Modern Jumbo Jet Birthday Party

Posted on February 17, 2021 by sara

My kids love to pick out their party themes years in advance– currently they have have selected party details until they are about 10, even if I don’t take them seriously until about 6 months prior to their actual birthday. Rush was turning 4 and knew he wanted a plane birthday- specifically a jumbo jet party. In the middle of a pandemic.

Due to the COVID restrictions in Singapore we could only have groups of 5 people gathering or 5 people over to our house, so we decided to have 2 kids and their parents over to our house. The plan was to keep it simple– cake then swimming with the kids, to get out the sugar. But as things would have it, it was a stormy day and we stayed inside. Four kids in our apartment!

The benefit to hosting the party at home was that we had more time to decorate– although I tried to hold back since it was just 2 kids + mine! These were the invites to set the mood.

I ordered a dozen inflatable planes, and hung them from the ceiling. It was a really great effect. The hardest part was finding modern planes, not vintage ones. These worked out well! I interspersed the planes with floating balloons, which added depth to the look.

His face when he saw all of the planes on the ceiling

We created airport signs for around the party, which I loved. My husband designed them, then sent them off to a printer to mount them on foam board. I think it was about $20 for all the signs (6 total). It added so much fun to the decor– worth it!

This one marked the guest’s gift– the one vintage element at the party, filled with chocolate almonds and a tiny plane.

We did create a quick game, in case of rain. The kids folded their own planes then threw them through the holes. East and one kid were really into it– the others were not. Thankfully they all sat down to color at some point, since the pool wasn’t an option.

I found these awesome airplane window decals that I had to get, so we set up our chairs to be an “airplane.” The kids sat all in a row– it was a perfect picture!

For Rush’s birthday present, we switched out his train table for a runway and got him 2 lego planes. We created the runway, got it laminated by the same printers as the signs, then my husband added lights. He loved so much really didn’t want to do much else that day!

I kept the food really simple (as we were supposed to be at the pool!) with plane appropriate packaged snacks and bottled water. I struggled for a bit with the waste of bottled waters, but with the speciality labels, I gave in.

My husband made the cake, as always! Rush wanted a chocolate plane cake, and that’s what he got! It turned out really cute.

I think it was a great birthday party and fun was had by all! Rush has said his next party will be dumplings… let’s see! 🙂

Black, White, and Neon Cake + Tea

Posted on April 3, 2014 by sara

One of my good friends celebrated a birthday this week, so even though it was wet and rainy, I had her over for a little cake and tea.

I used a tea towel for the backdrop, one I got in Florence, Italy. I don’t remember what is says exactly, but something about preparing and cooking food for enjoyment, love and family.

I found these simple gold birthday hats at the grocery store and livened them up a bit with twine. I also grabbed the beautiful white flowers to freshen things up.

I really loved these washi tape stirrers with the pop of neon color. You just can’t beat washi!

It was just the two of use, so I made a little cake, and spruced it up with mini oreos. Not heathy, but oh so good with the yellow cake. And I made the T2 quince tea that mentioned in my last post, which was a big hit.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon, even dodging the rain.

Black, White and Spring

Posted on March 6, 2014 by sara

The temperature is finally starting to warm up a bit, so I wanted to take advantage for a little outdoor thank you nibble for my husband. He’s been so wonderful and strong lately, taking care of me and the house in the past month. I wanted to take the time to celebrate him and say thank you.

We’ve had a hectic schedule, but with late dinner plans on Friday, I knew we’d have time for a drink beforehand. I set up a little party for the two us, with snacks and some champagne to just focus on him.

I’m obsessed with graphic black and white with a bold pop of color. As l look desperately towards spring, green was my color of choice. I used our herbs to add the green lushness, and a fun tea towel as our place mat.

It’s not a party without bunting! I found this great paper, printed it, and cut out triangles. I used a a gold pen sharpie on the edges to add a bit of fun.

Since we had dinner plans, I just put out a few snacks– little sandwiches, nuts, and chocolate chia pudding.

I got this print for my husband years ago, and we don’t have anywhere to hang it in our apartment right now. I framed it with washi tape for this, and my husband was happy to see it. Almost like an old friend he hasn’t seen in awhile.

The chocolate chia pudding? Well, it’s tasty with sweet mixin’s, but not so great on it’s own. But the spoons– a gift from my mother-in-law– are awesome.

It was a fun night. My husband really appreciated the effort and felt loved. Which is really why we throw parties, isn’t it? 😉