The Reading Corner: Classic Fairy Tales To Read Aloud

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

This wonderful collection of stories is compiled by Naomi Lewis and illustrated by Jo Worth. It includes well known classics as well as some new stories. They're ideal for reading aloud and children grades 3 and up will be able to read along and help out. Also, each story has an estimated telling time, which comes in handy when "Just one more!" is cried 30 minutes past bed time ;)

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. 

The Reading Corner: Yellow Princess Gets A Pet

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

Yellow Princess Gets A Pet is #6 in a series of early reader books written by Alyssa Crowne and illustrated by Charlotte Alder. The story follows a girl named Abby who has only ever wanted two things in life - to be a princess and to have a pet. Now she finds out she gets to adopt one! She quickly learns that the hardest part about having her dream come true is just which kind of pet to pick. BONUS: There's also craft ideas included in the back of the book! Good thing there's a whole series to have the fun continue. Check it out from your local library or click the photo below to purchase it on Amazon. 

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: 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 :)

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 Paper Bag Princess

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

The Paper Bag Princess, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, is a can't miss blast from the past of our younger princess days. First published in 1980, this charming story reverses the typical roles of the princess and her dragon. 

Princess Elizabeth finds her wedding plans derailed when a dragon shows up in her kingdom, destroys everything (including all her beautiful clothes) and kidnaps her prince! Forced to wear the only thing she has left - a paper bag - Princess Elizabeth sets out to rescue her beloved prince. We don't want to give away the ending too easily! Check it out from your local library, or click the photo below to purchase it from Amazon. 

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. 

Happy Grandparent's Day!!

"If nothing is going well, call your grandmother." - Italian Proverb

Talk about the most ooey gooey warm your heart thing of the day... today is National Grandparent's Day 2012. We must admit that this is the first year we're officially celebrating this day around princess headquarters. So in the name of all things grandparents, we went on a research mission to get our creative juices flowing. Take a look at all the great things we found! Now invite the grandparents over and tell them just what makes them so very grand :)

Funny Poems
Advantage: Grandma

The grandparent advantage
As some of you may know
Is when a tantrum starts
You can just get up and go.

Allergic Reaction

Grandkids have lots of allergies
To eggs, to cats, our pup
But their severest allergy
Appears to be to cleaning up

Texting With Grandpa Coloring Page

Get Crafty

ACCORDION PHOTO CARD
A cheerful, multifaceted display.

Materials:

• Two sheets 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch card stock, 1 dark pink, 1 magenta
• 1 sheet of light pink construction paper
• Drinking glass with 2 1/2-inch diameter for tracing circles
• Family photographs
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• White craft glue

Instructions:

1. Trim the sheets of card stock by 3 1/4 inches lengthwise so that each measures 11 inches x 5 1/4 inches.
2. Trim 1/2 inch from the end of each piece so that each measures 10 1/2 inches x 5 1/4 inches.
3. Lay the pieces out horizontally and mark each piece of card stock at 3 1/2-inch intervals so that you have two light pencil marks separating three equal sections of cardstock.
4. Fold the card stock along the lines in the opposite directions so that the folded pieces are 3 1/2 inches x 5 1/4 inches and form a Z shape.
5. Overlap the end pieces of the two different folded card stocks and glue them together so that you have 5 faces on each side.
6. From the light pink construction paper, trace five circles, cut them out and glue them onto the faces of the card.
7. Select an array of family photos and trim them to fit within the circles.
8. Inside each light pink shape attach a snapshot with adhesive glue dots.
9. Display your photos on the nearest table or mantle.

Grandparents Day Book

Source:  http://larremoreteachertips.blogspot.ca/ 

Interview your Grandparents
Sample questions to learn more about your grandparents (For grade school age)

1. Where were you born?  What year?2. What are the names and birthdates of your brothers and sisters? 3. Did you have a pet when you were growing up? 4. Did you get an allowance? 5. Who was more strict, your mom or dad? 6. What were your favorite games and activities? 7. What chores were assigned to you? 8. What did your house look like?  Is it still the same? 9. Did your house have electricity when you were young? 10. What traditions did your family have? 11. Did your family have big reunions? 12. Did you like school?  What kinds of grades did you get? 13. What were your favorite subjects? 14. When you were a teenager, what time did you have to be home at night? 15. How old were you when you met grandma/grandpa? 16. How old were you when you got married? 17. What was your first job? 18. Tell me about my mom/dad when he/she was growing up. 19. What makes you proud of my mom/dad? 20. Have you accomplished what you wanted in life? 21. What do you think the President should do for the country now? 22. What advice would you like to give me? **Source material found at www.grandparents.com and www.grandparents-day.com** 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 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

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 :)

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. 

NY Princess Party on Pinterest

As you may remember, we started a Pinterest page back in February.  We've loved being able to pin ideas and put it all in one accessible place, as well as picking up inspiration from the rest of the Pinterest community.

However, this past week we overhauled our page, got to organizing, and then got to Pinning (again).  The end result is a more streamlined page with different boards for some of our more popular categories, including cakes, party favors, tablescapes, party decor, activities, games, and themed parties.  Within our themes, we have boards for Rapunzel, Cinderella, mermaid, and pirate parties (so it's not just for princesses!).

We hope that as our page grows, it can become a source for you party planning parents out there who don't have the extra time to do the research, but still want to throw a fabulous birthday party for your children.  By doing all of this legwork for you ahead of time, our Pinterest page will not only be a source of inspiration, but a timesaver as well!

The page is an ever-evolving project for us, so over time we will continue to Pin more ideas and make more boards. If you want to stay up to date, you can follow us:  New York Princess Party.  (And if you don't already have a Pinterest account, you should join -- It's easy, fun, and free!)

Go check it out, then tell us what you think!  We'd love the feedback, especially if you have ideas for boards you'd like to see or themes you'd like us to explore!