OHbaby! Party Book

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OHbaby! | parties

contents 4

Ahoy there, me hearties!

Mermaids and pirates aplenty at our underwater sea party

web reference Many of the invites, party favours and game ideas are available for free download by visiting www.ohbaby.co.nz/lifestyle/parties

11 Get your hula on A Hawaiian-themed party for your beach babes

styling credits

18 Buen apetito!

Head south of the border for a Mexicaninspired fiesta

photography

Angela Pedersen, Lucretia Kemp, Sheryl Burson

Fiona Tomlinson

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High tea tales Little girls will feel like real little ladies at our high tea party

32 Wild at heart Let your cheeky monkeys go wild at a jungle party 39 Somewhere over the rainbow Colour the kids happy at our rainbowinspired party

44 Enchanted woods Bugs for the boys and fairies for the girls, this whimsical party has it covered 52 Winter wonderland Snowflakes and silver baubles make this party sparkle

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he-sea part ve in! r-t y. G , di s o on, me with an unde e hearti

OHbaby! | parties

Under-the-sea is a great party theme for both boys and girls. Girls can be the wonderful mermaids they dream of and boys can act up as pirates, demanding guests walk the plank!

Costumes can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. Our little mermaids wore gorgeous sequin and tulle tails from Daisy Baby, accessorised with crowns and wands.

Some simple jeans, a striped top and a red handkerchief was all it took to turn our boys into pirates.

bunting. We decorated the party area with a fishing net, life-saver ring, removable fish and coral stickers on the wall, bunting from jazabaloo and bath toys from Tommee Tippee.

Party food was served in oyster shell boxes for the mermaids and treasure chest boxes for the pirates. Arrr!

invitations Most party stores cater for the “under-thesea” theme, so it’s not difficult to find cute and stylish mermaid or pirate-decorated party invitations.

If you are more creatively inclined you could make your own. Stain paper with cold tea bags, wait for the paper to dry and draw your own route to the “treasure” aka the party venue. You can carefully burn the edges to give it an authentic look.

Another alternative is to make invitations in the shape of fish, starfish or shells, perhaps with some shells and other embellishments glued on.

Or how about sending the invite as a message-in-the-bottle?

decorations We indulged in bright vibrant colours for our party. The bright bath toy sea creatures, food and plates really stood out against the blue background of the walls, tablecloth, net and

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g bubbles, pre n i I’m tty bu ir... forever blow bbles in the a

OHbaby! | parties games There are many fun games to enjoy at an under-the-sea party.

Our guests loved catching bubbles and fishing bath creatures out of a bucket with a net.

Treasure hunts are always a hit. For younger guests cut out two copies each of an assortment of sea shapes on coloured card. Give one to the guest, and hide the matching shape somewhere around the house.

Try this fishing game for older kids: Take a length of string and hang other pieces of string from it at intervals with chocolate fish attached with paperclips. The aim is to bite the fish, with your hands tied behind your back (you will need to be careful — a hook in the mouth is not a happy end to a party!).

Kids love it when adults play the fool, so hire the man of the house a pirate costume and get him to play captain.

He can draw prizes out of a treasure chest. You could mix it up a little with some treats and some tricks, such as wearing old underpants on his head. The sillier, the better.

food Fish and chips may not be the healthiest option, but if you’re picking those with the Heart Foundation tick and cooking them in the oven, it’s a quick and easy treat for the kids.

Our guests also enjoyed pirate-decorated cupcakes, a delicious mermaid chocolate cake and some cute jellies. You could source some soft jube fish to put in the jellies before they set to make them look like fish bowls.

Girls’ clothing: Singlets from www.naturebaby.co.nz; mermaid tails, wands and crowns from www.daisybaby.co.nz.

Boys’ clothing: Singlets from Nature Baby www.naturebaby.co.nz; jeans and shoes from Pumpkin Patch, go to www.pumpkinpatch.co.nz.

Partyware: Cupcakes and birthday cake from the City Cake Company www.citycake.co.nz; food boxes, napkins, cups and bunting from www.jazabaloo.co.nz; clear cups from www.poppyseed.co.nz; bath toys from Tommee Tippee, www.tommeetippee.co.n; bubbles from Hire Co; lollies from Sweet Indulgence, Mt Eden; Auckland life saver ring from Burnsco Marine; wall stickers from www.resene.co.nz.

