KAIA & NOELLE'S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

My twins turned five a few weeks ago. Five years old. For some reason, this hit me hard! My tiny preemie girls are ALREADY FIVE. Gasp. Deep breaths. How does the time go so fast?! 

Kaia and Noelle are two of the most social, crowd loving kids I know. They love people and being around them. They wanted a big party, with lots of their friends, music and lots of decorations. They also LOVE exploring, walking and playing in the forest (thanks to having this at our doorstep in Vancouver). We decided on a forest party, at Stanley Park’s Ecology Society, where a space with beautiful natural light and lots of room to run around was available. For an hour, they take the kids (and parents if they want) into Stanley Park for a forest discovery walk, where the kids were fully in awe and happiness discovering all the creatures the forest has to offer. If you are looking for an amazing party venue in Vancouver, this one is perfect for so many ages! 

These simple DIY fairy and elf crowns added a little fun for the kids and got them into the mood for the outdoor part. 

After some simple instructions, our girls and thirteen of their friends headed into the forest for a little exploration and learning (did you know a woodpecker wraps its' tongue around its' brain to protect it when pecking?!...I had no idea!).

The kids loved the forest; where they learned to identify a few birds by sound, use magnifying glasses to see what lives in trees, went on a bug hunt, explored different smells in logs and trees and played a couple of games. After lots of fresh air and outdoor exploration, they came back for lunch and the most beautiful and delicious cake (thanks Butter Bakery!) surrounded by these lovely Gypsy Petal flowers (so excited to be able to reuse these over and over again!).

After lunch, we kept it simple – music, lots of balloons and a balloon tent, which ended up being the least expensive and most fun thing ever for a party. The kids ran in and out, danced and threw balloons. Overall, I'd say it was a success.

Happy Birthday beautiful girls! You have added so much magic to our lives over the past five years. We love you!

Styling by WINTER DAISY
Photography by Jo + Bo Photography and Melissa Barling

If you were wondering how to achieve the same look, here are the sources!

01.// Party tent; 02.// Fig leaf plant; 03.//Mylar number 5 balloon;  04.// Giant blush balloon; 05.// Fairy crowns DIY; 06.// Helium balloons; 07.// Hydrangeas; 08.// Paper straws; 09.// Kid size table and chairs; 10.// Dot napkins (similar); 11.// Paper plates (similar).

XAVIER'S 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Xavier's 2nd birthday at home with food, friends and fun decorations. Xavier is in LOVE with animals so we decided on a forest animal theme with the little Holztiger wooden animals from his room as well as felt animal masks for the kids.

Xavier looking so sweet waiting for his friends...

This flower wall was so simple…my amazing husband did a great job randomly putting the flowers up with washi tape.

If you are in Vancouver, Butter Baked Goods makes the most delicious cake. It has become our go-to bakery for birthday cakes because the flavour never disappoints. If you aren't nearby, they share all of their amazing recipes in the cookbook, Butter.

It was a such a fun morning of friends, play and yummy treats celebrating our favourite little guy, Xavier. Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Photos and Styling by WINTER DAISY
Location | Vancouver, Canada
Cake |  Butter Baked Goods - Coconut Cake
Macarons | Thomas Haas
Cupcakes | DIY
Cake Number Sparkler | Tops Malibu 
Felt Masks | DIY
Giant Balloons | Bargain Balloons

 

A TEA PARTY PLAY DATE...

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Our girls have been begging for a tea party all summer. For 3-year-olds, they sure love a good party; the decorations, special food and most of all, having friends over. I didn't want to spend weeks preparing so kept it simple with tea cups, a teepee, cupcakes and magic wands. I sourced the tea cups from the thrift store and made the wands and cupcakes the night before. They were delighted!

I have a feeling there will be many more summer play dates over the years. What little things do you do to make play dates special and memorable for your little ones? 

HELLO MY NAME IS...

Today I chose to hit go(!!) on my first blog post for my new project: WINTER DAISY interiors for children.

Hello! I am Melissa. I am obsessed with design - the function of something that works well, flows properly and of course the creativity of making a space look and feel beautiful. I am a 30-something mama of 3 kids, aged 3 and under. I am both Canadian and British and am married to an Australian - I have lived and worked in all 3 countries before settling in Vancouver, BC, Canada, our current hometown.

This blog is a place to start a conversation with women around the world about life as a working mom (with kids that's a given!), showcase WINTER DAISY's projects,  offer thoughts and ideas and have fun along the way.  A few of the topics you can expect to hear more about over the coming weeks…

1. Life with 3 (3 kids, 3 years and younger)
2. Get Sorted! (organization tips for the busy woman)
3. Date night (where to go, what to do, when to do it)
4. Love it! (kids products I love)
5. Fashion fun (simple achievable looks you can shop on your lunch hour)
6. Yum (tasty eats)
7. A little reveal... (what WINTER DAISY has been working on)

Are there any others that you'd like to read about? Please leave a comment and let me know! You can follow along with WINTER DAISY by subscribing to the blog (click on Blog RSS below), liking us on Facebook and pinning our photos on Pinterest. Any shares, likes and thoughts are greatly appreciated. I look forward to sharing this new adventure…

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