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Baby E’s ‘Shabby Chic’ First Birthday Party

Description

A 'Shabby Chic' first birthday party for our precious Baby E!

Design Inspiration

The inspiration came from a fabric swatch I fell in love with, Heather Bailey's 'Groovy - Olive' from her Freshcut fabric line.  It inspired the color palette and the girly, vintage look and feel of the party.

Decorating Style

My decorating style is a bit more contemporary than the girly, party decor.  But the shabby chic style fit Baby E's personality perfectly.  She particularly loved wearing her crown and looking at the tissue puffs hanging from the trees!

Project Details

I had a tablecloth made for the food tables with Heather Bailey's Groovy Olive fabric, and found some rosey pink pom-pom fringe to trim the tablecloth with that gave it a nice, vintage feel.  I also used 'Tiled Primrose' from Heather Bailey's Bijoux collection as a companion pattern on the bar cart.

I went a little Etsy crazy!  I purchased the birthday crown, burlap banners, and chalkboard sign through Etsy.  Then I decided to get a little crafty myself and hand stamp the bamboo plates and forks to blend with the party theme.

I found the tissue puffs and giant 'E' above the dessert table at a crafts store.  My friend Cindy painted the 'E' pink and also brought a lot of little 'extras' she thought would go well with the party decor, like the vintage mirror to mount the chalkboard sign on, the frames for Baby E's name, and wreath to hang on the rather unattractive fence.  It all came together to make the party style perfectly shabby chic!

Nana made the yummy, 5-inch round layer cake from scratch and I used an 8-inch round cheese pedestal I had as the cake stand.  We also made the cookies and cupcakes, but with the babes the biggest hit was the Happy Puffs!  Who knew?!

Party favors for 1-year-old's are tricky!  Baby E loves her books, so I ended up buying Dr. Seuss board books, and found some cute little toy cars safe for 12-months plus at a local toy store.

- Tablecloth Groovy - Olive from Freshcut collection by Heather Bailey

- Bar cart, Rose from Bijoux collection by Heather Bailey

- Happy Birthday & Name Burlap Bannners, n. hayes designs, Etsy

- Favorite Things Chalk Board, Moulage Collection, Etsy

-  Birthday crown, bubbipop, Etsy

- '1' Birthday Candle, amazon.com

- 5-inch round cake pans, amazon.com

- Bamboo plates & forks, amazon.com

- Tissue puffs, Martha Stewart Crafts, amazon.com

-  Dr. Seuss board books as party favors, Costco in a multi-pack

- VikingToys 'Little Chubbies' cars as party favors, amazon.com

Favorite Items

I loved the sweet, birthday crown.  I thought I might get a photo or two of her wearing it if she had a really good nap..... But to my surprise she loved it and wore it the whole afternoon!  Who doesn't love a birthday crown?

Advice

Ask for help!  I enlisted a few creative friends to help me set up for the party - my friend Cindy and sister Karan.  They had some great ideas for putting things together that I would not have thought of on my own.  And remember -  it is a big day for Mom and Dad too, so having that extra help can really free you up to enjoy the festivities with your little one.  It takes a village.....  :)

May Mosley

Tuesday 27th of August 2013

Lovely and charming party. I love the pastel colors and all the quirky details.