The Mermaid Factory

I I wrote before about how we were all excited for Anouk's first family AND friends birthday party the Saturday before last. Probably a little over-the-top excited jugding by the sheer amount of food and decorations that went into it. But then alas! Friday night A. came down with 104-degree fever and we had to cancel. We still had a small get-together with her grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and we had her playgroup over for cupcakes later in the week. But I still felt bad that everything didn't go as planned.

So on Anne's actually birthday last Tuesday, we planned a special day. Anouk's love of mermaids has been somewhat replaced by all things Frozen lately but she's still definitely into them, so we met up with Cousin KK and Auntie C. and hit up  Norfolk's premier paint-your-own mermaid establishment, the Mermaid Factory on 21st Street in Ghent.

You can choose to paint either a large plaster mermaid on a stand or a smaller wooden mermaid ornament or magnet -- they look just like the larger mermaid sculptures that are scattered around Norfolk. Paint and glitter are included in the price ($25 for the large mermaid; $10/$12 for the smaller ones), and for a little extra you can add beads, sequins, shells, and other goodies (you can also buy pre-painted mermaids -- the Mermaid Factory's Disney princess line, pictured above, was too adorable). Anouk and I made magnets while Aunt C. and KK started on plaster mermaid masterpieces. We took it very seriously, especially Anouk, who made it her mission to try out every single paint color that was offered.

We loved visiting this sweet and friendly new local spot -- it was a really fun way to spend the afternoon with some of my favorite people doing something to celebrate our little Norfolk birthday girl.