a harry potter themed birthday

Whenever I post some photos from a party we're having or entertaining in general, I get quite a few messages for more details. So in a rare moment of preparedness (that's a word, right?), I have put together a very basic post going over a general "formula" I use and tips I have for throwing a themed birthday party.

In general, I keep a stock of very neutral party supplies on hand, at all times: kraft wrapping paper, neutral ribbons, white balloons and streamers, plain stationery, kraft or cream paper cups and plates etc... 

It can get really expensive buying all of those items for every single party, and what I've found is, in the end, you always have lots leftover. And chances are, they won't co-ordinate with the next party anyway. Having these already on hand also means one less errand to run.

Next, depending on the theme, I try to incorporate a few details without going overboard. For example, given this was a Harry Potter theme, I went with some gold Galleons, golden Snitches, and pretended the letter was coming out of the fireplace like in the books.

None of those took longer than a few minutes to do, but he loved those details!

In our family, our kids wake up to their gifts being set out in the living room (and most years, some decorations). But, I always save one gift for them to open during the party. We don't encourage the kids to bring gifts as honestly, our kids have enough stuff, and in the past, friends have almost missed out because they didn't want to show up without a present. If I have one set aside, they still get the whole opening your gifts experience, but it's not the main focus. They get spoiled enough by grandparents and their aunties!

Then, party wise, I stick to one small themed table. It adds enough to make it fun and personal, but it doesn't take long to set up and it's quite inexpensive.

Now, when I talk about a "formula", what I really mean is, each party has the same basic details:

- No more than two hours.

- No more than 5 friends - this is enough to feel like a group, but not so many that they break off into smaller groups and that always leads to trouble. Kids get left out, things get out of control...

- Food consists of a birthday cake, a couple themed treats (often a super easy version of sugar cookies in which I just decorate store-bought shortbread rounds), and pizza. I used to try to come up with themed food, but it's a lot of work and you know, kids just like plain old pizza.

- Each child gets a party favour to bring home, but nothing expensive.

It also means that no matter the theme, each of our boys gets them same sort of party. We have other birthday traditions too, like a family activity, and a meal out of their choice as family, so it's not all about the party.

I also bake my own cake, which is a lot cheaper than ordering a themed cake. I've recently discovered a one-bowl chocolate cake recipe from Nine + Sixteen that's super easy to throw together and the best cake recipe I've found to date. And what's more, it actually tastes even more delicious a couple days later, so it's perfect for making ahead of time.

You can find the recipe here.

To add a bit more detail to the theme, I simply printed off a couple images from google (like this daily prophet paper and the wanted wizard poster).

Some hand-lettering on chalkboards that I already have is another great way to add to the decor without spending anything.

Then for the entertainment (a term which I use very loosely), I plan two games. One usually involves searching for something I've hidden, and the other, something to keep them active and pass time. This is really more for keeping the kids occupied so chaos doesn't break out. For this party, we set up a very basic version of Quidditch for the kids to play, and then I hid golden snitches around the gardens for each of them to "seek".  For our oldest's Fortnite birthday last month, they all brought water guns and had a water fight, and I hid a loot llama filled with gum.

For the Quiddich game, I bought two large hula hoops  ($2 each) from Dollarama (our version of Dollar Tree) and covered them in black hockey tape. Instead of brooms for the kids to ride, I bought two packs of bamboo garden stakes from Dollarama as well ($2 for a pack of 6).

They loved finding the snitches.

The favour bags for this included Bertie Botts beans (or a small bag of 50-flavour mixed Jelly Bellys from Bulk Barn),  a few chocolate Galleons, also from Bulk Barn, and a golden Snitch.

I found the idea for the Snitches from Pinterest. I bought three-packs of Ferro Rocher chocolates ($1 each) from Dollarama, removed the extra sticker and wrapping so it was just gold foil, and then glued a knotted piece of ribbon on top, that I cut to look like wings.

And the birthday cake always makes me laugh. I make one every time, because we light candles and sing happy birthday, but most of the time, only a couple kids have a small slice. I'm not complaining though! We don't mind some left over birthday cake.

Also, I should mention, once our kids are a bit older, usually by the time they're five or six, they are allowed to choose a theme (with a little guidance). It usually required me to step out of my comfort zone a bit, but they're happier because it's what they wanted.

I think that's plenty  of detail for you!

Easy Entertaining

This past weekend was Jude's dedication, and to celebrate, we had our immediate family over after the service for lunch. I wanted to share with you how I entertain for something like this because I feel like many people over estimate how complicated entertaining can be. Really, it's as complicated as you make it, but it can also be as simple as well.