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OHbaby! | parties

Aloha summer! What better way to welcome summer than a luau birthday party, where your little ones can feast on summer fruits and hula ’til they drop!

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OHbaby! | parties

A hula party is a fun and fabulous way to celebrate in beautiful summer weather.

Girls can hula until they are too hot and need to cool down with a drink under their little parasols. Be sure your little birthday girl greets each guest with an “aloha!” and a lei around their necks, to get the party started. At home or at the beach, this is a fun outdoors party, so don’t forget the sunscreen!

invitations It’s always fun for the creative types to go wild with birthday invitation designs. You could make up an airline-ticket design with Hawaii as the destination. Alternatively, you could work

with some of the props you intend to use at the party, such as making invitations shaped like frangipani flowers or creating a simple card design with mini cocktail umbrellas included in the envelope. You can also use umbrellas to decorate drink cups at the party.

decorations The colour theme for our party was pink and white. The tablecloth was a light shade of pink, with pink-and-white plates and clear glasses to show off the pink drinks.

We decorated the party area with pinkand-white round paper lanterns and the party guests all had a ball playing with and resting under their own pink parasols.

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OHbaby! | parties

games No luau is complete without a hula dance. Our guests enjoyed an energetic hula version of “freeze”. Music was played while the girls danced, and when the music stopped, those still moving were out, until there was a winner. Other party games could include bobbing for sea shells, musical chairs, using towels instead of chairs, or a water balloon-catching contest.

food The menu at this luau included plenty of fresh summer fruit, frangipani-topped cupcakes, ambrosia, savoury sandwiches and the birthday cake.

In the “hula cooler” we served cans of cold lemonade, iced tea and cranberry juice to make pink drinks for the girls to enjoy. The ambrosia was a hit and consisted of a full one litre tub of strawberry yoghurt, half a bottle of cream, whipped, marshmallows and milk chocolate chips.

The birthday cake was in the shape of a flip-flop, with the straps made of fruit strips and red liquorice. To achieve the hibiscus flowers, we printed out the design and cut the shape out of some hard cardboard. The card was then pressed into the icing, making an imprint which was then painted in with red food colouring. Simple, but so effective.

favours A traditional mini flax bag with a few summer fruit lollies makes a delightful party favour for the little hula girls to take home and enjoy.

Girls’ clothing: Singlets from Nature Baby www.naturebaby.co.nz; hula skirts from www.looksharpstore.co.nz.

Partyware: Umbrellas and lanterns from www.looksharpstore.co.nz; flax fans, frangipanis and favour bags from Spotlight, www.spotlight.co.nz.

Food: Cupcakes from City Cake Company, www.citycake.co.nz.

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OHbaby! | parties

history of the luau The luau is a traditional feast in Hawaii and was once referred to as the aha‘aina. A luau is used to celebrate many events, including birthdays and the arrival of visitors.

The modern luau is likely to have originated from the great co-ed feasts of the Second King of the Kingdom of Hawaii Kamehameha II (1797-1824). Traditionally, men and women were not allowed to eat together and women were not allowed to eat certain kinds of foods. King Kamehameha II abolished this law in 1819 and celebrated this change in tradition by having a symbolic feast with women invited.

The main dish at King Kamehameha II’s feast consisted of chicken wrapped in taro leaves and baked in coconut milk. This dish was called “luau” and as a result of it being one of the main courses of these feasts, the feasts themselves came to be known as “luaus”.

Traditional luaus are eaten while sitting on a woven mat on the ground, called “lauhala” mats. Guests at luaus receive leis (garlands of flowers worn as necklaces) as they arrive on the scene as a display of affection to each guest.

Dress code is Hawaiian-style casual and women can place a flower behind either their left or right ear. Placing a flower over the left ear indicates that one is “taken” or in a relationship, and placing a flower over the right ear indicates that one is available.

(OHbaby! Managing Director Angela’s daughters will have a flower over their left ear until they are at least 20!).

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OHbaby! | parties

buen apetito!

