Who would have thought a year ago that we'd be celebrating yet another birthday in lockdown? This time it was Ollie's turn. He managed to squeeze in his birthday treat and party last year just before we went into the first lockdown but was not so lucky this time round.
I always like to make sure that I cater for the kid's favourite things at each age, whether that has been dinosaurs, princesses, castles or science; and so for Ollie's 6th birthday we decided on a falconry and woodland theme, for a little boy who loves learning about the wildlife on our doorstep and has spent the last year watching Deadly 60 on repeat.
Despite the venue being our home, I put up the tent we bought at Hobbycraft last year and we planned a pretend camping day, complete with a pretend campfire and real s'mores. We set up the tent, made beds for Lily, Ollie and all the teddies, and then sat down to enjoy some tasty treats and a few board games.
The next day, we threw Ollie a tea party. It was only the four of us there but I still wanted to put in the effort when it came to making is special. Starting with the decor. It took me a while to settle on the exact colour scheme I wanted for this party and in the end I went for copper tones with white and green balloons, then added lots of natural touches. I probably spent a little more than I meant to, usually I'm a little more budget-savvy, but with very little else to do, I didn't mind spending a little bit more on extra balloons and random rustic decor from craft shops!
For catering, I kept the food simple but in keeping with the theme. I used an owl shape cookie cutter to cut out our sandwiches, served crisps and popcorn with cream cheese or peanut butter dip and made cupcakes to look like toadstools.
For the cake I tried something new, with it only being the four of us, I didn't want to make a huge cake that might end up going to waste. So I tried my hand at making a yule log style cake and decorated it with a cuddly owl bought from Amazon. I have to admit, I was really pleased with how it turned out! I'm a big fan of using toys to decorate cakes, it saves my blushes when it comes to making my own decorations and yet doubles as a lovely reminder long after the cake and crumbs have been consumed.
I'd been so worried about how this party would turn out. I didn't want it to be boring or disappointing to Ollie to still be stuck in the house with only us to celebrate with. As it is, I'm glad. It was a lovely, relaxed family celebration and one that I really enjoyed. I think Ollie loved it to and hope you've enjoyed reading a little about it for your own inspiration! Creating lovely and memorable parties on a budget is one of my favourite things to do, lockdown may have thrown me a bit of a curve ball but the challenge has been one that I have enjoyed (this time at least).
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