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Saturday, June 4, 2011

Mystical Mermaid Party

Ever since I was a little girl I have had a deep love for Mermaids. Growing up in Denmark, it is a really well known thing, Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. Andersen grew up in the same little town of Odense, that I myself was born and raised in. So I have always had a special place in my heart for the Mermaids. I remember being only 3 or 4, and my mother  reading me the story. It always brought me to tears even at such a young age. {FYI, the original story is sad at the end...because she DIES!}. Anyhow, so when I had a little girl myself I wanted to share my love for Mermaids with her:-) Last year, we had to do a very simple birthday party for my girl, because my little boy was only a few weeks old. And for that fact I didnt want to do a Mermaid party, because I wouldnt be able to put my heart and soul into the thing!lol. Thus last years was a store bought Tinkerbell theme. Wonderful, for such occasions! So I was eagerly looking forward to throwing this theme this year for my princess:-) She loves mermaids too, like me, and thus my daughters "Mystical Mermaid Party" was born:-)
I was inspired by Kate Landers party that she put together, because hers simply floored me! Stunning! And so I wanted to try and recreate the same style for this party with my own twist. It was important to me to make this as special as I could. {I sometimes feel limited because we live in a apartment and and with that, do not have a yard or a lot of space. So my motto is "Make your house beautiful no matter where you live"} With that in mind I set out on this project. So, here it goes....take a look, enjoy, and really....if you feel limited too because of space or "presentation", follow your creative intuitions...no matter where you live, big house, yard or not ! ;-)

{click on photo for larger pics}
It all started with my custom mermaid invite.  For the color scheme I used whites, pinks {corals}, and anything natural.  Important to keep it simple...simple is always "more".

And of course...THE CAKE! Strawberry...YUM!
I used buttercream frosting to cover  it. No fondant this time, I wanted to try something new. I LOVE how the texture turned out so smooth!

The cake topper is a Lladro knockoff that I bought 4 yrs ago from Ross for like $5! {I actually bought it on my due date for my daughter...last minute shopping trying to get her here faster...didnt work..she came 3 days later!}


All of the white and clear vases were things I already had on hand, so that cut the cost down A LOT! I also made the white backdrop to give it a "waves" kind of feel.
Homemade chocolate shells with pearl dust and added pearlized sprinkles for some umph!
My homemade vintage inspired birthday banner. I had fun making this one up! I just love how the "clam shells" turned out!

 Octopus cupcakes. Strawberry with a cream cheese frosting:-) 
As you can tell all of the treats were ocean inpired, these are my "Coral". Marshmellows dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles on a stick. They were a hit!
Seacreate Shortbread cookies. I made them the day before so I had time to frost and decorate them.

As a party activity I got these cute $1 wood craft kits for the girls. To make a more unified effect I made "Mermaid Fun" labels {above} and stapled them onto the original packaging. I had all of these darling things place in a large sea glass bowl with brown paper bag crinkle confetti in the bottom. Sorry, I didn't get a Before pic, you know how these kids parties can go! So, you will just have to imaging it! lol
"Sea foam"~pop corn. "Geode Crystals"~ vintage rock pops. Everything was placed on a bed of raw sugar, to make it look like sand. 
This was the centerpiece for the table setting. I used a TON of real shells, sand coral, drift wood etc. Anything natural. Lots of jute and burlap too. Most of it all was displayed in glass apothecary jars. A piece of fisherman's "net" and tulle brought is all together.

This was hung over the table. To hide our lovely industial ceilings. It made things real cozey and magical for the girls. White fabric and tulle. {shhh its a new flat sheet we never use}!

Gave the girls fancy plastic fluite glasses {for their pink lemonade}. As party favors I made them each their own mermaid crowns, and tails. Each girl also got a vintage mermaid frame and art to take home, with a "silver" {plastic} shell plate.
Pin the flower on the Mermaid! I had fun drawing this one! Can I just say I was in coloring/drawing bliss!lol
My Darling Little Mermaid! 

And here are all the sweet Little Mermaids in their crowns and tails.  I wish we could have invited more of her friends, but as you can see, our place is tiny! 