Head south of the border for a mouthwatering Mexican-style feast fit for a fiesta

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OHbaby! | parties

Olé! Olé! It’s fiesta time! Set the scene with piñatas, sombreros and maracas and feed your guests a delicious Mexican feast.

invite Set the mood for the party by sending out invitations cut out in the shape of a Mexican sombrero, or a map of Mexico. Dora the Explorer is a pre-school favourite who is a proud Mexican, so you could easily buy a pack of Dora invitations.

decorations Source a Mexican flag and string up red, white and green balloons. We used a long length of striped fabric as a table runner and decorated the table with brightly coloured place settings.

Papel Picado is a traditional Mexican folk craft — paper cutting — that’s created using special hammers and paper punches on tissue paper. Your guests can create simple paper cut designs using newspaper or coloured tissue paper and scissors, using the same basic principles as making paper snowflakes or dolls.

games A piñata is an absolute must at a Mexican party, you can search on the internet for instructions on how to make one yourself, or simply buy one from a party supply store. String the piñata up from a tree or clothesline, then let the kids take turns hitting it with a big stick until it breaks and the lollies fall out. Make sure the children who are watching are well out of swing range.

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Another fun game to get the kids moving around is the Mexican Hat Dance. Have the children make a circle while holding hands, when the music starts they all walk in one direction. When the name of a child is called he walks to the middle of the circle and dances around the sombrero until another child’s name is called.

favours Mini maracas would make a nice party favour (many baby shops sell these as baby rattles), or perhaps a My First Spanish Word Book.

Anything from Dora the Explorer or her animal-loving cousin Diego would also be a hit with the pre-school set.

Maracas, sombreros, and delicious nibbles make this fiesta a party your children will absolutely love

OHbaby! | parties

pastels makes about 50 ingredients • Vegetable oil for frying • 500g mince • 1 red capsicum, finely chopped • 2 green capsicums, finely chopped • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped • Salt • 1 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped • 1 packet of wonton pastry 1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add the mince, and cook over medium heat.

2. When the mince is well cooked, add the

ham + cheese mini wraps makes 24 ingredients • 12 flour tortillas, each cut in half • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or guacamole • 24 slices of ham • 2 1/2 cups shredded lettuce • 1kg chicken, cooked and shredded • 24 fine slices of tomato • 1/3 cup chopped spring onions • 1 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese • Salt

margarita quesadillas makes 24 ingredients • 500g shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese • 6 tomatoes, finely diced • 2 green capsicums, diced • Salt • 12 flour tortillas

capsicums, tomatoes, and a pinch of salt.

Cook for about five minutes, turn the heat off, and add the spring onion. Mix well and leave to cool.

3. Cut wonton pastry sheets in half, then place spoonfuls of the mince mixture on each half-sheet. Dip your finger in some water and slightly wet the edges of each pastry sheet. Fold over and seal well by pressing the edges down with a fork.

4. Heat oil to 180°C in a deep frypan or deep-fryer. Fry pastels until golden and crispy, then leave to rest on a paper towel.

Serve warm or cold.

1. Spread mayonnaise or guacamole on one side of each tortilla.

2. Place a slice of ham, some lettuce, chicken, a slice of tomato, some chopped spring onion, cheese and a pinch of salt on each tortilla.

3. Roll each tortilla into a cone shape to enclose the filling, and place it on a chilled platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

1. Distribute cheese, tomatoes, capsicums, and a pinch of salt equally over six tortillas.

Sandwich together with another tortilla.

2. Grill each tortilla “sandwich” on a lightly oiled griddle or in a frypan over medium heat, four to six minutes per side.

3. Cut each quesadilla into four wedges and serve.

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high tea tales Even little girls need a special event to dress up and celebrate all things girly, and what better occasion than an oh-so-feminine high tea

OHbaby! | parties

One of the quintessential activities of childhood is the staging of a dolls’ and teddies’ tea party, complete with a miniature tea set.

Little girls love to dress up and play ladies who lunch, so we created a traditional afternoon tea with children in mind, from the menu to the decorations. Encourage your young guests to dress in their prettiest party dresses, pearls, and jewels for a very ladylike experience.

invites Our cupcake-themed invitations were chosen to set the tone of the event, as pink was the primary colour of our food and decorations. It would be fun to send each guest a teacup and saucer with their invitation tucked inside or perhaps gift them each with a miniature teaset and invite them to bring their favourite doll or teddy bear along. Actual personalised cupcakes are another fun option for innovative invitations, as you can stick a “flag” on a toothpick into the top of the cupcake, with the party details written on it and hand-deliver them to each guest.

