As I mentioned in a previous post, last week was my birthday.Niw, I’m the sort of person who, even though I may ber turning, say, 26 (yes, that’s my actual age), generally gets so hyped up in the lead-up to my birthday that you would think I was actually preparing for my 6th!
This year, however, I was feeling a little flat and just couldn’t seem to get excited, or even to plan some kind of fun celebration to get excited about.
It was for this reason that I decided to look to Baby Surprise for inspiration The idea of hosting a pony-themed party briefly crossed mymind but I soon dismissed this as something that would not appeal to most (or, indeed, any!) of my friends.
And then, I had it! The perfect idea for a birthday celebration! Remembering a conversation I had recently with a friend of mine I did a bit of research, purchased some supplies and sent out the invitations.
I told guests that, despite my legendary sweet tooth (my “sweet saber-tooth”, as I like to call it) I was baking birthday cakes that contained no sugar or other sweeteners. I told them that a “secret ingredient” would be supplied but that to find out exactly what was going on they would just have to show up on the night and see.
Here is the spread that awaited guests when they arrived for the festivities.
And the surprise secret ingredient? Miracle Frooties!
Miracle Frooties are a tablet manufactured from the Miracle Fruit – a berry that temporarily lters the perceived flavour of certain foods so that sour and bitter food consumed afterwards tastes sweet.
I must say, it was a pretty cool experience! We tried a variety of foods and while I’m sorry to say the Miracle Fruit cupcakes recipe I found didn’t work out aswell as expected, the fresh fruit and sour lollies went down a treat.
It’s a difficult experience to describe because essentially the foods retain their same basic flavour (lemons are still lemon-y; tomatoes are still tomato-ey) but any sour notes fade or completely disappear to be replaced with a sense of sweetness. Biting into a lemon is like biting into a lemon-flavoured lolly…except jucier and still with the texture of an actual lemon. Weird.
Personally I found tomatoes to be the strangest food we tried. I mean lemons, limes, strawberries…all of these flavours are used frequently in desserts. Who ever heard of tomato sorbet or tomato-meringue pie? Well I can tell you that these tomatoes tasted heavenly. They showed themselves to truly be the berries they botanically are (I still can’t help thinking of them as vegetables). I kept going back for more just because I couldn’t get m head around the fact that this was a tomato I was tasting.
I also received some gifts from my lovely friends and family, including:
A beautiful box of lillies and daisies from my parents…which I sadly forgot to photograph before they started to wilt 😦
An assortment of musical goodies from my awesome boyfriend, Evan.
Birthday Cake!
A box of several G3 ponies from my brother, Ross.
There are a couple of "My Little Phonies" in there, too.
These super-cool Harry Potter potion necklaces from my dear friend, Vanessa.
Everyone could do with a little Felix Felicis from time to time.
Eveb more ponies from the delightful Grace and Paul.
Princess Trollestia? Is that you?
All in all, despite my initial ambivalence, it turned out to be a brilliant day.
In fact, I kind of miss being the birthday-girl. Ah well, there’s always next year >:-)
I managed to get Baby Surprise to sit still for long enough to help me put together this week’s Fashions off the Fields post…but don’t think it was easy! I think some filly has been into my chocolate stash and is on a sugar-high 😮
I can’t say I’ve ever worn neon colours before. If you’re like me and a little shy to wear something so bright, take a leaf our of Baby Surprise’s book and try adding small amounts of neon to your outfits by way of small accessories. Dark purples keep the yellow from being too overpowering as well as adding a more conventionally feminine touch to the outfit. Don’t forget a cute little balloon pendant to mimic Baby Surprise’s cutie-mark. Choosing a colour that differs from the rest of the outfit will ensure it really stands out.
Smile! Life may seem a bit grim some days, but you can always rely on Baby Surprise to bring a touch of levity to your day. With sunny yellow accessories, plenty of smiley faces and heels high enough to brush the sky, this cutie reminds everyone around her to “Look up”. If the worst comes to the worst and you just can’t seem to shake the blues, just a touch of horsefeathers can help you remember not to take life too seriously.
I can’t look at the colour yellow without thinking “lemons”. Seriously. Mixing tones of lemon yellow, lime green and blood orange creates a fresh and fun melange that’s equally appropriate for work as it it for afternoon drinkies. Margaritas, anyone?
