I decided to enter in this competition again - I was originally going to do a 10pax version of the Baby Shower I did for the Regional and National Culinary Fare, I had made alot of my things for this table setting to cater for a 10pax setting, however I decided against it in the end. I also was thinking of my pending Portfolio I was doing for my final assessment for my Events Design paper, and it was then I realised I didnt want to have TWO lots of the same table setting design in that portfolio, I had to think of something else.
My nephew Michael turns 5 on Xmas Day this year, and he LOVES Ben 10, and LOVES the colour Green, Blue and Black (Greens My Favourite Colour he will say to you, notice where his colours come from that he likes???) - now turning 5 is a big thing, Ive attempted in the past to try and do parties to theme for my niece Meggan only well my sister stamps down on that saying she isnt having a party (for example her 3rd birthday and i started to get together supplies for a uber cool fairy theme party...I had all these laser fairy supplies I had brought ready for it...cake toppers and stuff...only my sister said she wasnt having a party then ended up having one...). I got thinking and had a talk with my wonderful Lecturer Gina Harrap on if I could possibly do a Ben 10 theme table setting for a kids party - after all the brief for the comps says it has to be a 10pax table setting designed for an event happening in 2010 in New Zealand somewhere...and well this event is, doesnt say specifically what the event has to be. Gina saw no problem in it and I started to google ideas for ben 10 parties.....i didnt really get much of a hit from this, I found lots of supplies but that was about it really. The main thing to do with the table setting was that eventually my nephew would get to use ALL of these things for his REAL party in November..he is somewhat limited to 9 friends though unless more things are brought!
I went to all the cheap asian import dollar stores to get my party supplies for my table setting/slash nephew's birthday party - reason to this was because I wasnt going to be pay out for the labelled name, and I personally didnt like the labelled stuff. I managed to get party loot bags, napkins (this was HUGE pack compared to the offical labelled stuff), a flag banner and cups I believe...for in the loot bags I got Ben 10 Pencils, stickers, and added in a few other things like bouncey balls and balloons in green, black and blue - toy planes - packet of chips and a chocolate bar. And some Ben 10 bubbles (also from the cheap asian import dollar stores). The only thing I couldnt find were straws and hats (I bet you i will find them after) - I ended up getting some cheap party hats, and covering them with Ben 10 wrapping paper, and for the straws I found an image on google and printed this out in a small circle for on the straws (I had left over winnie the pooh straws from my 21st, I had taken the little pooh design off as back then I couldnt find blue straws!! - I used that design for a tamplate to cut out the images for the straws).
I think the only labelled gear i got for this table setting was the plastic table cloth as I couldnt find a cheap knock off one....!! I was sure i had found one one day when I was searching the shops but couldnt find it. This table cloth would serve as a runner in this design - I also got balloons filled with helium as a foil Ben 10 balloon too. This would be the centre piece in addition to a Ben 10 cheap white board I managed to find also in the dollar stores.
Now of course this trip into Uni to set up my table for the photo ops for it wouldnt be complete without the man himself!! And given Michael came with my LAST year to do my table setting for the same comp, I decided he deserved to come wih me for this one. (He was a major grump for half of the day, he wanted to eat the chips and chocolate, he wanted to blow the bubbles and he ripped some of the stickers as he wanted to use them from the Favour bags...) - however photos were taken and even my side kick took some impressive photos too, as well as alot of random photos of things - he even took some good ones of me! Thank god for digital cameras and being able to delete photos that just dont make any sense or have random silly things like a piece of rubbish on the ground or the light switch and fire alarm..!
This table setting has brought out the idea of doing Party in a Box - having all the party supplies you need to a theme in a box for one set price, saving you time trying to hunt down at endless stores, trawlling the net to find supplies and just giving up all together to find everything you need for a themed party.
And here he is - My little helper with the completed table setting......he is a cheeky boy at times - and Im so proud of him, watching him grow up and reaching this mile stone is just amazing..!! But at the same time I love that I am able to share my career so much with my nieces and nephews. I see in the future Michael being invovled in the computer and mathmatical side of the operations when I come to having my own businesses and I know when Im gone he will look after my dream restaurant well in those areas...!!
And here is a cheeky but pretty good shot of me that my nephew took - he is pretty good at taking photos of things if i dont say so myself!!
