It’s a pirate life for birthday girl Erin! She filled her birthday party with pink pirate goodies.

Pirates are always after buried treasure and what growing girl hasn’t figured out that gold and bling is what it’s all about!

The tables took on an underwater feel to remind everyone not to head to Davey Jones’ locker.

The cake took on a pirate at sea feel. It featured a chocolate pirate’s chest filled with gold dusted pearls and a crust of Graham cracker cookie crumbs to mimic the sand.

Happy birthday Erin! Erin’s birthday pirate bash photography by Amanda Howard.

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For Elle’s parents, her first birthday was a major deal! Being their youngest child they wanted Elle to have everything a Birthday Princess should.

To go along with Elle’s love for Hello Kitty her parents made sure it was clear what the theme was. The iconic kitten with her cute little bow made an appearance everywhere from the cupcakes to the goodie bags.

Check out this incredible cupcake tower with a massive pink cupcake for the top tier!

Elle’s parents rent out Las Vegas’ Kinderland and held her first party there for all of their friends to share in the fun!

 It was such a blast and a fun inspiring First Birthday! Thanks for sharing your party with us Elle!
Photography by Jennifer Barut

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With beautiful weather, it was a great day for a rustic party at The Barn at Twin Oaks Ranch.

This rustic styled family party is all about outdoors, fun and family togetherness.

The bright colors in the rustic setting, the fun hay bale seating at the table and the bed swing (big enough for the whole fam) set the mood for great time outdoors.

The table had the feel of a barn with mason jars for drinking cups and colored leaves as place card holders.

You can tell by the big smiles on the faces of the family that is exactly what happened.

Photography by The Russell Photography

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This sweet and summer themed pink and yellow birthday party was a styled by Ali of Parties on a Pedestal for her daughter Bella’s birthday.

While the party took place outdoors, we love the whimsical feeling the Ali added by hanging tissue poms, tissue rosettes and paper lanterns in shades of pink and yellow from the tree for a chandelier effect over the kids table.

Ali used a perfect white ruffle waterfall linen to compliment the airy feeling of the table. Stunning!

Delicious goodies were decorated in the colors of the day. From lemonade stand cookies shaped in jars and lemons to a perfect cake with yarn balls on sticks.

For an activity, Ali set up a crafts table with the girls could create their own flip flops to run around in the summer.

All photographer Shelley Coar could say was, “I wish Ali was around for my birthday parties when I was a little girl. I love the summer pink and yellow and the amazing treats and crafts for the girls. Her attention to detail is incredible.” We totally agree! Thanks for sharing this amazing summer day with us

Event Styling & Design and Printables: Parties on a Pedestal

Ruffle Tablecloth: Paula & Erika

Macaroons and Dipped Oreos: Le Bonbon

Sugar Cookies: Flour De Lis Shop

Marshmallows: Calabasas Candy Co.

Cake Pops: Simply Divine Desserts

Girls Lemon Dress: The Baby Duck

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Little Jaiden is going to be an athlete when he grows up. At least that was the inspiration for his first birthday sports party bonanza!

From football and basketball to baseball and soccer, his parents covered the bases (pun intended!) in choosing their sports.

Plus they even showed their pride for their favorite sports teams with balloons and decorations.

Photographer  D. Park Photography also got some beautiful shots of the birthday boy and his sports loving family.

Thanks for sharing with us!

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There are a lot of kids in America that are looking to be adopted.  Robert and Joanna are friends of photographer Desi, and opened their hearts and their home to little Gabby and Alex.  “They have raised these two kids as their own for the past 2 years, all the while not knowing if they would eventually become their own or not.”

This is the celebration that their adoption finally went threw and Gabby and Alex are officially part of their family. It’s a worthy celebration completely worthy of Desi capturing.

Now that Gabby and Alex are officially part of the family, we love this family tree arts and crafts project that they made there.

Crafts were a big part of the day, with crayons, markers and other fun crafty items to play with and decorate for these two deserving kids.

At the end of the day, there were cakes to celebrate birthdays and the many more that would come as a happy family.

For this happy couple, it’s all about the two children they can now call their own.

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your beautiful family with us!

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There’s no doubt about it, gender reveals are the hottest thing in baby world. Whether you are announcing “it’s a boy” or “it’s a girl” to friends and family by cutting into a cake at a party, releasing balloons in photography, or video chatting with those not in a doctor’s office, the big moment is something that is now shared in celebratory fashion.

But what about Gender reveal video announcements? Gender reveal video announcements can be shared with friends and family all over the world. This one sent to us by Christina Fleming at Murasaki Media included the families two older children collaborating on an arts and crafts paint project with paint. Will it be blue or pink? See how unique tape placement showed the Boy or Girl!

Gender Reveal from Murasaki Media. (If you cannot see the video, click the gender reveal link.)

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It was a joy for Holli from Madame Brown to photograph her friend Anita’s sweet baby girl’s first birthday party.  The theme was vintage circus and was so fun!

Anita used colorful scrapbook paper to make cones for the pink cotton candy and patterned paper for the custom cupcake toppers.

Using yellow for accents was perfect in this happy room where the party took place.

Coralyn was full of smiles and stole everyone’s hearts. Thanks for sharing her sweet day with us!

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This birthday girl’s favorite things to do is go round and round on the carousel. So the theme for her first birthday party was created around a vintage carousel to make her wishes come true.  Stephanie from Bella Bella Studios designed this party in rich colors of of pink and turquoise. Pretty patterns of stripes, pink diamonds, baroque frames, and vintage inspired flowers all accenting the embellished carousel horse.

There were yummy finger foods, desserts and homemade blueberry lemonade to sip from. “It was a pleasure to see the little guests’ eyes light up at this whimsical and magical party.”

“My client came to me and wanted something special for her daughter’s 1st Birthday. I designed the carousel horse for the birthday girl and her Mom requested for the designs to have a vintage shabby chic feel. She also favored the soft pinks and turquoise blue colors. I incorporated the colors and I also designed a floral pattern that added an extra touch of girly girl feel to it all! I was very pleased with the way all of the party decor turned out.”

Upon arrival to the party, guests were treated to rides on the carousel at Santa Monica Pier. “All of the guests young and old lit up with excitement when they found out they were going to ride the famous carousel.” After riding round and round, the guests dined on boardwalk corn dogs and cotton candy.”

After playing at the pier, guests returned to a private party to play old fashion games of pin the tail on the carousel horse, Boardwalk Bingo, and drop the clothespin in the mason jar. Guests then celebrated the birthday girl with more yummy treats of cupcakes, ice cream, and lollipops!

