This beautiful birthday cake made to look like the birthday boy and his dog.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Firefighter Birthday Party
This beautiful birthday cake made to look like the birthday boy and his dog.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Press: Party Pooper? More kid birthday invites specify “No gifts please”
We were just written about on the "Retail me Not Insider"! Read the story below or visit the article here.
Invitations stating “your presence is our present” for engagement parties, anniversary celebrations, and other adult-oriented bashes isn’t new, but lately we’re starting to see “No gifts, please!” on birthday party invites for the 10 and under set, too. What’s next? A ban on Pin the Tail on the Donkey? A moratorium on piñatas?
We spoke with Linda Kaye, a top party planner in New York who’s put together kiddie festivities at the Central Park Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History, to hear her take on the trend.
“Presents are a big part of birthday celebrations. To tell a child, even up to an 8-year-old, that ‘We are going to donate your presents to a charity’ or ‘We are not going to have presents,’ it’s difficult for them to understand. It’s confusing. They see other kids having presents at their parties,” she says. Kaye feels that once a child is 9, he or she can help with the planning. If the child has an interest in animals, for example and wants to ask friends to help donate money toward a particular animal shelter, the request for donations in lieu of presents makes more sense. Even then, though, Kaye suggests allowing the child to have a choice: Would they prefer gifts or would they like to mention their love of this charity to their friends?
Many parents feel that their kids have an overabundance of possessions, and they don’t want their child tearing into 25 wrapped gifts just to end up with a giant mass of stuff. To cut down on the clutter and offer a lessen in giving, some parents spend time before the party helping their child pack up older, no-longer-used toys in good condition to donate to a local charity. Kaye insists, though, that there’s nothing wrong with a child wanting presents on their special day, and that developmentally it’s just too much to ask them to forgo such a cherished ritual enjoyed by most of their peers.
A party trend Kaye does approve of? Not opening presents during the get-together. “It’s rushed,” she explains, which makes it hard for the birthday boy or girl to truly appreciate each gift. “And some children may bring something less important [to the party boy or girl]” and feelings can get hurt.
To make opening presents more meaningful, Kaye suggests having a treasure hunt with your child after their party has ended and it’s just family. Hide the gifts, then leave clever clues throughout your house to the location of each present. As the birthday child finds a present, he or she can unwrap it and even take a photo to send along in the thank-you note. Other families choose not to open all the gifts on the same day as a way to control the process—and to cut down on the chaos!
If you have time, come up with another way to extend the party. Kaye and her team have last-minute games at the ready, like bringing out a big jar filled with jellybeans. Each child guesses how many are in the jar, then everyone gathers around to count it out. The kid who gets closest wins a prize, and everyone gets to be involved and have fun—without any bruised feelings.
What do you think? Are presents a key part of birthday celebrations or do you approve of the “no presents, please” trend for kids’ celebrations? Do you like opening presents at a party, or afterward?
Invitations stating “your presence is our present” for engagement parties, anniversary celebrations, and other adult-oriented bashes isn’t new, but lately we’re starting to see “No gifts, please!” on birthday party invites for the 10 and under set, too. What’s next? A ban on Pin the Tail on the Donkey? A moratorium on piñatas?
We spoke with Linda Kaye, a top party planner in New York who’s put together kiddie festivities at the Central Park Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History, to hear her take on the trend.
“Presents are a big part of birthday celebrations. To tell a child, even up to an 8-year-old, that ‘We are going to donate your presents to a charity’ or ‘We are not going to have presents,’ it’s difficult for them to understand. It’s confusing. They see other kids having presents at their parties,” she says. Kaye feels that once a child is 9, he or she can help with the planning. If the child has an interest in animals, for example and wants to ask friends to help donate money toward a particular animal shelter, the request for donations in lieu of presents makes more sense. Even then, though, Kaye suggests allowing the child to have a choice: Would they prefer gifts or would they like to mention their love of this charity to their friends?
