"In an old house in Paris
That was covered in vines
Lived twelve little girls
In two straight lines
They left the house at half past nine
The smallest one was Madeline”
WHETHERreading the well-loved book or watching the hit TV series, this fascinating rhyme never fails to greet the loyal followers of the endearing Madeline.
Madeline is a popular series originally created by author and artist Ludwig Bemelmans in 1939. It is a whimsical tale of the 7-year old Madeline who attends boarding school in Paris along with eleven other girls under the tutelage of Miss Clavel.
In Davao, count the Abadilla siblings, Jamie Ailianne and Jillianne Christalle, as among the spunky Madeline’s avid fans.
“Since my 10-year old Jamie has Turner Syndrome and is quite conscious of being petite, I wanted to show her how the smallest girl out of the twelve girls in two straight lines, Madeline, was the bravest and most caring of all. One episode led to a series of episodes that my daughters and I would watch every day. We also enjoyed learning bits of French and liked the songs that Madeline and her friends would sing and of course, loved their adorable uniforms,” shares Mommy Aileen “T-one” Brigole-Abadilla.
“That’s why when Jilly requested that her 8th birthday theme be Madeline, I did not hesitate to conceptualize, design and style her party,” smiles the crafty Singapore-based mom who is likewise a hobby-based event stylist with her “Pretty Little Party Davao.”
C'est magnifique!
With Mommy Aileen’s hands-on styling, the Apo View’s ballroom was elegantly transformed into a tres chic Parisian affair with the grand stage all dolled up with yellow ruffled fabric, French-inspired lamp posts, and Jillianne’s name written in Madeline’s font on the main backdrop. Meanwhile, table centerpieces consisted of lovely Madeline dolls with beautiful blooms in personalized boxes.
Donning their Madeline-inspired hats and capes (a gracious gift from Mommy Aileen), the eager little guests were “welcomed” by the delightful standees of Madeline and Friends, Miss Clavel and even Genevieve, the dog.
The marvelous dessert table splendidly showcased the two-tier Madeline fondant cake by Jackie Martinez’s Crafty Cakes and Cupcakes. Madeline and Genevieve, the Eiffel Tower, old fashioned French shop houses and of course, “the old house in Paris that was covered with vines” fittingly adorned the piece de resistance.
Adding a classy touch to the too-pretty-to-eat sweets spread were Madeline’s hats as cake pops and capes as sugar cookies; Jillianne-monogrammed cookies; and mini cakes with Madeline toppers creatively displayed on red, blue gingham and turquoise suitcases as dessert stands.
Pretty little party
Party host Jymmez Infiesto of Bonjee Entertainment expertly entertained the special guests with a thrilling “Pass the Madeline Dolls” game and even conducted an enlightening basic French session while Mommy T-one facilitated an exciting online game for adults called “Kahoot”, cleverly testing the guests’ knowledge with Jillianne-related trivia.
Jamie and Jilly’s energetic dance numbers, “Good Time” by Owl City and “Better When I’m Dancing” by Meghan Trainor, and the catchy song presentation by the musically-gifted Team Abadilla composed of Mommy T-one, Daddy Ian, Jamie and Jilly were well-applauded by all. In addition, Cyrus, the magician, mesmerized the audience with his spellbinding tricks and illusions.
For giveaways, boys were presented with house-shaped boxes while girls brought home dainty Madeline dolls. And, since it was Mother’s Day on the day of Jilly’s party, mommies were treated with their very own custom-made Madeline hat boxes, a thoughtful surprise from the Abadillas.
Before enjoying the sumptuous dinner, Jilly and her friends recited Madeline’s favorite prayer before meals: “We love our bread, we love our butter. But, most of all, we love each other!”
Truly, with the outpouring of love showered by family and friends, Jilly could not ask for anything more on her 8th birthday.
Hats off to Jilly!
Follow Pretty Little Party Davao on Facebook and Instagram @prettylittlepartydvo. Special thanks to Ms. Jojie Alcantara for the party photos.
E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit http://momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com/.