…And it really did!

Our little girl was 4 last Sunday, and the only thing she really really wanted was some Elsa shoes. Oh, and to meet Queen Elsa.

So there we had it - the challenge of actually locating some Elsa shoes (and if you have ever been faced with this same task you will understand that this is no mean feat), and the challenge of planning a Disney-esque Frozen party that Eloise would love, in a Bobby Rabbit way.

We started with the invites. If you search online for 'personalised Frozen invitations', the choice really isn't great (and that's an understatement). I know we didn't have to go bespoke and personalised, but this was a personal choice... I really do believe that the party invite can become a special and long-lasting souvenir of the event - one to treasure in the memory box for years to come.

So, after lots of looking and generally driving my husband mad with what-do-you-think-about-this-one and how-about-that-one and which-one-do-you-prefer, we finally settled on this design, which is an adaptation of a wall print we found on Etsy. Rebecca at South Pacific Prints lives and works from her studio in New Zealand, and very kindly agreed to transform her print design into an invite for us. We loved the details such as the hand-drawn style of the font and the border, whilst Eloise loved the picture of Elsa and Anna and the 'sparkly snow background'. In short, lots of child appeal yet elegant, smart and a little bit different. Next came the tableware and room decorations. And we have to admit that we cheated a little here, as we had already used these gorgeous turquoise star paper plates, cups and napkins by My Little Day for our son's Christening party this summer... But we loved them so much that we ordered them again, this time from one of our favourite children's party shops, Little Lulubel, together with a beautiful mix of white, turquoise and silver balloons that we filled with helium and bunched together on the tables. These Olaf marshmallow snowmen (inspired from an image we found on Pinterest) helped to make the tables that little bit more Frozen-themed - and were a huge hit with the party guests! They were so quick and easy to make, with a few bags of marshmallows, some icing and a pack of blue straws: Just like the Olafs, our Frozen-themed birthday cake was also sourced from Pinterest - and a local bakery did a fab job for us: To complete the theme, we opted out of party bags, and instead gave each guest a magical ribbon wand (with an extra special one for the birthday girl), each one hand-made in the USA by Teddy The Toad together with a sparkly silver crown by My Little Day, sourced just like the tableware and decorations from Little Lulubel. We also had a piñata (or "a horse with loads of sweets in his tummy" as one party guest has since described it) which was loads of fun and took care of the requirement for extra sugar at the end of the party…!

But the highlight of the whole party for Eloise had to be meeting Queen Elsa herself. And the pic below sums it up perfectly. Here she is (on the right), eyes tight shut, waiting for Elsa to arrive: And when she did, their little faces were a picture - one of those special memories we will never ever forget. For when you're four, anything is real if you really really want it to be, right? Special thanks to Nikki and Jodie at Noodle Performance Arts for bringing Elsa to life (and for making a few dreams come true!) - and for some of the best face-painting we have ever seen. Last but certainly not least, thank you to all our friends and family who came to the party and helped to make it such a lovely and memorable celebration for Eloise.

And so, it's on to the fifth one. But first, a little rest...