Ladybugs for our Littlest Lady

We are lucky enough to have two little ladies in our home, and our littlest lady just turned 3! Unfortunately it's at precisely that age that they are losing or have lost their 'baby-ness'. So that's enough of an excuse for me to celebrate in a BIG way! Oh, and to finally get some professional family photo's done ~ but more on that another day!

Originally it was going to be a Peppa Pig party, but Mummy just happened to mention one day while reading a book that "that cute little ladybug there would make a super party!" which made her change her party thoughts instantly! Who would have thought *wink*

So while I will be holding onto my 'baby' for as long as I possibly can, we enjoyed celebrating her third birthday in the most Ladybug of ways!

~ The Invite! ~

Even little Jessica helped with her invitations! She got to put her tiny finger prints on and Mummy turned them into tiny ladybugs!

~ The Decorations ~

~ Drinks Station ~

~ The Cake! ~

Well, this little cake needs an introduction! Not for it's greatness, oh no! This little Ladybug was a disaster! I can tell you, and you MUST believe me, that the following photo's do not tell it's full catastrophic story! If you happen to visit my other page My Cake, Your Cake, you would have read that I had lost my 'Caking Mojo'! And when one needs to decorate a Little Lady's 3rd Birthday Cake the night before her party, that's not a good thing to lose! Unfortunately I think it was lost well before I had realised! You see, the party was on a Sunday, I had baked a cake on the Saturday morning, left it to cool while we went to the zoo {that was just fabulous! Face painting, merry-go-round, icecream, what joy!} When we got home I should have realised by the shape that it had cooled that I needed to bake a replacement ~ sunken top and concave sides! But hindsight being such a wonderful thing, I didn't listen, I ignored, and when I cut it open at 8:30pm (the night before the party) the cake was cooked, but it looked like play-dough, felt rubbery and looked just plain awful! So a re-baking I did, and waited patiently for it to cool, and at 11:30pm I was able to start filling and icing with buttercream. Then I went to bed.

There was no point in panicking, crying or screaming! It had happened, it happens, I'm not perfect, I just try my best. I had decided to explain to our daughter in the morning that I had tried my best and would it be ok if her cake was plain. {I love her to pieces} She said yes! Until she saw that it was plain white (from the buttercream), pouted and said "but I don't like white!"

So with 2 hours to spare in the morning, I managed to decorate ~ and I use that word loosely ~ her cake and make her eye's 'light up' with excitement. It was not what I had envisaged, it is not normally what I would be happy with myself, but it is what it is and I am now more than happy to accept it's outcome {even if there is a huge air bubble forming on the side and it looks like I've forgotten to write the start of her name!}

~ Ladybug Cake ~

So there she is in all her disastrous but happy glory!

The one thing I have quickly learnt when making cakes is that we, the cake maker, are our own worst critics. {See above Ladybug cake as a perfect example!} To us, the makers, all of the imperfections stand out shadowing any of it's greatness, but the receiver of the cake sees none of this! I guarantee you that for every flaw we see, they will see twice as many outstanding features. Just look at their faces! They are so thankful, grateful and their huge smiles and twinkle in their eyes just speaks for themselves. Isn't that why we do this in the first place?!
So don't be so hard on yourself, cake, bake & decorate from your heart for that is only what anyone else would want!

~ The Party Table ~

~ And some extra Food Details! ~

~ The Party Favors! ~

~ Last but Not Least, Some Extra Details! ~

{ Ladybug Colour In's }

{ Ladybug T-shirt ~ Made by Mummy! }

I had also managed to find a cute Ladybug Skirt which was red tulle with black spots, rather like the Ladybug balloons ~ she looked adorable!

So there you have it! One very Ladybug Party!
What a great day it was and with many a late night tinkering away here in my little room, I wouldn't have been able to pull it all together without the help and supplies of these fabulous vendors:

The Decorations ~ Invitations, Pompoms, Banner, Streamers,
Table Center Pieces & Ballon Bundles ~ From My Little Room, Me!

Ladybug horn ~ Spotlight

Gorgeous Ladybug Spotted Balloons ~ Candy Soirees
Red Chocolate Buttons & Spotted Paper Straws ~ Little Dance Invitations

Completely Edible Ladybug Cake ~ From My Little Room, Me!
Inspired by ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/custom_cake_designs/5841154883/

Cupcake Toppers and Cookie Pops ~ From My Little Room, Me!

 Ladybug Hairclip ~ Aprilrose Hairclips

Ladybug Crayons, Labels & Bag Toppers ~ From My Little Room, Me!
Lots of little ladybug extras ~ Ebay

If I have left anything out please let me know!

Thanks so much for visiting, from my little room, x Chrys

Baby Baby ~ Last but Not Least!

My final play mat ~ for the moment ~ is for my new niece or nephew, soon to arrive with my fingers crossed for an October appreance!

I have enjoyed making all of these lovely quilts come play mats and have a new found admiration for all the quilters out there! I will enjoy even more the new arrivals that will be lounging around on those mats very soon!

So here it is, last but certainly not least ...

Thanks for stopping by, from my little room, x Chrys

It's cozy in here!

My bestie {BFF} happened to receive a tea pot for Mothers' Day this year ~ lucky duck! And if I'm to be completely honest I have a secret love for tea pots, even though I only own 2! Anyhoo ... she had mentioned that to keep her pot warm, she was wrapping a tea towel around it. Now there's nothing wrong with using a tea towel to keep those lovely leaves toasty warm, but when I came across this gorgeous and easy pattern for a tea cozy I thought of her and decided to make her one for her birthday!

So this is for you and Happy Birthday to my dear friend who always knows how to make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Now your tea will feel rather posh as well as warm!

For those of you wishing to whip up a posh tea cozy of your own, you can grab the book "Quilting In No Time" by Emma Hardy, from here, then before you know it, that second cuppa waiting to be enjoyed will still be toasty warm.

From my little room, x Chrys