Summer Theme Party Round Up

I thought I would have a go at my first party round up today! I've been meaning to do one for ages but never quite gotten around to it!
With summer just around the corner I thought I would look at summer themed parties - so here are some of my favourite ideas I have found.

Ice Cream Party
Ice cream is the perfect summer treat and is perfect for indoor and outdoor parties (the weather in Scotland can be unpredictable so it's good to have plenty of indoor ideas!).

Provide your guests with plenty of toppings and sauces and don't forget you can include some yummy summer fruits for a healthier option!
I love the idea of an ice cream bar as you can use it on any scale and it can be set up quite quickly so if the kids have some friends round you could surprise them with a mini ice cream bar treat. You might find you have twice as many kids at your house the following week!

Watermelon Jellies
How about these cute little jellies for a watermelon themed party or just as a sweet way of serving up pudding?

Luau Party
An Hawaiian theme is great for summer. There are loads of UK based companies who stock Hawaiian themed party products too.
 

Cupcake Cup Covers

I'm sure we're all familiar with flies getting into our drinks at outdoor summer events so this simple idea is great.

Buckets & Spades

I think the use of buckets and spades in your summer party decor is a must!! You could use plastic buckets for a fun party or those little tin ones in pretty colours for a more chic sophisticated feel.

Glow Stick Fun

Who doesn't love glow sticks?! And you can get them at Pound shops too so they are a great cheap way to brighten up your party when the sun starts to set! 

There are lots of fun ways to use glow sticks at your party. Personally I wouldn't use any that suggest using the liquid from inside the sticks unless you can be sure it's sealed in a jar or bottle. 

You can make cheap lanterns by cutting the end off a couple of glow sticks and pouring the contents into jars or bottles of water. Make sure you secure the lids well (maybe some tape or glue).

Use them to make a ring toss or bowling game or bury some in an ice bucket.

Well, that's it for today's round up. I hope it has helped to inspire you!

Check back soon for more party fun!

Suz x

Pizza Boats!

We had a very busy day yesterday at LHPC HQ!!
After the lovely banana dolphins at lunchtime we went to the school's Daffodil Tea and Theo had lots of fun operating a digger and getting his face painted!
I decided to make mini baguette pizzas for tea as it was just the two of us but had a brainwave as the rolls I got reminded me of little boats!! So, after I had quickly drawn a template and cut out these little sails, we spent an hour decorating them.

Theo wanted to make a classic skull and crossbones sail first, and then he wanted to do the British Flag. I went for flowers and butterflies for my first sail and then thought I'd honour my Viking heritage with a Viking long ship sail!! I used a sticker on this one too!

We then used kebab skewers as masts (I cut about 2 inches of the top so they wouldn't be too long). Theo got his Lego figures out to sail our ships for us!!
Below is a template you can use if you would like to have a go at making sails yourself. Try them on different food - hotdogs, sausages, cakes!

I hope you have lots of fun making food interesting and do please share any photos of your creations!

Take care

Suz (and Theo)

Banana Dolphins!!

Hello, I hope you're all well.
I spotted these adorable banana dolphins on Facebook yesterday and just had to try them out for myself!!
They are so easy to make - I made them while waiting for the bacon to grill - and they were a big hit with Theo!!
The original idea is from Luz's Unique Creations - check out their Facebook page here.
So, how to make them? This is what I did - cut a banana in half (the top half looks much better but I didn't want to waste the bottom bit so I used that too). Cut a slit in the end to create a mouth. Put a grape, raspberry or something into the mouth to keep it open slightly. Put the banana in a small bowl or tub and fill with small fruits - whatever you have or are your favourites! I used a felt pen to make the eyes but you could use edible markers or raisins. I was doing it very quickly and as you don't eat the skin from a banana felt it would be OK to use a normal felt tip.

In other news!! I am officially relaunching the website this weekend! To help celebrate, I have a great competition on my Facebook page - please pop over and check it out here for a chance to win a £5 voucher!

Well, that's it from me for today - I'm taking Theo to the Daffodil Tea at school this afternoon so better go and get ready.
Take care
Suz x

New Website & Update on Life!!

I'm so sorry I haven't posted here very much lately! I always mean to but life just seems to get in the way! I have been suffering quite badly with a sore knee and go to see a surgeon next week to see what can be done about it. It has also been quite a difficult time with Theo - he went on his first ever trip away from home at the beginning of February with his class to go skiing. He really enjoyed himself but he was very anxious in the weeks leading up to it. I'm so proud of him for managing something so huge - although his teachers couldn't get him to have a shower once and I'm pretty sure he only changed his clothes 2 or 3 times!!

Due to some unforeseen issues I have had to set up a new website which I am currently uploading products to - I've been pretty busy over the last 3 years so it might take awhile! You can access the shop using the tab at the top of the page. The website now combines my Little Handmade Party Company Shop with my Arda Cards shop and I have also set up a separate section for special needs resources. All the Little Handmade Company products and special needs resources will be in PDF format to make it easier for most people to print them easily. Craft products will still be JPG's and designer resources are mostly PNG or PSD.

I will try my best to post more regularly about new products and keep you updated about the progress on the website. I think I might have a little relaunch party when most things are uploaded.
I'm going to head off to bed now though as I have been working all day and I'm seeing double now!!
Take care
Suz x