Think of a summer party like baking a cake – you need some good ingredients to make it fantastic! Here, we share the best ‘ingredients’ to make your summer a success – dress-up, party foods and drinks and garden games.

Summer party dress-up

Sequins, flowers and tropical birds are all fabulous themes for summer time. We’ve got many gorgeous items your kids will love, like our Sequin Butterfly Wings Dress-up, Flower Fairy Dress-up with detachable wings and a floral wand, Fabric Blossom Headband and the Bluebird Dress-up featuring a tulle cape and beautiful velvet headpiece.Temporary tattoos are a terrific accessory too, especially when they have lots of glimmering gold foil detail like our Psychedelic Floral tattoos, Tropical Bird tattoos and many more.Or, if you fancy creating some homemade costumes, check out your Halloween costumes from previous years – you might be able to recycle these into something summery with a few tweaks. Tulle and ribbons can add style to any outfit. Headwear, like a floral crown, is delightful to wear as well. Check out these simple instructions to make one from the flowers in your garden.

Don’t forget lots of glittery and colorful face paints too – kids love how it can transform them in minutes. Practice makes perfect, here are some excellent tips.

Summer party foods and drinks 

Every party should have the following:

Mocktails.

Mix up fruit juice and soda water or lemonade for a delicious drink. We particularly like Minty Blueberry Lemonade (as found here). You’ll need the following:

Ingredients:
(Makes 2 Servings)

  • 1 cup blueberry juice 
  • 1/2 medium lemon - thinly sliced
  • 2 cups sparkling or still lemonade
  • 1 small handful fresh mint leaves
  • honey - to taste

Method:

  1. Fill sphere ice containers with the blueberry juice, or whatever shape ice cubes you like, and freeze overnight.
  2. Add the lemon slices against the glass. Add in the mint leaves. Pour in the lemonade. Top with a blueberry ice ball. Mix in some honey, if desired.
  3. Serve immediately, in a colorful cup with a straw.
Cupcakes.

The essential party food, sweet and amazing to look at. Try some new flavors for summer, like Lemon Raspberry, Cherry Limeade or Strawberry Sunday. Yum!

Savory sandwiches.

Savory sandwiches cut into summery shapes, like flowers. Check out our stainless steel flower cookie cutters.

Make your party even more summery with bright and cheerful tableware, like our Pink Tropical range and our sensational straws. 

1. Rose Garden Napkins 2. Flower Garden Large Plates 3. White Daisy Straw Bag 
4. English Garden Party Hats 5. Fabric Blossom Headband (Coming Soon) 6. English Garden Party Cups 7. English Garden Lace Side Plates 8. Flower Bouquet Cupcake Kit

 

Summer garden party games

These five games can  be enjoyed by all ages, from tots to grandparents.

1. Mini Olympics tournament.

The Tokyo Olympics are postponed, so why not have some Olympic fun of your own? Set up different events around the garden, like running races, long jump and throwing contests. Reward the winner of each event with a little treat, like temporary tattoos.

2. Piñata fun.

Make a pinata, check out these simple steps, or buy one (we’ve got a fabulous range), fill with treats and toys and take turns to whack it. Or, for a change hang up a water balloon and enjoy walloping it with a stick – whoever pops it will get soaked, so make sure swimming costumes are worn or towels are placed nearby!

3. Three-legged race.

Pair up, and tie 2 pairs of legs together with a strip of fabric or a tie. Race to the finish line – it’s impossible to do this without lots of laughter!

4. Hula hooping contest.

See who can spin their hula hoop the longest. For a fun tutorial to learn how to do it first, go here. If you want to make it harder, get everyone to walk (or run) whilst they hula hoop.

5. Bottle ring toss.

Fill empty plastic bottles with water to weigh them down. Cut rings out of cardboard. See who can toss the most rings onto the bottles. Stand further away at each turn, to make it harder.