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OHbaby! | parties

tea traditions According to The Langham Hotel in Auckland (which puts on an exquisite Signature Afternoon Tea): “The afternoon tea experience can be traced back to the 1840s and is reputed to have been started

by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford.

Traditionally, dinner was not served until 8.30-9pm in the evening, and the Duchess often became hungry, especially in the winter when dinner was served even later. So she ordered a small meal of bread, butter and other niceties, such as cakes, tarts, and biscuits, to be brought secretly to her boudoir.�

Loose tea brewed in a teapot and served with milk and sugar is the traditional drink, usually accompanied by light refreshment in the form of sandwiches (cucumber or smoked salmon remain firm favourites worldwide) and fresh scones. Light cakes and miniature sweets are also popular. The Langham serves chocolate-covered strawberries decorated to look as though they are wearing miniature tuxedos.

Nowadays, taking tea in the afternoon is usually a pretty simple affair involving a mere cuppa and possibly a quick bite to eat. More elaborate high teas have become the preserve of hotels and posh restaurants. But there is something very special about turning up in your finery to be served all manner of petite delicacies on a three-tiered tray.

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OHbaby! | parties

decorations It may feel counter-intuitive to bring out your best wedding china for the occasion, but older children can possibly be trusted not to destroy on sight the beautiful tea set your grandmother gave you. Remember, high tea is all about elegance and acting grown-up, so little girls will probably be okay with a proper teacup and saucer (with supervision, of course). Still, it’s best to keep the numbers small so that mayhem has less chance of erupting! You can also source pretty china from your local op shop.

food A tea party doesn’t require a great deal of innovation when it comes to the menu, as triedand-true favourites will please young partygoers.

Club sandwiches (with the crusts trimmed off if you wish), freshly baked scones with strawberry

jam and whipped cream, lamingtons (in both chocolate and raspberry, of course), and daintily decorated cupcakes will go down a treat.

Miniature meringues complete the sweet menu, and make excellent take-home favours.

Teacups can be filled with herbal tea so that delicate palates can handle the flavours, or even milk or juice (little girls are all about the actual teacups, and don’t really mind what’s in them!).

favours Encourage your little ladies to take home a lovely souvenir of their special afternoon tea experience, such as a small box of bite-sized sweets tied with a pretty ribbon.

They’re a much more elegant option than the traditional loot bag filled with items from the two-dollar shop, and the box can be reused for storing small treasures.

Girls’ clothing: n Trelise Cooper Kids, www.trelisecooper.co.nz n Mini Treasure Kids, www.minitreasurekids.com.au n Pumpkin Patch, www.pumpkinpatch.co.nz n Sooki Baby, www.sookibaby.com.au n eeni meeni miini moh, www.eenimeeni.com n Little Pearls for Little Girls, www.littlepearls.co.nz n Mini-me, www.mini-me.co.nz (no longer available) Partyware: n Cupcake stand, cupcake cups, cupcake lipgloss, and balloons from Poppyseed, www.poppyseed.co.nz n Invitations and cupcake cups from Vanilla Cupcake, www.vanillacupcake.co.nz n Party favour boxes from Spotlight, www.spotlight.co.nz n Sweets from Mt Eden Sweet Shop n Lamingtons from Mt Eden Café

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we like to move it, move it Maximum fun with minimal fuss — have a wild time at your child’s next party with this simple yet snazzy jungle theme

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OHbaby! | parties

A jungle party is the perfect theme for all those cheeky monkeys and it’s a great way to let kids go wild. Send out invitations written on card cut out in the shape of a banana or a tiger’s paw and ask your guests to dress up as their favourite animal. Decorate with lots of potted plants and soft animal toys, then put on the soundtrack to The Lion King to set the mood.

food Our simple menu included popcorn, bananas, pineapple chunks, mini kebabs (we used toothpicks as skewers) of melon pieces, grapes, and marshmallows, jelly snakes from the Natural Confectionery Company and a birthday cake. Monkey and vine cupcakes (see opposite) also made great jungle snacks.

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OHbaby! | parties

monkey and vine cupcakes Makes 12

you will need: • 125g soft margarine • 1/2 cup caster sugar • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence • 1/4 cup milk • 2 eggs • 1 cup flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • Ready-to-roll fondant icing (available at supermarkets) • Food colouring — green, brown, and yellow

powder. Add to wet mixture and stir until combined. Spoon mixture into paper cases and bake for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool before decorating.

