Amazing Ariel Party

Every now and then a family comes along that melts my heart. Last weekend I had the opportunity to help host an Ariel party in Kentfield for a wonderful family. The party was for a little girl named Summer who turned four years old. When my staff and I arrived to do our setup, the family was busy at work putting the finishing touches on their mermaid's grotto out back. The grotto that they designed and decorated was amazing and I have to share the pictures with you.

The canopied tent was decorated with blue and green tulle fabric draped from the ceiling and billowing blue taffeta fabric on the floor and walls. A small decorated table held a treasure-filled chest, including pretty shell necklaces made by Summer's grandmother. Colorful seahorses and seaweed decor also filled the tent. On the back wall was a decorated mermaid's throne. Directly above the throne hung a beautifully framed painting painted by Summer's father. Look at the wonderful detail in it.

The grotto came in handy for storytime and craft time since it was very hot out that day.

I had a great time watching as the children listened to my Ariel performer, Brittany.

Flamingo Croquet

As I get ready to head out of town for yet another trip, I am finalizing details for all of my upcoming parties that I will have back-to back. Last year I had purchased some plush Disney flamingo mallets for my Alice theme, but unfortunately they do not work well for a game of croquet. So yesterday I had my friend Steve cut out six flamingo templates on his jig-saw for me out of 1/4 inch masonite. Today I will take them to my friend Lisa for painting. I will then attach them to a child's mallet. I'm thinking that I would like to hot glue a wide velcro band to the back of the flamingo and wrap it around the mallet. However, I'm not exactly sure if this will work at the moment. For someone like me who is continually reusing and transporting items, I need to take good care of things so this works better for me. I will let you know how all turns out.

Storytelling Props

Storytelling is a major component for most of my theme parties. Besides having fabulously dressed performers that weave these tales, we also offer a variety of authentic looking props to bring this magic alive. For an upcoming Harry Potter party, I recently purchased some fun trinkets to go along with our Divination's class. You can do the same without breaking the bank by visiting local thrift stores, garage sales or simply asking friends and realatives. You will be surprised at what you find. For this party I purchased a 125 mm crystal ball, runes, and some tarrot cards. A pretty tea cup with tea leaves and a burning candle will complete the scene.