Many parents feel that their kids have an overabundance of possessions, and they don’t want their child tearing into 25 wrapped gifts just to end up with a giant mass of stuff. To cut down on the clutter and offer a lessen in giving, some parents spend time before the party helping their child pack up older, no-longer-used toys in good condition to donate to a local charity. Kaye insists, though, that there’s nothing wrong with a child wanting presents on their special day, and that developmentally it’s just too much to ask them to forgo such a cherished ritual enjoyed by most of their peers.
A party trend Kaye does approve of? Not opening presents during the get-together. “It’s rushed,” she explains, which makes it hard for the birthday boy or girl to truly appreciate each gift. “And some children may bring something less important [to the party boy or girl]” and feelings can get hurt.
To make opening presents more meaningful, Kaye suggests having a treasure hunt with your child after their party has ended and it’s just family. Hide the gifts, then leave clever clues throughout your house to the location of each present. As the birthday child finds a present, he or she can unwrap it and even take a photo to send along in the thank-you note. Other families choose not to open all the gifts on the same day as a way to control the process—and to cut down on the chaos!
If you have time, come up with another way to extend the party. Kaye and her team have last-minute games at the ready, like bringing out a big jar filled with jellybeans. Each child guesses how many are in the jar, then everyone gathers around to count it out. The kid who gets closest wins a prize, and everyone gets to be involved and have fun—without any bruised feelings.
What do you think? Are presents a key part of birthday celebrations or do you approve of the “no presents, please” trend for kids’ celebrations? Do you like opening presents at a party, or afterward?
Monday, June 6, 2011
Pulice Museum Superhero Party
celebrated a special someone’s 4th birthday yesterday with a guest appearance of
a Superhero. The party was a total hit and the children were thrilled to have a
superhero among them.
The Police Museum offers a few different parties:
- Superhero Party
- McGruff and the Case of the Missing Birthday Cake
- Police Academy Boot Camp Party
- Scavenger Hunt
- Who-Done-It Movie Making Party
- “Breaking News” Movie Making Party
- And for the younger ones: Junior Discovery Zone
As guests arrive in the beautifully decorated birthday room, they are enlisted in the police academy by getting
measured, finger printed and receive a name badge.
Then they go through a series of warm up exercises that we call boot camp. A few obstacle courses, running through a tube and jumping inside hula hoops.
In yesterday’s birthday party, the Superhero taught the children some superhero powers of his own.
They search up and down, high and low, round and round in the different halls of the museum, after a very funny visit to jail, they finally find the crown and the birthday child is crowned.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Grand TD Bank Opening
Adding festivity to a Grand Opening has been the mantra of TD Bank. For the last ten years we have added that spark of excitement to openings in Connecticut, Pensylavania, New Jersey , New York and Queens. This past week-end we sent a troop of performers to Washington DC to celebrate the openings in three locations. Stiltwalkers, shoe shiners, cigar rollers, sign spinners, caricaturists, and balloon artists presented their skills to the passerbys as three new locations inaugurated their openings.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Partymakers on CNN
Partymakers is on CNN. Click here to read on CCN.com or continue reading for full article.
Don't kill the birthday guest
May 24, 2011 9:05 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- The job of a children's birthday party host seems straightforward: Thomas the Tank Engine or princess theme? Traditional yellow cake with icing or ice cream cake? Jelly beans or arts and crafts in the gift bags?
To which we suggest a modern twist: Don't kill any of your guests.
For the gracious host, it's simply good etiquette. Sandra Beasley, author of the upcoming "Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales From an Allergic Life" (Crown Books, July 2011), had to refuse most childhood birthday cakes because they could have killed her.
She stood on the sidelines at her best friend's 10th pasta-making birthday party when she saw that the ingredients included eggs, which make her throat swell shut.
"One of the biggest misconceptions is that people with food allergies want the whole event to accommodate their allergies," Beasley said.
"We will martyr ourselves rather than eat anything. A lot of people don't consider how socially embarrassing it can be. When I get hives around my eyes, people think they've made me start to cry. It doesn't make for a fun picnic."