5. To decorate, knead fondant until soft.

Separate into five balls. Poke a small hole into each ball, then drop food colouring into the hole as follows: • For green fondant (cupcake tops), two drops green • For light green fondant (vines), one drop green • For brown (monkey heads), one drop brown • For light yellow (monkey faces), one drop yellow 6. Knead each individual icing ball until the colour is distributed evenly.

7. Using a rolling pin, roll out icing balls to around 3mm thick. Cut out circular shapes for cupcake tops and monkey heads with round biscuit cutters. Use a knife to cut vines, monkey faces and ears.

8. Using a pastry brush, brush the backs of each fondant circle with a drop or two of water, then mould over the tops of cupcakes. Do the same for monkey and vine shapes.

how to make: 1. Preheat over to 190°C. Place paper cupcake holders in a 12-hole muffin tray.

2. Cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and milk and beat well.

3. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking

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OHbaby! | parties

games The “wildness” of your party games really depends on the age of the guests. Good oldfashioned pass the parcel works well for little ones. Tuck a jelly snake or other jungle treat into each layer to ensure everyone’s a winner.

Older children will enjoy “pin the tail on the monkey” (you can find images for this at www. ohbaby.co.nz/lifestyle/birthday-parties/partythemes/jungleparty).

The “What am I?” game is great to get children interacting. Sticky-tape a picture of a jungle animal to each child’s back (but don’t let them see their own picture), then encourage them to ask questions of each other with “yes” or “no” answers to ascertain what animal they are wearing. You can also download pictures for this game from our website.

favours Party favours are best kept nice and simple.

We chose green party bags from www.poppyseed.co.nz, filled them with sweets from The Natural Confectionery Co, and added a cute little Animalz toy to remind each party guest of their visit to the jungle!

Monkeys wear: Nature Baby corduroy pants, Nature Baby merino crew-neck top, Pumpkin Patch shoes and tails from Auckland Zoo Store. Ears made from products found at Spotlight (see how-to on oppposite page).

Elephants wear: Nature Baby kimono dress, Nature Baby merino crew-neck top, Nature Baby cotton leggings and Pumpkin Patch shoes. Ears from Auckland Zoo store. Tails made from felt and ribbons from Spotlight.

Tigers wear: Nature Baby merino crew

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neck top, Nature Baby corduroy dress, Pumpkin Patch tights and shoes. Ears and tail from Auckland Zoo Store.

Food: Cake and cupcakes from City Cake Company. Food baskets from Spotlight.

Props: Jungle bunting from www.madeitbaby.co.nz (no longer available). Wooden animals from www.anamalz.com. Large giraffe, lion, and monkey from Auckland Zoo Store. Party favour bags, tags, cups, and plates from www.poppyseed.co.nz. Tablecloth is two metres of fabric from Spotlight.

monkey ears Your little one will be swingin’ from the vines with these funky monkey ears 1. Cut the felt into a triangle, with the long side a few inches longer than the headband.

2. Using the hot glue gun, glue the long edge of the felt triangle along the top of the headband, then wrap around and glue to the underside of the headband, so the headband is completely covered.

3. Continue to wrap around and glue the felt to the headband, so that eventually there is only a small triangle of felt to be glued down. Trim the ends. you will need: ■ A headband ■ Scissors ■ Hot glue gun

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■ Felt ■ Chenille wire pieces All materials from Spotlight

4. Bend the chenille into half-circle “ear” shapes.

Then bend the ends of the wire and secure around the headband.

Hot-glue the ends to the felt.

You’re invited!

rai nb ow

n o i t c e n n o c

For a vibrant, colourful birthday party look no further than nature’s own spectacular phenomenon — the rainbow

OHbaby! | parties

Rainbow-themed birthday parties offer plenty of inspiration for all sorts of colourful foods, costumes and decorations. We had six guests, so we dropped indigo from our colour palette and went with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

invites Our invitations (which are free to download from www.ohbaby.co.z/lifestyle/birthdayparties/party-inviations) featured our specially-created rainbow labels (also on the OHbaby! website) and invited each child to dress in an assigned colour. The party label was also used for the food, fun stations, and goodie bags.

