History can’t tell us for sure whether Marie Antoinette ever uttered those four famous words – let them eat cake. But we’re certain they were shouted with much gusto at this particular party.
So put on your frilliest frock, pick up a parasol and sashay with us over to Ivy Addison’s most magnifique first birthday! One of the most creatively-themed parties we’ve featured yet, Francophile mum Roslyn looked to Marie Antoinette for inspiration because she wanted a party fit for a (la petite) queen. Job done, we say!
Over-the-top and indulgent the Antoinette-era court at Versailles may have been, but it was spot-on perfect for this happy occasion. Reaching the milestone of Ivy’s first birthday was, Roslyn tells us, the ultimate blessing after a tenderhooks pregnancy preceded by four years of heartbreak, when miscarriage after miscarriage seemed certain to shatter her and husband Danny’s hopes of becoming parents again.
So if anyone deserves to go “completely overboard” (to steal Roslyn’s own words) at the joy of it all, we’re certain it’s this loving family. Roslyn found the perfect party invite and matching printables at Cutie Putti Paperie, adopting their girlish tints of pink, aqua, lavender and yellow as her daughter’s party colour scheme. Now, on to the party table.
Roslyn made the pretty ombre layered ruffle cake herself, carefully following instructions she found over at My Sweet and Saucy, with an apparently foolproof Swiss meringue buttercream recipe from Sweetapolita. Roslyn, who says she’s no cake baker, modestly assures us the whole thing was easier than the stunning end results would have you believe. We applaud her talent – getting buttercream right in the northern Queensland heat is no mean feat!
But Roslyn didn’t stop there. She made another cake too, topping it with a stunning handpainted piece of Marie Antoinette sugar art found at Etsy’s Alla Prima Designs, which arrived safely all the way from Texas, along with smaller fanciful toppers for Roslyn’s homemade cupcakes. She also kept herself busy making pretty pink chocolate-covered marshmallow pops and even prettier white chocolate and berry puddings, perfectly presented in mini glass pots with personalised spoons from Sweet Style.
Spotted paper straws and glass milk bottles, which Roslyn fancied up with lace paper doilies, came from The Little Big Company, while the fancy fan and cameo cookies came from Melbourne-based Dessert Menu Please. Roslyn’s sister-in-law Kristy (who perhaps should be in the cookie business herself!) kindly made the delish-sounding salted caramel macarons.
Ivy’s equally doting grandmother, Sue, whipped up the pretty ruffled tablecloth herself the day before the party, after flying in from her NSW home for the occasion. Those delightful ribbon and flower wand party favours below came from Pinwheels and Pearls, while Mrs Pom Pom can take credit for those decadent yet delicate balls of tissue floating atop the dessert table.
Here’s the birthday girl with her understandably besotted parents, all photographed most beautifully by Candice Van Moolenbroek. Yep, la petite queen, ma cherie, most definitely!
Want to share your child’s wow-worthy party with us? Then just fill in the Show us your party form on our contacts page. While we can’t reply to every email, we’ll certainly let you know if your party is chosen to be showcased on Babyology. We can’t wait to hear from you and look forward to seeing your amazing parties!
16 Comments
What a beautiful party!
Absolutely over the top and gorgeous!!!
I love Babyology and enjoy viewing the photos from ‘Show us your Party’, but I’m a little amused at the stock standard approach to table arranging and tableware. It would nice to see some more different styles.
I agree with Naomi. I love this section of the website, but a lot of the parties are overstyled with all the focus on the table, where everything seems to be symetrically arranged, “over matched” and “over neat”. It would be good to showcase some more creative parties. How would “papier mache magazine” style a party for example? I would love to see a stronger mix of fresh/creative designs, together with these more conventional arrangements.
Hey I’m just a loving mum who did a dessert table for her one year old’s birthday! It was my first go and I’m proud of it…ease up.
Roslyn we love your party!
Please remember that the parties in our ‘Show Us Your Party’ section are just that – real parties put together by real people for the people they love. When a party is put together, it’s a case of different strokes for different folks – what one might love, another might not so please respect choices made by others. ~LK
I’m proud of your party too, Roslyn, and the story of how you came to it is straight from the heart. I’d like to reiterate what Lexi said, and remind Babyologists that the parties featured here are by real people with real feelings. Please remember that and be kind when making your comments. NT
Roslyn, LK and NT – I sincerely apologise if my comment came across as in any way unkind. That certainly was not intended. I do love this section of the site, as I said. But Babyology also has a strong design focus, and it was in that context that I said I would like to see more of a mix. I think it’s fantastic that you all put so much love and effort into your parties – I do the same. Apologies again if it came across as a harsh comment.
Plus, I wanted to add (pressed “post” too soon), that the elements of your party are all stunning – cakes, biscuits, pom poms. Exquisite.
To all Babyologists, my comment seems to have started an unpleasant roll on of comments and counter comments, I’m sorry this has happened. My intention was to highlight the regular showcasing of parties that appear to have the same design elements. It would be nice to see more varied approaches to childrens parties.
I agree with Michelle, the cakes and pom poms in this party are exceptional.
What a beautiful party for a beautiful girl. Well done Mumma, you have done so well!
I do love looking at this section but feel its a little skewed toward parties with parents who have lots of money to spend on others making the party look so good, if you have it, great! but lets us see some parties where the parents have made the cake and edibles.. If this section is supposed to make us drool and be jealous of those more fortunate, it does it well. Like Naomi, this comment is just my comment and means no disrespect towards anyone featured in this section.
Thanks Deborah, we do welcome everyone’s comments. You might be surprised though, if you read the fine print of our party posts, to find that many, many of the treats are indeed made by the parents themselves, as is most certainly the case with the birthday cakes and most other goodies in Ivy’s pretty party here. The fact that they look “professional” is often testament to the baking and table-styling talents of our Babyologists! (That, and good photography!!) ~ NT
I love the cake stands with the intertwined ribbon. The party looks fantastic. Where can I purchase a cake stand like that?
Roz you are so amazing , i am so proud of you , ivy is so blessed to have such a beautiful mother , you worked night and day to try and give your little princess the most perfect event , and you have succeeded and exceeded all expectations , to all that believe this party may come across as generic or to perfect .. what can i say Roslyn is a perfectionist she planned this party with love . it really isn’t a nice feeling to try and belittle ones effort because you feel they are to “perfect” , Roz made almost everything her self and you should be applauding her not making her feel incompetent for exceeding expectations , well done Roslyn i look forward to seeing your next creation xxx
Roslyn can I please just ask where you got the gorgeous pots for your white chocolate and berry puddings? :)