9th Birthday Harry Potter Theme

My girls are both mad for Harry Potter, and with my youngest's 8th birthday just around the corner, I thought I'd revisit my older daughter's 9th Harry Potter birthday party to reuse some ideas. Aparecium!

Party: 9th Birthday Party
Location: Sydney, NSW

Theme: Harry Potter
Organised by: Me (Steph Bond-Hutkin, Bondville)

Photography: Steph Bond-Hutkin for Bondville

This Tropical Boho Baby Shower rocks my world

I'm lapping up the boho beauty of this lush tropical north Queensland baby shower for my friend Jess. Gorgeous photography by Rhea Tasvinda captures the sweetness of the afternoon in all its steamy gloriousness. Jess gives us the goods on the lovely event she created (omg - the cake!):

Party: Jess's baby shower

Organised by: Jess

Location: Mackay, QLD

Theme: Tropical, relaxed afternoon with friends and family.
Photography: Tasvinda Photography

Quinn's 1st Party Animal Birthday Party

Gosh. This is one of the best parties I have seen for a little boy in a long time. Little Quinn's Mum Kara put together a beautiful event that's colourful without being fussy. Party Animals is a great theme for a one-year-old and opens up a whole range of colour options. I love that Kara has taken the confetti theme throughout from cake, to garlands, invitation and table decorations; and that touch of metallic adds some pizzazz. The food looks amazing too. Read on for Kara's tips to pull together a Party Animal birthday party...

Bondville 6 year old Puppy Party

We usually only have a day to pull together our youngest's birthday party each year as it's just after the festive season, but that is a great excuse to keep things sweet and simple which to me is perfect. Miss Six loves all things puppy, cuddly, and animal-related, so we found this super-cute invitation by Meg Bartholomy, and emailed it out over the holidays. I used the chocolate, pink and orange colours from the invites as the basis for the party decorations and food. I had also spotted fun puppy cakes in BreadTop, but on my small budget I decided I could make them myself, and with the flavours I wanted. Read on for all my tips for creating a sweet puppy/animal party on a budget!

Party: Our six year old's birthday party
Organised by: Me! (Steph Bond-Hutkin | Bondville)
Location: at home in Sydney
Theme: Loosely puppy/animal themed - based on this invitation

Bondville Parties: 8th Birthday Party Spring theme

My eldest turns eight this week, and she had her sister and eight friends over for an afternoon birthday party this weekend. It's hard to go past a Spring theme for her, as I'll always remember her newborn days with all the trees in bloom, and the weather warming. The kids had a lovely afternoon playing party games (thanks Harris!), and making DIY toppings for their milkshakes. I even made a Katherine Sabbath-inspired cake! (remember this post here?). The perfect explosion of colour to match the garden flowers, blue sky and bright sunshine. Read on for all my tips and more pics...

Party: Eighth Birthday Party
Organised by: Steph Bond-Hutkin (Bondville)
Location: Sydney
Theme: Spring

Cake: Made by me and inspired by Katherine Sabbath's amazing cakes.

5th Birthday pink dance party

It's a five-year-old girl's dream party - lots of pink, delicious treats, all your friends, and a dance party! Accalia's Mum and Dad always put together amazing parties for their girls (see the fairy princess party here, bubbas and bears here), and this one was no exception. Holly Hiphop was the star of the show, teaching the kids some cool moves and playing games with them. Accalia's Mum Renay kindly shares with us her tips and tricks for putting together a fun pink dance party:

2nd Birthday Strawberry Party

Strawberry season is upon us in Australia, and with punnets at their very freshest and cheapest, strawberries make a fabulous party theme. When little Izzy turned two, her Mum Zoe put together the cutest strawberry party, beautifully photographed by Milk & Honey Photography in a park in Sydney's inner west. We are lucky to have Zoe share her tips and tricks with us on how to put together a strawberry party with lots of great savoury food ideas too.

