Discussion Post,  Life

;art attack!

bookworm things

This is not exactly a book-related blog post, but! I am excited!

If you follow me on my various social media accounts (truly, I have too many and need to start cutting down on them), you might have seen me mention once, or twice, or twenty times that my daughter turned 2 this year. Her birthday was a few weeks ago, and her party was this past Saturday, and for once in my life, I was ON TOP OF THINGS and I am very proud of myself.

sign

Last year, I made the mistake of thinking things could be done and ready just a couple of months before her birthday. Last year, we had party planners involved (because it was her first birthday, and I am bad at planning things). Still, I was overwhelmed and overwrought, and while the party was a success, this year, I told myself, would be different.

What that meant was I started planning this party in October last year, ordering things for it by November, and having all the food prepped and ready a couple of days before the event, except for the last minute things.

cake

My daughter is very much a budding artist. At least, that is the justification I give myself every time she breaks out the markers and starts colouring on the sofa, so I thought this year it would be fun to give her an art-themed party. Calling it Art Attack! was a throwback to my own childhood obsession with the show. I’m going to be getting her into that as soon as she stops trying to draw on the walls.

I had an image in my head of what I wanted to do. There are very few kids her age in our community – less than 10, and some of those came from overseas! – so I decided on no games, and just some painting fun. I ordered some mini canvases and easels online and set them up for the kids to paint. I also went out and bought a larger canvas and masked out a ‘G’ and got as many people as I could to squeeze out paint onto that. Once my daughter moves into her own room, this is going up there.

art attackart attack2

As for food, well, we thought a tea-time party would be easier to manage, so there were a lot of finger foods prepared. I found a bunch of ideas online – rice krispie brushes, which I found a different recipe for; grilled cheese roll-ups; a palette cake, which I used my own recipe for – and then gave my own spin on them. I also ordered a wooden palette online and made five coloured dips – marinara, avocado pesto, beetroot hummus, ranch and a herbed yoghurt dip) and arranged them like paint. (The dips taste amazing as salad dressings or in burgers as well! We have been using the leftovers for breakfast and snacks.)

dips

My daughter and the other little ones had a lot of fun, so it was a win in my opinion. Even the teenagers we invited got in on the action with the extra little canvases! My cousin and his fiancee had suggested that we get everyone to sign the big poster board we got printed for our backdrop before they leave, and I have so much love for that, because someday my daughter is going to see just how many people were here for her.

It was a fun day, but also I cannot wait for her to start school so I can do simple birthday things like bake some cupcakes to take for her classmates instead of planning An Event like this.

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What is your favourite birthday memory? What birthday party would you have if you could, no expenses to worry about?

ara

I’m Ara, a Southeast Asian writer who someday hopes to have published a novel, and who is currently losing herself in the worlds created by others. I love books and food and television and blogging and I get distracted and sidetracked easily.

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