Making A Statement.....When Less Is More

So, I had a couple of brain waves. I thought I had better share them, as electronic proof in the future that they did actually occur once. You know, good ideas. I think I mentioned before that I had bought some china tea cups to give out instead of party bags? I hate party bags. HATE. Plasticky, gaudy and obligatory. My cups? Yes, I can go with that! I filled them with jelly beans and chocolate buttons, and secured them with Washi tape, and I was really most super pleased with how they turned out :) this is definitely one to do again.....or maybe jam jars?

Then, a very lovely friend of mine, having gone on a vintage hunt with me a few weeks ago and sussing out my taste....bought me this wonderful tennis racket press! I loved it instantly. I heard a few sceptics say "but what are you going to DO with it?!" Ha! Obviously they know me so little, for I am a genius (or quite good sometimes) at turning trash into treasure :)) Oh ye of little faith! 

TA DAAA! I got some lace tape out, and framed a photograph of this gorgeous girl, my Grandma...... Kathleen Therza Dunkley. (I stuck her to the tape with PVA glue, hope she doesn't mind!) 

I then proceeded to frantically search eBay for more racket presses! I mean, if there's inspiration, roll with it! Man then pointed out that sometimes, maybe, a statement is a statement and doesn't need repeating several times, thus diluting the message. So.....I took the advise on board, and just bought one more. :p I had grand designs of giving them as gifts, but again, many would be horrified to hang an old racket press on the wall next to the conventionally framed family portrait. I'll keep this one just for my house

When you start thinking though, allsorts can find another purpose! 

Vintage Tea Party

Here are some tea party pictures! I was obviously so engrossed in the cake that I forgot to include images from the actual day! Monkey had a fantabulous time, and is in love with her phone :)

Monkey Socks reading a birthday letter from that there Wiltshire!

Waiting for some guests to arrive so we could truss them up like 50's housewives! (Check out my Mother!) Sadly, we did get the curlers stuck in the hair of one guest, and had a panic stricken 40 minutes detangling in the kitchen and hoping and praying we wouldn't need the scissors!

We brought as much of the garden indoors as we could, and I was super pleased with the room in the end. Jo 1 - British Weather 0

Until next year...........

🎼I Can Sing A Rainbow

So, my youngest turned the big 11 on Sunday.....she was beyond excited! When she was 7, her elder sister got a mobile phone, and poor little Emily (aka Monkey Socks) sat in the bath and cried and cried because she couldn't have one. My man promised her through the tears that when she turned 11, she too could have a mobile phone, and so the day finally arrived, after three and a half years of waiting. Last years birthday was a complete wash out as it fell the day after my Dad's funeral. As I was his next of kin, all preparation fell to me, on top of my devastation, and so the birthday fell into the shadows. THIS YEAR HOWEVER, full steam ahead!
We decided to have a Vintage Tea Party in the garden for Monkey and three friends. Of course, after 4 days of glorious sunshine, the Great British weather took a turn for the worse and rained on my bright yellow optimistic flip flops! We'd strung bunting in the garden, bought a chintzy table cloth.....I got a cracking Glenn Miller album, and had rummaged through lots of charity shops for headscarves, to tie our guests heads up in like 50's housewives :) and sang please please let the sun shine! It didn't, so we brought everything inside, and had a fantabulous time anyway!
There of course is the matter of a fabulous birthday cake. Man and I have had competitions over birthday cakes, and one year he was requested to make the cake over me!! Yes, over their mother! What's that about!? I think I equalled him when I pulled off a cracking Red Velvet cake once, but he seems to bake an incredibly good and light sponge. Pfft. Whatever. Soooo, I had to come up with something extraordinary this year, to make up for last year, and to knock him and his Victoria sponge out of the baking water. In blog hopping, I found a great tuition in Rainbow cake from http://kerrycooks.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/rainbow-cake/ and set about it a few days before the actual birthday, as I felt a wee bit anxious leaving the masterpiece until the night before the big day. Oh and how great it's going to be :)) I baked all six brightly coloured layers, and wrapped them carefully before hiding them at the bottom of the freezer. I assembled it the night before, and hoped that there was no leaning tower of Pisa'ness, as I'd read this is one if the perils. I bought gel food colouring from eBay, as I heard that the liquid ones are far too weak and wishy washy, and I must say, they worked great. It was really exciting (like kid exciting!) waiting for Monkey to cut into it and find a rainbow!