This past Saturday we held Mary's 1st Birthday party. I'd say, I've been planning the party since last August. I felt that if I spread out the expenses it would be better then taking one giant hit at once. I knew we wanted to do owls, because her nursery is owls and she kind of became the girl who loves owls. I ran with it and had so much fun doing it. Did I get a little crazy, yes....was it worth it, yes!
So let's break it down ( tell me you just went into MC Hammer).........
First up the inspiration to the whole party, the invitation. My good friend Jessica who's Etsy shop is Two Little Birds Design, created this invitation for me. She knew exactly what I wanted and was able to create the exact look and feel I was going for. I had Becca over at Jumping Jax Designs add the birds and she was able to print them for me. Birds not shown in this version, but they were there!
Next up - Banners and cupcake toppers. I searched all over Etsy for what I was looking for and came across Pink Paper Cottage. Lorry was so easy to work with and she didn't even think I was crazy ordering the banners back in November or maybe August. Then in December, I had a last minute change with cupcakes and I didn't have anything for them so I contacted her again to make cupcake toppers. She of course matched them for me and the turn around time was quick. The quality of work was amazing and I highly suggest using her.
Mary's outfit was a no brainer - tutu all the way and a cute onesie and of course hair bow! The tutu came from Little Moments and yes I know it says Photography but she makes tutus and other accessories on the side. I actual won the tutu back in August and she was kind enough to wait for me to order a little later. When the tutu came, I probably squealed because it was so perfect. I loved that she sewed the ribbon to the tulle and the colors - she matched the invitation perfectly.
Mary's onesie came from Naptime Craft Mommy and her bow from Little Roo's Boutique. I found Naptime through a moms board and I can't begin to tell you how happy I was working with Tracy. She was eager to help and got me exactly what I wanted. The colors also matched perfectly with the tutu. Once I was able to lock those two things, I need a cute but not over the top hair bow, so I contacted Shannon at Little Roo's. Her bow, was the perfect touch to complete the outfit. I have bought lots of bows from Shannon in the past and seriously she is so fun and comes up with the cutest designs.
Now the decor and this is a cute story. I've been loving the poms that everyone has been using - they are cute, colorful and an easy add on to any party. Last summer, I had found a long lost friend on Facebook and I noticed that she made these adorable poms for a Sesame Street party. After a little searching I saw that she made all kinds of poms for all kinds of parties. I immediately reached out to her and asked if she ever made owls. She said, no, but that it would not be a problem. So, we discussed colors and she worked her magic and viola, owl poms. Michelle also made the kitchen table centerpieces. Those fuzzy little owls came from her too. You can find her at the Shower Planner on Etsy. She has some really cute poms and other items in her shop. The other poms that are hanging between the owls came from Megan at Pomtastic. She too was easy to work with and shipped my two poms out quickly.
I embossed the confetti myself with a Martha Stewart embosser I got at JoAnn's. The burlap I also ordered from JoAnn's and we just cut it to make the runners. I bought all the mason jar's at The Dollar Store and then I purchased cute lids for them from Enchanted Frog Events. I also got my stripe paper straws from them too. Another great Etsy vendor. Plates and napkins came from Amazon.
Food, cupcakes and favor time. All the food was either from Costco or Sam's, we knew we wanted party food but nothing to heavy. I'm glad we served what we did and I think we had just enough. The cupcakes came from Sam's Club. Yes, Sam's Club and they were outstanding. We were able to get 60 cupcakes for less than $30. It was exactly what I needed and I was able to cut a little cost there. The cupcake stand was from the Martha Stewart line at Macy's and the little paper cupcake holders I found at HomeGoods.
I didn't know what I was going to do for the smash cake and I was kind of at a loss. Then I walked into Wegmans and saw this little cake. For $7 it was perfect - she barely touched it and it was the perfect size. I wanted something else besides a cupcake for her and this worked out great. It was also delicious. The smash cake ceramic stand came from HomeGoods. I scored that for $8 and it will certainly get more use through the years.
I loved everything about Mary's party but I have to say the owl cookies as the favors just blew me away. I found Kari at 2 Sweets through Kristy, who did Henry's cake last year. I contacted Kari in August about doing the cookies as favors. We kept in touch through the months and I really had no idea they were going to look this detailed. I seriously thought, it was going to be a flat cookie iced in the colors we talked about. Then I showed up Friday at her house and was in awe.
Never in a million years did I think they would be 3D and have that cute adorable bow attached to them. She did tie the yellow ribbon on them and we added a little Thank you cut out to it.
Everyone loved them. They tasted so good, and I could have probably eaten all of them. If you are in area, please find Kari on Facebook and order cookies from her, you will not be disappointed.
Finally and this part isn't from a vendor, it's just an idea I had found on Pinterest, it's her Wishing Tree. I loved this idea the minute I pinned it. My friend Jessica cut out the owls to hang on the tree and my other friend Maggie helped us come up with the wording. We just cut branches down outside and I had the container in the basement and here it is.....
I've put the owls in a keepsake box and we will re read them on her 16th Birthday. I just thought it was a great way to get the guests involved.
I know some people will think I went a little over board and everyone says they don't remember their first birthday anyway, but you know what, I loved planning this party. I love that I was able to give Mary a party she will only remember from pictures because in each picture she will see how loved she is.