If your child doesn't have allergies, there's a good chance one of your child's friends does. And that child will eventually appear at your home for a birthday party. About 4% of children have food allergies, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC reports that the eight most common food allergens in the United States, which account for more than 90% of the country's allergies, are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
Before you freak out that your cake could kill someone, know there is help. Most of your guests don't need every dish to be allergy-free. They just need a few options. Many supermarkets now have more options, and so do cookbooks. (If the mere presence of a particular food could harm a child, a parent should tell you.)
Pure Knead bakery owner Michelle Kelly gets a lot of business from parents of kids with allergies and parents who buy just a few cupcakes for their birthday guests with allergies.
Kelly started her Decatur, Georgia, company a year ago after she couldn't find safe food for her now 7-year-old son, who is allergic to gluten, dairy and soy.
"We have so many parents who bring their children here," said Kelly, whose bakery is free of gluten, dairy, soy, nuts and shellfish (another common allergen). "I put out samples of four or five products, and the kids all look at their mothers tentatively for permission. They get to have that 'bakery experience' here."
Let's think of those little guests, those kids who don't get to sample cookies at Costco or cupcakes at the local bakery. That's a little kid you're asking to choose his health over that pasta or creamy ice cream. Imagine that with a few changes, you could be the superhero parent that will make these kids feel less like outsiders in your home.
Start with the invite
Veteran children's party planner Linda Kaye suggests including a sentence asking that the RSVP include any dietary restrictions. "This is a gracious way of saying that you would like to be sure to include something in the refreshment menu that would be allergy free," said Kaye, owner of Linda Kaye's Birthdaybakers Partymakers in Manhattan. "It's a thought very much appreciated by parents who have children with allergies."
Easy food fixes
Depending on the allergy, consider serving some nondairy sorbet or gluten-free pastries. Provide easily identifiable foods like pretzels or watermelon that won't be obscured in trail mix or fruit salad. (This will help smaller kids who have a hard time knowing what's safe.) Save any packaging from prepared foods so parents can read the list of ingredients for allergens.
Accept help
If contacted by the parent of an allergic child who wants to bring a safe dish, accept it graciously and place it amid the buffet. Do not stress that it doesn't match your food theme. Inclusiveness is more important. You might even allow that child to go first so they can be sure to get some of their special dish.
"I always come with a cupcake or something else that I make or get at a bakery," said Seattle mom Becky Moore, whose 8-year-old son has allergies to eggs, peanuts and sesame seeds.
"When people say 'Don't worry about it, I'm making the cake with the egg replacer stuff,' I totally appreciate it."
Building trust
Don't assume that kids who are old enough to be dropped off will always make the right choices. Have a quiet conversation with the parent about a child's allergies in front of the child at drop-off.
Children are taught to trust their friends' parents, but kids with allergies know that some adults don't understand their allergies. So make sure you understand what to do or tell the parent if you don't.
Party games
If you have a piñata or games with prizes, include nonfood prizes. (With the CDC reporting that 17% of children are obese and childhood obesity is on the rise, not every reward needs to be food anyway.)
Party favors
If any guests have severe allergies, make sure the gift bag snacks are wrapped, so they don't contaminate nonfood treats. Or consider going food-free in the gift bags. Beasley couldn't play with a toy that had been contaminated.
Extra credit
Make or buy a "safe" cake or cupcakes if you have a bakery nearby. You could also make a delicious Sandra-friendly chocolate cupcake that kids and adults all might like. Here's a recipe, courtesy of Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats in Washington, D.C., which made it for a wedding Beasley attended.
Going the extra mile creates a lot of love for parents who are always striving to give their kids a "normal" birthday party experience. Pure Knead's Kelly can still remember one friend's graciousness toward her son.
"The birthday child was having a dog-themed party," she said. "They had a cake made in the shape of their dog's head, and a separate cake for my son made in the shape of a dog's bone with an icing bow on top. It was amazing for my child. It was amazing for me as a parent."
To which we suggest a modern twist: Don't kill any of your guests.
For the gracious host, it's simply good etiquette. Sandra Beasley, author of the upcoming "Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales From an Allergic Life" (Crown Books, July 2011), had to refuse most childhood birthday cakes because they could have killed her.
She stood on the sidelines at her best friend's 10th pasta-making birthday party when she saw that the ingredients included eggs, which make her throat swell shut.
