I have a video of my daughter's reaction when she first saw Mary Poppins float down from the sky. It was a look of surprise mixed with wonder, and it made me so happy to see her enjoy one of my favorite movies from my own childhood. She was Mary Poppins for Halloween, she loves carousels, and the second Mary Poppins movie was her first movie to see in a theatre. So when we started to think about her birthday party theme, it became clear that this year would be a Jolly Holiday with Joy. The inspiration for this party came from the fair scenes in both the first and second Mary Poppins movies: lots of pastels, pink stripes, parasols and carousels.
This carousel was a Facebook Marketplace find, and I made the awning from a hula hoop and paper tablecloth from Target.
I wanted to create a miniature version of the chalk drawing scene, so I found these miniature garden pieces in the fairy section at Hobby Lobby.
I like to have an activity for girls to work on as everyone is arriving. I made these kites from dowels, twine, fabric glue and a glue gun. I had stick-on pearls and bows for the girls to decorate their kites.
The highlight of the party was our guest of honor: Mary Poppins herself. The real magic is that Mary Poppins was actually my sister-in-law Kate, and Joy somehow didn't realize it the whole party. I asked Kate to do this simply because she looks like Mary Poppins and I knew she would play along. But I didn't know just how great of a Mary Poppins she would be! The perfect accent, the perfect mannerisms, the perfect interaction with the girls- you could say she was practically perfect in every way. She almost had me fooled!
The maypole was kind of a disaster, but the girls loved it for the first 2 minutes it was functional!
I wanted the girls to be able to "buy" treats at the fair, so we gave them their own tuppence (which, I only recently learned is not "toppins").
My dad dressed up like Bert and peddled the merchandise. And my mom dressed up like Ellen the cook and helped the girls during tea time. The things they will do for their grandchildren!
I made these frames on my Cricut to serve as a keepsake/favor for our guests to take home. I used an Instax printer and printed pictures from my phone while the girls were playing. It was so quick and easy!
The winds soon changed, and it was time for Mary Poppins to fly to another family. We are so grateful for our friends and family who helped make this party magical. It was a party our girls will not soon forget!
Photography: Angie Davis
Cookies: Sarah Bakes Cookies