A great DIY project Stephanie did for the client were cupcake toppers. For this party, we used them on the cupcakes.

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It’s beyond bittersweet the day your little one turns the big one! There is the overwhelming joy of them turning a new leaf, making new discoveries… to the semi sadness they are growing up WAY too fast. All we can say is cherish the moment… each and every moment, as they really do grow up so quickly. For photographer Katryna,
her sweet daughter Kaleigh’s 1st birthday princess celebration started out with a fun and hilarious cake smash photo session where Kaleigh was able to taste her first sweets.

It’s clear she thoroughly enjoyed them. Katryna made Kaleigh’s crown for her photo session out of two 8.5″ x 11″ cardstock cut into the shape of a crown and adhered together by double sided adhesive roll and then wrapped with decorative wrapping paper to give a whimsical look.

The color pallet was inspired by Kaleigh’s nursery, a range of deep coral pinks, reds and incorporated light pink undertones. “In addition to the time of year, the party was a week from Valentines day so I wanted to carry through the colors and theme into some of the details of the party.”

The crown theme carried over into her birthday party celebration where Kaleigh’s cake was a three-tiered Ombre styled cake topped with a fondant crown. The cake was made of vanilla cake and fresh strawberry butter cream filling and so scrumptious.  She also had vanilla cake and fresh strawberry puree filled cupcakes topped with crowns & pearls.

Cakes  by Kathryn Jones of Divine Confections

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 We’ve featured several of Lauren from Crave Indulge Satisfy‘s parties before and we can’t believe how time flies. It seems like yesterday we were revealing Sam’s teal and orange boy nursery room and now it’s time to share the details of her son Sam’s turning one with a little man bow tie and mustache birthday party.

Lauren wanted the focal point of the birthday dessert table to be all about Sam, so she used the same DIY chalkboard from his invitation photo shoot and customized it with his name and a #1 tie. (“Sam’s daddy is the chalkboard artist in our house!”) The backdrop for the table was created using wood planks and embellished with three hanging garlands of ties/bow ties, polka dots and mustaches. Paper medallions and balloons were used to create some bold pops of color to finish off the look.

Mustache brownies, tie/bow tie cookies and cupcakes with mustache and fabric bow tie toppers were served for all the guests to enjoy. Flanking all the sweets were a larger chocolate polka dot cake and Sam’s smash cake. The cutest polka dot and stripe forks we’ve ever seen from SucreShop were offered to guests for easy eating.

Adjacent from the dessert table was the favor/photo station. Pictures were displayed from an old vintage window found at a local antique shop of Sam from birth to one. Candy was displayed in apothecary jars for guests to “fill their stache” in favor bags as they left.

Sam’s party invitation and his first finger painting masterpiece were displayed as guests entered the party. “I stole this idea from my friend Jamie. She had her son Jonah do this for his first birthday and it was absolutely adorable! I must say Sam has some great artistic ability!”

Carrying on the tie/bow tie, polka dot and mustache theme from the dessert table, three more garlands were hung from this old eight pane window that hangs above our couch.

Lemonade was served in mason jars with mustache stripe straws!

Our dining room table was decorated with a lime green burlap runner and yellow ribbon and sprinkled with mustache and circle confetti. Simple spring flowers were placed in antique blue mason jars.

Since we had his big celebration at the end of his birthday week, Lauren decided to make the #1 out of photos taken only from his birthday week.

Sam’s party was over Easter weekend so we decided to have an egg hunt for a fun activity with all the kids.  Adorable mustache eggs were found online and perfect for the kiddies. All the outdoor tables were decorated with mustache and circle confetti and flower pots wrapped with bow ties and filled with Easter eggs.

“We also created a photo booth area with props for the guests to have fun and be a little silly carrying out the mustache and bow tie theme!”

Let’s just say this little guy loves him some cake and icing! “Sam had a blast digging right in and flinging icing all over his forehead and hair! I even ended up with a streak of yellow icing in my hair somehow.”

“I just love the pictures my sister was able to capture, his facial expressions are priceless! Check out that yellow icing in his hair! Absolutely love this facial expression, he has definitely been smiling and laughing! I love this little guy so much! Look at that little face!”

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Angry birds is one of the most popular games available for mobile devices and it’s a favorite for a little girl celebrating her birthday. DatNhan from Whisker Paper Scissors pulled all the wild elements from this game to put together a fun-filled Angry Birds dessert table for her birthday.

Vanilla macarons were displayed inside little DIY nest and labeled as “eggs” that need to be rescued.

Fruit cups filled with berries and grapes.

Gummy worms labeled as an “Early Bird Special” and M&Ms labeled as “Angry Bird Droppings”.

Some very angry, Angry bird cake pops. The faces are perfect!

Chocolate pig face cupcakes adorned with little pink bows and sparkly crowns.

 And of course, a fun Angry Birds cake scene in fondant.

The pigs are mean, but don’t you just love this adorable family of pigs?

To complete the table, DatNhan included “level 4″ cookies in honor of the birthday girl’s age and slingshot cookies.

For activities at the party, DatNhan included Angry Birds themed games, like Knock Down the Pigs and Pin the Birds on the Pigs.

At the kids tables, popcorn boxes and fruit cups were set up at each seat and placed jars of pretzel sticks and carafes filled with lemonade at the center of each table.  ”To keep the kids occupied while at their seats, we had little red and white polka dot boxes filled with crayons and glitter glue along with Angry Bird coloring sheets and yellow crowns for them to decorate.”

Party favors included Angry Bird activity books, crayons and some goodies nestled inside a “TNT” box.

Thanks so much for sharing this Angry Awesome Day with us DatNhan!

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When asked what their favorite thing to do is, sweet little Kaitlyn and Kennedy will gladly tell you, “To have tea parties.” Kaitlyn and Kennedy are two of the most fun little girls you could meet. When it came time for photos of the girls, their mom Nicole, had a great surprise in store for them.

Before the shoot Nicole and Jen of Josh and Jen Photography worked around the clock making props and most importantly putting our “wall” together. “In order to create this all we needed lots of paper and tape!”

The two most common household items can make for something so beautiful and original. In order to achieve this look the Josh and Jen team took a book of scrapbook paper and hand picked pages. This wall goes from dark to light following a checkered pattern on the way down. The 8×8 “wall” had these two princess’ excited for what was to come.

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When time came for the tea party Nicole had surprised them with homemade cupcakes, a set of pearls for each other them and gowns to match.

Kaitlyn and Kennedy paid no mind to the fact they were in a studio, or to the fact that there were flashes and cameras going off, all these two sweet girls cared about doing was pretending they were at a fancy tea party just or them.