"One of the biggest misconceptions is that people with food allergies want the whole event to accommodate their allergies," Beasley said.
"We will martyr ourselves rather than eat anything. A lot of people don't consider how socially embarrassing it can be. When I get hives around my eyes, people think they've made me start to cry. It doesn't make for a fun picnic."
If your child doesn't have allergies, there's a good chance one of your child's friends does. And that child will eventually appear at your home for a birthday party. About 4% of children have food allergies, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC reports that the eight most common food allergens in the United States, which account for more than 90% of the country's allergies, are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
Before you freak out that your cake could kill someone, know there is help. Most of your guests don't need every dish to be allergy-free. They just need a few options. Many supermarkets now have more options, and so do cookbooks. (If the mere presence of a particular food could harm a child, a parent should tell you.)
Pure Knead bakery owner Michelle Kelly gets a lot of business from parents of kids with allergies and parents who buy just a few cupcakes for their birthday guests with allergies.
Kelly started her Decatur, Georgia, company a year ago after she couldn't find safe food for her now 7-year-old son, who is allergic to gluten, dairy and soy.
"We have so many parents who bring their children here," said Kelly, whose bakery is free of gluten, dairy, soy, nuts and shellfish (another common allergen). "I put out samples of four or five products, and the kids all look at their mothers tentatively for permission. They get to have that 'bakery experience' here."
Let's think of those little guests, those kids who don't get to sample cookies at Costco or cupcakes at the local bakery. That's a little kid you're asking to choose his health over that pasta or creamy ice cream. Imagine that with a few changes, you could be the superhero parent that will make these kids feel less like outsiders in your home.
Start with the invite
Veteran children's party planner Linda Kaye suggests including a sentence asking that the RSVP include any dietary restrictions. "This is a gracious way of saying that you would like to be sure to include something in the refreshment menu that would be allergy free," said Kaye, owner of Linda Kaye's Birthdaybakers Partymakers in Manhattan. "It's a thought very much appreciated by parents who have children with allergies."
Easy food fixes
Depending on the allergy, consider serving some nondairy sorbet or gluten-free pastries. Provide easily identifiable foods like pretzels or watermelon that won't be obscured in trail mix or fruit salad. (This will help smaller kids who have a hard time knowing what's safe.) Save any packaging from prepared foods so parents can read the list of ingredients for allergens.
Accept help
If contacted by the parent of an allergic child who wants to bring a safe dish, accept it graciously and place it amid the buffet. Do not stress that it doesn't match your food theme. Inclusiveness is more important. You might even allow that child to go first so they can be sure to get some of their special dish.
"I always come with a cupcake or something else that I make or get at a bakery," said Seattle mom Becky Moore, whose 8-year-old son has allergies to eggs, peanuts and sesame seeds.
"When people say 'Don't worry about it, I'm making the cake with the egg replacer stuff,' I totally appreciate it."
Building trust
Don't assume that kids who are old enough to be dropped off will always make the right choices. Have a quiet conversation with the parent about a child's allergies in front of the child at drop-off.
Children are taught to trust their friends' parents, but kids with allergies know that some adults don't understand their allergies. So make sure you understand what to do or tell the parent if you don't.
Party games
If you have a piñata or games with prizes, include nonfood prizes. (With the CDC reporting that 17% of children are obese and childhood obesity is on the rise, not every reward needs to be food anyway.)
Party favors
If any guests have severe allergies, make sure the gift bag snacks are wrapped, so they don't contaminate nonfood treats. Or consider going food-free in the gift bags. Beasley couldn't play with a toy that had been contaminated.
Extra credit
Make or buy a "safe" cake or cupcakes if you have a bakery nearby. You could also make a delicious Sandra-friendly chocolate cupcake that kids and adults all might like. Here's a recipe, courtesy of Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats in Washington, D.C., which made it for a wedding Beasley attended.
Going the extra mile creates a lot of love for parents who are always striving to give their kids a "normal" birthday party experience. Pure Knead's Kelly can still remember one friend's graciousness toward her son.
