Surprise Party

With my sister Iman living so far away, we're never together for our children's birthdays.  So when I found out her and her family were going to be coming out for a few days after the Eid and during her oldest daughter's birthday, me and my younger sister jumped at the chance to throw her a surprise party.

The birthday girl on the morning of her birthday.

Well, we soon found out that my niece does not like surprise parties.  Oops.

She eventually overcame the shock and enjoyed the rest of her party. Only of course after getting a manicure.

Her favorite color is purple so I went from there for the color scheme.  I was incredibly relieved when she had informed me that she doesn't like pink, orange, or yellow.  Thank goodness, because I had already decided on purple, green, and blue. 



My best friend knocked it out of the park with her face painting skills.  What an awesome addition to the party. She purchased non-toxic paints and a few brushes all for under $10.  It was a complete hit with all the girls. I had purchased a face painting kit (without realizing that she had already purchased the paints) for $7 from Micheal's using a 50% off coupon.  We used the actual kit on my niece since her skin is typically more sensitive.

The super yummy (can I say that about my own food?) spread. Chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, seven layer dip, Mexican Caesar salad.

Well she was turning 8 after all.  Love is in the details, right?

My favorite addition to any party. The photo booth.  The fabric is a scarf by Liberty of London for Target. Swiped it up on clearance for $3. The props were picked up at the dollar store, except the boa.

What's a party without dessert?

A toned down version from Maysoon's party, but fabulous nonetheless.  I forgot to set out the fruit kabobs for this picture, but they were there.  Also decided to include the candy jars as part of the table, better adult supervision of excessive sugar consumption.

Save the expensive lollipop sticks for cake pops. Toothpicks work just fine for dipped marshmallows.  Doesn't hurt that I happened to have colored ones to match the party. 

Two bite chocolate dipped pretzels.

Chocolate chip cookies, my most requested treat.

Cupcakes! Homemade toppers. Made some for Eid too.

My little sister made the cake and I added the details. This was simply boxed cake mix and store bought frosting, as were the cupcakes.  She layered fresh strawberries in the middle which is why it ended up leaking.

Dear Twizzlers,

Thank you for packaging your candies to suit my party. M&Ms did it for Maysoon and I sense Jenin will receive the same special treatment. You guys are just too sweet!

A highlight of the party that all the girls (and 3 boys) really enjoyed was the cookie decorating.  Used this recipe and definitely need some more practice in perfecting the technique.  I almost quit 2 3 4 5 times because the dough kept sticking to the rolling pin.

Jenin hasn't quite grasped the concept of "less is more".  There's a cookie in there some where.

Cheap and easy decorations. Tutorial to come.

A sweet and happy birthday to my precious niece. You're halfway to 16! I'll be there for that party for sure.