The Reading Corner: The Princesses Have A Ball

The New York Princess Party reading corner blog posts are to showcase "princess approved" children's books from our royal library. Happy reading!

A fun and creative take on the 12 dancing princesses. The king can't figure out how all the princesses shoes keep wearing out so quickly. That is, until he finds out they are not up all night dancing, but playing their favorite sport instead! A perfect tale for your sporty princess. Happy reading :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

New Boards On Pinterest!

We've been pinning away over on our Pinterest page adding all sorts of creative boards for your party (P)insperation. Some of the most recent include:

Mary Poppins Party

2012 Olympian Party

London Calling

Tea Time Recipes

Obviously we got inspired by all the attention on London this summer. How could we not?! Now that we're getting ready for fall and back to school we'll be letting our imaginations run wild with some crafty learning. What are you planning for your next themed party? Stay tuned for more boards and blogs :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

The Reading Corner: Not All Princesses Dress In Pink

The New York Princess Party reading corner blog posts are to showcase "princess approved" children's books from our royal library. Happy reading!

Not All Princesses Dress In Pink is written by a mother daughter combo that is sure to entertain! Princesses come in all shapes and size and aren't limited to their ball gowns and heels. Jane Yolen and Heidi Yolen Stemple show us that mud puddles, sports and messes are just as much a part of a princess's world as her tiara. We love what an empowering and fun read this is. Happy reading :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

Free Gift with Party Booking

Don't miss out on our August special!! When you book your party by the end of the month your little one will receive a FREE GIFT from her princess at the time of visit. So don't delay! Book today :)

Imagine the gleam in your child's eye when she comes face to face with her favorite princess.

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

The Reading Corner: Tallulah's Tutu

The New York Princess Party reading corner blog posts are to showcase "princess approved" children's books from our royal library. Happy reading! 

Today's reading corner is a book that speaks directly to my 6 year old self. If only Tallulah was around to teach me the wisdom of ballet back in the day...(sigh). Lucky for your little ballerina she has Tallulah to show her what it's all about. Most importantly a sweet lesson about needing to work hard in order to meet your goals. A valuable lesson for all princesses :)

Tallulah LOVES ballet and wants nothing more than to become a great ballerina. The only thing that stands in her way is lack of a tutu. She just knows that this the thing that's missing. So when she signs up to start ballet she is disappointed to learn that she won't be getting a tutu right away. She learns it's something ballerinas have to work hard to receive. She's so upset she decides to quit; but everywhere she goes she's reminded of ballet! What ever will she do to get to her dream? Written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Visit the Tallulah site to learn all about the team and the sequel Tallulah's Solo. Happy reading :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

A Tea Time Recipe

Traditional Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pieces of bread (your choice)
• Cream cheese (softened)
• 1 Cucumber

PREPARATION 

1. Remove the crust from all pieces of bread. This is a good task for little ones 5+ who can use a butter knife. 
2. Spread cream cheese on 2 of the pieces of bread.
3. Peel cucumber (kid job if you have a safe peeler). Slice cucumber thinly and lay slices on top of bread with cream cheese. 
4. Top with remaining bread slice and cut each sandwich into quarters. 

Fun fact about cucumber sandwiches: During the victorian era, authors would typically include a detail like the eating of cucumber sandwiches to let readers know the character was upper class. For an example, just take a look at Oscar Wilde's use of them in Scene 1 of The Importance of Being Earnest. 

Algernon: Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches.  They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta.  [Takes one and eats it.]

Jack: Well, you have been eating them all the time.

Algernon:  That is quite a different matter.  She is my aunt. (Wilde 2224)

Throughout the entire scene with Jack, Algy is sitting there eating cucumber sandwiches.  He ends up eating all of them. So when Aunt Augusta finally arrives and inquires after the cucumber sandwiches Algy had promised her, Algernon and his servant, Lane, pretend that there had never been any in the first place.

Algernon: [picking up empty plate in horror]   Good heavens!  Lane!  Why are there no cucumber sandwiches?  I ordered them specially.

Lane: [gravely]  There were no cucumbers in the market this morning, sir.  I went down twice.

Algernon: No cucumbers!

Lane: No, sir.  Not even for ready money.

Algernon: That will do, Lane, thank you.

Lane: Thank you, sir.

Algernon:  I am greatly distressed, Aunt Augusta, about there being no cucumbers, not even for ready money. (2228)

Good gracious! No cucumbers  you say?!?

Now grab your fanciest hat, dust off the tea set and see who can do the better British accent for an afternoon of tea with your little one. If you're in need of additional inspiration, visit our Pinterest page for more Tea Time Recipes!

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

International Youth Day 2012

Happy International Youth Day! For those of you like us, who until recently,  were in the boat of "what exactly is this?" Here's a great informational page. But in short, it's a day created by the UN to partner youth across the world with UN officials to discuss issues facing the future generation. Of course this just makes our girl power princess hearts swell! It's never too early to be the change you want to see. Visit their Facebook page and see how you and your princess can contribute to royal rulings for the future :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

Mary Poppins Party

Earlier this week we brought you to a magical party location that whirled and twirled with beautifully decorated animals and music. Le Carrousel in Bryant Park that is! I know when we think of carousels Mary Poppins is one of the first characters who come to mind. Our Mary Poppins has been lucky enough to get quite a few invitations to parties this year. Which makes her pretty popular over here at Princess Headquarters. So we put together an inspiring pin board to help you pull together your very own Mary Poppins party! Of course no party would be complete without a visit from Mary herself :) But before for we get ahead of ourselves....here's some highlights from the board.