Thanks for sharing this fun teatime play date with us!

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This was such a clever birthday party theme for a little boy named Bentley! It was called Camp Bentley and it was an all-out themed event in his backyard complete with a nature scavenger hunt, trail mix buffet, frito pie bar, authentic animals from The Creature Teacher, s’more kit party favors and more!

Guests were greeted to this Earthy filled birthday party by a personalized banner hanging between the trees. It featured all things camping like a camp fire, tents, and Bentley’s name with letters formed out of trees.

These stumps below were such a great detail – these were the chairs that all the kids sat on! Bentley’s dad personally cut these from a dead tree in their backyard!

What’s a better snack for a camping party than trail mix? At Bentley’s camping party, each guest got to make their own brand of trail mix from the buffet table of ingredients. Pretzels, candy, peanuts and others goodies were options at the buffet. And we love the tree trunk centerpiece holding the pine tree printable sign. For dessert there was a cupcake cake, with a tent on the top sitting right by the campire made of frosting.

As an activity, the kids got to go on a scavenger hunt for nature items like pinecones, rocks, and colored leaves in the area. When they left, they went home with s’mores kits as favors… the perfect camping treat!

These animals were amazing for Melissa Darst to photograph. “Bentley had chosen animals to come out to his party and each kid was able to touch them, take photos with them and then learn fun facts about each animal. That green-eyed tree frog was my favorite with all of its colors! I swear he knew how to work it for the camera because he would look straight at me. Below he hopped onto the birthday boy’s head – how special!”

So cute! Thanks for sharing Bentley’s camping adventure with us!

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Yarilda of Simply Divine Event Decor had fun designing this Mickey Mouse Clubhouse first birthday party. Originally it was going to be a Teddy Bear theme, but she was so excited when the client changed her mind to this colorful option.

Each wooden letter was designed with a character in the clubhouse. To make them more realistic Yarilda used a 3D detail on some of the wooden letters.

Aren’t those columns amazing?! The Mickey Mouse columns made of balloons were created by the birthday boy’s grandmother, Marlene Barreiro.

“Something my client asked me was the name of the happy birthday boy  ’DAMIAN”’ on the dessert table. I immediately began the search for the perfect cake to be the center of my inspiration.”

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Photographer Melissa Darst has an awesome life-sized gumball machine and used it for a fun photo shoot honoring a little Miss C.

 But equally as fun for her, was the rainbow gumball themed birthday party it was for! Melissa captured this incredible fifth birthday party with gumballs and bubbles everywhere.

Complete with tons of family and friends, plus bubbles, bubble gum machines, all things pink (her favorite color), lots of sugar and even a balloon artist, who made countless pink poodles.

“I absolutely love to shoot birthday parties and it was such an honor to be a part of Miss C’s big day.”

Printables by Tomkat
Studio

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There is something about 1st birthdays that is really special to photographer Desi.  For a lot of the guests, it’s actually their first time meeting the birthday boy/girl, and it’s just a major milestone for both babies and parents.  “We thank the Kerekes family for choosing us to document this special day in their baby Keegan’s life.”

Desi is always honored to be a part of a child’s life, even if it is just to photograph their first birthday. For Keegan’s first birthday party, it took place at the Zoomars Petting Zoo in San Juan Capistrano.

“We’ve actually never been to a petting zoo, so we didn’t know what to expect. This place is awesome!  There were tons of activities for the kids.”

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Iryna’s husband is Brazilian and in Brazil it is a tradition to celebrate your baby’s first birthday with a BIG party! "We went to a couple of first birthdays and they were amazing. But I also knew that parents spent lots of money, which I didn’t want to spend. So then I came up with the idea of doing everything myself and keep the budget low." Inspired by a huge Mickey Mouse that she knew would make a great inspiration for the party, Iryna set out to create a first  birthday party with all things Walt Disney!

For her magical world of Disney color palette, Iryna chose primary colors in be red, blue, yellow and green, to make a striking visual in her House of the Mouse.

She made her birthday invitations out of simple cardstock. "I cut out a black Mickey head and attached a red pocket with two buttons. Inside the pocket I’ve inserted a little note with the information about the party."

With more great Disney items in the house, Iryna also found great Disney stuffed animals at her local thrift store which cost a mere 50 cents each. For the centerpieces for the tables Iryna bought some small buckets and inserted Styrofoam inside. Then added some curled chenille steams, shredded paper and Mickey theme cutouts on the bamboo skewers. "I also attached little styrofoam Mickey heads and balloons."
So cute!

"I learned online how to make a balloon arch (balloon decorations are a big party of Brazilian culture) and the backdrop I painted myself.

The Mickey topiary was made out of Styrofoam balls and lollipops was a huge hit with the kids just loving it.

"I also made the goodie bags (bought some red yellow blue and green paper bags and decorated them with Mickey characters. Inside I put lots of goodies like Mickey crayons, watches, candies etc. A custom made Brazilian cake
was the dessert for the day along with traditional candies called Brigadeiros."

The dress for my daughter was hand sewn by my sister and my cousin.

"People just loved the party! I had some Brazilian guests who were very surprised that I made everything myself, since most of them thought I hired a professional party decorator!"

Thanks so much for sharing your party with us Iryna!
 

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Anchors away! For her son Noah’s first birthday party, Sue chose a nautical theme and dressed the day up with red, white and blue details for her guests to sail away on.

When picking the color palette, Sue wanted a classic nautical theme. Her vision was more Ralph Lauren comes to the Hamptons for a yacht party. Even her 100 guests wore these colors to match the theme and everyone had a blast.

Almost every aspect of Noah’s first birthday party was a DIY  project. Sue created the invitation using stock paper and added twine for detailing. I attached with twine the Nautical Alphabet… so my quest can decode some of the invitations. Example RSVP was written using the Nautical Alphabet.

For table runners, she bought material and sewed them herself.

Sue bought these cardboard letters and wooden cutouts from Joann’s Crafts before she spray painted them and decorated them with nautical accessories.

“My favorite Nautical detail that my best friend, Alicia  (Noah’s Godmother) and I put lots of thought was the cake table and the anchor shaped balloon sculptures.”

“The anchor shaped balloon sculptures Alicia (best friend/Godmother) made all on her own and it was her first time making them… her creativity saved me 300$… I knew I picked her to be my son’s god mother for a reason!”

Thanks so much for dropping anchor with us Sue!

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We fell in love with a blue-grey ecclectic baby’s room when Emily of Jones Design shared her daughter Audrey’s nursery with us. Audrey recently celebrated her first birthday and Emily hosted a birthday brunch for her with family and a few friends for a nice little party to celebrate the big girl. Ever the inventive type, Emily created these invitations for Audrey’s birthday party.

