Princess Parties

Once Upon a Time...
Princess Parties

I would have to say that the most satisfying thing
 about decorating for children's parties is seeing their little faces
as they walk into the room.
I was told by a parent on a recent princess set up that
one little princess in particular sat in awe within the setting for
the whole party and sometime thereafter.
I just love being involved in bringing a child's imagination to life.

Princess parties in particular are my favourite and can easily be
mixed with fairy decorations to make a fairy princess party.
Below are some items used to create a princess pavilion and garden.

Canopy netting can be used to create a draped pavilion.
Pink outdoor torches serve as posts for the pavilion.

I have to make special mention of this beautiful wishing well.
My lovely mother went to church woodwork lessons over a
period of weeks to make this for me.
Many a little princess or fairy have sat upon a mushroom beside it
 to wind the handle and make a wish.

It couldn't look more perfect with an iridescent dragon fly sitting upon the 'water'.

This royal chair never fails to win the heart of all little princesses.
It even sounds a royal trumpet upon sitting.

Little "glass" slippers sit upon a vintage style cushion.

To create a garden, boxes of flowers are
 surrounded by organza fabric in green, pink and lilac.

A princess garden would not be complete with roses...

and butterflies.

Mermaid Parties

 

Under the Sea...

Mermaid Parties

Every little girl at some point dreams of being a mermaid sitting by a jewel covered rock pool.

It was easy to get inspired initially by blue and green shades of organza fabric.  I love the way light reflects on this beautiful fabric making it look like waves of colour.

These plaster shells are an ornament found in the garden section of a discount store.
They have been painted with a mother of pearl paint to give it a pearl lustre. The plastic ball has also been painted with mother of pearl. 

A palm tree with pearlescent sea coloured balloons.  

Fabric fish swing as if swimming in the breeze.  

A rock pool surrounded by organza, shells and a string of "water bubble" lights.

Palm trees made from paper mache and faux leaves found in the 

decorator section of various discount stores.

Strings of necklaces and flower lei's with mermaiden hand mirror.

Fairy Parties

I began decorating for children's parties 5 years ago.  It was a business born partly from necessity, mostly from passion.  I was lucky to be able to combine several of my loves ... parties, decorating, theming and the sourcing of secondhand treasures.  

I have always created rather elaborately themed and decorated parties for my children. Having 2 girls, it was only natural for things to begin with flowers and frills.

It all began with fairies...

Fairy Parties

Hosting a party for your little fairy does not have to be of great expense.  To make a fairy garden, I began by sourcing artificial flowers and foliage and a rainbow of coloured organza curtains from opportunity-shops and garage sales.

An old oval mirror in a wooden frame, painted green and surrounded by foliage, became a pond.

  

Off cuts of fabric were made into lily pads and toadstool cushions - upon which sat pre-loved fairy ornaments, sprinkled with fairy dust ...

... and also hidden among water lilies.

In planning a themed party, you need to begin sourcing your decorations well in advance.  You can never be sure what you will find in an op-shop.  I have come across so many amazing and wonderful items in building my party themes. My finds have not been limited to pre-loved items.  Cheap gift shops are a great place to find multiples of gorgeous flowers, windmills, lanterns and vines to name just a few.  

You can never have too many butterflies. ...

When hosting children's parties, safety is always a priority.  Children cannot help but interact with their surroundings so with this in mind, I always use items that are lightweight and will not harm if a breakage occurs or items fall over.  Movable decorations are mostly items that are made of fabric, hard cardboard or plastic.

The simplest of things can be made beautiful with a coat of paint, a sprinkle of glitter and a rainbow of ribbons.

You do not need to be limited to the outdoors to create a fairy garden.  You can create an enchanted space anywhere.

Most of all, when putting things together remember that in the eyes of a child, everything is magical, so things don't need to be perfect.