Party: Izzy's Strawberry 2nd Birthday
Organised by: Mum - Zoe
Location: Laxton Reserve, Dulwich Hill
Theme: Berry-Sweet Strawberry Party
Photography: Milk & Honey Photography

My daughter's high tea party 7th birthday

My daughter wanted a high tea party - as girly as they come - for her 7th birthday. Of course the kids had to have proper mini tea cups (found at a St Vinnies for a steal) and apple juice, poured from a tea pot. What a great theme! It's really easy to pull together a party that's inexpensive and effective by keeping the palette to pastels and pinks, and using an abundance of flowers. The perfect party for Spring. Lots of tips below...

Party: 7th birthday party
Organised by: Mum Steph Bond-Hutkin (that's me!)
Location: Sydney, NSW
Theme: High Tea party

Rainbow Party for Odette's 6th Birthday

My friends Anni and Matthew from Milk & Honey Photography are soooo clever and as well as being fabulous portrait and wedding photographers, also put together really lovely, relaxed parties for their children. Here they share with us their daughter Odette's 6th birthday party, rainbow theme, at a park in Balmain and gorgeously photographed by the team at Milk & Honey Photography. I love Anni's rainbow layer cake and the gorgeous rainbow streamers with white tissue paper pom clouds decoration!

Party: Odette's 6th Rainbow party
Organised by: Anni and Matthew (Mum and Dad)
Location: Callan Park, Balmain, Sydney, NSW
Theme: Rainbow
Photography: Milk & Honey Photography

Best mermaid party ideas

Mermaid birthday parties have been hugely popular in the past year, so I thought I would put together some ideas for you as inspiration for your own mermaid party planning:

Mermaid Cakes:

These mermaid cakes are the crowning glory of four mermaid parties featured here on Bondville:

Natalia's 5th Mermaid Party at the park

Natalia's Mum Maria decided at the last minute to host a mermaid party for her daughter's 5th birthday. The text message invitation was sent six days before the party! Maria chose a colour theme (purple), a stunning cake centrepiece by Faye Cahill, and focused on good food to pull together a fun party at a local park. I love the grown-up food and the relaxed experience for everyone. These beautiful photos were taken by Anni from Milk & Honey Photography. Enjoy!

Party: Natalia's 5th
Organised by: Mum and Dad - Maria and Clark
Location: Beauchamp Park, Chatswood
Theme: Mermaid Party

Our Watermelon Party 4th Birthday

Our little one celebrates her birthday just after Christmas in the heat of summer, so when we suggested a watermelon party, she couldn't have been happier. Her favourite fruit! It was a fun party at a local park with all her preschool friends and some family friends too. Read on for all the details of her 4th birthday watermelon party!

Party: 4th Birthday Watermelon Party
Organised by: Mum (Me! Steph Bond-Hutkin) with help from Dad
Location: Epping Oval Playground, Sydney, NSW
Theme: Watermelons!

Liam's 3rd Rainbow Connection Train Birthday Party

Carolyn from Indie Art & Design is such a creative soul, so when her plans for a Rainbow Connection party were combined with her son's love of the AWW train cake, she rolled with the punches and brought the two ideas together beautifully. I love showcasing real birthdays on Bondville and Carolyn's is a great example of a fun, relaxed event using just one or two key statement pieces - her gorgeous rainbow train cake and the amazing paper cut cloud and raindrops mobile. Read on for Carolyn's advice below!

Party: Rainbow Connection Party for Liam’s 3rd Birthday
Organised by: Mum Carolyn (from Indie Art & Design)
Location: At home in Sydney
Theme: Rainbow Connection - Rainbows + Frogs + Trains

Pink and pretty fairy 3rd birthday party

Our friends Renay and John have put together some of your favourite kids' birthday parties here on Bondville, including this fairy party and this bubbas and bears party. This time, they created a sweet and simple fairy third birthday party for their youngest daughter with all her favourite themes - pink, fairies and butterflies. It was just lovely. Here Renay shares her tips on putting together a sweet party in a short period of time:

Party: Isabella's 3rd Fairy Birthday Party

Organised by: Mum Renay but supported by a great Dad!

