Theme party cakes

Swimming pool cake

Timmy time cake

Aren't they just adorable? The cakes are homemade with love by Little Bakery

Butterfly & garden party

I just love this theme, it's so sweet and girly :-)

Here are some ideas:

Butterfly thank you card with a lolli

 

Garden inspired cake with butterfly, ladybugs & bumblebees

 

Ideas for party favours

I love putting together party favours. It's always nice that kids get to bring home something from the party, but putting together a party pack can be mind boggling, especially if you have guests of varied age group. I often like to customise my party packs, catering for different age group and gender, but this is usually not necessary.

A few rules of thumb when putting together your party packs to keep both children and parents happy:

1. Candies and junk food: Know who your guests are and their parents' rule on candies and junk food. I know most parents of young children often dislike or forbid their children from consuming them, so keep those junk food at bay. For older kids, I think a few pieces of chocolates should be fine, but again think "will I allow my kids to eat 'em" before including them in your party packs.
2. Noise makers: They can either liven up your party or annoy the life out of you (and other parents), especially when the party is over. I would normally stay away from giving out noise makers. Perhaps you can substitute these with balloons.
3. Fun and practical: I'm sure you don't want to find your party favours in the bin as soon as the day is over, so make sure they're stuff the kids can appreciate and use. For younger kids, stickers, bubbles and crayons are popular items which kids adore. For older kids, stationery, activity books and craft kits make great party favours.

There's really no fixed rule on how much a party pack should cost. I've done party packs for as little as RM5 each to more elaborate ones costing more than RM20 per pack - all keeping to above rule of thumb of fun & practical. All you need is some creativity and a good eye for bargain!

Party Favours: Where to get them? The secret's out!

What's a party without party favours? For me, putting together the party packs is just as fun as throwing the party itself. I just love finding all those cute little knicks knacks and can't help thinking how happy the kids will be when they get them. Perhaps it's more to satisfy my love for shopping for little kiddy stuff, but who's complaining? :p

Party shops can be expensive so I normally stay clear of them unless there's something specific I really really want. There are many places in KL these days in which you can find cute little things that are just perfect for those party packs. My advice is not to wait till the last minute. Keep your eyes open whenever you're out shopping, you'll never know when you find that treasure box of a shop.

H's Carnival Party: mini prizes for redemption

 Here are some of my favourite joints. Please do share if you stumble upon any other places that is a must to visit!

1. Mr DIY. Don't be mistaken by the name of the shop, it's not your typical hardware store. Lots of toys, stationery and gift items - all at very affordable prices! There are many Mr DIYs around the Klang Valley but I've only been to the one in SS2 Mall, and know of another in Tesco Extra @ Mutiara Damansara.
2. Kaison @ Paradigm Mall. Stumbled upon this place when my friend wanted to go in to grab some artificial flowers. It's never crossed my mind to go into this shop cos I've always thought that it's a flower shop. Well I was pretty impressed with the stock of party, stationery and gift items they have. All at extrememly reasonable prices!
3. Fun N Cheer. All kinds of knick knacks from China. Depending on the items you're buying, some stuff may not be of such good quality, but mostly decent for the price you're paying. I've seen a few around KL/PJ, but I've really only been to the one in Kepong. If you intend to buy more (i.e. one dozen and up), do ask them to direct you to their wholesale outlet. You'll get a much much better price (as high as 50% off)!
4. Petaling Street. Lots of wholesale toys and gift stores in the area. I can't really remember their names but they're all along the same street (pretty much). If you buy a dozen or more of the same item, you can normally ask to buy at wholesale prices.

For ideas on what to include in kids' party packs, watch out for my next post!

Abracadabra... Magic Party!

H is very much into magic these days. I suppose it's a boy thing. Although it's only Feb (his birthday is not until July), H has already indicated that he wanted a Magic Party for his 5th birthday. We're not planning to throw him a party this year, perhaps his school will allow him to celebrate his birthday in the classroom / canteen with his friends. I'll just call in a magician, and get some cupcakes and ice-cream. That should be sufficient to keep the kids happy and entertained :-)

Here's a list of magicians I found in KL. Have yet to try them out so can't really comment on how good they are, but will be happy to hear your feedback before I engage one.

1. Chase Magic: Chase Lew 012-2090190 / 012-6796953; chase@chasemagic.com
2. Magicians: Siti or Mr Don Kasanova 016-689 3891; support@magicians.com.my

If you fancy a clown magician, here's the list of providers I contacted last year for H's Carnival Party.

1. Stanley Foo (Big Baby Clown - 012-2106729): RM400 for 1hr 30 mins of clown mingling, magic show and ballon sculpting
2. JPE Events (Inderjeet - 012-3111928): RM500 for clown show; RM400 for mingling/balloon sculpting clown (3 hrs)
3. Mike (Cha Cha the Clown - 019-2623557): RM500 for 1.5 hrs of entertainment, consisting of comedy magic show, 3-4 games, balloon sculpting and dancing; RM350 for junior clown with magic show, games and balloons for 1 hour
4. Allan & Friends Studio (Allan - 03-42515188):  RM450 for comedy magic & puppet show with few games & balloons (1.5 hours)
5. MKKG (Mark - 012-6979205): RM550 for comedy magic show & balloon sculpting (45 mins to 1 hr)