Seriously, I had the time of my life planning this! And gettin' my craft on to make all the decor from scratch and on a budget:-) {well, I did use a box cake mix and a little secret for the bottom of the cake...hehehe}. With all the work and thought that was put into this, I can say hands down that it was WORTH every minute of it. Why to do you ask? I know what you are thinking, THATS crazy to put all that work in to a 4 yr olds party. Well, my answer is this "This age is so precious, their innocence are just like "little mermaids"! And having the chance to make something magical is perfect for this time.
The look on these little girls faces throughout the party were priceless! They sat and took it all in like they were in a magical mystical Mermaid grotto, and that my friends was THE BEST Reward EVER! :-)......mission accomplished!

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24 comments:

  1. HOW FUN! I love this idea. You did a really great job. I love how you did it all in pale colors to. So sweet. What a wonderful memory! :)

    Have a great week!
    ~Liz

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  2. why thanks Liz! hope you have a great week as well!
    ~cat

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  3. How sweet! The cake is beautiful! I bet they all had the best time!

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  4. Yes, Jessica they all really had a great time. Little girls are so fun at this age! :-)

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  5. What a wonderful party. I love it. I always wanted to be a mermaid. Still do. The party was so pretty. Great job.

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  6. Brier was in absolute heaven, AND SO WAS I!!! haha! Seriously Cat, it turned out SPECTACULAR! Couldn't have been more perfect. I love you and hate you at the same time. LOL. ;) (But mostly love you.) :)
    xoxo~ Cherie

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  7. This is seriously one of the most creative and adorable bday parties I have ever seen! My almost 4 yr old would love this!! You have some serious talent and I need to go back up and look at the incredible details again. :-)
    Vanessa

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  8. Scrapfancy, that is one reason why I put everything into this party...because like you I still want to be a mermaid!lol Thanks for stopping by!

    Cherie, so glad you guys could make it! It wouldnt have been a perfect party without you girls!!

    Vanessa, thanks so much for the compliment! You totally should throw a mermaid party for your soon to be 4yr old! It really is so fun, to gather all the things, and making the treats and cake is easier than it seems! Good luck!:-)

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  9. Happy birthday to your princess, looks like she and her friends had lots of fun. Love the mermaid theme and the cake is gorgeous! Glad you added your link to BC Good Life Wednesdays.

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  10. My goodness.... you just captured my heart!
    I am a wannabe mermaid,, it is crazy!
    This post is amazing!!
    How lucky that sweetie is!
    Your true blue newest fan!
    Smiles~
    Cricket@ gypsea nurse

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  11. A beach Cottage; thanks so much! Thank you for hosting BC Good Life Wednesday! I love your blog:-)

    Cricket@ gypsea nurse; I get so excited when someone gets as gitty {spelling?} as I do about Mermaids:-) Thanks for Following! :-)

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  12. What a beautiful party. I love all your mermaid details! Your little girl is very lucky! Thanks for sharing it.

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  13. Beautiful! I am already planning a mermaid birthday party for next May, and I aspire to such loveliness as you created for your daughter. Well done!

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  14. Cul-de-sac! How fun for your daughter! Let me know if you need any tips! :-) Happy planning!

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  15. Oh I just love this! You definitely have made special memories for all these little mermaids that they'll remember forever. ~Lili

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  16. What a beautiful, fun party! So cute!

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  17. How did you do the dress up mermaid tails? Are those sheets? Very cute idea....my daughter wants a mermaid party and I love the "dress up" idea :)

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  18. This is a darling party! I love the cake so cute! Here is a super cute party favor for a mermaid party : http://www.etsy.com/listing/92381731/mermaid-favors-set-of-10-ocean-mist

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  19. So amazing, love all the details! I am just planning a similar party for my daughter's 4th Birthday in August. It is going to be rusticy / natural etc. I have just posted about some of my makes xx
    www.rusticstardesigns.blogspot.com

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  20. If you really wish to get the best provider for your kid’s pirate birthday party, then you have to make sure that you try to look at the reviews and comments which would help you get the best idea for you to choose the right one.
    Thanks
    mermaid birthday party

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  21. Where did you find the wooden mermaids they colored?

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    Replies
    1. Hi! I found them at dollar, but I bet you could find some at a craft store by googling them. Thanks for stopping by!
      Cat

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    2. Thank you! I will be on the hunt now! They are just adorbs!
      -Nicki

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    3. I was going to say dollar tree😊 Happy hunting!

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