An Ocean Themed 1st Birthday

Just in time for summer, Gwynn of Gwynn Wasson Designs sent me these photos of a fun-filled first birthday party.  The colors of the ocean, whales, fishnet, and a sassy play on words makes this an inspiration piece you'll want to create yourself.  Read on for all the deatails from Gwynn herself...

"For Jack's first birthday, I was asked to put together something that didn't feel too old, or too typical but still had a nautical flavor. I chose to use various shades of blue and aqua and then give it all an unexpected modern twist by introducing bold shots of chartreuse. Given the fact that Jack, at the ripe old age of 1, was still a little guy, and sometimes was referred to as a Lil' Squirt, we decided to tie that nickname to the image of a whale and use that as the icon for the party. It was incorporated into all of the party items (available in my shop) from the invitation all the way to the favor tags.

For the older kids we created box lunches with jelly(fish) and cream cheese sandwiches cut to look like starfish, goldfish crackers, (sea) cucumbers, and carrots cut to look like sea anemones. The lunches were packed into take out boxes and labeled as "fish food".

The dessert table was created on a budget. Popcorn, cupcakes, cotton candy, meringues and cookies were all purchased from a local grocery store for under $40!

During the party, all of the kids were given a Lil' Squirt of there own to play with. (There seems be nothing kids like better than to drench things with squirt bottle. It truly keeps them occupied for wonderfully long periods of time!) And when the party was over, everyone left with a pail full of favors so that they would be fully equipped for their next "nautical" adventure!"

Thank you for the wonderful party Gwynn!  Find the "Little Squirt" printables set in her shop - just in time for pool parties!

"Splish Splash" First Birthday Party

Who says you can't have a pool party in the dead of winter??  Not Tabitha of Fresh Mommy Blog, who wanted to celebrate her 1 year old's birthday in a way he would love - splishing & splashing in the water!  Tabitha was able to rent out a local aquatic center for the party, and proceeded to incorporate mini beach balls, sun glasses, bubbles, and beach pails, in a blue and orange color scheme.   In her own words, Tabitha describes the party... 

Decor:  Behind the Guest of Honor's highchair was a photo wall of prints clothesline-pinned onto strips of ribbon to showcase the birthday boy's first year (100 photos). To incorporate the color theme as well as keep the look a bit modern, we used the classic, beachy blue and white stripe throughout the party as well as an orange and white polka dot pattern to keep it sweet.

Menu:  When planning the party menu, we did a fusion of what we like to order from a poolside cabana (burgers and fries), and easy, kid-friendly food! We were able to cook burgers on site, so we offered Poolside Sliders (mini-burgers), and since we couldn't cook fries there, we instead had veggie fries... perfect finger food for one-year olds, which were served in individual portions in snow cone cups, and held into a "pool" of foam with wooden skewer sticks. We also had Gnarly Noodle Mac-n-Cheese, Blue Lagoon Jello Shots (each with their own gummy fish swimming in it and alcohol free, of course!), Goldfish crackers, blue gummy sharks, and orange slices.

To add a little more sweetness to the already sweet occasion, we served orange crush, topped with mini doughnuts and held onto the bottle with a fish straw (to give the illusion of a fish floating on a blue inner tube), and the kids (and adults) loved it! We also served snow cones with blue or orange topping to add to the "Summer" affair.

Coordinating signs to show off the menu were printed and held in slim white Ikea frames and matching labels were attached to Crush bottles and water bottles to keep it all consistent.

Favors: Each child took home their fish straw and beach ball, along with their own customized sand pail filled with a squirt gun, "Fish" ring sucker, sunglasses, "Shark Tank" bubbles and a little shark that squirts water, which they found on the gift table with a custom sign that read, "Thanks for making a splash at Brayden's first birthday bash!" and smaller tags attached to the pails that said the same... and they were able to take their favors to the pool area for even more fun.

Of course, we couldn't have it all without something cute for the birthday boy to wear, so we had a shirt made to match the theme. I just picked up the shirt and polka dot fabric from Hobby Lobby, and an embroiderer did the rest!

Everything went by so quickly because the main gist of the party was pool time. Once we finished up the cake and presents it was time for the hit of the party... announcing, "It's time to swim!" and watching all the kids run around in circles until we directed them to the pools and water slide!

Thank you Tabitha for sharing your party with us, and giving us some great inspiration for a Summer pool party too!

