Nursery Rhyme Birthday Party Preparation Under Way

This week we have been busy getting things ready for Hazel's 3rd birthday. I shared the invitation I made with you previously. Now I'll show you some of the crafts we have been working on. I need to do the last part of Hazel's dress, but I made her a dress from some Hey Diddle, Diddle fabric which I used in her quilt. I am making a pinafore for it as well. I also need to finish sewing the cloth napkins. I bought Three Blind Mice and Humpty Dumpty fabrics on clearance for napkins and am serging the edges since I couldn't find any nursery rhyme themed paper products. I figure I'll make a quilt out of them after the party.

 

Hazel and I spent a bit of time this week on favors. I had found 18 Strawberry Buttercream wax tarts on clearance earlier this year and bought them. Unfortunately we need  more than 18 adult favors, so we made some of the cinnamon apple ornaments in hearts and stamped them with a Thanks stamp.

I figured I could use the same rhyme for both. We also included a couple of pretty magnets in each bag.

Adult Favor Tag

For the children we made homemade play dough. We made orange and blue both with glitter and scented clove orange (using ground cloves and orange extract).  And we made a lavender play dough with dried lavender flowers and glitter in it and scented also with lemon extract. I bought little plastic snack cups at the dollar store to put them in and then we will put one in each gift bag. On this one we put a tag with Pat-a-cake type rhyme on it.

Play dough tag

 We also made some Jack and Jill hats. After finishing two, I decided that was enough of these. I changed the idea a bit but had gotten it from a craft book I found in the library.

We also are working on the Mary, Mary Quite Contrary centerpiece. Again an idea from the same book. The homemade flowers include ones that have silver bells, and shells and pictures of pretty maids as well as ones that are just pretty.

What we still have to do is make a wreath from old nursery rhyme books, make more paper hats from old books, finish our banners, make some play dough for the pat-a-cake station, make some different level "candles" from cardboard for the Jack Be Nimble contest and if I have time finish the cross stitched towel for the bathroom (with the cat and fiddle on it). Plus of course the cooking and baking. My parents arrive tomorrow so hopefully I'll have some help. Well I'm off to sew...hopefully I can finish the sewing today so I can move onto other things.

Hope you are having a great day!

Sharing Christmas and onto my birthday party preparations

We had a wonderful Christmas. I think it was one of the best ones yet. We spent Christmas Eve cleaning the house. Our cleaning people were due to come at 7:30 Monday morning and we wanted everything picked up so we wouldn't have to worry about it. However Christmas night we got a phone call asking if they could come this afternoon instead. So now, it is trying to keep it picked up.

Hazel's gift from Santa

In our town, we have a Santa parade on Christmas Eve that includes just about all the police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks and anyone else who wants to put lights on their truck. Santa rides on one of the fire trucks. We are lucky enough to live on the street where they turn around before they hit the next town, so they go right by our house. However Hazel did not nap. So we went to the 5 o'clock service at church and came home to have dinner. Santa was running late (as he always does compared to the schedule in the newspaper), so Hazel announced she was ready to put her pajamas on and not wait for Santa anymore. We heard him go by and she told me she just wanted him to go home. So we didn't see the Santa parade.

Hazel's and Daddy's stockings are too full to still hang.

But since she was in bed by 7 or so, Santa came early to our house. Then we got to relax!

My filled stocking...guess I wasn't that good this year. ;o)

However, Hazel was up by 5:30. Santa luckily left a gift for her under the tree in her room and it was the one thing she asked for--a Barbie doll. She played with it for 15-20 minutes before she got us back up. Then we went and opened gifts. Hazel had so many stocking gifts compared to us that she was giving us some to open for her. It took some time since she wanted to play with each gift before she opened another one.

Christmas Eve tree loaded up

Then we had breakfast together. Steve hopped in the shower and Hazel and I called my family to check in. Then we headed off to see them at Cape Cod. Hazel was so excited to see her cousin (her only first cousin) and her aunts and uncle plus of course Mimi and Pop. And of course there were more gifts there. After opening gifts we went outside to play.

Opening gifts...a doll high chair and ornaments Plus some books and blocks!

The winter marsh (and Cape Cod Bay in background)

Going to the garden to dig!

A Favorite Activity!

Playing the Gingerbread Man Chase

A Few Snowflakes Fell!

Trying to Catch Snowflakes!

Showing Pop the Game Aunt Beth Just Did with Her

Then yesterday, we went to my mother-in-law's to exchange gifts. Luckily the gifts she gave Hazel stay at her house. She then kept Hazel for the day, so I got sewing Hazel's dress for her birthday party. This week all of our crafts and what not will be in preparation for the party which is Saturday. I hope I can get everything done.

Meanwhile, Hazel is enjoying all her new gifts. Her doll high chair gets moved constantly from room to room. She brings it to the kitchen for meals, into her kitchen to feed Ducky or Baby and into the family room to play hairdresser.

How was your Christmas?

Just a few reminders: Sharing Saturday is still open and there are some great ideas there for crafts and activities especially for vacation week. And my first giveaway is open until Thursday!

Have a great week!!