Celebrations!

http://www.raggedy-ann.com

For my first birthday, my Mom chose a Raggedy Ann theme.  She asked my godmother in New York to send party décor to match the theme. From the photos, I saw a pretty tablecloth, matching napkins, and a couple of hanging paper lanterns with Raggedy Ann and Andy on them.  A few close friends and family were our guests and the cake was topped with colorful candy and an icing illustration of Raggedy Ann. So I guess the love for party themes and styling details began very early for me, thanks to the creative influence of my parents!

Recently, my friend, Maru and I were talking about how we much we enjoy preparing for our kids’ birthday parties.  While not every celebration was done in a grand fashion, we always managed to give each year a special theme. We were so pleased to find out that our efforts didn’t go unnoticed.  Every now and then, our kids ask us to go through each year with them to recall what we did to mark their birthdays.  Then, they proceed to plan for the years to come!

Party planning (for birthdays and other milestones such as bridal and baby showers for our immediate family) has become another fun exercise in imagination and creativity. It also is a great way to bond with your kids. And if you do most of the work yourself, you can teach them to stick to a budget, work with what you have, and pass on some arts and craft skills in the process.

Here are a few of our favorite parties through the years…and the talented family and friends who helped out with the special details, too!

A Birthday Breakfast Party with yummy Pancake House breakfast food.  The kids came in their pajamas and went home with teddy bears that matched the party's color scheme. Party decor by Paperminties and cake by Sweet Ideas.

He learned to read before his 4th birthday and the book that made it happen was "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss. So it was easy to select the Dr. Seuss theme for his party.  It was a simple, handmade affair of  hand-painted brown paper bags to look like the Cat in the Hat's hat filled with "One Fish Two Fish...Goldfish crackers" and "Hop on Pop...Popcorn". Even more paper hats by Paperminties for the kids to wear, as well as "Daisy Head Mayzie" clips.  A book cake designed by my brother and executed on a photocake. 

Plants vs. Zombies. Need we say more? Cake by Shortcrust by Peachy Juban

His love for Disney villains made this party such fun to prepare.  The amazing cake and cupcake artwork by Peachy Juban (Shortcrust by Peachy Juban) depicting Prince Phillip battling the Dragon through a field of thorns and villain cupcakes that included his unique favorites like Kaa from The Jungle Book,  blew all our family's Disney fans away. His godmother and her friends from the theater dressed as Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella De Vil made it even more memorable.

A Pinocchio theme was easy to plan for a two year old who loved wooden blocks, toys and crayons. The reliable brown paper bag personalized with stickers and a Pinocchio print-out glued onto a wooden clothespin was filled with crayons, CD of the movie's soundtrack and a "color-me" CD jacket cover. Family pitched in for the entertainment which involved quiet arts and crafts activities like painting wooden toys (a la 

Geppetto's workshop).  Cupcakes by Shortcrust by Peachy Juban

The year of the snake and a fascination for creepy crawly creatures was the basis of this 5th birthday party. Snake cake and grass cupcakes by Sweet Ideas. Decor by Paperminties. And a lucky find at the grocery store: Sour Gecko and Sidewinder gummy candies for party guests to take home.

"And now, The Octopus!" A shower curtain embellished with cut-paper art by Paperminties, marshmallow lollipops with pipe cleaner tentacles, illustrations by the birthday boy, and Rina Design mugs, totes, and bag tags completed the look of this wet 'n wild party! Octopus cake by Cake Avenue Bakeshop

A tiny party for four little girls. This theme idea from marthastewart.com was just too adorable to resist.  Tiny invitations in multiple envelopes that kept getting smaller and smaller, tiny milkshake shots, a tiny party banner, and favor bag with pocket size craft and school supplies. Tiny cake and muffins by Sweet Ideas.

And finally, for the newest member in our family, a kitchen shower for Mara. Kitchen tool cupcakes by Sweet Ideas and wonderful centerpiece creations by 
Tina Ansaldo-Cruz 0917-8287077.

the 12 ways of christmas (part 1)

While we really wish we had the Ellen Degeneres-type capability to shower you all with a bonanza of gifts we, well, don't. So instead, allow us to help you get into the spirit of the season by sharing the little traditions our friends turn to during the most wonderful time of the year. Here goes Part 1 of our 12 Ways of Christmas...

#1 celebrate in style  I love entertaining at home. There's something naturally cathartic about thinking of a color scheme, setting the table, getting the best cake possible and trying something new. Another reason why Christmas is special is that friends come home from abroad, which makes coming together even more poignant. I once hosted dinner for a best friend who had turned vegan. What others might see as difficult to pull off was actually fun—and I loved the food, too! I also finally got to use some gold lattice napkin holders from a home store in Singapore, new blue plates I discovered at my suki store, and an idea to use corks for place holders. I just love how everything, and everyone, comes together when I entertain for the holidays. – Naynay Montilla

#2 blend traditions  Since I got married, the one sure thing about Christmas in my place is on December 24th, when my wife’s family comes over for lunch. They bring tamales and broas from their hometown of Sariaya, Quezon and we enjoy them for merienda at around 5 pm  (after my home-cooked lunch) with coffee or tea. Being the only "outsider", I eat this with banana ketchup (it's a Yulo thing) and freak everyone out in the process. This year, I plan to buy some Caviteño tamales and stage a "showdown" just for fun. December, by the way, is the only time I ever see these treats so they’re now one of my markers for the season. – JJ Yulo, Pinoy Eats World 

#3 dress the part    Though we don't have any formal traditions when it comes to dressing for the holidays, we are making new ones as we go. Lately I like dressing my family in thematic (but not identical!) outfits since the coordinated clothes look great in photos. This snapshot was taken on Christmas Eve. At the time, I was designing the outfits for my high school reunion. We had a back and white color scheme—and I decided to go with the same idea for my family.  In fact, the bolero of my youngest daughter was just made from retaso! – Michi Calica Sotto, fashion designer

#4 remember those you love  My husband, two sons, and I have been living away for a total of eight years. Though it would be ideal if we came home each year to celebrate, there have been times where we've spent Christmas in our host country instead. While we miss the warmth of getting together with extended family, we've enjoyed having to make new traditions for ourselves, and we also relish the quiet and the chance to spend time with friends that have become family to us. The first time we spent Christmas away from Manila we decorated our tree with Christmas balls. Each ball had the name of a family member or friend that we would have surely seen were we in Manila that year. We called it the "family and friends tree" and it’s since become a tradition of sorts. After years of living in different places, it now it feels like we take a part of where we’ve been with us, and everywhere we celebrate Christmas is home. – Dana Coscio-Mercado

Cheers!

tata & anna

To view Parts 2 and 3:
http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-2.html
http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-3.html