#SylvanianFamiliesParty

I am always talking to my older children about creating opportunities for themselves and this blog has certainly done that for me, the latest being the chance to host a Sylvanian Families Twitter Party. I wasn't really sure what I was letting myself in for when I accepted the challenge but I was sure of my great fondness for the miniature inhabitants of Sylvania and their intricately accessorised homes.

My older girls had a collection of Sylvanian Families when they were younger including: a mansion house, a tree house, a bus and my personal favourite, a bakery. These provided many happy hours of make believe play, not forgetting a memorable incident when my daughter Ivy knocked out her cousin's wobbly tooth! Ivy was very quick to volunteer her services to help me co-host the party.

We had a lot of fun with the planning and preparation and particularly enjoyed sorting through the box of party games and toys we were sent.

Even with the best of planning, you can't budget for illness which did jeopardise the success of our party but we muddled through and as the saying goes - it was alright on the night.

Our party guests got stuck in with the Sylvanian themed colouring sheets, plasticine modelling, party food and of course experiencing the world of Sylvania through the lovely Log Cabin, Camper Van, Bathroom Set and Celebration Cat Family generously provided for that purpose.

Although the party was aimed at little girls, I have to say my 2 year old son probably enjoyed playing with the toys more than anyone!  I did put some of the really tiny accessories to one side for fear of losing them.

Sylvanian Families Camper Van

The party lasted two hours which went by very quickly but it was quite frantic trying to keep up with Twitter aspect of the event. The idea was to live tweet about the party using the #sylvanianfamiliesparty hashtag. Competitions and discussions meant that everyone could be involved and it wasn't long before the hashtag trended. It was an exciting moment being a part of that accomplishment. I did curse my computer when it seemed to take forever to upload my photographs and the twitter feed did move so fast it made my head spin at times. I was very grateful for Ivy's help.

Sylvanian families are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year which I think is testament to the fact that they are a timeless classic. I am very happy that my younger children are discovering these lovely toys and will hopefully carry some happy memories of Sylvania into adulthood as my older girls have done (maybe without the home dentistry part though).

I very much enjoyed sharing the Sylvanian experience both online and here at home with my party guests who took away with them some gorgeous sets to start their own collections.

A Passion for Paint

I did enjoy myself yesterday.

One of the things that I transported to Coventry when I took my daughter to start the University phase of her life, was a large print from Ikea with a mathematical theme (reduced to next to nothing I believe - mathematical themed posters clearly do not have wide appeal). The print was packaged against a cardboard back and wrapped in cellophane. Once we had hung it on the wall of the room she will call home for the next 36 weeks, I put the packaging back in my car to take away and recycle for her. I was neglectfully remiss with my recycling. Two weeks later and the large rectangle of cardboard was still in the back of my car.

Yesterday, it came out. Not to be recycled. To be reused.

I was thinking about the Sylvanian Families Twitter Party that I will be hosting next Tuesday and wondered if there were any decorations or scene setters I could use to help create a party atmosphere. Blackcurrant Cafe is one of the many lovely playsets available from Flair so I thought that I could easily give our dining area a Sylvanian makeover. I used the cardboard to make a Cafe sign (no menu as yet!) and had enough left for a little signpost as well.

I used some old acrylic paints that belonged to my daughter, Liberty, back when she did her Art GCSE. Liberty always found academic subjects easy but Art really challenged her. She did not possess much in the way of natural ability but her dogged determination to succeed saw her achieve a grade C. The lone C may look like a failure amongst the A*s that she was awarded for just about everything else, but for me, that C represents a huge triumph. I am incredibly proud of her for that C.

One of Liberty's Art coursework projects is still lying around in the garage somewhere. It is a huge, ugly purple flower thing without many redeeming features. It was, however, the exact shade of purple I wanted for my Blackcurrant Cafe sign. I didn't think it would be too difficult a task to mix red and blue to make purple. How wrong I was. By some strange transformation, red and blue made brown. I tried again and made an equally dingy shade of yuck. I tried several times, mixing together different proportions on the off chance some magic would happen. It didn't. Could the fact that the paint was some 7 years old have had an effect? My 15 year old confidently took over to save me from myself ... and made a lovely vivid russet! I am not one who gives up easily. Eventually, using a lot of red and a little of one of my reject shades I made a colour that, compared to it's predecessors, looked acceptable. I amalgamated all my previous attempts to make a grimy pot of gloom - perfect for Hallowe'en crafts.

By comparison with the mixing, the painting bit was easy. In the dim light of energy saving light bulbs I thought it looked pretty good. In the cold light of day I feel less inclined to run away to Paris to start a new life as an artist but in terms of creating a bit of Sylvanian atmosphere, I think I achieved my objective. And I loved it. It was so relaxing and the sensory pleasure of slopping the paint about is something I'm sure I will never tire of.

There are strong indications that my little boy shares my passion for paint. This makes me very happy!

A Date for your Diaries #sylvanianfamiliesparty

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I love a good excuse for a party. The Sylvanian Families Twitter Party has given me an excellent excuse.

I am one of the bloggers lucky enough to have been selected to host a Sylvanian Families Party at my home for friends and family. Yesterday, I received a big box of goodies including Sylvanian playsets for the guests to play with, themed activities with prizes, lovely gifts for the guests to take home with them and one rather sad box of cupcakes that I found squashed right at the bottom! I am not too sad about my squashed cupcakes. I'm sure they'll still taste good and it gives me a reason to do some baking (which I love) to make some alternative treats perhaps more worthy of Sylvania's Blackcurrant Cafe.

I will of course be tweeting and blogging all about the preparations and the party itself.

Don't forget to make a note of the date and time - everyone can join in on twitter and have the chance to win some fantastic prizes.

Tuesday 16th October 2012, 4pm - 6pm

Follow @ukmumsTV and use the hashtag #sylvanianfamiliesparty