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food and drink We had lots of fun creating party treats playing on all the colours of the rainbow — jelly boats made in orange peel quarters, coloured cupcakes, fruit kebabs and mini meatballs with cheese pieces skewered on top.

We added natural food colouring to lemonade to make the coloured drinks.

The pièce de résistance was the birthday cake created by making six separate cakes (using a butter cake recipe). Each one was coloured a different shade using food colouring. The cakes were then stuck together with butter cream icing, which also covered the entire cake. We tied six coloured ribbons around the outside and attached the ends into the icing.

This recipe can be found at www.ohbaby.co.nz/ lifestyle/birthday-parties/party-themes.

decorations Rainbow-hued balloons and bunting were our only decorations for the food table and party venue. However, the multi-coloured food, plates, cups and goodie bags were decorations

in themselves. We deliberately made the rest of the room and table cloths white to make the rainbow decorations stand out.

party favours For simple but effective party favours we used plain cellophane bags from Spotlight and filled them with lollies in coloured layers.

Then we tied the bags up with leftover ribbon from the birthday cake and stuck on labels printed with our special rainbow logo.

Kids’ clothing: n Pumpkin Patch (www.pumpkinpatch.co.nz) and JK Kids (www.jk.co.nz) Partyware: n Cupcakes from www.missmelicious.com Bunting, cups, balloons and plates from Poppyseed (www.poppyseed.co.nz) n Plates and balloons from Jazabaloo (www.jazabaloo.co.nz) n Glass bottles, www.poprocparties.co.nz n Lollies from Sweet Indulgence in Mt Eden, Auckland

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You’re invited!

You’re invited!

Birds, bugs and butterflies abound in this delightful birthday party that boys and girls alike will enjoy

enchanted forest

Make some magic

frilly fairies and woodland creatures

will inspire your little one’s

imagination

OHbaby! | parties

Choosing a good non-gender-specific birthday party theme can be difficult, especially for a toddler party. At this age, boys and girls are into role-playing and dress-ups, and all too often, the costumes and themes available seem to favour one gender over the other. When your toddler has a mixed group of friends, you don’t want to exclude the boys from a princess party, or avoid inviting the girls to a pirate party.

You want the theme to be inclusive and reasonably gender-neutral — which is why we love the Enchanted Forest idea. With enough frilly things to satisfy the girls (think fairies and magic wands), there’s also a fair dose of boy-friendly elements (creepy-crawlies, trolls and bug-catching).

decorations We spent a lot of time at our local Spotlight choosing simple co-ordinates that would be child-friendly as well as visually appealing. We found cute butterfly and heart-shaped plates in the same shades of pink and green as our theme colours. Our tablecloth was a length of green tulle purchased by the metre at Spotlight. It’s inexpensive but looks gorgeous.

costumes Kids love pretending to be creatures and our boys had a blast as bugs. We bought plain headbands, green pipe cleaners and pompoms from Spotlight. Wrap the pipe cleaners around the headbands to cover them completely.

Twist a pipe cleaner around the pompoms and secure to the headband. The boys’ bug wings were originally white butterfly wings from the

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$2 Shop. We dyed them with green dye from Spotlight, then reshaped them into simple, non-girly “beetle” wings!

games Here are some ideas for games that young children can enjoy together: n Pass the parcel: Wrap up small treats or lollies in each layer of easy-to-remove tissue paper, so no one misses out. n Catching fairy dust: This is essentially

a lolly scramble, but with butterfly nets. n Critter-collecting: Before the party begins,

hide inexpensive plastic bugs and other forest creatures around the party room.

Give the children butterfly nets and encourage them to find the bugs. n Wigglebugs: Get the kids dancing to

music, but when the music stops they have to stop moving. Great for getting rid of excess energy!

Encourage your party guests to dress up in the theme of the day.

It’ll lend an element of

whimsical enchantment

party favours Children love taking home a wee memento from the party, but you don’t need to go overboard on party favours. Cookie pops, stickers, play jewellery, a personalised shirt, or anything sparkly will go down a treat with under-fives. We found the takeaway-style plastic boxes (below) at Spotlight, filled them with lollies, and packed them up for a portable party favour.

food Our best tip for getting your little party guests to eat reasonably healthy party food is to give it creative, cute names and tell them it’s

something else. Choosing something you know they will eat (like our “birds’ nests”, which are essentially little ramekins of spaghetti and meatballs) will also encourage them to gobble up what’s on offer. And be creative in your presentation. If the food you’re serving looks appealing, they’ll be more likely to eat it!

