Spa Birthday Party Idea & Ribbon Sandwich Recipe

I wanted to do a little showing & telling about Alyssa's spa birthday party. With my hectic schedule we had to do it a week and a half after her birthday, but better late than never!

We had a lot of fun putting together the goody bags. I love having a February birthday child! I get to hit up the after-Christmas clearances.


Here's Alyssa posing with the spa swag for her guests.


I've never been to a spa and have no idea what spa food is, but I figured it would be somewhat like tea party food, so that's what I went with. And check out those flowers... still alive and happy and purple more than a week later! They were totally worth the $4 I paid at the grocery store.


Mmmmm.....
I used vintage plates and trays and teacups for serving dishes. Even the plastic appetizer forks (don't know what they're really called) are vintage.

They ate their food on crystal snack trays and the snobby spa girls (they played the part well...) had fun ordering Caleb around. He was the server and got called everything from Javier to Cecilio to Juan Paco to whatever other random name we could come up with.


Each girl got an appointment card so we could keep track of who did what when.


Who wouldn't love a day at the spa? They had so much fun and all the girls want their own spa party now! The cost was minimal and we had a blast!




I thought I'd also share my recipe for ribbon sandwiches. Last time I made them I layered both wheat and white bread, which makes them look really nice. This time I just used what I had on had, which was wheat. These are really old fashioned and fun. The first time I ate a ribbon sandwich was at a DUP (Daughters of Utah Pioneers) meeting, which is mostly older women. They couldn't believe I had never had these, but as much as I wish we were, we aren't really a ladies luncheon type society anymore. I got the recipe from one of ladies there and made them for a baby shower a month later. They were a hit! Plus you make them the day ahead which is really nice when you're entertaining.

You can use whatever fillings you like, fill free to mix and match. Alyssa wanted cucumber sandwiches, so that's what I made. You can also do ham, chicken, egg, etc.

Cucumber Filling:
1 pkg fat free cream cheese
1 cucumber, peeled, finely chopped and drained well
dill seasoning

Cheese Filling:
1 pkg fat free cream cheese
shredded cheese

Cut the crusts off a loaf (or two) of bread. I find it easiest to freeze the bread and let it semi-thaw. Each sandwich will take three slices of bread. Layer them with a bread, a filling, a bread, the other filling and a bread. It works well with two colors of bread. Once you're done with the sandwiches, wrap them in wax paper and then put them back in the plastic bag the bread came in. Refrigerate overnight or at least four hours. A couple of hours before serving you can slice them into thirds and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until serving time. These are so great anytime you want a fancy sandwich and they taste so good!