We don’t do birthday parties every year…so when the kids turn 5, they get a big bash.  Our little Ainsley is inquisitive, shy, mischievous, dainty, and bright.  She truly IS a pixie…here is some evidence, though it is difficult to catch her on camera ; )

So when it came time for Ainsley’s birthday party, it was pretty natural to get into a fairy theme.  We aren’t all about pink and glitter and girly stuff, so when the newer Tinkerbell movies came out, we were super excited.  YAY for intelligent female leads that do things other than smell flowers and braid their hair!  In the Tinkerbell movies, the fairies gather Lost Things and tinker with them to build useful tools.  Since we already have fun little items from years of photo shoots and crafts, it was easy to decorate.  These little guys have been in our garden for two years now and perfectly show our kids’ personalities, so they greeted guests at the door.

Over the last few weeks, we started making and collecting food and decor items.  Oranges, yellows and purples along with moss and neutrals gave us the woodland theme we were looking for.  We kept all the leaves in our yard and took down the prints in our front studio to be replaced with giant butterflies (thanks Marie!), leaves, and paper florets.  We made sure the kids were involved in everything to keep them excited and create some fun memories.

Healthy food as well as some goodies were on the tables for people to graze on.  We even had sparkly fairy grown up juice for the parents (ie beer) and tried to keep everything organic and natural to keep the fairies happy.  Cake pops and macarons from Cocoa and Fig were a huge hit naturally, as were the basil citrus bites from Jessica’s Cakes.  Since Jessica has transitioned from baking to creating cake details (www.sweetbloomssugarcraft.com), I was super nervous that we wouldn’t be able to have her delicious treats at our birthday parties anymore.  But I camped outside her shop and cried and cried until she finally agreed to bake one last cake for Ainsley.  (I know, I’m shameless…but her cake is THAT GOOD)  She designed a little fairy for the top of the cake that Ainsley will get to keep!

John led the kids on a scavenger hunt.  Luckily, he is a PE teacher and knows how to wrangle masses of young children.  Also luckily, the weather was AMAZING so we could use the outdoors.

The final part of the hunt led the kids with flashlights in the dark basement to quietly search for something…and they discovered A REAL LIVE FAIRY!!!!!  Her name is Clove, and the kids were completely mesmerized by her.

After reading everyone a story, Clove and Ainsley quietly colored…

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…while Stephanie entertained the more boisterous kids…

…and experienced a bit of Lord of the Flies.  Nothing like getting kids riled up and then giving them back to their parents!

Here is another picture of beautiful Clove, also known as Emily.  She is one of the sweetest people I know and not only is a very talented dancer and actress but also is an amazing floral and event designer.  You should check out her company, Prairie Fair!

The afternoon sun started to set, children went home (and will hopefully sleep well tonight) and our little fairy had the biggest grin on her face.  SO WORTH IT =)