Vintage Birthday Parties

Lately I seem to be surrounded by kids and birthdays, and it’s made me itchy to plan my own vintage birthday party!

The vintage birthday party idea was spawned, in part, by these charming invitations from Hard to Find

Girl Invitations

And they’ve got some for boys, too!

Boy Invitations

And check out these super adorable re-usable balloon balls also from Hard to Find.

Balloon Ball

They’re like cushion covers, but for balloons! Which also means they’re reusable.

But it’s not just about the decorations, vintage birthday party games are a must as well! (Although, to be fair, most of them are probably still used today).

There’s good old “Pass the Parcel”, “Musical Statues”, “Musical Chairs”, “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” and “Simon Says”.

And the food! I almost wish I was a kid again just forthe birthday party food. Especially the fairy bread. There’s never enough fairy bread around. Or mini hot dogs. Or sausage rolls and party pies.

Vintage Cutlery

When I turned 21, my parents presented me with a perfectly adequate cutlery set. I can’t remember how many pieces it has, but believe me when I say that there were more types of spoons in there than I have fingers on my hand.

That being the case, I feel horribly ungrateful about the fact that now that I hvae ordered my new super cool dinner set (currently on sale at Peters of Kensington!) that I would really like some vintage cutlery to go with it. Or at least vintage styled cutlery.

While we were on honeymoon in Paris I found what I thought was the perfect set. Sitting at the breakfast table I stared at the markings on it, determined to remember it long enough to go back to our room and write it down so I could find it again.

Except I didn’t.

So I have resorted to searching for “baroque cutlery” on the interweb, and astonishingly there are some beautiful pieces out there. I have no idea how I’ve lived in ignorance for this long!

When I first chose all the accessories for my table (candle sticks, salt and pepper shakers, napkin rings) I decided to go with silver, because (or so I reasoned) all cutlery is silver, and if I have cold accessories, it’ll never be possible for everything to match.

But I was wrong!
Check out this lovely set from
overstock.com

Crown Royal Gold Cutlery Set

I think this set is my favourite

Mason Luxe Baroque Cutlery

from overstock.com

I’m also loving this mismatched look from Anthropologie

Anthropologie “Rediscovered Flatware”

But I’m worried it’ll be too much with mismatched dinner sets. And it’s quite pricey at $36/single person set. But if you’re after some vintage cutlery that’s also quirky, it’s a great idea!

Along the same lines is this set

Personalised Vintage Silverware

from Napastyle. They have a collection of mismatched vintage cutlery that they can send you in 20, 40 or 80 piece sets. And they can monogram it. I’m loving this idea!

And finally, there’s these

Baroque Cutlery

From Smarty Had a Party. They’re beautiful! But disposable (or should that read “and disposable” for when one doesn’t want to have to do the dishes after a dinner party?)

And just as a side note, does anyone know when and why they started calling it “flatware” rather than “cutlery”? I’m not quite sure I understand the reasoning!

Part of me wishes that I’d DIYed all the reception stuff (I’m still loving barn weddings. And outdoor receptions, with tables and chairs randomly placed in forested green areas.) Then I would have had an excuse to buy at least some of this vintage cutlery…

Wash on Monday

I seem to be in a constant battle with the house regarding general tidiness. (I suspect, at heart, I was designed to be surrounded by thousands of servants). I started ‘spring cleaning’ the house more than two years ago in an attempt to get it in some sort of order after we moved and only half heartedly unpacked.

Well, two years on all the rooms (bar my study) have been unpacked and sorted, and now it just remains to go back and tidy and put away in all the rooms before I begin the attempt to keep the house clean (which sounds like just as much work, to be honest).

As a result, I’ve decided to adapt the good old saying:
Wash on Monday
Iron on Tuesday
Mend on Wednesday
Shop on Thursday
Clean on Friday
Bake on Saturday
Rest on Sunday

Unfortunately, if we used Monday as washing day no one would have clean work/school clothes to start the week. So instead, I think my saying will go:

Wash on Sunday
Garden on Monday
Rest on Tuesday
Mend on Wednesday
Shop on Thursday
Clean on Friday
Bake on Saturday

Do you think I’ll have any luck doing it this way?
And how would you have to organise the poem to fit your life?