I succeeded in pulling it off. As was I! Am not thinking of going into cake decorating as a career though. Am still aiming to be a domestic goddess as my life plan. And a Mummy who throws awesome birthay parties! ......Every third or so year that is.......I get stressed out too easilly!

Anyway the cake, which went into the oven at 1pm and was finished somewhere around midnight, done, we toddled off to bed.

I was then rudely awoken at 9:05am by Aleisha from Waikato Garden Bins. I haven't forgotten you Aleisha, you will get yours!!!!!!

2 cups of coffee later I was back in business running around like a chicken wthout a head, decorating, prepping, running to the Warehouse for last minute forgotten and probably unnecessary items and stressing out big time!

12:50pm (10 minutes before my guests are due to arrive) I decided I'd better get dressed!

I decorated my garden to be a real fairy grotto and am rather proud of the effect. However, with all my fluffing about I didn't think to take any photos! So if anyone has some, could they pretty, pretty please send them my way?

To describe it, I turned my washing line into a maypole with coloured crepe streamers, hung gorgeous sparkley butterflies on the trees, and made a fairy ring around the circumference with purple tinsel. And of course, glittered up the driveway leading into the garden.

Turns out I made WAY too much food. Am still living off what I didn't take into work to feed our starving students!

Everyone arrived in fairy wings - gold stars for you all - and some with wands and tiaras - 5 gold stars for you!

We ate, I fussed around. I painted some faces:

10 gold stars for April, Emma, Amber and Shelley for being my lovely volunteers! (Shelley, can I have a photo of your arm please?!)

And we played some fairy games - Musical Flowers, Pass the Parcel and Pin the Horn on the Unicorn. Great fun.

Then, girls being girls, we sat around and chatted in the lovely sun. Thank God for the sun! I was freaking out on Friday with all the bloomin' rain!!!!

All in all a very good day. Lots of fun and very long overdue! Then of course, I went into clean up mode before falling into bed to get some sleep before my next fairy gig the next morning.....at 10am!!!! In Cambridge!!!!!! Ah well, it turned out to be most most fun party yet (for someone else!) as the kids were just so friendly and fun!

So, yeah! That's about it. Will leave you with some more pics of the day. Thank you April for letting me pinch your lovely black and white shots, and Natalie for a couple of yours :)