When I planned this lunch, here is what I had to keep in mind:

First, I didn't want to have to do anything the day of as there just wasn't time. We needed to be out of the house by 7:45 in the morning, and everyone would be coming back with us, so there would be no time before guests arrived. I also wanted to sit down and enjoy the afternoon with my company, so little work the day of was key. This meant things needed to be able to be made in advance, or prepped the day before, and simply placed out on the table before enjoying.

Second, given everyone would be back around 11:30, I wanted something lighter that people could enjoy at their own pace. If they wanted to enjoy a coffee and something sweet first, they could. If they were hungry for lunch, there were plenty of options. 

Third, I wanted people to be able to move about as they wished, and that meant food people could just pick up and carry around on a small plate.

Here's what I ended up serving: 

- A simple cheese plate with a variety of breads, crackers and preserves for on top. 

- A meat plate with different pickles and olives and things. 

- Some easy vegetables and dip. 

- And then sweets - some homemade, some bought, but all delicious: Ina's Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs, Cream Puffs (bought), Chocolate Chip Cookie Wedges, Palmiers (with store bought pastry) and a simple bowl of strawberries. 

(And of course, for every party something is forgotten... In this case, the nuts for my nut bowl!)

Everything was assembled on trays the day before and then wrapped and refrigerated, or set out on the table. The only exception was the cheese. They stayed in the packages, but were placed on the plates before I served them. When I arrived home, I simply had to set the trays out and unwrap them, fill the milk and cream pitchers for coffee and add ice to the punch. It's so easy!

And even though the prep work was the day before, I didn't spend hours doing it. It was simply arranging things on plates. The most time consuming thing I did was bake! And if that's too much, you could easily come up with a gorgeous dessert plate with a variety of baked good from your favourite bakery.

When I serve food this way, I use our chairs in the living room as extra casual seating. This frees up the dining room and gives people plenty of room to walk around (and hang out by!) the food. Everyone comes and goes as they please, and I think that feels so much more relaxed and enjoyable.

Another trick from the Barefoot Contessa? Use Hydrangea or fig leaves to make platters look prettier. I just wiped the leaves down with dish water to clean them as food was touching them.

These cookies are super easy to make, and seriously, they are divine!

I worked with the flowers I could get my hands on - mostly from the grocery store. I made one arrangement for the living room and tucked other blooms around the house to brighten it up. A little arrangement in the family room where other were sitting, some little vases on the vanities in the bathroom, others by the sink and by the coffee and punch. Nothing complicated.

We were so thankful to have all our family come and support us. It means the world to us. And poor Jude, he was so tired by the time everyone left! 

So that's it! Try to keep things simple. A little effort in how you present things makes anything feel more special, even if it's just a bowl of strawberries! And do as much as you can ahead of time. No host wants to be so busy running around that they miss the party. 

A Party Planning Party

[All Photos - The Grower's Daughter]

One of my favourite things to do is plan a party. Dinner parties, Bridal showers, Garden teas ... each one is just as exciting as the next.

Last night, I hosted a Party Planning Party. How great is that? A party for planning a party! My sister is getting married this June and we were planning her upcoming shower.

Really, my Aunts (the Aunties) just needed an excuse to come to my house and enjoy a girls night out.

Wanting to keep dinner light, I served Anti Pasta. It's very Italian, as well as super easy to prepare and serve. I did some fresh bread with an assortment of fresh cheeses and sliced meats. A few kinds of olives and some artichoke and Asiago dip. I also did a baked Brie with caramel and walnuts, and ripe melon wrapped with Prosciutto is always a favourite as well. For dessert I made two kinds of cheese cake; Reese's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Espresso. Despite numerous attempts at telling them to just come, everyone showed up with something. I honestly don't know why I bother. It's just something they're known for. One Aunt brought chocolate dipped strawberries. Another, a lovely dessert wine. My mom made a delicious salad with mixed greens, toasted almonds, feta and pomegranates with a pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette. And the last one who could make it made tiny cream puffs that were to die for! Can you tell that food is an important part of our get togethers? I think it's the Italian in us.

Anyway, planning we did. Actually, most of the planning was already done. The invites were purchased, a menu set, decorations bought, and all the other fun details complete. We basically just divvied up the food list and then enjoyed out night.

I made a coffee this morning and continued sorting out details... something I love to do!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake. Yum.

There were a lot of desserts left over! Can you blame me for enjoying a small piece so early in the morning? It was calling me from the fridge...

I spent the rest of the morning doing dishes and tidying up my house. I think today is the warmest and sunniest day we've enjoyed so far this spring and I couldn't have been happier sitting at my sink. The window was open and I just took my time sorting things out.

PS. Unfortunately, my camera is in need of some repair and I'm shooting with my sister's point-and-shoot. It's a great little camera, but I really do miss my own. I feel like I'm missing a limb! Is that sad?