"The birthday child was having a dog-themed party," she said. "They had a cake made in the shape of their dog's head, and a separate cake for my son made in the shape of a dog's bone with an icing bow on top. It was amazing for my child. It was amazing for me as a parent."
For more tips on having an allergy-safe party, please go to sandrabeasley.com.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Partymakers on TV Land's Best Night In
If you missed the Ultimate Children's Birthday Party on Best Night in, look no further! We have a clip to share with you with Linda Kaye and Pastry Chef Sara Pereira on how to decorate and bake some of the delicious treats on Linda Kaye's Bake-a-Cake Party Book.
Monday, May 9, 2011
A Wonderland of a Party
We continue to love your ideas that you share with us of your successful parties, here is another party by our Partymaker and Pastry Chef Sara Pereira for her birthday! This just goes to show you don't have to be a child to have a fabulous birthday party! Here is her story:
I had been planning this birthday party for at least 5 months. I’ve always loved everything whimsical, and although Alice in Wonderland isn’t my favorite Disney Movie, it had the most creative and colorful ideas! I wanted my very own mad hatter tea party. I even asked the guests to come dressed up in their best mad tea party costumes. They all complied, and even agreed to wear the oversized accordion hats that I found online at Oriental Trading.
I wanted the table spread to be colorful and somewhat cluttered like the movie. I didn’t want the table to look prim and proper, I wanted it to miss match and call out for attention. I used an assortment of cake and cupcake stands to create height and different levels for the food items.
I also baked all of the food myself, the bread for sandwiches, the scones, the quiche, chocolate macarons, the birthday cake, and I even dipped the dainty little strawberries in white and pink chocolate. I wanted the food to be very much what you would eat at a tea party, all finger food.
I also used food coloring to paint phrases such as ‘eat me’, ‘bite me’, ‘try me’, and ‘drink me’ which the guests found quite irresistible.
When it came to the signature drink of the party, I didn’t do tea because most of my friends aren’t tea drinkers, so my I made my dad’s signature drink, his ‘Sandia’ which means watermelon in Spanish. It is a drink made with watermelon juice, quite a few different mixtures of liqueur, and served inside the watermelon itself.
I carved the watermelon to look like the Cheshire cat, since it already had stripes of its own. The drink was a hit! When the drink was finished my friends asked me to break open the watermelon so they could eat the flesh! Although this drink has a lot of alcohol, you can always make it kid friendly by making a mocktail mixture and serving it inside the watermelon.
The only real tea at the party was the jasmine blooming tea displayed inside a clear apothecary jar that sat in the centre of the table. It was more decorative than functional, but it looked beautiful through the clear glass.
There was also a multitude of tea cups of all sizes laid out on the table. I bought a few teacup shaped flower planters and painted them with bright colors, and some with themes from the movie such as the Cheshire cat’s smile and the suits from a deck of cards. The largest planter I found at a supermarket in the gardening isle of Shop Rite. It was quite a find! It was so large that I could fit a regular bowl in it, so I decided to serve the salad inside it. Most of the guests didn’t realize it was a large teacup until the bowl was almost empty. The middle sized teacup planter I used to put the silverware inside so that the guests could find them more easily.
I am also raving about the newly popular teacupcakes. They are made out of silicone and you can bake cupcakes right inside them. They come with a saucer too so that you get that perfect teacup look. Unfortunately the molds only come in white as of now, but you can always use an edible airbrush paint to color them after they’ve been baked! I loved this look and even used one of the tea cupcakes to top off the birthday cake.
The birthday cake is one of our Stardust favorites, it’s the black forest cake. I wouldn’t typically place a black forest cake underneath a fondant layer, as many Pastry Chefs will tell you, whipped cream under fondant is a very dangerous and risky venture, but since it was my favorite cake I decided to alter it a bit to make it work. It wasn’t a very elaborate cake since there was so much on the table that would detract from it, but it had a nice height with the rest of the items.
The place settings were just as bright as the rest of the food. The bright blue table cloth contrasted with the bright pink plates, and the black hexagonal cake plates. I also used bright yellow napkins with a large fake gerbera daisy on top to top off the setting. And instead of teacups to serve beverages, I used neon colored margarita glasses. They worked really nicely by adding that different height effect I was trying to achieve.