Cupcakes are a party staple and on the following page we show how to bake your own cupcakes and decorate them to great effect.

OHbaby! | parties

ladybird cupcakes If you’re pressed for time, use store-bought muffins or cupcakes and follow our easy instructions for icing them. If you want to bake your own cupcakes, try our recipe on the next page.

fondant icing (for ladybird bodies) you will need: 1 packet ready-to-use rolled fondant icing Food colouring 1/4 teaspoon water how to make: 1. Knead fondant until soft. Roll into a ball.

Poke a small hole in the ball. Place two drops of food colouring in the hole. Knead icing until colour is blended evenly.

2. Using a rolling pin, roll icing out to around 3mm thick. Cut into circular shapes using a round biscuit cutter.

3. Using a pastry brush, brush the backs of fondant circles with water, then mould over tops of cupcakes.

royal icing (for ladybird details) you will need: 3 tbsp meringue powder 4 cups sifted icing sugar 6 tbsp warm water Red and green food colouring how to make: 1. Place meringue powder and icing sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add water slowly, being sure not to over-water the

mixture. Beat ingredients together until the icing forms peaks.

2. Separate icing into two batches. Add a few drops of green food colouring into one batch and stir to blend. Repeat for red food colouring with other batch.

3. Use an icing bag with a small tip, or roll up a large square of baking paper into a cone shape and drop in an icing nozzle.

Add one colour of icing.

4. Repeat for other colour of icing. Decorate cupcakes as desired.

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OHbaby! | parties

making the cakes makes 18 Every enchanted forest has its share of magical critters, and these lovely ladybird cupcakes are just gorgeous. Our instructions for icing them are on the previous page. you will need: 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup caster sugar 125g soft margarine 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence how to make: 1. Preheat over to 190°C. Place paper cupcake holders in a 12-hole muffin tray to prepare for the cupcake mixture.

2. Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and beat well.

3. Sift flour into a bowl. Add to mixture and stir until combined.

4. Spoon mixture into paper cases and bake for 15 minutes. When cold, decorate as desired.

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OHbaby! | parties

butterfly nectar makes 4 4 glasses 1 packet green jelly 8 marshmallows 2 jelly snakes 1 two-litre bottle green milk — use lime Primo or add a few drops of green food colouring to regular milk how to make: 1. Make green jelly according to packet instructions. Allow to set.

2. To make butterfly bodies, cut jelly snakes in half, then slice the “belly” of each snake off so some of the sticky inside is exposed.

Stick to the inside of the glass.

3. To make butterfly wings, cut each marshmallow in half, then place on the inside of the glass on either side of the butterfly body, in the shape of a butterfly.

4. Spoon green jelly into the bottom of each glass, then add green milk.

cocoon salads makes 4 Butterflies have to come from somewhere — and a great way to encourage children to eat their greens is to tell them they’re actually chomping on butterfly beds presented in wee cocoons. you will need: 1 bag of baby spinach 1 punnet cherry tomatoes 1 avocado, peeled and cut into slices 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into slices 200g cheese, cut into cubes 3 mandarins, peeled and segmented (or 1 tin mandarins, drained) Thin cardboard Baking paper Sticky tape how to make: 1. In a large bowl, mix baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber slices, cheese cubes and mandarin segments.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. To make cocoons, cut sheets of thin cardboard into squares. Roll into cones and use sticky tape to hold cone shape.

Line with baking paper.

3. When it’s time to serve, spoon salad into cocoons and hand to children with small forks.

4. Mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise and 2 tbsp tomato sauce together and drizzle over salad as dressing, if desired.

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OHbaby! | parties

winter wonderland Celebrate everything this season has to offer by hosting a winter-themed event filled with fluffy snowflakes, friendly snowmen, sparkling tinsel, kid-friendly snowglobes, and yummy hot chocolate to warm little tummies

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OHbaby! | parties

Yes, winter is cold and dreary outside. So as your family’s focus turns indoors, it’s a perfect time to introduce your child to the joys of the chilly season with a winter wonderland-themed party.

