Whimsical Party Location: The Eloise Room at The Plaza!

For those who's birthday girls prefer the precocious antics of Eloise to the tulle of Cinderella, look no further than The Eloise Room at The Plaza for your next party. That's right, THE Plaza hotel in NYC is home to a room completely dedicated to its most popular literary guest. Decked out in pink, black and white, your party can enjoy dress up, salon services, crafts, movies and a tea party. Contact the venue directly for pricing. Don't forget to book your character services through NY Princess Party and have Eloise herself make an appearance!! NYPP's Eloise has been lucky enough to have received numerous invites to the plaza in the past couple of years. She'll provide face paint, assist with sparkly make overs, conduct story time and even dine with the guest of honor. Book her today!

                              

Don't fret if NYC is too far flung of a location, or perhaps The Plaza a little out of your price range. We've also recently pinned together an inspirational board on Pinterest to put together your own plaza worthy party.  Let us know your thoughts! Share your pictures with us on Facebook, and don't forget to subscribe :)

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Happy Labor Day!!

Happy Labor Day to you and your family from all of us working princesses here at NY Princess Party!

Photos by Catalina Roca

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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!

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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 :)

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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......

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Princess Hair Styles

Is your little one all about princess glamour? Well we have found THE ULTIMATE resource for learning how to do easy but impressive princess hair braiding and other styles. Princesshairstyles.com is the best for princess glamour.

Adorable right!? And this blog is full of ideas and how to's. A few minutes of watching an easy video tutorial and we were impressing ourselves! So grab some supplies and have some fun one on one time with your princess. But first, let's see some other great styles to get your creative juices flowing :)

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Whimsical Party Location - Alice's Teacup

If you have a little lady on your hands that loves to play tea party be sure to take a look at Alice's Tea Cup. With three different locations in Manhattan  you can surely get  your tea and crumpet fix no matter which neighborhood you reside. Let's take a look around :)

Alice's Teacup Upper West Side location

Upstairs room at Alice's Tea Cup Upper East Side Location

Party room at Alice's Tea Cup Upper West Side Location

Delicious cupcakes :)

Fairy dress up costumes

Alice's Tea Cup has an extensive list of teas and DELICIOUS scones as well as a full lunch and dinner menu!

I think you can see why Alice's Tea Cup has become a favorite among little princesses in NYC. Suri definitely knows quality when she sees it ;)

Upon arrival, your little ones will be greeted by the Alice's staff and immediately asked if they would like to partake in some magic fairy dust before embarking on their whimsical tea time. They have the option to don an adorable tulle and sparkle embellished fairy dress and wings as well. You must go to tea in style!! Since NY Princess Party has had the privilege to provide Alice's characters for the past 3 years you also have the option to arrange a real life meeting with Alice!

Already craving to go?? I know it's one of our favorite places to visit :) See you there soon!

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