“I went with blues, gray, white and lots of flowers – just like her nursery and apparently my favorite combination of colors right now.  Her invitations set the tone and it was fun to carry out the peony and striped papers into other parts of the decorations.”

Delicious brunch food was served for the guests, including some of Emily’s favorite pastries (granny horns, cranberry orange scones, Top Pot doughnuts). There was lots of fresh fruit and a fancy egg dish made by Audrey’s adoring daddy.

For the kids, Emily made simple favor bags filled with yogurt covered pretzels. The grown-ups received a beautiful set of monogram note cards.

“Audrey wasn’t too sure what to do with this big pile of sugar, but after her biggest brother gave her a taste, she was hooked.” Look at that face! Thanks Emily for sharing Audrey’s first birthday party with us!

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When Lindi of   love-the-day saw her daughter was obsessed with wearing her butterfly/fairy wings around the house, she didn’t have to beg much to have a birthday party where she could sport the costume. “I loved the idea of soft tones and a vintage feel. Everything flowed from there.” Six sweet girls got to enjoy a day of color, sunshine and butterflies. “There is nothing better than seeing girls running around in wings, tutus and flowered headbands.”

Lindi found those fantastic butterflies in a boutique craft store for 75% off! Never one to pass up a bargain like that, she bought 300 of them! “I used fishing wire to string the butterflies and attached them to a floral wreath that I made.”

Almost the entire party was a collaborative effort of friends and family. “The talented Jenny of Hank & Hunt created the ruffled garland. I absolutely loved it. Jenny is brilliant! My sister sewed the tabled clothes, and the place settings were created by covering cork boards with fabric and all the printable were designed and printed by yours truly!”

Forget ugly nets, Lindi used elegant bird cages as table centerpieces for catching fluttering butterflies. “I saw the bird cage at a thrift store and had one of those, ‘this is perfect’ moments!”

The wings on the backs of the chairs were actually the wings that were purchased for each child to where at the party. But before each child flew away with them, they made for gorgeous decorative chair ties.

“My sister of City Sweet Shop made, mini blueberry pies, key lime tarts, homemade marshmallows, and chocolate ganache mousse. The cake was made by Rene of Rene Takes. And the cake and was creamsicle!” Yum! Thanks Lindi for sharing this beautiful party with us. If you love this, check out Lindi’s sunshine party!

• Fairy Costumes: Halo Heaven
• Flower Headbands: The Little Pea
• Linens: Mandi Jackson
• Photography: Jon and Melissa Smith
• Printables and Styling: Love The Day
• Ruffle Garland:  Hank And Hunt
• Cake: Rene Takes The Cake
• Sweet Treats: City Sweets
(Lemon Curd Tarts, Blueberries Pies, Cupcakes, Chocolate Mousse, Marshmallows, & Dipped Cookies)

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The Teddy Bear’s Picnic was a song written in the 1930s and was widely popular back then. Preston’s mom Amy listened to it growing up and loves anything nostalgic to the past. She shared the song and book with her generation of children because “it’s just so classic. It came with the Bing Crosby song on a record in the back of the book and we used to listen to it all the time. My mom had the great idea to use the book and song as the theme for Preston’s first birthday party. And who doesn’t love teddy bears?”

The invitations were done by the fabulous Loralee Lewis.  Red and turquoise became the official party colors. She used a line taken from the book, “If you go out in the woods today, you’d better go in disguise” sat by the bear ears which each child was given as they arrived.

A life-sized teddy bear (also known as Amy’s fantastic brother-in-law) attended the party to the children’s delight!

Amy used burlap tablecloths and borrowed some red gingham toppers from a friend. “I also borrowed several of the serving items from Mrs. Gatewood and some decor from my friend, Sarah.”

Amy also put her DIY skills to use, making the banner and birthday hat that decorated Preston’s high chair. “I made a photo backdrop so that all the guests could take a picture with the birthday boy. It’s a tradition I would like to keep at future birthday parties, so we can always look back and remember who came to his party each year.  I also made the fabric banner by cutting triangles into the fabric and hanging with some twine. Brett and my mom made the balloon arch at the entrance. They had some tired hands when they were done, but it turned out amazing!”

“My favorite part of the day was watching Preston enjoy his birthday cake. I knew he would love it, and he did. He would have eaten the entire cake had we not taken it away from him at some point. The boy loves to eat!”

Thanks Amy and Natasha at Imagery by Natasha for sharing this bear of a day with us!

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

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In Kimberly’s house, The Very Hungry Caterpillar book by Eric Carle is a favorite read. The story and colors are so beautiful. And since she runs Kimberly’s Kitchen, she loves that it’s about food. “I was trying to think of something that worked for spring, that wasn’t a “character”- our kids don’t watch TV so it wouldn’t mean anything to them. I also wanted it to reflect their ages. They both enjoy the book right now and read it together. I thought it would make a great theme for the day.”

Since green is Kimberly’s favorite color, choosing the hue played a factor. “Given that I have two girls I figured I should get a green party in while I can. Pink and purple parties are my future, I’m sure.” Since Kimberly  also loves yellow, she went with Grass Green and Lemon Yellow for direction. “After deciding on colors I thought about what types of decorations we could use at the park and what would work on the tables.”

Kimberly sent a call out to designers and Brigitte of The Posh Event designed the invitation. “She sent it to me to print, which I did on cardstock, and it looked beautiful. I wanted a banner that invited everyone to the picnic site, done by Bella Grey Designs, one at the table by Sweet Stella’s, and the sweets and loot bags were the décor as well.”

Using the book for inspiration- the sweets table was decorated with a fruit basket of all the fruits that the Caterpillar eats. “I used the loot bags as a background on the table and the green and yellow paper plates and napkins brought color to the picnic. Simple details work best when you are outdoors and managing kids.”

While Kimberly’s first thought was to use foods that the caterpillar ate on a Saturday to fit her party day, sausages and lollipops didn’t seem like they would work. “I am a huge fan of Southern BBQ and it is my go-to entertaining inspiration. I also needed easy picnic food. We had pulled pork on buns, coleslaw, bean salad, and potato salad. Easy to put together and enjoyed my all. For dessert, we had caterpillar cupcakes, my gourmet marshmallows from Kimberley’s Kitchen, cookies from iBakery and Em’s Gems, fresh fruit- watermelon and strawberries.”

