Every Little Bit Counts - My Breast Cancer Fundraiser

My fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation has come and gone for 2013... a small, intimate, high-tea style gathering with my closest friends.  It was an afternoon of pretty antique crockery, bite sized savouries and sweet treats and lovely company and I did all that I could to pay attention to small details for my guests.

Blogging has taken a back seat over the past few weeks as the lead-up to last Saturday was spent crafting, preparing food and tidying the house (with two little helpers in tow).  With a timeline of 'to-dos' for each day, everything was slowly checked off in an unusually stress-free manner.  When I finally put my feet up on Saturday night though, I couldn't help but reflect on how quickly the afternoon had whizzed by in comparison to the days spent getting things ready.

Every year, I have the same debate as to whether or not to host another fundraiser, knowing how much energy and effort is required.  However, reading through the Pink Ribbon Day campaign material and the heartbreaking stories of those affected by this disease, my decision is an easy one to make...

I do this for myself and for my two precious girls.. for my Mum and sister and friends and all the females in their lives... so that one day, the National Breast Cancer Foundation's goal of zero deaths becomes a reality...

I do this because every little bit counts...

All photos by me (with the exception of the place setting shot taken by my friend Maya)

Sophie's 1st Birthday Party

Sophie's first birthday party last weekend was by far my favourite party I've put together.  I'm not sure if it's because blue and white is my favourite colour combination or if because by now, after hosting several children's birthday parties I know what works for me and how I best organize things with as little stress as possible.  Either way, it was a wonderful morning celebrating the first birthday of our little girl with close family and friends.

Decorations consisted of a simple photo board, fabric bunting which I had sewn, jars of daisies wrapped in gingham ribbon, washi tape cupcake flags and checked tablecloths.  I also designed some bag toppers for the party favours which coordinated with the invites I had made.

We had some smaller tables set up under our patio but with the morning becoming quite hot, most guests congregated under the shady corner of our backyard where we had picnic blankets spread out, a picnic basket filled with baby toys and our sand pit close by for the little ones to play in.  The good old slippery dip was brought out at the end of the party too.

As for the cake and all of those fondant daisies I made, I'm not sure my photos do it justice.  I really wish I had a better shot that showed more detail as it looks smaller here than in real life and the icing was a pale lemon and not so yellow. I baked two simple butter cakes (I wasn't sure if one would be enough for all our guests) and smothered them in frosting before adding the daisies on at the last minute.

 

And as exhausted as we all were that afternoon (and the following day) we had a wonderful time celebrating.  Our mix of guests really made for a fantastic party, we had blue sunny skies (lucky considering it rained on Monday) and there was enough delicious food to go around... a perfect party combination in my books...

Pink Ribbon Morning Tea

My Pink Ribbon morning tea was a success – we all had a great time and have collected some money to contribute towards a wonderful cause. It was a busy morning preparing things but once everyone arrived it was wonderful to sit down and relax with a cuppa and enjoy some yummy goodies. Thankyou to my wonderful husband for getting the backyard and garden looking so neat and tidy and to everyone who helped me on the day.

The table centrepieces...

Some of the food...

Me and my little pink cherub...

Morning Tea Preparation

Things are coming together nicely for my Pink Ribbon Morning Tea this coming Saturday. I have had a busy morning sewing and baking and finalised the menu:

• Finger sandwiches (chicken & aioli, curried egg & lettuce, cucumber & cream cheese)
• Sausage rolls
• Mini-quiches (thanks Mum for making these)
• Cupcakes
• Powder Puffs
• Mini Raspberry Melting Moments
• Hazelnut Chocolate Slice (thanks Kylie)
• Coconut & Cherry Slice (thanks Allison)
• Jelly Cheesecake
• Fruit Platter (thanks Julie)

Off to do more cooking...

Pink Ribbon Day Fundraiser

Next weekend, I am hosting a Pink Ribbon Day morning tea. I have had so much fun gathering ideas for what to cook and how to decorate things. Here is what I’ve come up with so far…

These are the invites I made in keeping with the pink theme…


I made these Mini Raspberry Melting Moments as a trial for the day. They definitely passed the test and have made it onto my ‘menu’. I love that the icing is naturally coloured by the raspberries!



I am hoping to have a main table decorated mainly in pink and white to display all the food. Amy Atlas’s dessert tables have provided lots of inspiration for this. I’ll post some pictures of what up come up with after next weekend.