PARTY SET UP

Most Mary Poppins parties can be broken down into two themes. Jolly Holiday with the carousel, light pastel colors, and some supercalifragilistic on the side. The other theme we noticed was the "all the other time Mary Poppins." With a more traditional black and red London color theme, kites, chimney sweeps and a giant Mary Poppins bag. We've compiled a little of everything. Who says you can't have it all?!

Cute themed invitation.

Non-Jolly Holiday color theme. LOVE the wall decal decorations. 

Pretty carousel inspired sweets stand.

"Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"

Sweets and treats inspired by a day at the races.

ACTIVITIES!!

NYPP sincerely believes that no party is complete without some inspired activities. These are just a few examples below. The best part is that these activities can be adjusted to fit an age range of 3-10. So great options for mixed gender and mixed age parties!!

Create your own kite! Or for little ones under 5 provide the kites pre-constructed and ready for them to decorate with stickers and crayons. 

A music station with instruments lets anyone become a one man band. Or become a group band and let Mary lead a sing along!

Remember the amazing chalk art that Mary, Bert and the kids jump into  to go to the races?  Hand out some chalk and let your guests go to town on the drive way or sidewalk. 

Dressing for a party is almost as fun as attending the party. Encourage your guests to come in their afternoon English best. Hats and white gloves? Oh why yes please!

In other Mary news...our very own Mary Poppins will be at Pier 1, Riverside Park on August 18th for FlyNY Kite Festival. She'll be there beginning at 11am and providing FREE face painting!! See you there :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

The Reading Corner: A Very Fairy Princess

The New York Princess Party reading corner blog posts are to showcase "princess approved" children's books from our royal library. Happy reading!  

This week in the reading corner we bring you an adorable book written by none other than Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Yep...THE Julie Andrews. How could it not be something wonderful?! The story invites little ones and grown up princesses alike to "Let their inner sparkle out!" The story follows a whimsical girl named Gerry who is convinced she is real life very fairy princess. She spends her days practicing all things fairy princess and ready to solve any problem that may arise in her kingdom. Christine Davenier provides wonderful illustrations!

A Very Fairy Princess is the first in a series of three books that follow our heroine Gerry. Check out all of them on the official book website! Happy reading :)

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

Whimsical Party Location - Le Carrousel in Bryant Park

Ooh! Aaah!

As we covered in our 2012 Olympian blog post, us New Yorkers need to make the most of this beautiful summer weather! So today we explore the whimsical party location of Le Carrousel in Bryant Park. (Among some fun linkage to other carousels in NYC). First, a little history lesson! According the internet (which is always reliable) The word "carousel" has been traced to twelfth-century Arabian games of horsemanship called "carosellos" or "little wars." The game consisted of riders tossing a small perfumed clay ball from one rider to another. By the 16th century these games spread to France where the events were elaborated; people wore fanciful costumes and engaged in tournaments of drama called "Carrousels." Eventually the art form became more tactile, as artists began to sculpt crudely shaped horses. In the late nineteenth century American artists broke from European tradition. To the dashing horses, artists added an entire menagerie of elegant animals, often accompanied by flowers, bells, plump cherubs, and flashing mirrors.

The carousel in Bryant Park was built specifically to compliment the aesthetics of the park by artists located in Brooklyn. They offer all sorts of GREAT birthday party packages starting for as little as $360. When you save that much money on your party location, it gives you the perfect excuse to add a little extra something special....like a visit from Mary Poppins and Bert! We had the privilege to attend a party at Le Carrousel earlier this summer and had a blast!! Contact us for pricing starting as low as $275 for a character visit and activities.

Don't get discouraged if Manhattan isn't your Burrough. Time Out NY Kids just came out with a list this past month of carousels all over the 5 Burroughs! With these whimsical party locations, the sky's the limit on your theme party this summer. Next posting we'll be sharing some Mary Popppins themed party inspiration straight from our Pinterest page. So......

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

Happy Friendship Day!

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

Calling All Olympians!

With the 2012 Olympics well underway in London and the fantastic summer weather here in NYC, it could not be a better time for an outdoor Olympian themed party! We searched our memories for our favorite field day activities growing up, as well as did some Pinterest scouring to put together an amazing new board for your party inspiration. Let's take a look at some of the highlights!

SET THE STAGE

Greet your guests at an athlete's registration table and provide any materials for the party. (Team jersey, favors etc.)

Cupcakes are an easy way to serve guests quickly and don't require extra tableware. 

This is an adorable and creative themed table.



ACTIVITIES!

A relay race gets pretty silly when each contestant must relay in the style of card selected.

3 legged race is the ultimate team work!

This looks hilarious and fun! Shower caps are put on and topped with shaving cream or whip cream. Then the team mate must see how many cheetos they can get to stick a landing.

A small balance beam is an easy DIY with a couple blocks and a 2x4.

Kids can get crafty with a medal decoration craft.

Lucky for you we have characters AND party coordinators who can lead children through games at your Olympian party! Better yet, book your party before the end of August and your birthday child will receive a free gift at the time of our visit!!

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page. 

The Reading Corner: The Best Birthday Party Ever

The New York Princess Party reading corner blog posts are to showcase "princess approved" children's books from our royal library. Happy reading!  

Join this birthday girl as she plans the ultimate birthday bash! Who cares if it's not for another 6 months? Authors Jennifer LaRue Huget and LeUyen Pham capture that special feeling all little girls have on their birthday. Highly recommended for story time on your little princess's big day or leading up to the excitement :) Maybe you'll pick up some over the top party inspiration along the way!

Click image to purchase on Amazon!

SUBSCRIBE to our blog and stay up to date on all the latest and greatest princess news. Party ideas, great deals, recommendations and more! Click SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page.