Harlow is six today.  I’m still working through all the emotions I feel about this.  Great joy at what an awesome, fun, hilarious, smart, beautiful girl she’s growing into.  Sorrow at how fast she’s gone from being two lines on a test to ALREADY being six year old.  Grateful because she’s healthy and whole and safe and happy.  Before I get too emotional (too late, I know) let me just celebrate her.  This past weekend we had her mermaid party and it was fintastic!  I’m sorry.  You should probably stop reading now.  Anyhoosies.

Everything went swimmingly.  I’ll stop!  I promise(ish).

The only thing I regret is that I didn’t want to bother with my “big camera” so all my photos are blurry phone photos.  Ugh.  Every year I use my big camera and it is SUCH A PAIN when I’m trying to navigate the party and take photos, but I now see it is a necessity.  C’est la vie.

It was a large crowd of fun, well behaved kids who all seemed to have a wonderful time.  Harlow had a wonderful time.  Honestly, what else could I ask for?  The decorations turned out beautifully, which is always a crapshoot because you never know how pieces and parts you craft or plan in your mind will look once it is time to put it together at the venue.  It was great.

Final Product

I was very, very pleased with how the cupcake-cake turned out.  The bakery we always use didn’t have a lot of options for “mermaid” so I sort of hodge-podged some ideas together with them.  They agreed to do the two tones of cupcakes, and I plotted the decorations using “mermaid sprinkles” and making some fondant shells and mermaid tails.  I had never used fondant before, so it was definitely an exercise in patience.

I had no plan B so I’m really glad it turned out.  Check out the inspiration vs the final product below.

Inspiration

Final Product

The gift bags turned out great, too!  It was so much fun to put together these little treats for her friends.  At the last minute, I made little shark decals and added them to a pair of blue sunglasses to substitute the two hair ties in the gift bags of the two boys in attendance, but didn’t remember to take a photo before they were all packaged up.  They all got the bracelets, though.  I figured they were unisex enough.  Plus, they were super-tedious to make, so I was sharing them!

All of the rest of the photos have the other children in them, and I try really hard to remember not to post photos of other kids.  But here are a few final images of Harlow and the fun pre-birthday stuff she’s been up to lately.  She had star-day at school, started her “big girl” gymnastic class, and got a hair trim.  Basically, just an excuse to show off my cute kid.

Today she brought donuts and fruit to school for her birthday treat, and we’ll be picking her up at lunchtime to go to Build-A-Bear, which is her only birthday request.  I’m so blessed to be the mom of such a wonderfully amazing girl.

Oh!  And not only did I make a Mermom T-shirt for the party, I couldn’t resist making a Mermom tumbler as well.  I need a 12 step program for themed-crafting.

Have a fairy-super day!