“Without a doubt, my favorite part was the banner created by Shannon of Sweet Stella’s. Hand stamped with Happy Birthday and embellished with removable paper pieces- the caterpillar and all the fruits from the book. It was a perfect example of being inspired by a theme without trying to re-create the artwork of the book, something I definitely wanted to avoid. The pieces can be removed so that the banner can be made into another theme- how clever! It is now hanging in my girls’ room.”

“This is definitely one of my favorite parties because it was the first for our second daughter. Celebrating turning one is special. I think what I love best about capturing it is that it is a real party. There are lots of great ideas out there but I like to see real parties in action.” Thanks Kimberly for sharing this hungry caterpillar party with us!

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A birthday plate perfect for boys and girls of all ages, these just ducky first birthday dinner plates will help you set the theme for a quacking party. Perfect for holding your guests’ food, or for appetizers, entrees, and other party treats, they will work beautifully with a rubber ducky birthday party theme.

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Shana is using all Belva June‘s old decorating and designing secrets and making them new. Shana’s daughter wanted a western theme birthday party, but she would not go for anything ‘boyish’. “It had to have pink and lots of it! My daughter loves horses and all things Cowgirl, yet she is also a very girly-girl and feminine. I wanted to create something that equally reflected both of those strong characteristics in her. I knew that touches of brown and tan would bring in that “rustic/authentic” southern feel that we were looking for but only in small amounts, we still wanted to capture her femininity. Once I got an overall feel for what I was going for, I designed the printables around that. I think they were a great fit!”

Shana says that DIY printables are great for partying parents because you can print as many as you want for the same price. “Once you purchase the PDF’s they are all yours to use to your heart’s content! They are also great because where else can you find a cupcake wrap that matches your drink labels that also goes with your invitation and thank you cards? You just can’t get that in stores!”

First up on the party menu for the dozen kids and six adults: picking the food! “I’m a food girl!” Shana is proud to admit. “I think food can bring so much to support the theme of an event.  I just had to serve home-style biscuits with homemade jam and drinks from mason jars. It doesn’t get more southern than that!”

Birthday girl Hailey was the first one up that morning – at 6AM. “She was so excited she couldn’t sleep! Hailey’s favorite part was standing outside when everyone arrived and pointing out the ‘COWGIRL PARKING ONLY – ALL OTHERS WILL BE TOWED’ signs that we put in the front lawn. She thought it was so funny!”

With DIY printables being so hot right now, Shana coordinated everything down to the cupcake liners. “It is so great to have the freedom to create your vision for an event exactly! For Hailey’s party I created the invitation, thank you cards, cupcake toppers, cupcake wraps, food labels, gift tags, table banner, Hailey’s “Wanted” poster, and the cake bunting banner. The look was very delicate and feminine yet the pink paisley pattern really captured the western feel. I also tried to bring in a western vibe by using phrases like “howdy ya’ll” in the invite and “happy trails” for the gift bag tags.”

Shana made all my décor herself, baked all the food, and took—and edited!—all  the pictures. “I made the 11 pink tissue pom poms and 6 brown poms. I got a few yards of burlap and made a table runner with it for the dessert table, and I found some perfect pink flannel fabric that I used to line the biscuits basket and I made a few fabric napkins. My biggest challenge was the backdrop. I wanted the photos to be crisp and clean with a white background. My handy husband came to my rescue by stacking our two 5 ft table benches on the kitchen island behind the food table and draping a large white tablecloth over it.”

The bunting banner was a last minute ‘Hmmm, something is missing…’ moment that Shana took advantage of. “I hadn’t actually created the mini triangles as an “item” for the collection but I had an extra copy of cupcake wraps that I wasn’t using so I quickly cut out little triangles and hot glued them to a string and strung it from one straw to the other.”

When you’re as amazing a baker as Shana, desserts are chosen by request from her family. She made classic chocolate cupcakes with homemade raspberry filling and chocolate frosting, and chocolate centered cake pops with very light pink candy melts and chocolate drizzle. But the cake was truly the show stopper! “When I think of a statement cake I always think “fondant” but it’s just not as tasty. I wanted something that could truly hold its own as the focal point of the table and be just as kind to the palate as it is to the eye! I don’t mean to toot my own horn but it is sooooo good! The cake was a three layer French vanilla cake. My favorite thing about it is the added moisture and unexpected zip that a little lemon gives on each layer gives! I may have had a little for breakfast the next morning wink wink!”

As favors, each party child got a gift bag that said “Happy Trails” on it and rather than them being pre-filled, the kids filled them throughout the party by winning games and batting the piñata.

Shana gives great advice for parents looking to emulate her party look: Less is more! “Don’t shove your theme down your guest’s throat,” advises Shana. “If you are going for a circus/carnival theme, don’t clutter your table with busy clown table cloths, napkins, plates, balloons, party hats, and a clown cake. Be subtle. Incorporate that whimsical look instead by using colorful gumballs or candies to bring color, try solid colored balloons or pom poms and solid or delicate patterns for larger items such as table cloths and backdrops. Then make your details count! Still want clowns, add them to the drink wraps or to a toothpick flag,  then your amazing clown cake will really stand out instead of getting lost in the clutter!” Thanks Shana for sharing Hailey’s beautiful party with us!

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The inspiration for Nadia’s son’s special first birthday party came from his nursery. Using the pale yellow and grey palette of the giraffe’s seen in his room, she created a beautiful birthday party by keeping the theme simple and not too baby-ish.

Nadia planned an outdoor/indoor party and set up a tent with some tables and chairs that she decorated with balloons and crepe paper streamers. A welcome table with a “guest poster”, her version of a guest book where people can sign, along with pictures and party hats were set up.

“I used Ikea frames to display little notes among the different tables and to display my son’s name in the main dessert table inside.”

Nadia also made little food signs and decorated with pinwheels placed in Izzy bottles, crepe paper streamers, fabric pennants and lots of balloons.

“Basically I designed and handmade everything with the help of my mom and sister, which made it a very special party. We also had a fun piñata, handmade by my sister.”

The party was in the morning so a brunch menu was prepared along with Cheerios and berries were the favorite for the little ones.

“For the dessert table my sister baked chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, cake pops and the smash cake. We also had pineapple jell-o and I put together a tiny candy table with traditional Peruvian treats my sister brought, with little bags for people to take home. As a surprise we had an ice cream truck come and park in our driveway.”

For party favors Nadia filled colorful beach pails with little books, bubbles and some beach toys for the little ones. For the big kids she found bubble ice cream bars (A lot of people thought they were really ice cream and were worried they would melt under the sun! )and attached a little tag to add a little personal touch.

Thanks for sharing his fun party with us Nadia!