Think about the magical aspects of winter — fluffy snowflakes melting on the tip of your tongue; cheerful snowmen smiling in the front yard; glowing white fairy lights; sparkling silver tinsel... Your little one and her friends will love getting into the spirit.

invitations We designed our winter wonderland-themed invitations with snowflakes in blue and white, colours that also echoed our theme colours of white, blue, and silver. Use a silver pen to write the details on the invitation for a shimmery touch, or dust with silver glitter. You can download our invitations from www.ohbaby. co.nz/lifestyle/parties/winterwonderland and print them out yourself.

for Pass the Parcel. Children also love to get creative, and our snow globe craft (see over) is a great activity for them to do with adult supervision (obviously only grown-ups should handle the hot glue gun!).

favours For party favours, we followed the theme of the food and created “takeaway fluffies” — personalised mugs filled with marshmallows and individual sachets of hot chocolate mix. We had personalised mugs made through Snapfish www.snapfish.co.nz with the guest’s name and a snowflake image (prices from $19.95).

decorations With a winter wonderland theme, the colours silver, white, and soft blue really stood out for us, so all of the decorations, plates, cups, and accessories that we chose were in this colour palette. We sourced our fluffy white fabric from Spotlight for the table covering, which created the illusion of snow without the chill! At under $10 a metre, it was an affordable choice.

games Traditional party games are always a hit with little ones. Try hiding marshmallows or snowflake decorations in layers of paper

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OHbaby! | parties

food Oh, the delights of winter food! Children especially love to be toasty warm and secure indoors, so we created a comforting menu with the season in mind. Individual portions of macaroni cheese, hot chocolate, snowman cupcakes and a few sweets set the scene and filled small bellies.

Soup or warm sandwiches are another great choice for winter party food. Our Winter Wonderland menu featured: n Simple macaroni cheese ramekins (recipe right) n Snowman cupcakes n Snowflake marshmallow slice n Birthday cake n Hot chocolate with marshmallows

n Noble knights wear: Personalised shirts from www.simplycolors.co.nz. Cotton pants from www.naturebaby.co.nz. Shoes from www.monkeey.co.nz. n Snow princesses wear: Tights from Pumpkin Patch, skirts from Monkeey and The Fairy Shop. Wands, crowns, and shoes from The Fairy Shop (www. thefairyshop.co.nz). Personalised shirts from www.simplycolors.co.nz. n Cake and cupcakes made by City Cake Company. n Props: Snowflake bunting from www. madeitbaby.co.nz (no longer available).

Party balloons, hats, horns, straws, cups, and plates from www.poppyseed.co.nz.

Tablecloth is two metres of fabric from Spotlight. Tinsel and snowflake decorations from www.looksharpstore.co.nz.

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simple macaroni cheese ramekins makes 12 Macaroni is perhaps not the first thing you think of for party food, but it is a simple, warm dish that children love. We made ours even simpler by using a packet sauce mix, cutting the cooking time down to around 10 minutes, not including browning time. Our young partygoers loved it and the individual portions were a big hit. you will need: 350g penne pasta 100g grated tasty cheese 1 packet of Maggi Tasty Cheese Sauce Breadcrumbs how to make: 1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Cook pasta as directed. Drain and set aside.

2. Follow instructions on cheese sauce packet. Once mixed, add grated cheese and stir in (it’s important that the sauce is hot in order for it to melt).

3. Place macaroni in ramekins and sprinkle breadcrumbs over. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden.

OHbaby! | parties

snow globe Create your own mini winter wonderland for party guests to take home and enjoy! you will need: ■ An empty glass baby food jar ■ Scissors ■ Hot glue gun ■ Snowman ■ Glitter or small stars ■ Chenille wire pieces ■ Shredded cellophane All materials from Spotlight

1. Using the hot glue gun, glue the shredded cellophane (snow floor) to the inside of the jar lid.

2. Glue the snowman to the lid on top of the “snow”. (We found the snowman and other decorations in the cake decorating section of Spotlight.)

3. Fill the jar with stars or glitter and water.

Screw the lid tightly closed and seal with the hot glue gun.

4. Hot glue around the edge of the lid. Wrap chenille wire around and twist ends to secure.

Cut off excess wire and hold in place for a few minutes to set glue.

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You’re invited!