Beautiful Bug Party - Part 1

Way back in June, Rainbow's cousin had a spider cake for one of his birthday celebrations. Since then Rainbow has declared that she too was going to have a spider cake. It has wavered a little at times, especially after seeing some wonderful cakes at parties but eventually returns to a spider cake. I also hadn't planned on throwing a party this year but Rainbow kept talking about "at my party" so I caved. So here it is Rainbow's bug party.

(Disclaimer - spiders, ants, snails... are not really bugs as they are missing a proboscis "True bugs suck.")

The invitation:
The flower swivels on the split pin to show the invitation.
The leaves fold back to show more of Rainbow's bugs.

The costumes:

These didn't really happen. Rainbow's grandparents brought her a cute butterfly costume for her birthday but she wasn't really interested in wearing it. Moonshine had a little spotty ladybug outfit but wouldn't wear her antenna hat. Dad did wear antenna.

The menu:

Spider cake - I used Nigella's birthday cake recipe cooked in a large and small pudding basin then iced with her fudge icing. The biscuit legs are held together with chocolate icing. Moments after I started cutting collapsed as the chocolate had melted on the warm day.

Pizza Snails - puff pastry rolled up with a filling of cheese and a tomato pasta sauce

Look What’s Landed on the Cupcakes - really just an excuse to eat lollies. One excited guest kept bringing them to me "Look ant ant!"
Butterfly and Dragonfly Cookies - this recipe then decorated before baking by brushing with milk and sprinkling with white sugar coloured with a few drops (it should still feel dry)
of food colouring Ladybugs - There are a lot of these out in cyber space. Mine are pretty simple - crackers spread with cream cheese, topped with half a cherry tomato with a slit through it and a quarter of olive. I then blended some cream cheese with olives and piped (haphazardly) on some spots.

Fruity Caterpillar Kebabs - popsticks are much more kid-safe though some fruit (eg pineapple) needs to have a hole stabbed with a knife first

Butterfly sandwiches (chicken and curried egg) - cut into triangular quarters then arranged so pairs of sandwiches lie with their points touching to make two triangular wings.

The decorations:

I didn't photograph the food table but it had

• a dragonfly printed fabric as a tablecloth. Look under the fruit kebabs.


• framed photos of Rainbow taken the first week of December 2008, 2007, 2008


• giant lolly spiders hiding under and on top of the food platters


• food labels (see fruit kebab picture above)


• A jar of Rainbow's collaged flowers. Here are two.
  

The front and back are glued together with a skewer between them after Rainbow had decorated. There were others in a daisy and star shape but they were given away.

On the playground we tied bunches of balloons and a garland of butterflies. Rainbow did "blob on some paint and fold the paper in half pictures" I then cut out, accordion folded and secured with a pipecleaner. The pipecleaner is folded in half and twisted to form a tail. Then the painted body is added. The pipecleaner is then twisted some more to form the head and the ends spread to form antennas.

Here's how to get to part 2 if you'd like to read about the entertainment and party bag .