Hiring a Party Entertainer!

Home birthday parties are lots of fun to plan and give you complete control over your food, cake and decorations, however the thought of keeping lots of children entertained for the duration can be quite daunting, BUT it doesn't have to be ~ Enter the world of Party Entertainers!!  


A Children's Party Entertainer is someone who offers a mobile entertainment service by way of an act, show or activity at children's parties.  Kids Party Entertainers will be used to interacting with young children and can provide a fun and memorable experience for all. 


The possibilities for entertainers are endless and just a few exciting options available are - Clowns, Magicians, Reptile shows, Spa & Pamper parties, Face Painters, Balloon Animal Artists, Bubble shows, Fairies, Superheros & loads more!


Some important tips when considering and/or booking a Party Entertainer;


1. Set a budget for your entertainment.  We all have different budgets, so look at what works for you.  Take into consideration all your party costs - invites, food, cake, decorations, party bags, any games/prizes and then determine what you can spend on entertainment. 


2. Decide on what type of entertainer & is it age appropriate for your guests ?


3. Book WELL in advance.  Party Entertainers can book very quickly so to avoid disappointment book well in advance of your party date.  


4.  Shop around and ask Questions, Questions, Questions!


Remember the entertainer you choose will be coming in to your home and will be around your children and others so make sure you do your homework, ask lots of questions and shop around.  Great party entertainers who are committed to offering an awesome service will be more than happy to answer your questions & discuss what they can do for you. A friendly and helpful disposition on the phone will generally mean the same service and demeanor on the day. Some questions to ask; 

• Pricing and what services do they include for the price ?
• The duration of the show/service?
• Do they have a current Working with Children Check/Police Clearance and public liability insurance ?
• Do they come in costume ?
• What sort of area do they need - inside/outside ? Do they require a certain amount of space ?
• If an outside show what happens in the case of rain/ extreme heat etc ?
• Information on deposits, cancellation and refund policies

5. Once you have decided on an entertainer book in and confirm all your details.  Where possible ask for written confirmation of your booking so you have a copy of all the important details and can confirm dates and times etc.  Always do a quick follow up phone call with your entertainer the week before your booking just to ensure everything is on schedule for the special day. 

Once you have booked in your entertainer, make a rough plan of how your party schedule will run - will your entertainer be before or after food etc. A party plan will ensure your party runs as smooth as possible on the day.   Also ensure that you have adult helpers available during the performance to supervise, help with any children who may feel a little nervous to join in and also to take photos. 


Where can I find a Party Entertainer?


To find party entertainers in your local area visit our What's on 4 Kids Parties website and search our directory.  You can also look in your local newspaper, parenting magazines, yellow pages or by searching online to find what services are available. 


Also if you use a Party Entertainer and they provide an excellent service be sure to let them know or post a review about the service, this is not only appreciated by your entertainer but is also extremely helpful for other mums & dads looking for great service & value! 


Happy Planning :)


Kate xx

Lalaloopsy Baptism Morning Tea

(Post from 17 April 2012)

Hello :)

Just wanted to share some pics of my daughters Lalaloopsy morning tea that we held after her baptism a few weeks ago.

Being the first time we got to hold a ‘girly’ celebration, we decided to theme the morning tea and decided on ‘Lalaloopsy’ as I think they are super sweet & I’m a little obsessed with them. I hope Paige will be too, once she gets a little bit older. All the Lalaloopsy dolls have their own personalities, so rather than just do an overall Lalaloopsy theme, we decided to theme a couple of little sections according to a doll’s personality.  We had so much fun putting this together and whilst little Miss is only 6 months old, I would show her all the pretties and she would smile & kick her little legs in excitement!  I dont think a girl is ever too young to appreciate gorgeousness haha!

Welcome to the Magical World of Lalaloopsy!

“The Lalaloopsy were once rag dolls who magically came to life when their last stitch was sewn.  Each doll has their own personality that comes from the fabrics used to make them”

‘Suzette La Sweet was sewn from pieces of a duchess’ dress. She’s royally pampered, and perfectly primped. Her favorite hobbies are lounging about, eating fancy pastries, and strolling in the garden.’

‘Crumbs Sugar Cookie was made from pieces of a baking apron. She is super-sweet, has perfect manners, and loves inviting friends over for tea and treats.’

‘Rosy Bumps ‘N’ Bruises was sewn from bits of a nurse’s uniform. She’s super-careful and always puts safety first. She loves orange juice and putting on bandages…whether they’re needed or not.’

