We finally got around to celebrating Luke's birthday last Friday. I chose a sailing theme for the party. The thing that sparked the idea was the cute, sailor-inspired note cards I found on clearance. We strung them up on twine as part of the decor, and we'll use them as the thank-you cards for all the gifts Luke received. Here they are along with some of the other decor...
Hamburgers with all the fixins'
Caesar Salad (compliments of Auntie Andrea)
Quinoa Salad
Corn on the Cob
Chips
Sailboat Cookies
Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream & Berries (compliments of Grandma)
There's a bit of a saga behind the creation of these cookies. Sugar cookies are supposed to be easy to make, right? I mean, kids make them. How hard can it be? Well, I had quite the time. Between the batter being too crumbly, the parchment paper nearly catching fire, and the icing failing twice (yes, that means I wasted 8 cups of icing sugar), I came very close to giving up on sailboat cookies. Thankfully, my darling, every-helpful, and always level-headed husband came to the rescue. The cookies turned out alright in the end. I was happy, and Luke... well, he probably didn't know the difference.
O.k. Then I got the idea that I would make origami sailor hats in lieu of the traditional, cone-shaped party hat. I have a mild dislike for the party hat. Perhaps that little elastic band snapped back on my chin a few too many times when I was young. I don't know.
Anyway, here was my first attempt at making a sailor hat...
As you can see, it turned out to be rather large, and it looked more sombrero like than sailor like.
The second and third attempts weren't much better and ended up being way too small...
After my failed attempts at creating origami sailor hats, I came up with a just as cute compromise. (Or at least it's just as cute when worn by such a cutie-pie! Our nephew, Ashley.)
The party included a pile of gifts... thanks, everyone!
Birthdays are so much fun! And I now know why I've never taken up origami.
Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!
-Sarah
Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!