Styling: Nadia of mamemima
Photographer: Elkin Cardona Photography

Paper plates, napkins and balloons: Party City

Striped straws and paper bags: Layer Cake Shop

Cupcake liners: HeyYoYo

Paper supplies for invitations and all paper things : Paper Presentation

Ice Cream Truck: Jimmy’s Soft Serve

Pinata: inspired by Oh Happy Day

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The next generation is finally seeing how awesome the Muppets are! Inspired by their popularity resurgence, Lynlee of Lynlee’s Petite Cakes took her favorite character–the divine Miss Piggy–and put a contemporary twist on it. Welcome to the Miss Piggy in Paris party!

Posh, chic and glamorous, Lynlee has a special place in her heart for pigs as several members of her family were born in the year of the pig, according the Chinese calendar. In “The Muppets” Miss Piggy is working as an editor for French Vogue and Lynlee wanted to incorporate fashion, glam and Paris in the details.

“I’ve seen a lot of parties centered around the classic Barbie silhouette and I thought it would be fun to utilize the same concept. I asked Michele at Intrigue Design Studio to design a silhouette of Miss Piggy, which I also paired with a Chanel-inspired houndstooth pattern and floral graphics from Cupcake Cutiees.”

Lynlee designed the invites to resemble magazine subscription inserts. “Yes, the annoying ones that always fall out when you’re trying to read them!” She infused a bit of green throughout to symbolize Kermit the Frog, which also worked well with the light green walls.  Food tags highlighted the “Editor’s Picks”.

The center of the dessert table included Miss Piggy’s “Top Looks”, showcasing outfits and accessories with fondant on sugar cookies. In a black ornate frame, she carved Miss Piggy’s silhouette out of rice krispy treats and decorated it with fondant and her pearl necklace with flower, matching the graphics. She also made chocolate Eiffel Tower pops and lipstick cake pops displayed in push pops containers from Cupkate’s Event Design. Scattered throughout the table were some strawberry cupcakes with black fondant decor.

“I had accessories and props available to take glam cover shots, including sunglasses, pearl necklaces and floral pins. I found a chocolate mold for piggy snouts, which were not only great to give away with the favors, but also served as additional photo props!  The favor bags included piggy bath salts, notepads and lipstick pens, bubble measuring tape and green Kermit lip gloss.”

“As you can see, we had a fabulous time posing for our magazine pictures! It was truly such a fun theme that can truly apply to any age!”

Thanks for sharing this awesome Muppet idea with us!

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We were sent a first birthday party so original, that if Baby Lifestyles could give an award for most unique first birthday party idea, we’d give it to Kate Powell of Lime Design. Kate loves parties of all kinds, but she went all out on a fun and original theme for her son’s first birthday party. Years ago she spotted a “Mr. Man” party and tucked the idea away in case she ever had a little man of her own. When her son Dean did celebrate his first year, she was armed and ready to throw her little man a “Mr. Man” party of her own. This middle school English teacher says she’s “not a professional party planner by any stretch, but I love entertaining.” She could have fooled us!

Kate incorporated every creative idea for this ‘Mr. Man’ party. From signage at the drink station that said ‘Wet Your Whiskers’ to mustache cookies, no detail was left without a thought. “It definitely took some time to plan, create, and execute all of these details,” Kate said. “I dedicated a few nights a week after my son went to sleep to working on details. It definitely makes this process much more enjoyable and a lot less stressful!”

Being very detail oriented, one of Kate’s personal touches was the little robe her ‘Mr. Man’ was wearing. “I always take note of the birthday boy or girl’s party outfit. I especially love it when they coordinate with the theme. After all, that little person is the ultimate detail of the day!” That’s why she had Dean in a personalized mustache t-shirt by Finley & Oliver. Kate had the back monogrammed to say ‘Mister Dean.’ How apropos!

One of her other favorite details was the photobooth “because it was hands-on and got the party guests involved in the fun!” The photobooth Kate created was really surprisingly simple. “I started by googling images of mustaches and lips. I used those images as models and drew sketches freehand, which served as patterns. Then I cut a bunch of staches and lips from textured scrapbook papers, and attached them to long lollipop sticks with hot glue. I spray-painted old frames my father-in-law was dying to get rid of, grabbed some of my husbands ties, some old newspapers, a fedora hat, and made ties out of scrapbook paper, which I attached to napkins that could be tucked into shirts.”

The food also fit the theme of the day. Party guests ‘Wet Their Whiskers’ with all kinds of beverages including ‘Manly Growlers’ and gourmet sodas with custom mustache straws. Along with Dean’s birthday boy cake, the dessert buffet table included Lil’ Man Milkshakes, Who’s the Man Cookies, Stache Bash Pops, and Maneater Sweets!

Kate took a DIY approach to many elements of the party including the Stache Bash pops, which Kate made herself using mustache molds from Bake it Pretty, Wilton Candy Melts, and lollipop sticks from Michaels. “It was as simple as melting the chocolate, pouring it in the molds, letting it set, and then packaging the pops in clear plastic bags and tying them with some cute ribbon in the party colors.”

The cake was decorated with adorable neckties going around it, and for ‘Mr. Dean’ himself, his own personal cupcake. “My favorite part of the day was watching my little guy dig into his birthday cupcake. It was his first of sweets of any kind, and he absolutely loved it.”

There were so many great ideas Kate came up with that some were even left on the cutting room floor! “One of my original ideas was to create a station for the kids where they would make and design their own ties. Not only would this keep the kiddies busy during the party, but it would also be a cute accessory they could wear for the remainder of the party, as well as a fun keepsake once the party was over.”

Kate’s birthday party planning advice: “It’s easy to get carried away with the details of the party when really, the point is to celebrate this little person’s life and the blessing they are to you and your loved one’s lives. It’s always a good idea to remind yourself of the true purpose of the party and make that your focus.”

PARTY VENDOR CREDITS
Dean’s Party Tshirt :: Finley & Oliver {www.finleyandoliver.com}
Cake/Pistachio French Macaroons :: Kara Doyle
Tie/Mustache cookies :: Katherine Lynch
16×20 matboard photo on dessert table :: Karen Carpenter Photography
Suitcases on dessert display :: Land of Nod {www.landofnod.com}
Polka dot straws :: Bake it Pretty {www.bakeitpretty.com}
Honeycomb decoration balls :: Devra Party Supplies {www.devra-party.com}
Mustache crayons :: Etsy seller ZeeBree
Invitations and all custom party signs/tags :: Studio LIME Design {www.limedesign-kate.blogspot.com}
Party Styling :: Studio LIME Design

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Stacy Coon is a gift and stationery buyer, not a professional party planner. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at this Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter party she hosted. “This was a very fun party to create! I wanted it to be a magical event and I think I definitely accomplished that.”

