My big kids have been big fans of Ben Hatke's artistry and work ever since we kidnapped him (well, before that, actually). They have passed that love along to their little sister by reading to her almost daily from the Zita books (but Julia's House For Lost Creatures and Little Robot have recently become every night requests too!). Cupcake LOVES Zita and all the other characters in these space adventure stories. (Truth be told, I think she has a little crush on Joseph!) When it came time to think about a birthday theme for her 4th birthday earlier this month, there really was no doubt what she would choose. Zita the Spacegirl!!! {Amazon affiliate links!}
The kids helped decorate her table with their own ideas...
She was just a little excited to see all the decorations. She specifically requested this party game. (More on that later.)
~Breakfast~
Star heart muffins... guaranteed not to give you a heart attack.
~Costumes~
Her dearest request was for all of her siblings to dress up in costume for her party. She picked out characters for everyone and they obliged. Her wish is their command!
She was so delighted to see them all dressed up. OK... so maybe she has a little crush on Piper, too!
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| As you can tell, the wig didn't stay on for long. |
Even my mom dressed up as Mouse for the celebration.
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| The Birthday Zita and her crew. |
~Special Gifts~
I don't normally post about the gifts our kids receive, but these little dolls turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I thought about making them myself, but my sewing skills are not up to this kind of quality. A wonderful seamstress on Etsy made them for me just by looking at the pictures I sent her from Ben's books. Cupcake was so excited. They have been her constant nighttime companions ever since she opened them.
~Games~
Miss Cupcake still talks about going Moon Bowling for her second birthday and asked if we could do that again. So... Zita the Space Bowler!
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| Whoops! |
~Screed Piñata~
I haven't checked to verify this, but I'm pretty sure this is the world's first Screed piñata. When Cupcake asked for a Screed piñata, I kind of whimpered. I have a love hate relationship with piñatas. I don't mind tiny little ones, but the big ones that you beat to death, well... that's just not my idea of a good time. So, when I found a pull-string piñata, in the shape of a disco ball, it was a "hallelujah" moment! I used a silver paper plate, some silver paper cups, a paper towel roll, black crepe paper streamers and some chrome duct tape to create the rest of the look. When it was time to open the piñata, we took off the cups and streamers. Everyone had a turning pulling strings until the secret panel opened.
~The Cake~
Please don't look at this cake. This is the ugliest cake I think I've ever made... but it's exactly what she wanted. It's supposed to be a portal button. Zita's adventures begin when she finds a big red button. A big red button on a grey square. I've already petitioned Ben to think of something cuter for his next series. Maybe in pink? ;)
The cake was an 8x8 inch Chocolate Chocolate Chip cake with a thin 6 inch round on top. I didn't want to try to make red icing, so I used a red sugar sheet, which you can see, didn't really want to conform to the round, button shape. Sigh. Should have just bought red icing in a tube, but I really hate that stuff. But frankly, I couldn't care less when I saw the look on her face!
Happy birthday, sweet girl! We can't even remember what our family was like before you came along. We thank God for the gift of you!