What's the perfect accessory for our new Hawaiian Luau Theme Birthday Party?  Why an adorable Hula Tutu skirt of course!

When I started dreaming up this theme I knew that I wanted some pretty little dress up skirts for birthday girls and their friends.  Not any old grass skirt would do!  So I did a little research headed down to our local fabric store and this is the result!  If you would like to recreate this look at home, here is my how to:

2 meters of green tulle
1 elastic band strip (under 1/2 " will do)
Raffia
Ribbon
Decorative add on's
Glue Gun
Scissors

Measure the length of elastic you need for the skirt.  You can either tie the ends together or leave them open to tie up with ribbon.  Cut tulle into 26 inch long pieces and then split each piece into 3 strips approximately 6" wide.

To create a nice finish end fold the strips in half and cut the ends into a rounded shape.  Trust me this looks much prettier than just leaving them square.

Keep strip folded and place the top hoop part over the elastic.  Bring both ends up through the hoop and over the elastic.  Pull into a loose knot.  Have a play around with it until you like the finish work. Once you pull it tight it's not that easy to move them around.  Continue this procedure with both raffia and tulle until your elastic band is almost full.  I quite liked the effect of the two tulle strips to one raffia strip ratio.  You may also need to trim the raffia to a desired length.
 

Glue ribbon to the ends of the elastic leaving enough ribbon to tie into a pretty bow.  Decorate your Hula Tutu Skirt with sweet little embellishments however you wish.  Don't forget you'll need a lei and a flower for her hair to complete the look!

Gone are the days you went to the bar and danced all night even going to a movie will be something that needs to be planned with military precision.  But you know what?  This is your opportunity to grow and show her how amazing a friend you can be.

As an "Auntie" to four (and one on the way) gorgeous kiddies I can tell you for sure that your friendships will change... but for the worse?  No way.  You'll have so much fun being a kid all over again that all those memories of clubbing and partying will fade and be replaced with fun giggles and adventures.  Being an Auntie...seriously the best job in the world.

Speaking of Aunts if you haven't watched Being Erica yet, you should!  In the episode Adultscence Erica perfectly illustrates how easy it can be to be made to feel left out of the Mommy group.  However our heroine prevails by learning all the lingo, hosting a rockin' baby shower (okay the part in the middle where she skips out to go the club and sing karaoke doesn't count) and most importantly by being there to listen to her BFF Judith.

The best advice I can give you?  Be involved and have fun and you'll be rewarded with an even stronger friendship and the adoration of the cutest little ones ever.

Heading to a party and not sure what to bring?  This sweet, luscious tart is definitely one you can take over to meet the family and friends.  I found this delicious recipe in an issue of Vegetarian Times Magazine back in 2008.  I've made this tart several times since and it's always a hit at parties! 

It's always a good idea to check with the hostess to see if any of her guests have nut allergies before you bring over a dish.

Triple Nut Chocolate Tart

Serves 12

Crust

• 1 cup pastry flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ cup vegan margarine (1 stick)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling

• 3 cups mixed walnuts, pecans, and almonds (1 cup each), coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup vegan margarine (½ stick)
• 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
• 2 Tbs. pastry flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. To make Crust: Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in bowl.
Rub margarine into flour mixture with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle in vanilla, and stir. Add 1 to 2 Tbs. cold water until dough clumps together loosely. Press dough into pie dish or tart pan until sides and bottom are covered. Chill in freezer 30 minutes.

2. To make Filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread nuts on baking sheet,
and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned.

3. Melt margarine and chocolate in saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Sprinkle in flour and salt, and stir until smooth. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla. Stir in nuts.

4. Spread nut mixture in piecrust. Bake 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is firm. Cool on wire rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

Source: Vegetarian Times Magazine November 2008

One of my adventurous ideas was to create a large tissue paper duck (about two feet wide) that would adorn the wall of the venue.  The task was quite fun and simple enough to do while watching tv or listening to music.  If you need something adorable to fill up some wall space for an upcoming event here are "how to" instructions for my giant rubber duck decor.  There are so many designs that you can create using this technique the skies the limit!

First, find a large piece of cardboard and decide on your desired shape.  I had a look online at some drawings before I decided on my duck profile.  Draw any areas on your  cut out shape that will need to be a different colour than your main fill colour.  For the duck, I knew I wanted the outline of the wing to be white so I drew the wing shape.

Take a piece of string or ribbon and tie knots at both ends.  You will use this string to hang up your decor when you are finished.  Staple the ends of the string about 10 inches apart in the middle of the BACK of your shape.

Next choose your colour scheme and purchase matching tissue paper.  Better to get a lot of tissue paper then to run out halfway through your project.  Cut out rectangular shapes, you should be able to get four shapes cut out down the length of the tissue paper.

Place two sheets of the rectangle tissue paper one over the other so the points don't match.

Bring all the edges together forming a point at the center of the rectangle.  Twist that point until it holds together into a twist tie shape.  Fluff out the edges so they aren't all wrinkly.

Now here comes the slightly dangerous part which I don't recommend kids should do at all!  Using a sharp pair of scissors poke a hole carefully in your cardboard.  It doesn't need to be a huge hole but big enough to fit the end of your twist tie.  Take your twist tie end and gently poke it through the cardboard.  I found it easier to pull it from the other side once it came a through little bit.  Once the tie is through your cardboard, fluff it up so it looks pretty.  Then start the process all over again.

When you're finished you'll have a beautiful piece of decor that all your guests will ooohhh and ahhh over.

I admit that depending on the size of your project, this can be a bit time consuming but once you get into the groove it's a nice project to do while listening to the radio on a quiet evening or watching an episode of Glee!  

Click here to check out our Just Ducky Baby Shower photo gallery.

Under $10

Wrap-N-Mat Reusable Sandwich Wrap $9.95
These are genius!  Availabe from Every Little Bit these are a perfect gift for a Mom or Mom to be who will be taking her little one out to the park and will need something to wrap those yummy peanut butter sandwiches in.  I want one.  Or maybe even two.  They are awesome!

Style Kids Tutu's $9.95
So unbelievably pretty and for such a great price.  Forget the dollar store tutu these little beauties are much better quality and are very adorable.  It's never too early to start collecting costumes for the tickle trunk!

Around $20

Japanese Monkey Pants $21.00 (starting at)
These just about killed me.  I must have stared at them in the booth for about 15 minutes.  The latest fad straight from Japan (and brought to you by Tokyo Baby) are these little pants which have a saggy bottom to accommodate the diaper with smiley faces on the bum!  They only order a couple of pairs of each pant so get them soon before they're gone.

Robo Lion $20.00 USD
Made with a soft polar fleece this little guy is just begging for a cuddle.  I love him LOTS.  All parts are securely attached and he is pre washed with scent free baby safe laundry detergent.  The ladies over at Shop Gifted Baby have thought of everything, now we just need to find Robo Lion and his friends a new home...

$100 and Over

The Stork Box $100.00
If you want a truly unique gift, check out these lovely personalized shadow boxes.  Each frame contains the baby's name along with any other information you would like.  Each shadow box is made to order and pretty much guaranteed to provide a WOW factor when unwrapped!

Please note that the prices I've listed do not include shipping.