To achieve the party setting in the room I had to add a lot of color without destroying my walls, so I bought a set of balloon wallies from the online Wallies store. They are great because they stick nicely to the wall without damaging it and come off very easily and don’t peel the paint.
I also loved Martha Stewart’s poms and the effect they added to the room. They are very fun and festive, and are so easy to assemble. They have a multitude of colors and sizes too.
And no party is complete without balloons. I ordered a few helium balloons to decorate around the room and on the side of the chairs. My husband Todd had a great idea for the back of our white chairs. We made them look like decks of cards by adding the suits to each opposing corner. I also added some ribbon to enhance the color effect. It was perfect!
Even the bathroom didn't get missed, we picked the queen's favorite quote 'Off with your head' and turned it into 'Off to the head.'
It was really quite a party, and with the Alice in Wonderland movie playing in the background, even those who had never watched the movie became familiar with some aspect of the movie. An amazing birthday party it was!
Share your great party ideas with us by emailing partymakers@partymakers.com
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Decorate-a-Cake with Rainbow Colors
With 45 children, we needed to come up with a great idea so that the kids could be entertained and participating during the cake decorating component of the party. We decided on a rainbow theme where the 7 colors of the rainbow represented different decorating teams. And to enhance the excitement, we created the Ultimate Birthday Cake Challenge where each team had a leader that would teach them how to use a pastry bag and how to decorate with it.
The Harmonie Club has beautiful regal-looking rooms that are perfect for special events, but when you are throwing a 6 year-old's birthday party you need to make it more fun and colorful. That's why we brought in a lot of color and balloons.
We loved the balloon trees and flower pods that brightened up the room. Each cake decorating table was also covered with a tablecloth that represented the colors of the rainbow.
Besides the decorating, there was also a face painter that dazzled all the little girls with her magical designs...
You could see how impressed the party guests were when they entered the colorful room full of balloons and birthday cheer! While waiting for all the guests to arrive they accessorized their outfits with balloons and face painting. They also personalized their chef hat, a very important component that they would later need for decorating the birthday cake.
When the guests had all arrived they gathered in a circle and were told about their very important mission. They were going to be part of the Ultimate Birthday Cake Challenge, because the Pastry Chef didn't have time to finish The Birthday Cake!
In order to start on this mission they had to be sorted into their teams, so they picked a colored paper out of a chef's hat that corresponded to the color of their team. They dawned their aprons and met with their group and group leader around their respective tables. The tables were all set and ready for them. They had a multitude of pastry tips and practice paper, as well as a colored cake and cupcakes that they would decorate individually and take home.
The guests learned how to color frosting and how to fill pastry bags, they then learned how to make a multitude of flowers, and last but not least, their favorite, the clown!
All the while as the children were decorating, a mock TV crew and reporter interviewed the children as they happily decorated away and sneakily tasted a few frosted fingers.
After perfecting their skills on their individual cupcakes, it was then time to decide on how to decorate the team's cake that they would then present to the birthday girl. The children chose their favorite flowers that they had made and transferred them over to the team's cake.
The cakes looked beautiful and so original! The teams were called up in order of their rainbow color and presented their cake to a gleaming birthday girl. The combined cakes made for a beautiful rainbow. The children were thrilled to have taken part in such an important component of the birthday girl's party.
25 punds of buttercream later, it was time for the guests to eat a few savoury nibbles. A beautiful buffet filled with kid-friendly foods, including ice cream, was a great hunger buster for all 45 kids. They all sat down to eat as they viewed the video of their cake decorating that was now broadcasting in the room's TV.
And after all the hard work and creativity that went into this party the final note was singing happy birthday and eating the cakes that the children decorated themselves. What a celebration it was, and a great big surprise when they saw the rainbow battered cake lying beneath all the buttercream!
It was a memorable party for the birthday girl and a nostalgic moment for the mother, who had once, many years ago also been in her daughter's shoes.
Linda Kaye's Partymakers Talented Team
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