First, for the party . . .
Lulu is a big, big fan of the BabyLit books. They’re all super cute. But her favorite (and mine) is Pie Pedjus.
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Pride & Prejudice: A BabyLit® Counting Primer
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And that’s what she asked for as a birthday party. It just so happened that we had recently bought a house that seemed more appropriate for the event than our current house (despite it not having furniture, or entirely functioning toilets). So, we used her birthday as a chance to invite a few friend over to see the new digs.
The Food:
I was going for old-timey/toddler-appropriate/could be prepared in a pretty-much-not-functional kitchen. So, we ended up with picnic foods . . .
- tea sandwiches
- pb&j
- chicken salad sandwiches
- chicken nuggets
- kale salad (toddlers love kale)
- bowl of berries
- fruit basket
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how cute are these bibs from Bamboo Button?!
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The Decor:
We are currently without a color printer, which is how I usually do my decorating. So the decor was some paper bunting and battery operated lights.
But that’s okay, because who would want to look at anything except these ladies in their regency dresses?
My friend Geraly made the dresses for all four of the girls because she is the best, and very, very talented and you should check out her Etsy shop and her beautiful and whimsical art here and here. And tell her I say, “hi.”
The Cake:
I had grand plans for a cake . . . that turned into cupcakes when I realized that all my cake pans are packed up.
I made all the little decorations by putting a piece of parchment paper over the book and drawing the illustrations in candy melts. I do not know why I can do this. But I can. So I do.
The Game:
Usually Jack comes up with the games for our parties. But he’s been busy with real school and all that goes along with it. So, I was in charge. And whenever I would try to think of a game that would have to do with Pride and Prejudice, all I could think of was this scene from the 2005 movie
(which I LOVE, despite the haters and their hatin’).
Gus agreed to be the piglet.
The Craft:
I usually have a little craft for kids to do at our parties, and since it was St. Nicholas Day, I figured the kids could make ornaments with these great Kiwi Crate holiday kits that the good folks at Kiwi Crate sent me after I recommended them to you guys last month. But then everyone at the party was having fun just running around so I brought them home and let my kids do them all by themselves.
They turned out really cute, and it looks like most of the kits are still available. You can buy the holiday kits individually, without a subscription. (They’re under the shop tab.) You can get 60% off with the code BACK60, but I’m not sure if it applies to individual crates, or just subscriptions.
And speaking of making stuff, I made you guys this free printable:
That was going to be it, just because I thought it was funny, and it’s apropos to my life somehow. There’s always SOMETHING to chase. But then I just kept thinking of all the other Pride and Prejudice quotes I love (and that are actually in the book!).
And finally I could no longer resist, and I made all of these and put them in the Etsy shop:
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| set one: romantic |
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| set two: sassy |
And then they needed to go on t-shirts and mugs and jammies and whatnot, right? RIGHT?
So I put them in the Cafepress Shop, too:
I want to get the “I have not the pleasure of understanding you” mug so I can just sort of gesture to it while drinking my tea as my kids talk over one another at me.
So, that’s that.
Happy birthday to our sweet, sweet Lulu. She really is an absolute joy.
And happy weekend, and happy advent to you! And Go Navy, Beat Army!
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I LOVE this!!! And I want all the Etsy and Cafe press things. All of them!! Great work. 🙂
I only have boys at the moment, but if this baby in utero is a girl…I might be stealing this theme. So cute! And I love the 2005 movie too, no shame. The romantic set of quotes is totally making me want to watch it again tonight!
I also love the 2005 movie! (Better than any other – I know, people might question my judgment when I say that!) What a cute birthday party idea – I love the cupcake decorations!
Those dresses are perfect for St. Lucy day!
The Romantic Prints are AMAZING!
This is so cool! Seriously, a P&P party is the best idea ever. I love the Regency dresses; they are so elegant and simple! I love the candy-melt images and the cupcakes and the small sandwiches and the pig game and…I just love all of this.
The house also came with a grand piano!?!?!
Also; love all of this party. And the printables. And the cute kids.
Yes it did. See sassy quote number one. I need to hang that over it. 😛
I just love your tea mug idea! It would be so fitting for me as I generally don't feel fully awake and able to understand anyone before 9am (which coincidently is also the time the baby goes down for his morning nap). Happy birthday to Lulu!
Love, love, love this! It is my all time favorite book and I also loved the movie as well as the bbc series! When I re-do my 4 girls' room I am definitely going to go with a Jane Austen theme and use your printables. My girls would wear those dresses every day.
thank you so much for inviting me, my sewing skills and my family to the party!!!! a most excellent time was had by all!!
So lovely! Happy birthday LuLu!
How adorable! I can't promise I won't steal any ideas for upcoming celebrations in LA (Lower Alabama)lol!
I would love a tutorial on your candy melt talent!! I tried last year for my kids' birthday and it was a MASSIVE, COLOSSAL fail.
I've had some fails in my day, fortunately kids don't seem to care as long as it's still cake. 🙂 The technique is called Candy Melt Transfer, there's a tutorial here.
Have you ever written about why you like the 2005 pride and prejudice?
I think I did, someplace. But I really do love everything about it. I like the casting, and the music, and the cinematography. It's also the first version I saw, so I didn't have the BBC one to compare it to.