Resources & Credits:

Photography - Relish Studio

Mini Donuts - Dough a Deer

Bottle labels (water & soda) - Online Labels

Fish Straws - Birthday in a Box

Vintage Butterfly Party

Carey of With Joy blog shared this party with us, of her daughter's first birthday decorated with a Vintage Butterfly theme.  She did much of the crafting herself, but also used the help of a few great vendors along the way.  I think you'll agree this is one adorable party, and Carey thought of everything! 

The invitations set the tone for the party to come.  Designed by Rebecca of Fresh Chic Design, and wrapped with a paper doiley, this looks like a party not to be missed - and of course, the birthday girl is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen! 

I really love how Carey used paper chains in this design - as part of the backdrop, accenting the welcome sign, and as a cake topper.  This is creativity at it's best!

Another material used throughout is burlap.  The custom pleated table cloth from Sweet Tea and Linen is stunning in my opinion.  The dessert table is a treat for the eyes as well as the palette.  Carey crafted paper fan rosettes, and displayed sweets including dipped oreos from Naturally I, in a variety of milk glass vessels.

More decorative details are added to the craft table, and to the rest of the party space.  The hanging mobiles and banner backed by ribbons helps to bring the eye upward so you feel surrounded.  What a great party!  You can see even more by visiting With Joy blog.    

Vendors:

Invitations - Fresh Chic Design

Burlap Table Cloth - Sweet Tea and Linen

Dipped Oreos - Naturally I



Barnyard Birthday Party

This sweet first birthday party was sent in by Tara of Shindig Diva, and offers up some adorable little details!  A "sky" backdrop gives an outdoor atmosphere on this chilly January day, while the mix of gingham and cow print patterns used in the banner, signage, and tabletops gives this party a classic farm feel.   

Many of these ideas can be re-created to host your own Barnyard Bash: bales of hay, cowboy hats, apples, animal crackers & lollipops, and some party printables are all you need to get started.  You can read more and see all the details on the Shindig Diva post.  Thanks for sharing Tara!

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles Birthday Party

A couple of months ago I was asked by HGTV.com to share some DIY ideas for kid's birthday party favors and decor.  I was thrilled to be part of the feature for their site and decided I would put together something very simple for the beginner party planning mom.

My theme was Planes, Trains, and Automobiles inspired by the classic wooden toys I found in the $1 isle of Target.  The train made a great centerpiece to hold a personalized birthday banner, and the airplanes were hung from above to create a "mobile" over the table.

Coordinating scrapbook paper with monogram stickers were wrapped around juice boxes and will remind the kid's which drink is theirs.  Traffic signs found online were simply printed and cut out to top off the cupcakes.  I know we are so familiar with party printables, but I wanted to show how you could decorate a party if you are not familiar with them. 

Finally, a different vehicle was placed at each place setting and makes a great take-home favor.

Speaking of favors, I put together small take-out boxes filled with play dough, an easy themed activity book, another vehicle, and cotton candy "clouds."  The 'clouds' tag and birthday banner were both created in Picnik - super easy!

You can see this children's party featured on the HGTV website, in a gallery alongside some other pretty amazing party gal's designs.

Just goes to show you can create a cute party without spending a fortune, or hiring a planner (but shhhhh, that's just between you and me).

 

A Botanical Garden Birthday Party

I was so thrilled when I found this submission all the way from the Philippines, in my "in" box this week.  Anna hosted a 1st Birthday Party for her daughter Arie, that is so beautiful and elegant it would be wonderful for a baby shower as well.  The photos are from Karen Ilagan Photography, who captured all the sweet details.

The scene is set at a botanical garden with lush greenery welcoming guests.  Once inside, a long table is set with "Arie's Year of Firsts" showcasing photos and memorabilia from the past year.  The bird motif, flowers, and use of fabric create a stunning French Botanical feeling to the party.  

Tabletops are simple but stunning with an eclectic mix of bottles and jars holding an array of flowers.  Fabric strips adorn the backs of chairs and are seen throughout the party in swags, ties, and other decorative elements.

Below, you can see how the fabric was used to cover chipboard shapes (birds & owls) that were hanging on the note "tree."  It was also used to cover the children's tables - a lovely touch!

And at the end of the day each child went home with a monogrammed bag. 

There are so many take-away ideas from this stunning party:  the "year of firsts" table, the beautifully covered kids tables, fabric covered chipboard shapes...

I hope you'll incorporate some of these into your next party.

Thanks to Anna and Karen Ilagan Photography for sharing!