A Belated Birthday Invitation

"The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley"

                                                                              Robert Burns

I had, of course, planned a lovely party for my 40th, but the current situation sadly ended that.  So I thought I'd celebrate on the small scale, and invite you to celebrate with me.  

Alas!  The birthday cake I had ordered in what I'd thought was good time, only arrived three weeks after the Big Event!  Well, let's celebrate now...

We're in the walled garden for a tea party - (the garden is a work in progress, so don't look too hard!)

The bunting is up, the table is laid, and there are some lovely presents to unwrap...

The cake is a lovely  tiered sponge with summer fruits from pixiestyxminiatures. I didn't add candles, because, well, 40 candles is an awful lot for a small cake!

There are also religieuse cakes stuffed full of cream, a summer fruits jelly from Irinaminiatures, macarons and wine from Hoclaire.

I had a great time making the presents.  I used various templates that I found on Pinterest, and a download from easyprintandcut. I added 2mm silk ribbon, and filled them with seed beads to give them a good weight.

The bunting was also great fun to make, I found a fabulous source at Wings of Whimsy.

Well, after tea, let's open some presents...

Gosh! What a lot!  I'm feeling very spoilt...

And here's someone who also likes presents, so much so that he's just squashed them.  Thanks Edgar!

Here's a beautiful floral painting by Andrew Nicholls, very hard to come by, but always lovely.

Oh my goodness! I've been looking for these for the longest time! Two Staffordshire spaniels, or as we kno them in Scotland, 'Wally Dugs'... made by Avon Miniatures, no less.

Some lovely frames from Malcolm Hall...

Oh, and I don't believe it!  Another Andrew Nicholls floral painting!  That's so wonderful!  I love the frame, this one is definitely going to go in the Drawing Room, in pride of place.

I'm feeling very spoilt already, but this tea caddy from Malcolm Hall is just exquisite.  I'm very humbled by the generosity of my friends and family...

A divine pair of  silver sea monster candle sticks...

and a matching dish and spoon by Dimitry Shevchenko.  Just too lovely...

This is a fabulous harpsichord for the Music Room by Masters Miniatures, the finish is just perfect...

This is a marvellous four poster bed by Dick Warren - I can't wait to get my needle and thread out to dress it!  Edgar is looking more than disinterested though...  But he has woken up for this one, and I don't blame him...

I'm a little speechless.  It's a clock that I have dreamed of owning for over a decade.  It is by Keith at Small Time.

Such beautiful burl wood and finials.  It will complete the Dining Room, and be a great reminder of both my 40th birthday, and the person who gave it to me, my wonderful husband. (However The Mog has lost interest again, because it isn't a mouse, and you can't eat it...)

I'm feeling very happy that so many of my friends and family made the effort to give me miniature things.  Miniatures are not the most of usual things, and it has obviously taken a lot of leg work, phone calls and research to give me such wonderful surprises.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

But I also like to give, and I wanted to show my appreciation to my fellow miniaturists who do understand the importance of the tiniest things. Also, what birthday party is complete without some fun and games?

 So I did a 'Gave-Away'.  

I chose four items that I have made, one for each decade of my life.

Then I put everyone's name in a dish who had commented on my blog this year...

Enlisting the impartial help of Son II, we did a draw to see who would receive a surprise present.  The tension and excitement were palpable...

First out of the dish was.... Sheila!

Next was....

Irene!

Now for the winners of the evening bags....

Daydreamer!

And last, but in no ways least .....

Elizabeth!

What an excitement!  If you have won, please contact me by the email address in my profile, so I know if you would like me to send you your prize.

Thank you for coming to my birthday party, remember to take a slice of cake home with you!

Jonquil