At Plumeria Cake Studio, we love a great party and will go to great lengths to craft a memorable celebration. This party, however, holds a special place in my heart! We celebrated my adorable niece and the whole family got in on the action!
In case anyone was wondering where I get my artistic ability, this should clear up any mysteries.
My sister in law wanted to plan an over-the-top awesome first birthday for my niece Rachel and came up with the Alice in Wonderland theme. So once the concept of "Rachel in One-derland" was underway, my mom worked her magic.
She began with a virtual trip down the rabbit hole! The side gate to my parents house was transformed into the party entrance which forced guests to walk through the garden. After my dad fixed the path with new pavers (really guys?) my mom added stuffed animals and lots of characters from the Disney version of the story, which she hand drew, painted and cut out of foam core board. There was even a handful of red silk roses tucked into her white rose bushes as if someone had been painting the roses red. But I think my favorite detail was the floating eyes and smile from the Cheshire Cat, the hint that he was about to appear. So cute!
My sister in law rented tables and chairs to create this long dining table for the Mad Hatter's tea party. But since my mom is madder than the Hatter himself, she spent weeks shopping at thrift stores and pulled out my grandmother's antique mini tea sets to decorate the long table. The purple-draped table was completed with an artificial turf table runner, lanterns, teacups, books, mini playing cards and fresh gerber daisies.
The dessert table is where I came in. I created a 2-tier fondant cake with a molded chocolate teacup and saucer. The bottom tier was carved into the Cheshire Cat with a 2-d face attached. The top tier was the Mad Hatter's top hat. A few sugar flowers finished off the sweet centerpiece.
Just a few more details from the party. The full size playhouse in grandma and papa's backyard was transformed into the Mad Hatter Shop, where you could choose a crazy hat or prop for a photo behind one of the handmade photo boards. Rachel's cousins got in on the fun too. Plus, check out the beautiful chair cover and table skirt that grandma sewed just for the party and the handmade sign-in poster for the guests to stamp their thumbprints and sign. My sister in law even had a photo backdrop made (check out the background behind my folks below)
And there's the Queen of Hearts herself: my mom. Only a grandmother with this much love and talent could make a party this special. So now you know...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Being over-the-top is in my blood.
Happy Birthday sweet Rachel!