Location: Isabella's Fairy Garden (aka at our house in Sydney) 

Theme: Fairy Party 

Ella's First Birthday Sweet Shoppe Party

Primary school teacher and blogger Kate Korber (of Happy Ella After) put together a gorgeously girly Sweet Shoppe party for her daughter Ella's first birthday. With a tight palette of pink, red and white and a touch of Peppa Pig, Ella's party is a sweet tooth's dream come true. I looooooove the DIY Peppa Pig cake kit - what a great idea. Read on for Kate's tips and advice to put together your own Sweet Shoppe party.

Party: Ella's first birthday party
Organised by: Mum Kate Korber (Happy Ella After), my husband Daniel and our families. My sisters Jane and Monica helped immensely with the decorations.
Location: My Mum and Dad’s house in Melbourne, VIC.
Theme: Ella’s Sweet Shoppe

Our 6th Birthday Mermaid Tea Party

Our big girl turned six last week! At five, she still felt like my little girl, but at six she is decidedly a big kid and of course has her own ideas to match. And as you know, mermaid parties are all the rage... so that is exactly what we created together for her birthday - a mermaid tea party for a small group of her girlfriends.

Party: 6th Birthday Party
Organised by: Me! (Steph Bond-Hutkin) with help from my big girl and family
Location: At home in Sydney
Theme: Mermaid Tea Party

Minty's 1st Birthday Rainbow Party

Jayde Leeder is one creative Mama. It helps that she is the owner of paper and stationery boutique Little Paper Lane in Sydney's Mona Vale and is well-practiced at styling. But it's the loving DIY from her whole family that makes Jayde's daughter Minty's first birthday rainbow party so special. I love the simplicity of the pure white cake with coloured balls around the base. And then you cut in to reveal an amazing rainbow layer cake to knock your socks off. Read on for Jayde's tips and tricks to create a fabulous rainbow birthday party.

Party: Minty's 1st Birthday
Organised by: Jayde Leeder (Minty's Mum) owner of Little Paper Lane
Location: Our house in Avalon, NSW
Theme: Rainbow

Tommy's 3rd Peppa Pig Birthday Party

There are so many little cuties out there that live for Peppa Pig and her younger brother George. When professional cake-maker Alison Lawson put together her son Tommy's 3rd birthday party, she knew exactly which theme to go for. Read on for all of Alison's tips and tricks for a sweet and simple Peppa Pig party.

Party: Tommy's 3rd Birthday Party
Organised by: Mum Alison (Alison Lawson Cakes)
Location: Bowral, NSW
Theme: Peppa Pig

Tora's Ariel-inspired 5th mermaid birthday party

Hands up who has a daughter who loves Disney's Ariel and wants a mermaid birthday party. Yes I know! Who doesn't? Long-time Bondville reader Donna created a dream mermaid party for her daughter Tora's 5th birthday, featuring beloved Ariel with a colourful red, green, blue and purple colour palette. Read on for lots of tips and tricks from Donna, who made nearly everything herself.

Party: My eldest daughter, Tora's 5th Birthday Party
Organised by: Mum Donna
Location: Wodonga VIC
Theme: Mermaid. Tora chose her theme and requested I make her a mermaid outfit.

Dr Seuss Cat In The Hat party for 3-year-old Brooke

The Cat In The Hat is the business in our house. In fact, whenever we visit Nanna and Pops, we are greeted by Pops in his Cat In The Hat hat and matching tshirt at the airport. How cool is that! So when Janel sent me the images from her daughter's Dr. Seuss party, the girls went nuts. My big girl is now trying to work out how to merge her mermaid party ideas into a Cat In The Hat theme. Um....

Here are some photos of Brooke's 3rd birthday party, with most artwork made by Janel. The games are fantastic too. So much fun - Janel you're amazing! Read on for all the tips, tricks and details...

Party: Brooke's 3rd Birthday
Organised by: Mum Janel
Location: our home/garage and backyard, Sydney
Theme: Dr. Seuss Extravaganza
Invitation: A rhyming email invitation in the theme of Dr. Seuss