For H birthday this year I really wanted to have a festival style party in the park. We have a big family so I knew that park would have plenty of space for the children to run around and a vast supply of tea and coffee for the adults. I started pinning ideas for the party early in the summer and I knew I wanted a very bright carnival colour scheme. I decided to run with the Toot Toot Carnival range by Meri Meri. It had bright happy colours and a slight vintage feel which was just the look I was planning.
I wanted the party styling to be simple (it is just a cake picnic in the park!) but still look wow! I started with the idea of picnic baskets filled with lots of bakery treats on bright rugs with balloons floating in the breeze. With all my ideas and supplies organised I went to set the party up.
I filled the baskets with a selection of cupcakes, jam tarts, fresh fruit tartlets, caramel slices and mini doughnuts. All the cupcakes were vanilla and had simple fondant or sweetie decorations on top of a swirl of vanilla buttercream. I used the Toot Toot cupcake cases and cake picks and these were so sweet.
I used simple bright coloured bunting attached to the tree branches to mark out the party space and create a simple backdrop for the cake table. I used a fold up picnic table for the cake and created layering by using another wicker basket in front of the table. My favourite roll of gingham table cloth was used here (I think I have used every colour Party Pieces stock now!). On top of this I added the cake and a mini picnic hamper of biscuit stars. Which was just shortbread biscuits on lolly sticks, which I iced and stuck into polystyrene which I had wrapped in gift paper.
I added an upturned basket as a little table for paper cups full of sweets and the larger basket was filled with the Popcorn Party favours. I also dotted a few pin wheels around to add to the carnival festive style.
Finishing touches for the cake table were the ‘H’ letter which is from H room and the paper honeycomb garland which is from Party Pieces. I think this is one of the simplest cake or dessert tables I have created but I was really pleased with how it came together.
For the birthday cake I cheated a bit! I iced a fake bottom tier with white fondant and then cut lots of triangles to make the coloured bunting. For the top tier I make four vanilla sponge cakes which I added food colouring too. The middle two had a circle cut from the centre and they were then stacked using vanilla butter cream. I filled the circular hole with jelly beans and added the top sponge. Then after the crumb coat of buttercream, I piped rosettes using an open star nozzle.
Ribbon was added and then gumball sweets were iced around the edge, hundreds and thousands sprinkled on the top and then sweets and biscuits placed around with the cake picks. H absolutely loved his cake and it was lovely to have a few strangers in the park stop and say WOW! When I cut into the cake and the jelly beans fell out I could see H beaming!
The party favours were popcorn boxes which I filled with a variety of goodies. Fortune Fish, Mini Musical Instruments, Wind mills, Sweets and bouncy balls. We had bats, balls and bubbles to play with. Uncle Richard did a fabulous job as the resident tattooist and the children spend a happy couple of hours playing on the swings and slides.
H had such a lovely day. And although I always say it… This party was one of my favourites!
Linking up with 3 Little Buttons and Bridie by The Sea for #DREAMTEAM
A Cup Full of Glitter 
it was a really lovely afternoon for young and old and the cake was delicious.
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What a fantastic looking party – I love all the bright colours and the picnic baskets look amazing! #dreamteam
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Thanks! I loved the picnic baskets x
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