- A Project For: Brox's First Birthday
- Age: 1
- Location: Dallas
- Description: When Brox was 6 months old I started planning and pinning for his 1st birthday party. I had so many "theme" ideas but wanted to save those for when he was bigger and could enjoy them more so I decided to go with a super traditional primary colored party in our backyard.
- Design Inspiration: I love fabric bunting so I started collecting colorful fabrics when Brox was around 6 months old. All of the colors and decorations started with the fabrics. I found different ways to use them like buntings, table decoration and even tucked scraps into mason jars for centerpieces.
- Decorating Style: I wanted the party to be a very traditional birthday party. You can't get much more traditional than a backyard bash with primary colors.I also wanted it to take on a vintage/rustic feel.
- Project Details: Photography-I had a wonderful photographer from my hometown Jina Armstrong shoot the party. Best idea ever so I could actually enjoy the party and spend time with the guest of honor. Invitations- I wanted something unique for the invites and I found exactly what I was looking for on etsy at seven one three The invite has fabric bunting sewn across the top which tied in great to the overall theme. Entry-Guests were greeted with 3 foot balloons tied to a chair from my kitchen. I made the "Brox's Party" sign from an old pallet and stenciled on the letters in craft paint. "One" sign-I fell in love with this handmade sign on Etsy from Moulage Collection. We used it for the party table and for one year pictures of Brox. Such a great keepsake. Fabric bunting above food table - was made by tying hundreds of strips of fabric around jute. My mom did all the cutting, I did all the tying then used a staple gun to attach it to the wood fence. Fabric bunting on garage-made by cutting fabric into squares folding them in half then tying the ends together. Fabric bunting on high-chair-made by cutting fabric triangles and stitching them together with thin thread. I adhered them to the high-chair with double-stick tape Centerpieces-consisted of fabric cut outs, framed pictures of Brox, mason jars filled with fabric scraps and foam to hold the suckers and paper mache B's and 1's from Hobby Lobby. I intended on standing the pictures up but the wind required a change of plans so we went with the flat look. Plates-I saw an idea on Pinterest to thread yarn through paper plates. Great idea and even greater that my mother-in-law took over this tedious task. Activities-large inflatable pool filled with ball pit balls, wire bins filled with punching balloons, red wagon trimmed with fabric bunting for wagon rides Gift table-I hung 1-11 month photos on jute with mini clothes pins. In each picture he had wooden blocks above his head with his age Favors- As guests exited the party they stopped by the thank you table to pick up a homemade chocolate chip cookie made by my mom. They were packaged in brown lunch sacks wrapped in two strips of fabric and tied with yarn. I made the thank you sign from pallet wood, paint and stencils. Food The cake balls were outsourced to Dallas Affairs. Flavors were chocolate decadence and birthday cake. I rolled rice crispy treats in a ball and put them on colored popsicle sticks. To make the holders I cut lids off of cardboard boxes, inserted foam, wrapped the box in craft paper and accented it with a strip of fabric. Then I pushed the popsicle sticks through the paper into the foam. Mini popcorn boxes were filled with candied popcorn. Super addictive! My mother-in-law made the pressed cookies and I thought it would be fun to turn the jar over and have them spilling out onto the table. Chocolate dipped honey grahams were served on craft paper cut with pinking shears. M&M's, animal crackers, suckers, sugar sticks and mike&ikes were served in glass containers with chalkboard labels. The birthday boy's cake was fun-fetti with homemade butter-cream icing. I made mini fabric bunting and tied it to vintage gray and white straws for the cake topper. Wardrobe-Birthday boy was sporting a custom hat from Dainty Couture and a denim diaper cover from All Things for Baby.
- Favorite Items: The birthday sign created from Moulage Collection. We used it for first birthday pictures, a focal point on the food table and now use it as decoration in his room. It is a great keepsake. I also really love that I still have my high-chair from when I was little and was able to use it at Brox's party.
- Advice: Plan ahead! I am a full-time working mom with a busy schedule and everyone thought I was crazy for planning so far in advance. By planning so far ahead though I was able to complete all of the projects and achieve the look I wanted. Details are important and they take time to execute. Start with one item as inspiration and build from there. Primary color items are so easy to find so it's nice not being locked into a very specific theme or print.