“When planning events like this I find it extremely helpful to have a color theme that compliments the theme of the party-It helps with the decision making. I keep a sketchbook that I fill with ideas and inspiration during the planning process–I clip photos and keep copious notes.”

If you love this table, you should know that it’s trash. Coon found it on someone’s curb with one leg that needed repairing. After she transformed it with a fresh coat of paint, Coon hand lettered part of the through the looking glass story around the edge of the table.

“I picked the candy by the color but also in some cases to tie in the Alice in Wonderland theme-example -The Flamingo Lollipops and the M&Ms-I ordered with text from the story on them.”

“One of my favorite things was the tiered stand that I had the black and white cookies on-because I made it out of melamine plates that I purchased and with my husband’s help drilled the plates and used lamp supplies for the pipe that held them together-The “finial” was a place card holder I had purchased at a craft store in their dollar section but it was perfect! I also love the bird on the glass dome covering the cupcake. He came from the bridal section of the dollar store.”

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Ever since Cupcake Express‘ Ashley’s  daughter Tessa had her last birthday, she’s been talking about the ultimate pink and brown, western themed cowgirl party she’d have next. Ashley spent some time creating the perfect party for Tessa to throw a lasso around. Ashley designed a Cowgirl Photo Invitation as she really wanted to take some pictures of her in her new cowgirl outfit, just for her invitation.  She designed a Pink Girly bandana print invitation with her photo on it.

With a cowgirl theme, bandanas were a must. From their vivid patterns and fun colors, they were a perfect way to brighten up the party and were used throughout the printable collection Ashley created. “We stuck with pinks and brown through out the whole party as we wanted it to be girl but still look like a cowgirl/western party.”

Ashley’s first stop was the fabric store to pick up burlap backdrops for the dessert table. Miniature sized hay bales were a little harder to find, but Michael’s had some for their Halloween collection. “They were perfect exactly what I had been looking for to put on the dessert table.”

Wooden crates decorated with some fabrics from Joanne and some paper shreds covered up the foam box that the cake pops were placed in.

“I got some brown and hot pink bandannas at Wilco and tied them together and strung them around the table adding a little more of the bandannas print.”

For cowgirl party favors, Ashley filled small mason jars with some trail mix and layered it into the jars. Then she added pink paisley print fabric squares to the top of the jars to cover the mix and a printable sticker that said “Cowgirl Snacks”.  So cute! “We also had pink favor bags with some fun cowgirl goodies for the kids to take home. And last some mini cowgirl chocolates with our printable wrappers on them.”

No party is complete without the perfect outfit and Tessa had to have a cute cowgirl outfit! With tons of searching for the perfect cowgirl party outfit, Ashley found the perfect one for her party from Rachel Casey’s  “I found it in red and brown and she said she could make it for my in pink and brown bandana print to match her party perfectly. Then we found Target and found the pink straw hat and the pink cowgirl boots to finish off her outfit. She was one happy little girl when she saw what momma brought home. She couldn’t wait to try on her new Cowgirl outfit.” And doesn’t she look like the perfect cowgirl in it!

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Katie from Petite Social wanted to reuse her red Christmas decorations and came up with the idea of a cookie decorating party for her daughter and friends to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Katie incorporated rustic branches, dark woods, browns, blushes, and deep red hues for this celebration where cookies, cupcakes, and other sweet treats were the stars of the day.

A branch display with hearts attached by a clothespin was a simple and creative centerpiece. The guests were sent home with a variety of Hug Me Heart Candies placed in a LOVE muslin favor bag.

The romantic sweet treats on the dessert table included  Mad for You Macaroons Be Mine Brownies, Kiss me Cake Pops and Cupid’s Cupcakes.

The little guests were given their own personalized cutting board and spatula and heart-shaped cookies to decorate. Frosting and heart candies and sprinkles were set out for the kids to make their creations.

We hope these little ones are in love every day of the year!

These amazing contributors made this party possible. We loved it so much we put them on the cover of our Valentine’s Day 2013 Baby Lifestyles online magazine!

Cupid’s Helpers::

Event Styling: Petite Social

Event Photography by MoxieSox Photography

Custom Designed Party Printables: Frosting & Ink

Macarons: Marianna’s Macarons

Decor & Accessories: Kid’s aprons, Hair Accessories, Baskets from Little Choux

Children’s clothing: Shop Belle

LOVE Muslin Favor Bags: Paper Moon by Kat

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Satisfy your sweet tooth with these fun cupcake invitations for your next baby shower or birthday party. Start your occasion off in a sweet way as you spread the joy of your baby’s birth around town as thick as the icing in your dessert cupcakes. Whether you’re cooking up some fun with cupcake confections as your party theme or giving your friends a sugar rush at your baby shower, with sweet and indulgent details, this choice certainly shows off your good taste.

Are you looking for first birthday party invitations? These cupcake invitations are a fresh, fluffy, and frosted birthday fantasy for your little one’s first big day. The site of scrumptious cupcakes will lure friends and family to your baby’s party when you invite them along on a fanciful trip to the sweets shop with these appetizing birthday party invitations. And what charming good taste you’ll show!

Cupcake Tower	Cupcake Surprise	Hey Cupcake: Tangerine
Sweet Cupcakes: Boy	Cupcake Candle	Velvet Cupcake
Cupcake Ring	Fat Free	Fresh Frosting
Cupcake Charms	Cupcake Row: Princess	Baby Cupcakes Invitation
Pink Cupcake Invitation	Chloe’s Cupcake Invitation	Cupcake Love Invitation
Cupcake Stand Invitation	Cupcake Girl Invitation	Cupcake Love Invitation

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Rasmia of Running in Heelz is going through a pirate phase. A pink pirate phase that is. Her daughter Meemo had a pink pirate themed birthday  party, because it looked so different from her brother’s party and because it’s her favorite color. Spoken like a true pirate princess!

All the girls dressed up as pink pirates, “which was probably tough to find for some but they just loved it and each one of them was proudly showing off her costume,” Rasmia shared. While there were many games to be played by the pirate ladies, the treasure hunt was what they all enjoyed the most.

Pink and black pirate decorations were splashed around for decor. From the balloon centerpieces and skull and cross bones pinata to the pink pirate ship cake and cupcakes, these ladies were anything but damsels in distress. Arrgghhh!

Thanks Rasmia for making a pirate’s life for princesses!

