Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle First Birthday Party!

Description

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle First Birthday Party!

Design Inspiration

My husband has always loved ninja turtles. We knew that if/when we had a son he'd have a turtle party for his first birthday. The colors of the turtles were the primary inspiration.

Decorating Style

I wanted a classy, not overly theme-y decor. I stuck primarily with turtle colors, and then pops of actual turtles (for the cupcake toppers, stuffed animals and cookies) to top everything off. My absolute last desire was to have a commercialized turtle party. That's everywhere now, and we wanted turtles long before that. Simple and tasteful was the goal.

Project Details

Decorations: The balloon wreath I made using a this tutorial, so easy! A friend made the monthly photo banner, cake topper, food labels, and drink labels. My mom made the chevron table runner. The cupcake liners can be found on Dress My Cupcake, and we added plush turtles and turtle toys that we already had throughout the decor. I ordered the canvases through my photography lab, same with his one-year album.

Food: It had to be pizza related, duh! The pepperoni pizza rolls were made using this recipe. The supreme crescents weren't made using a recipe. We filled store bought crescents with sausage, olives, mushrooms and cheese, rolled them and baked. The bagel bites were frozen. (shh). The veggie cups were carrots, green/red/yellow bell pepper, and tomatoes, with ranch at the bottom.

Drinks: The Lemonooze was Country Time Lemonade mix. The Sewer Slime was made following this Betty Crocker recipe and was a total HIT. It was all gone.

Games: we had ninja turtle bubbles that the kids could play with and then take home, sidewalk chalk, washers and horse shoes. We also had an M&M jar guessing game. Closest winner took the M&M's home.

Desserts: A local cookie lady made the cookies--a friend of a friend who does them on the side. I made the cupcakes (box mix and pre-made icing, piped on from a ziploc bag. They were delicious and cheap and easy. My kind of cupcake.)

Smash Cake: Bought through Simply Sweet. Her cakes taste amazing and are always so pretty.

Favorite Items

The balloon wreath. It greeted everyone before they walked in the door and was so fun to make! My second favorite is his one year album. All of my favorite photos of his first year in one place, with extra white space in the front and back where people wrote birthday wishes.

Advice

Divide and conquer!! I never could have done all of this by myself, so I gave responsibilities to special people in our lives that were more talented in that specific department than I was. My mom can sew. My friend is awesome at banners and labels. My sister, mom, and another friend are amazing in the kitchen. I take photographs, can design albums, and follow instructions on how to make a wreath :).