Turning 7 - Zeke's Birthday afternoon tea

7 years ago... a baby boy was born very fast into this world. Here's his 7th Birthday afternoon tea celebration at a park he's been busting to go to for a very long time! He and his friends had a good time, I think... and isn't that what parties in celebration of birth days, are for?



On the table: stainless cups with biodegradable retro paper straws, home made mini pizza with star capsicums, birthday cake, banana cupcakes in baking cups and spider biscuits plain, spider biscuits with natural 100s and 1000s and number 7's. Just out of picture are fruit kebabs and fruit platter. You can also see the bunting that's made appearances at various parties like this and this.



Invites. I thought these were just about what I like to be parties to be about - fun, kids and simple stuff. Even though they're rather 'English' ie not very 'Australian' in pictures, I still like the 'olden days' kinda feel - when all you needed was mates, a cake and fun.
I used to make our invitations often, but with time running short, went with these. Next year I was thinking about writing them on a leaf! The challenge is to find a leaf that's green enough for long enough, and large enough.



fruit platter and kebabs.


natural 100s and 100s


home made mini pizzas with stars (on some).



cake of the usual composition (Betty Crocker vanilla for one layer, Betty Crocker chocolate for the second layer and Betty Crocker frosting). It's a bought mix and frosting but it's not got many nasties in it, the cake mix is suitable for vegetarians, it holds weight well (such as for 3d cakes) and is the only bought mix I've ever tasted that tastes GREAT, and it's reliable. I have a chocolate from-scratch cake recipe, but especially when time is short, having to start over because the cake didn't work isn't good! So I am happy to say I use the BC stuff, because it's good. And that's from a very 'from-scratch' person who loves to bake and cook.



the banner is from Anna & Blue Paperie, but because I didn't have any colour ink left in the printer, it's printed in grey scale and then gone over with a Lyra pencil to get the red.



The circus and spots cupcake baking cups are from the local cake decorating shop. The red and white star ones are Paper Eskimo and this time from the Party Parlour.


the number seven cutter came in a set and the spider one is from Sweet Themes. The natural 100s and 1000s are courtesy of N (thankyou!) because I can never find any locally.




The Belle and Boo invites of course have a matching range of partyware, but it wasn't an option to have the invites + toppers +... you get the idea. So I cut up one of the 'thankyou' cards that come in the invite pack and made the little cupcake toppers above. Not especially fancy but they work!


Belle and Boo invite all open so you can see the (tiny) dot to dot inside.



thanks to M for picking up these organic and natural lollipops from Organic on Charles. If I didn't need to keep them for the kids I would have had one because they smell lovely!

The party bags themselves were a lollipop from above, plus some home made gingerbread characters (spiders, t-shirts, stars, numbers, planes, trains, crocs etc) in cello bags.



we have done letters in each bag before to make up the recipient's name. That was fun and great for kids with uncommon names who rarely 'see' their name in 'print' (or biscuits for that matter!).


In the theme of 'simple' and 'make do' inspired by both the invite and budget, the bags are made

from whatever fabrics I had on hand (retro birds, Hungry Caterpillar, trains and sealife + contrasting stripe) and tied with some 'raw' string/twine. The kids can then put their treasures in the bags afterwards.


Often I put things like notepads, box of chalk, biscuit cutter etc in the party bags but this time, keeping it simple, just home made gingerbread and an organic lollipop.



one of the 100s and 1000s spiders.


Banana cupcakes. The banana cake recipe is one my Mum used to make when we were kids. I loved standing on my little white chair at the bench watching/helping Mum bake. The frosting is Betty Crocker vanilla. It's easy, reliable, not too evil and tastes great.

Yes... maybe it's time to find a new 'approach' or 'style' for the single digit parties... but for now this works and I know what I am doing... which is kind nice when time is limited for prep! So far the kids haven't minded - and that's ages 3, 7, 10 and 12.
I really liked this Organic Kids Farm party... though we don't live on a farm, we do have chooks - does that count? lol
So I am working a 'completely basic' very simple but fun idea for the next birthday party. No idea what... the eldest boy (10) wants to go to one of those laser-dark-shootem kinda places for his next party when he turns 11... *sigh* definately not what I had in mind and not sure where/how to sort that one...

And I was waiting for someone to say 'simple afternoon tea, you call this simple, you made everything!' Maybe it's not simple in terms of time to make things, but it is simpler in terms of buying stuff, and in terms of cost, to make as much yourself as possible.

Once the kids get to double digits, it's usually 'pick a friend or two and lets do something, then eat' - as in an outing/activity kinda thing, then food. Still quite a few single digit parties to go - and I am having fun doing them and enjoying the kids having fun.

Happy Birthday Zeke, mate. I hope you had a ball with your mates. xo