It’s no secret that it’s been a tough year for children. I wanted to do something at home for Lennons birthday to honor his heritage. Ever since he was a baby, we’ve been reading a page of Vashti Harrison’s “Little Legends, Exceptional Men in Black History” to him every night. Every night we focus on one individual and their accomplishments. As he’s getting older, he’s starting to look forward to this. When I had the idea to make this book a birthday theme for him. Images are powerful and shape our identity. I wanted him to feel represented in a beautiful light.

The cover of the book was my inspiration. I worked with moon rising, an incredible designer that helped me recreate Lennon in the same style as the characters in the book. He was now front and center as he is an exceptional black boy, soon to be man. Each child had a bookmark with a different character from the book and their names on the back. We had library cards made so that they can continue with the rest of the book series reading about exceptional people in history. I kept the color scheme the same as the cover of the book, focusing on black white mint and yellow stars. Working with Pavan Floral is always a pleasure. The florals she creates are stunning. They always fit perfectly with my aesthetic. Janice Wong with the desert never disappoints. We had a beautiful cake where she hand painted the characters. The cookies featured the faces of the characters in the book and the cake pops had a printed image of the cover.

The star of the show was the incredible backdrop provided by Modest Peach. They recreated the cover and had each character life size standing on podiums. I want Lennon to always remember this day. How special he is. How exceptional he is and to shoot for the stars.

A bbq lunch catered by the incredible Sarah of Active Palate was the perfect meal. The children had Mac and cheese cups and fried chicken sliders, while the adults had bbq and a beautiful grazing table put together by cheese pretty please. A yummy green juice for the kids  and sangria for adults by Nate Parker really complimented the meal. The incredible Kara Coleen shot this day for us. She helped us capture the magic of a day we’ll always remember.