We had such a wonderful day celebrating our little Miss :)

If you would like to see more pictures from our party or see vendor credits then please head over to my Piece of Cake Parties blog for the full post or my Facebook page for the full photo album.

Piece of Cake Parties & Celebrations Blog ~ Lalaloopsy Morning Tea 

Piece of Cake Parties & Celebrations Facebook Page ~ Lalaloopsy Morning Tea Album 

Photography by Lightbox Photography

Kate xx

Our Easter Table & New Family Tradition ~ Styled by Ethan

(Post from 10 April 2012)

Hello :)

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter!!

Ours was lovely and quiet and as I mentioned in my last post after my little Ethan was so keen on helping me style Paige’s christening, we decided that this year he could set up his very own Easter table.

Ethan was given free reign to decide what food he wanted to put on his little table and was able to choose what decorations & plates etc he wanted to use from Mummy’s stash of party goodies!   This is what he came up with :)  He was so excited and we were so proud of him, it was really special so we have decided that we will make a new family tradition of letting the kids do the Easter table each year.

As you can see ‘Woody’ and also one of his little hippo toys also made an appearance hehe!

Was so cute and special seeing him have so much fun and im really excited about our new little tradition that I hope will carry on for many years.

Definitely my favourite party set up so far :)

Kate xx

Easter Bunny Rainbow Cupcakes with Easter Egg Centers

(Post from 14 March 2012)

Remember being a child & that overwhelming excitement you felt in the lead up to Easter morning and seeing if the Easter bunny had come during the night? Well I love that now I have my own little people who I watch get that same feeling as they race through the garden and squeal with delight as they find bright coloured eggs hidden throughout the plants & flowers on Easter morning.  I love seeing decorations with gorgeous colours, cute little bunnies & chickens.  Yep, love Easter!

So ive been thinking about what pretty table we could do for Easter this year and I have decided that the kids can do it all themselves! We are currently planning my daughters Baptism celebration morning tea and i have been busy working on my table.  My little boy Ethan, 4 has been with me every step of the way styling along side me, adding his own little touches (& lots of Ben 10 figurines amongst my pretty pink plates & decorations ~ ‘What if we put these here for Paigey’s party Mum?’ hehe, sure Eth!) & it got me thinking that it would be so nice to let them loose on their own table, so thats what will be happening for our Easter this year, I cant wait!  Will be sure to show you pics of their masterpiece after the special day :)

So we thought we would have a little practice of some cute Easter Bunny cupcakes that we will make for Easter. We decided to do some rainbow cupcakes & add in Easter eggs to the center.  These were all the kids doing, my little boys Ethan & Declan and two of my nephews Mayson & Kayden.  They mixed, poured, decorated, made a mess & had a wonderful time doing so!

What you Need;

Cake Mix (im not a baker so we just used packet mix but you can use any cake recipe so long as its a vanilla or similar, so you can colour the mix.)

Patty Pans (we found some cute Easter ones at the Reject Shop, big pack for only $2.00)

Food Colouring

Cake Icing

Marshmallows

Sprinkles

Coconut

Small lollies to decorate

Easter Eggs (highly recommend peppermint ones, they taste so good melted!)

What to do;

1. Mix cake mix.  Decide how many colours you would like to use in your rainbow and then separate mix into that amount of small bowls.

2. Add a small amount of food colouring to each bowl and mix.

3.  Spoon mix into patty pans ading a little of each various colour at a time to create a ‘rainbow’ effect.

4.  Place small easter egg into the center of each patty pan.

5.  Bake cakes.  Once cooked remove from oven and cool.

6.  On cool cakes, spread icing.  Cover with coconut.

7. Cut marshmallows into little pieces to make bunny ears and then dip in sprinkles.

8. Add bunny ears to cakes and then add little lollies to make eyes and nose.

9. Take a bite and see gorgeous rainbow coloured insides with yummy melted easter egg centers.

Here are the boys decorated cakes in all their half licked, lop sided glory hehe :)

We hope you and your little ones have fun making these cute little Bunny cupcakes!  Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter and I will be sure to show your our Easter celebrations after the day :)  We would also love to see and share your Easter celebrations, so if you put on a cute dessert table, make some cute decorations or anything you would like to share from your Easter parties, feel free to email them through to me at pieceofcakeparties@iinet.net.au and ill feature them on the blog!