It’s not always easy to star as light-hearted and bright as Baby Surprise, but if we look hard enough there’s usually something to giggle about. This week I’ve been reading some of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, which never fail to make me snicker.
What’s making you smile this week, readers?
I wasn’t able to find today’s pony to profile, but I did find this cute little box, instead.
Let’s have a look inside…
Surprise!
…”Baby Surprise”, in fact.
Baby Surprise was part of the first ever set of baby ponies. Like the other ponies in this set, she was based on an adult pony that had been released as a toy in a previous year. In this case, obviously, Baby Surprises mother was the pegasus pony, “Surprise”.
Like the other baby ponies, Baby Surprise’s cutie mark was a smaller/cut down version of her mother’s cutie-mark. While Surprise had five glittery purple balloons on her flank, Baby Surprise sports just the one.
I never had Baby Surprise when I was little…but one of my friend’s, did! I had a couple of friends who were as pony mad as me, and we would sometimes bring our ponies over to each others’ houses to play. I was always jealous of my friend’s Baby Surprise. I just loved her bright, almost neon yellow/green hair, which made her so different to any of the ponies I had. She was my “If only…” pony. This is why she is one of the first ponies I bought for myself when I discovered how many could be found on eBay.
Just looking at surprise always makes me want to smile. I always think of her as “the birthday pony”, and everything bout her just seems to scream “Party Time!” to me.
Personally I usually have fairly quiet birthday celebrations. Maybe I’ll go out to dinner with family or friends and have a slice (okay, SEVERAL slices) of cake…that wouldn’t suit this pony, though! You can tell from her neon-coloured hair, glittery symbol and even her name that Baby-Surprise would go all out for birthdays. Balloons! Noise makers! Silly hats! Mountains of lollies! Lashings of lemonade!
Of course, there has to be some kind of surprise involved,too…
Anyway, do any of you have an “If only…” toy from your childhood (or more recently even)? The Christmas present you never got? The blind-bagged figurine you never seemed to find? Did you ever get it in the end?
I don’t know about you, but I certainly had a busy weekend. Not only was it my birthday (I’ll tell you more about that next week) but it was also time for the much-anticipated season finale of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
As I suggested in my last post, I thought it would be fun to make something of an occassion out of watching the final episode and so I decided on a “Champagne Breakfast in Bed”.
I hadn't realised untl this weekend how much strawberries look like love hearts when you cut them in half...how appropriate!
I prepared a tray of sliced strawberries and bananas, melted chocolate, jam, double cream and homemade lemonade scones.
My boyfriend and I then sat in bed to enjoy our repast while we watched the episode.
Okay, you caught me, that's pineapple juice! I'm not a huge fan of champagne.
I was actually pretty pleased with the episode. I wasn’t sure if a two-part special prominently featuring two characters that had never appeared in the series before would actually work, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable. I was particularly impressed with the designs for the villains.
Our breakfast was suitable regal. I’m a big fan of lemonade scones. They’re so quick and easy to make and they have that perfect balance between moist and crumbly that I think all scones should strive for.
If you want to try making them yourself, here’s my recipe:
Lemonade Scones
Ingredients:
- 1 cup thickened cream
- 1 cup fizzy lemonade
- 3 cups self-raising flour
- 1 pinch salt
- Jam and double cream to serve!
Method:
- Preheat oven to 230°C.
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.
- Scrape the mixture onto a floured surface and knead.
- Shape the dough to about 1″ thick.
- Use a round cutter or upturned glass to cut out the scones.
- Pleace on a greased or lined tray and brush tops with milk.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the tops of the scones are lightly browned.
It’s as easy as that!
What foods do you like to cook up when you feel like something decadent?
Well, it’s the Friday before the royal My Little Pony wedding, and how are your preparations going, readers? Hopefully by now you have some ideas on how you want to celebrate, but just in case your stuck for ideas for the perfect outfit I have put my head together with the as-yet-unnamed “Pony Bride” and we’ve come up with a few ideas about what to wear on this momentous occasion!
