So what did I get up to this International Princess Day? Well it got off to a bit of a slow start. I slept in a little because we were up late last night after the party, talking and dancing and enjoying ourselves. Some of the girls slept over in the living room which was still lit up by fairy lights and in the morning we just lazed about on the mattresses and talked for a while, in our little bower of balloons and streamers.

After everyone had left, I got ready to head out for my Princess Day! I wore my white chiffon OP and left my hair out. The weather has been so beautiful all weekend, sunny and a little cool and just perfect. As I caught the bus to Highgate I watched the little streamers of cloud, like angel hair, that streaked across the blue sky. When I reached Beaufort street, one of my favourite shopping districts I spent a little while browsing my usual stores. The Lady in ‘Heart & Home’ was kind enough to let me take a photo to share with you, which you can see here! Its the most feminine little gift store, and they sell the sweetest things. I also visited Ware, which is a quirky little shop and bought some Tabi socks! They are so cute, I will have to take photos tomorrow. I spent a while in the store next to it aswell, which imports French beauty products. I love smelling all the little bottles.

For afternoon tea, I stopped by The Leaf where I had a yummy Chai Latte and an adorable little vanilla cupcake with a pink icing swirl on top. The Leaf always has a delicious range of treats and they make some amazing teas too. After relaxing and reading my book for a while, I headed on towards Planet Books. Bookstores are like candy shops to me, and I pored over some of the new releases by Phillip Reeve and Dianna Wynne Jones before heading on to my next destination, the Day Spa.

I had a four o’clock appointment for a facial at Keturah, a Spa that I have not visited before but really enjoyed! I love the chairs in their reception area, they’re high backed and painted gold, like little thrones. The treatment was incredibly relaxing. It went for about and hour, and included a facial steam, exfoliation, mask and shoulder/head massage. It was so nice I very nearly fell asleep, and when it was over my skin was practically glowing! It feels so soft too. If you’ve never had a facial, I can definitely reccomend it. Its a pleasant experience and makes you feel quite the pampered Princess.

After leaving Keturah, I browsed the many flower stores that line the street and then walked up the road to Hanami, one of my favourite japanese restaurants. I ordered Udon and Vegetable Tempura which was delicious, and so filling! It was a nice way to end the day, listening to all the conversations around me as I ate. When I left the restaurant it was dark, not too cold but very clear and I could see the stars above me.

Its been a wonderful Princess Day, with the Party included I don’t think I’ve had such a fun weekend in a long time! What did you do for Princess day?

Last night we had a Party at the palace to celebrate International Princess Day! I spent the whole weekend preparing, baking cookies and cupcakes with Clara, making strings of paper pennants to decorate the house and with the aid of Jill, Emily and Lee blowing up 60 pink and white balloons! It was a lot of fun putting up the decorations, but I never would have had time without my helpers, thank you!

The other Princesses started arriving in the late afternoon and we made a sea of cushions on the floor in front of the television so we could watch ‘The Princess Bride.’ It’s one of my favourite movies and it was a fun way to start the party. While everyone was thus engaged, I finished off making some snacks ( onigiri, cucumber sandwiches) with help from Lee and Claire. By the time the movie was over, everyone had arrived and it was time to start the games! I had far too much fun making up these games, which were based on old favourites with a Princess ‘twist.’

The first game was our Sleeping Beauty challenge. We had Clara seated at one end of the courtyard, blindfolded and in front of her was her ‘treasure’ (candy and chocolate gold coins) Everyone else had to walk from the opposite end of the courtyard towards her, trying to sneak up and steal the treasure. If Clara heard anyone moving she could point at them and they would have to start again. It was harder than it sounds!

The next game we played involved sitting in a circle and taking turns to roll a dice, whenever someone rolled a six they had to jump up, put on a tiara, feather boa and pair of opera gloves then they could start eating a block of chocolate, using a knife and fork to cut one piece at a time. As soon as the next person got a six we all yelled ’six ‘ and they had to pass the items on. It was hilarious when we had a good run of sixes and one had only just finished putting on the gloves before the next person took over.

Following this, I asked everyone to practise walking with a book on their heads and once they’d gained the knack of it we played musical chairs! It was the slowest, most careful game of musical chairs I’ve ever seen because people had to make sure the books didn’t fall off or they would be out!

Our last game was probably the most fun of the night. The girls seperated in to teams and chose one member of their team to be the ‘model’ while the others were ‘designers.’ They had to use nothing but toilet paper to create Princess outfits for their models in a time limit of 15 minutes. At the end we had a little fashion show and Sanyu and I judged the winners. We had a traditional Princess gown with puff sleeves, a Samurai Princess and a very creative entry that involved bows and a dress with a petticoat!

We ended the night by watching ‘A Little Princess’ a movie that I’ve seen a dozen times but still makes me cry! I think we were all a bit teary by the end of it.

Thank you to all the girls that came! It was a magical night and I hope you had as much fun as I did.