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Kim Stoegbauer has a passion for all things pretty. When it comes to her daughter Kate, there’s nothing she won’t decorate, design, plan or craft for her little girl. Kate — or perhaps mommy Kim — has a definite sweet tooth. For Kate’s first birthday Kim, author of the TomKat Studio, went all out creating a cupcake themed birthday party. To continue giving sweets for her sweetie, Kate’s second birthday party was a Lollipop bonanza!

With her cupcake party, Kim went with an all pastel color palette, because she “tends to wards more muted colors in my designs and decorating.” But brights were much more fitting for her daughter’s big personality. “The bright colors are a perfect reflection of her! I started by finding the perfect paper for the layered lollipop invitations. It is a rainbow striped paper and was really the inspiration for all the decor.”

A major talent in the world of ‘do it yourself’, Kim created the labor intensive invitations herself using a circle cutter made by her idol and DIY queen, Martha Stewart. “Each invite I made required three circles in different sizes. It takes a bit of strength if you are cutting cardstock, and I have to admit that my arms were actually sore the next day! But who gets sore from crafting?!”

Kim considers herself ‘obsessed with details,’ but paper products are her specialty. Her favorite detail of the party were the cupcake toppers, which she customized with Kate’s name, initials, sayings and photos. “They turned out adorable in the bright colors, on the white frosting topped with bright yummy sprinkles…who could resist?

If you like the decorations Kim made, you can purchase them at her Etsy store. Stay tuned for next year’s birthday party extravaganza. (Kim’s thinking ice cream!)

Did this idea help you? We’d like to see how your party turned out! Submit your party to Baby Lifestyles’ Party Girl!

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Earlier in the year, Naomi of  Hello Naomi made Christian’s super cute owl christnening cake. The entire party turned out too cute for words. The bottom tier of her cake was designed to match the invitation. She also put together the mini dessert table with so sweet little buttercream cupcakes, meringues and mint balls all to match the color scheme and owl.

Fast forward a few months and Naomi has now made Christian’s first birthday party cake. Naomi had the idea to turn her heart balloon design into a hot air balloon cake. To create this beautiful dessert table, Naomi supplied the cake, cupcakes, cookies, coonut ice and cake pops. The beautiful printables are by the wonderful Mon Tresor.

Thanks for sharing your amazing desserts with us Naomi!

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After all the planning and stressing for her son’s second birthday party,  Brittanie had family, friends and a whole lot of sugar come together for this incredible lumberjack party.

She used branches to make a to create a tree-like centerpiece for her food table. Little pillow box owls housed treats for the toddlers, including yogurt melts for the really young guests.“When I thought about Lumberjacks, I thought they probably would use an old style lunchbox. I was able to find one for a great price so I used it to hold the S’mores pops! If I had a little more time I would have covered the Styrofoam.”

“We’ve had this truck for a few years, it was in the yard decor section at Michael’s, it’s been re- painted a couple
times and almost made it’s way to the garage sale pile a few times too. So glad I kept it, it tied in perfectly with this theme! The little “logs” are rolls covered in shelf liner and card stock ends. They are filled with little baggies of trail mix.”

Brittanie tried to find candies to fit with her lumberjack party which was more difficult than she thought. Red and black candies fit the theme, as she was trying to mimic the buffalo check flannel shirts lumberjacks are commonly seen wearing.

After ordering a mini cake from her local bakery which has “THE BEST” frosting, Brittanie used a fork to make bark lines into her tree trunk cake. She added the F monogram in back. “I love monograms done on tables!” She used a paper mache letter and some moss glue to create this forest affect.

Marshmallow lumberjack axes were made with flat stackable marshmallows and pretzels. She cut each mallow in half then trimmed it into the right shape and stuck the pretzel through the small end and covered in red candy melts. “They were easy and yummy.”

Brittanie also baked cupcakes. While she kept the decorations simple, she went wild on the flavors! “I made vanilla, chocolate and also pancakes and bacon. Kinda weird but super tasty!”

Lumberjack-themed activities were also planned for the kids. “One was to decorate a planter and plant a little sapling, I was so bummed when the new to etsy seller didn’t get the memo on how orders worked and couldn’t get them to me in time. So instead I had hubby make some wood slices from a branch in our scrap pile, drill a hole in each one and made it a necklace for the kids to color and put a few stickers on. Wasn’t my first choice but it turned out fine and the kids all had fun. I also made a piñata to look like a log, out of an oatmeal box.”

Thanks Brittanie for sharing Finnley’s lumberjack party with us! Can’t wait to see what you plan next!

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At her prom birthday party, birthday girl Grace insisted on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for her party. But mom Melissa jazzed them up far beyond cutting the crust off. She was able to get fancy pastel colored bread from her local grocery store to give the sandwiches some extra bite. Each prom guest also “dined” in a bag of baked chips and grapes that Melissa packaged in individual servings the night before. No prom wouldn’t be complete without prom punch, and the chaperones seemed to like the punch more than their kids.

Melissa created a dazzling dessert buffet for this enchanted prom party. She decorated the table with boas and feathers and glittering disco balls adding some sparkle to the sprinkles. “I along with my sister, my dad and my niece have celiac,” Melissa said, adding that many of the desserts and candies were gluten free. “I wanted to stick with the color theme, so I looked for pink type desserts and candies. I love how Whirly Pops look on a sweets table. They are adorable and they are an easy way to bring color into the table.”

Melissa also used the party as her opportunity to try baking cake pops for the first time. “It was much easier than I thought! I had read the reviews of the “babycakes” cake pop maker and thought I’d give it a try. I used a box cake to make the cake pops rather than one of the recipes in the directions. It took a bit to get a handle on how much batter to put in the cups, but after I overfilled a few, I had a good understanding of how much to put in the cups.”

Along with making the chocolate covered popcorn and the cupcakes, Melissa also DIYed some projects for the table. She created the white pedestals for the cupcakes to give them a more regal appearance. She made the cake bunting using a free printable from TomKat Studios and then added her on personal touch by putting a little bling on it to go with the theme. Another printable from TomKat Studios was used for the cake banner. Melissa used baker’s twine to string it together, paper straws as the anchors, and topped it off with a little sparkle.

“I find the kids never eat the cake so for me, I don’t like to spend a ton of money on cake for the kids. For the adults however, that is another story!” One of Grace’s friend’s mom made the elegant ruffle cake and the macaroons. The cake was gluten free chocolate with Ghirardelli chocolate. “The ruffles matched the backdrop from the favor table and was elegant and girly for the prom theme.”

Stay tuned for part 3 of the enchanted prom party Melissa threw for Grace! The fun favors given away!

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