Cookies, pinatas and pins, oh my!

Even though I'm doing one subject less for uni this semester, I still seem to be on the backfoot with getting things done.  Hence the delay in putting this up.  This is the reason I was so busy last week.  I was asked fairly late in the game to come up with a treasure hunt/game kind of thing for our friend Minette's surprise 3oth birthday party.  Apparently I'm thought of as a fun kind of person!

Sonja picked Minette up from home and brought her to the Amsterdamse Bos (kind of a foresty area) where she gave her the first clue in which she had to follow Sonja.  Once there I 'accidentally' bumped into them, and gave Minette a rather large cookie that had 'Eat Me' written on top.  We started munching and found another clue baked inside the cookie.  (The games and clues were all centred around things Minette likes to do.)

This clue sent us meandering again until Andrew popped out from behind a tree like a circus side-show entertainer.  This game involved being blind folded and everyone taking turns to draw a certain part of an elephant.  Minette is South African, hence the elephant.

Next stop was a bag toss.  Different people joined us along the way and the aim of this game was to get all the bags through the hanging tyre.  Once accomplished, the next clue was hidden in a bag.
As we were wandering along the path Minette said she just didn't know when another person was going to pop out from behind a tree.  Just as she said this the next person popped out from behind a tree, it was such perfect timing!  This game was pin the needle in the pin cushion.  I have never played this as an adult (never played it as a kid either, just the normal donkey version) and I hadn't realised how much adults think strategically about feeling the sides in order to figure out where the target should be.  Darn adults.
Obtaining the last clue led us to the last station, pinata baby!

Minette enjoys tennis so I attempted to make the pinata tennis-ballish.  Just incase people were still wondering about the shape I wrote 'This is a really bad replica of a tennis ball' on the bottom.
Kung-fu Master Hugo swiped the pinata into oblivion.  He's part kung-fu, part fairy (note his left hand).
And the pinata?  It was the perfect holder of the last clue leading to the party and even better, the perfect party hats for the birthday girl and her husband.
And lastly, birthday cake.  Amazingly enough (oven issues and all) it turned out pretty good.  Two layers of this delicious cake, slapped together with some chocolate ganache, drizzled all over with more ganache, then a fancy chocolate wrap and topped with chocolate dipped strawberries.
We didn't get a photo of the full cake (too busy lighting sparklers and singing and making sure I didn't trip in the semi-dark) but I'm hoping to find someone who did.
A fun, fun party and the birthday girl said it's the best party she's ever had.  Score.

PS Dad, I'll see what I can do about a painting (although if you ask me they're kinda weird), and I totally got your comment without Linli's interpretation!

PPS The most hugest, biggest, sparkliest thankyou to my husband who encouraged, glued, fun-ed, carried, placed, advised and generally had my back.  You rock A.