Kate xx

ps: these also make a cute Easter gift  for grandparents etc, put in a pretty cake box, wrap in cello and you have a yummy handmade Easter gift!

ps: If you would like to see how to make a large rainbow cake, see post here; http://www.pieceofcakepartysandcelebrations.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Rainbow%20Cake

Perfect Party Accessories - Party Printables!

(Post from 28 February 2012)

Looking for a fun and funky way to incorporate a theme into your party set up?  Then why not accessorise with party printables!

Printables are now my #1 party setting must have!

I must admit when I first discovered &  fell in love with the dessert table/styled party concept nearly three years ago,  I did initially look at  food tags/labels and go ‘why do you need to label a bowl of smarties ‘Smarties’ when quite clearly they are smarties!

However as I saw more and more fabulous parties incorporating these little details, I had to eat my words.  It became clear that it’s more than just outlining the obvious.  They are a perfect, affordable way to incorporate/carry the theme across all aspects of your party & they really do add that extra bit of ‘wow’!

So what are they? 

Printable packs can include personalised invitations, food labels, party bag tags, cupcake toppers, birthday banner, cupcake wrappers, drink bottle wrappers, hats & more,  all provided in a particular design/theme – such as dinosaurs/ tea party etc.

Printables come in a set design and then the designer will personalise where necessary with your party details and provide you with a pdf file.  You receive the file then simply print as many copies as you need, trim to size and use – easy!

What’s the average cost and turn around time?

I’ve found the average printable pack price to be around $40.00 though can be more or less depending on what is included etc.   From my experience and from browsing various online stores once purchased the designer will normally have these personalised and sent to you within 2 – 3 days.

Where do you get them from?

This is the fun part! (or the hard part, as there are so many fantastic printables available you may change your mind a few times if your anything like me :) )

I always do a Google image search of the themed printables I’m looking for; so type in ‘dinosaur party printables’ etc.  Always a lot of fun to have a browse, see how others have incorporated the printables into their parties.

Etsy is also another great place to find party printables.

Here are a couple of designers I have used personally and highly recommend for awesome service & gorgeous, quality products;

Fairydust Stylish Stationery ~ In use at my son Ethan’s 4th Birthday Party!

My Little Jedi ~ in use at my son Declan’s 2nd Birthday Party!

Style Me Gorgeous ~ In use at our 2011 Easter Celebration!

With so many various designs available there is something for everyone and if you are after something a little more unique many designers also offer customized designs!

Happy Planning :)

Kate xx

A Family Valentines

(Post from 7 February 2012)

So Valentine’s Day is coming up soon and for us gone are the days of celebrating Valentine’s Day with an intimate candle lit dinner, flowers, chocolates … hang on, did we ever celebrate Valentine’s that way ??? hahaha  :) Anyway, now with 3 little ones that’s certainly not going to happen anytime soon, so we will be celebrating as a family by way of a nice home meal, some yummy dessert and quality family time in the evening !

So one dessert we will be serving up will be Oreo Pops with a Valentine’s Day spin on them!  Oreo Pops are quite simply one of the most wonderful things on the planet I believe, they are so yummy!  So here is a little recipe and picture of some we made up!  They are quick & easy and lots of fun for the kids to help make  :) (though always watch little fingers around the food processor.)

Valentines Day Oreo Pops

What you need;

Oreo Biscuits 300g

Cream Cheese 150g

Cooking Chocolate / Melts

Food Processor

Lollipop Sticks/ Popsticks/ Straws (we used pink & red retro spotty straws in ours)

Sprinkles, lollies etc to decorate

Step by Step;

Step 1.  Put Oreos into food processer and blend until biscuits become fine crumbs.

Step 2. Cut cream cheese into 6 small pieces and add into the biscuit mix.  Blend until mixture clumps together.

Step 3.   Roll mixture into bite size round balls and place on a lined tray.

Step 4. Place lollipop stick (or similar) into the centre of each ball.

Step 5.  Refrigerate until firm.

Step 6. Once firm – melt chocolate (If you melt enough chocolate in a bowl deep enough to completely cover the  oreo balls during the dipping process, this makes things a lot easier :) )

Step 7. Gently dip oreo ball into chocolate, lift and gently turn to remove excess chocolate (or use a spoon.)

Step 8. Decorate with sprinkles/lollies etc

Step 9. Place back on tray and refrigerate.

Step 10. Eat and Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoy celebrating Valentines Day with your loved ones!

Kate xx