Want to celebrate the wedding in true regal fashion? Then formal wear is a must! Pink is such a romantic colour, and an appropriate homage to the rose-hued Princess Cadence. A hat and gloves are compulsory for a formal wedding. Making these accessories black means the outfit looks a bit more mature and sophisticated – prevents it from becoming to girlish and princess-y (save that for the bride!). A few heraldic accents in the Alexander McQueen clutch LK Designs ring ate a subtle nod to the noble heritage of the happy couple. These pewter goblets are elegantly simple and something a little different to the usual crystal-ware that is seen at so many weddings. Their beautiful presentation box means they would make a lovely wedding present, too.
A garden party is another great idea for a wedding celebration. High tee served on trestle tables decorated with white roses sounds like my idea of heaven, and these whimsical horse teacups are the perfect detail! This outfit is a bit lighter and brighter than the evening option. The dress was chosen because of its nature-inspired print and even though it has a halter-neck, wearing a cute little cardigan will cover up your shoulders and appease any of the more conservative guests that may be present. Speaking of conservative, even though this may be a day event, don’t forget your hat and gloves!
Even if you’re not hosting or attending an event in honour of the pony wedding, you can still celebrate! Perhaps you just want to kick back at home or with a friend and watch the new episode, in which case you may want to try this look, directly inspired by “Pony Bride”. Nothing is more casual or comfortable than jeans, and while I can’t say I’ve ever worn white ones, they do seem appropriate for the occasion. The two doves that make up “Pony Bride”‘s cutie-mark are present in the form of a dove-grey top and figural dove brooch. Bells are used as jewelery to represent the joyous chimes of chapel bells. Hats don’t really work for such a casual outfit, so instead try trying a ribbon (blue, of course/10 through your hair.
Finally, if, like me, you are located in a time zone which actually means you won’t be seeing the wedding episode until early on Sunday 22, “Pony Bride” suggests a fun new twist on a traditional favourite…champagne breakfast in bed! Make yourself a sumptuous breakfast (what could be more regal than strawberries and cream) and head to the bedroom where, in lieu of a hat, a crown-embellished cushion provides a cheeky to the occasion. Drape yourself in silks, satins and lace, curl up with your sweetheart and watch the festivities from your own bed while sipping a glass of bubbly. It doesn’t get much more decadent than this!
That’s all from me for this week! How will you be celebrating the royal wedding?
Love is in the air! This Saturday 21 April is the date that has been set for the royal wedding of Princess Cadence to Shining Armour in the “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” cartoon series.
Image via the My Little Pony Facebook page
All this has put me in a rather romantic mood. All of a sudden I feel the need to indulge my girlie side, snuggle up with my boyfriend on the couch and eat nothing but strawberries and chocolate. To help help commemorate the occasion and to inspire me to keep this mellow mood I have chosen for this week’s pony profile: “Pony Bride”.
Pony Bride is unique among my collection. As you can see in the photos she has a more slender build than the standard G1 earth pony. She stands about half an inch taller than average with longer legs and a thinner torso. In this way she is not dissimilar to the “Sweetheart Sister” ponies.
Unlike the Sweetheart Sisters, however, she still has that classic G1 face, which I have always found so sweet.
Her cutie mark features two doves holding a length of ribbon on which are strung two gold rings.
Unfortunately I do have some small qualms about this pony, lovely though she may be. After all, being a bride is something that lasts for only the length of a wedding ceremony, so it doesn’t seem like a terribly satisfactory quality to base one’s identity around.
The name, in particular irks me. “Pony Bride” is a vague description, not a name, but it’s all the name this beauty was ever given.
As such, I propose we reinvent the Pony Bride – give her a history an a name more suitable to her noble stature.
Her cutie mark is obviously related to wedding, but does that mean she has to always be the bride? I see her more as celebrant…or a wedding planner! Perhaps she has an eye for detail that helps her guide nervous young fillies and mares with the myriad and detailed decisions that face them as they prepare to trot down the aisle.
Perhaps if we ask nicely she will share some of her fashion tips wit us for the upcoming royal wedding?
But what about the name?I have had a few thoughts on this so far:
– Fantail
– Serenity
– Tranquility
– Lovey-Dovey
– Bridal Dreams
Here, dear readers, is where I think you can help me. Do you like any of the above names? Do you have a name that you think would suit our pony friend even better? Then please,comment below and we can give this nameless pony the appellation she deserves.
all the pretty ponies 