Secret Agent Birthday Party

Ooohhhh, I have SO much to catch up on posting.  It was a wild and crazy few weeks getting things ready for Indigo's 9th birthday, followed immediately by putting on a 'Cooking Workshop' for our home ed group. Whew!

Indigo's 'Secret Agent' birthday party was a big success. She had five of her girlfriends and Cypress attending (Zephyr opted out) for a day of being 'Secret Agents'.  Of course, this meant yours truly had a LOT of work to do setting it all up! And I didn't get many pictures of the actual day because I was busy running around with 7 clever detectives that day, solving the 'Case of the Stolen Gems', which they successfully found in the end :)
I found the I-SPY DETECTIVE AGENCY Logo on another website and I'm trying to find it again so I can post up credit for it here!  I'll add later. The rest of the ideas I came up with by myself.

Invitations I made. I cut some file folders down to size, decorated as Top Secret, then inserted the invitation (see below)

I also included a 'Secret Agent Security Badge' with each invitation, that had a picture of the Secret Agent (since they've been to previous birthday parties, I had photo's of each agent on hand!), their 'Years of Service' (their age) and the date the badge was effective (Indigo's birthday).  I laminated the badges then hole-punched a hole on each side, slipping a pretty ribbon through for the necklace part.

Look closely you can see 'Security Badges'.
Oh, and Indigo got some Face Paints for her b'day so she has a rainbow on her face
(that's her holding her birthday flowers from a friend :)

I also decorated the outside of our front door to look like official 'I-Spy Headquarters'

complete with red warning 'Authorised Personnel Only' signs

but I can't seem to find a picture of my cool door

When the guests arrived, they decorated their own 'Spy Journals' with some craft materials (pretty papers, stickers, glue, tape, etc.) I had laid out on the table.  I made the journals by cutting some bright red file folders I happened to have on hand, then I folded in half and stapled printer paper inside for the perfect sized 'Spy Journal'. 

Decorating Spy Journals

I then read the 'Spies' this letter that was sent for them

Dear Secret Agents

The note above also had a handwritten in red pen: ''P.S. Agent X asked me to give you this puzzle piece, he said you would need it later today''

(I had hand painted an old puzzle the night before then wrote the last clue in huge text, so the Agents would be collecting all 17 pieces throughout the day to get to the last clue)

Then one of our guests went to the loo and found this note taped to the mirror

Dear Secret Agents, This is Agent X. Your First Clue is hidden in the
front garden. You will need to pretend you are trimming the hedges, but look closely
and you will see the hidden strings that contain your next clue.

Thankfully, one of our Agents is very clever and figured out to hold the message up to the mirror to read!

All the Agents quickly went to the front garden and 'pretended to trim the hedges', and sure enough, there were 7 ends of dark green string poking out for them to pull. Each Agent pulled a string, and out popped another clue taped to the end of one of them.  The other 6 strings had a puzzle piece taped to the end.

The clue read

"You've found the next clue! Now head to Goring town centre and make sure you take the Woodlands. The Golden Arrow will direct you to the next clue''

Then I was off chasing after 7 Secret Agents who ran towards the woodlands.  

There, they found many arrows scattered around, made out of sticks, pointing towards various Oak trees, but none led to a clue. FINALLY, one of the Agents spotted the Golden Arrow, which pointed to an Oak Tree containing a small colourful box with the next clue!

(Golden Arrow was 3 large sticks painted gold then sprinkled with gold glitter and wired together in to an arrow)

The clue inside the box contained a Cipher Wheel  (<--I created!) and a message saying 

"Great Job Secret Agents! You'll need this Cipher Wheel for your next clue which is at the Coffee Shop where one of our Secret Agents is waiting for you now, but you'll need to give her the secret password again. Do you recall what it is? When you get the next clue make sure the Cipher Wheel is set at Code Z''

My Mother-in-Law was waiting at the Coffee Shop with 7 Party Bags filled with surprises, AND each bag had a piece of the next clue, which was written in code. We took a break (I grabbed a cuppa to go!), then the Agents put all clues together and deciphered them

The clue read ''YOUR NEXT CLUE IS AT THE CAKE SHOP''

So off we went to the Cake Shop.  The Secret Agents repeated the secret password 'Birthday Party' and the cake shop lady handed each Agent a bag of chocolate golden coins.  Taped to the tag of each bag was a portion of the next clue, which the Agents had to put together in order. Once they figured out the order, the clue read

"An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor Away. Who on the High Street would have an Apple?''

The Birthday Girl declared "The Green Grocer!', so we walked across the street to the Green Grocer, who handed each girl a paper bag each that contained a big juicy apple. 

And taped to each apple was the next clue!  It read

"Take the Footpath.  X marks the spot'

So off the Agents went down the footpath, 

and sure enough there was a big orange X on the ground. At first they couldn't find the next clue, but then one of our clever agents found a green jar hidden behind the lamp post, and taped to the jar was a message that read

"You've had the next clue all along! Pour this secret purple potion on page 4 of Agent GoDini's Spy Journal to find the hidden message''

Sure enough, the agents poured the potion on page 4 (which I had secretly written the night before and had to make sure that Agent GoDini decorated that particular journal and took it with her!)

and there the secret message was revealed reading ''Head Back to Headquarters''

Agent Niky found the Secret Purple Potion! 

Secret Message Revealed (message was written in baking soda/water mixture
purple potion was just lemon juice with splash of Ribena)

So the Agents ate their delicious apples (some ate their toffee's, that the Agents explained to me were the BLECH toffee's....I apparently need to learn more about Yummy toffee's!) on the walk home, and when we arrived we found an envelope taped to the door that read 'FINAL CLUE'

Inside was just 1 puzzle piece, and a message saying 'The Final Piece to the Puzzle. you know what to do next!'

Secret Agents then spent many quiet moments working together to put the puzzle in place, 

then they read the final clue which was 

"The gems are hidden in a book where the wild things are, and it was my idea''

Well, a few days before the party I had carved out a secret nook from an old book I no longer wanted called 'The Idea Catcher', and I hid the shiny (acrylic) gems inside, then placed it on my daughters bookshelf next to 'Where the Wild Things Are' book. 

The Agents raced upstairs, found the book and Voila! found the gems.

At about that time their Mums showed up with the brothers (Zephyr returned home), and we had Tea and Cake whilst all the kiddo's ran around playing for awhile.  I went overboard with my baking (as usual) I baked Lemon Bars, Jammy Dodgers, and Chocolate Chip Cookies, plus the scrumptious chocolate birthday cake (some recipes are further below).  

But Indigo (errr, I mean 'Agent GoDini') had the best birthday. At least that's what she tells me :)

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here is Agent X

Zephyr (aka: Agent X) went out with his Daddy right before the Secret Agents went on their Spy adventure......and he hid all the clues. (his face here is painted thanks to Indigo getting Face Paints for her b'day)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe 

Lemon Bar Recipe

Jammy Dodger Recipe (aka: Linzer Tarts)