Ladies and gentlemen…our baby turned one on Sunday! I can’t believe it has already been a year since we saw our little Casen Blake for the first time. We’ve had an such amazing first year!
I had hopes of warm weather and sunny skies, but the chilly wind and grey clouds didn’t keep us from having the greatest circus party on earth! We celebrated at a little park near our home with family and friends. I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos.
I enjoy planning the kids’ birthday parties, my husband on the other hand, who is always in charge of the food, always asks if we can just have a simple party with good food. Well, from the ring of fire cupcakes to the gold fringe on the big round balloons, it was just that! Ha!
Once all the guests arrived we ate some yummy hot dogs and hamburgers, popcorn, and chips. I think the little guest were more interested in the party blowers, candy and toys that came in their favor bags. They were troopers and weren’t going to let the weather stop them from playing on the playground and with all the circus toys and silly things to dress up with.
Of course you can’t have a circus party without a striped tent! Good thing because we eventually moved under it to stay warm, eat some homemade cake and open gifts…thank you everyone!
Happy Birthday to Case!
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circus invitation / Little Frills paper + goods available soon!
napkins / Mara-Mi for Target + Ikea
party crowns / diy from Wit & Whistle
balloons / Shop Sweet Lulu
balloon fringe / diy from Sweet Thing
ring of fire cupcakes / diy from The Proper Pinwheel
scarf/bib / IndieNook
Calling all little SUPERHEROS! We celebrated Jaxon’s third birthday on Saturday at our home with immediate family. Our graffiti wall in the basement made the perfect backdrop. Aside from being totally exhausted from all the party prep, it was so. much. fun! All worth it…even the hand-stamped table cloths. I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos.
Of course you can’t have a superhero party without capes, masks and power cuffs…duh. My mom and I made all the little guests their very own made out of felt to wear during the party and to take home as their party favor. Jax loves his. He is still wearing it. And Case is just the cutest in his. I mean all of the little ones were! I couldn’t stop smiling.
Running around super fast, screaming ‘superhero’ was pretty much the highlight of the party. I was hoping my handmade lightning bolt pinata (my sister’s idea) would have been the hit, well, it was sort of. One of the kids took their fist to it one time…boom! Candy everywhere. The kids freaked. So hilarious to watch.
Piece of cake!? Not exactly, but thanks to the help of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, I was able to make it happen. The multicolored ‘surprise’ cake was a hit, everyone loved it! And the ‘3’ sugar cookies too! So good and still eating leftovers.
Ahhh! I can’t believe he is three!
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superhero invitation / cake idea / pinata diy / letterpress cookie cutters
[ part two ] Instead of a game at the baby shower, my sister and I thought that it would be fun to do a DIY. We made paper lunch sacks with all the supplies + instructions to make little hair clips for the baby. Above are some of my favorites…even my niece London made baby Adelaide (Addie) one!
[ part one ] This past Sunday we threw my older sister a vintage school themed baby shower…she’s a teacher. It was so much fun to plan. I designed her invitations to look like a vintage flashcard. It has been really cool being pregnant at the same time with her, even though this is her first baby, my second. And she is having a GIRL! Hence the cake…which is a traditional cake that my family makes for anyone expecting. I always decorate it so it has a modern twist. Look for part two, my little sister and I planned a fun DIY for the guests.
photos above : My mom and Jax, my sisters…Sarah and Emily
Jaxon’s MONSTER birthday party was a success! On Sunday we had immediate family and a few friends over to our house to celebrate. I still can’t believe he is two!
I had a blast designing all the silly monsters for his invitation, which is available in my shop. (Alphabet poster and monster prints to come!) I know I said I wasn’t going to go overboard, but I just had to make those little guys come to life. So, with the help of my mom, gran and sister, we made little stuffed letter monsters for the favors.
For lunch, Thomas made pulled pork and smoked beef brisket. It was so delicious! I made a green monster cake (snickerdoodle…yum!) and my mother-in-law crafted the eyeball cake pops for the top. Thomas said I made too many sweets…but who doesn’t like a bright orange cupcake?
After Jax blew out his little two candle, all by himself, it was time to open gifts. Oh yay! More toys. Haha! Just kidding, he actually received lots of cute clothes…much needed, thank you.
And the party ended with yummy rainbow slush, made by my sister-in-law and all the kids jumping on Jaxon’s bed…lots of fun and sticky little hands!
I know you have all been waiting to see photos from Jaxon’s first birthday party…so here are a few. The theme was ✈ airplanes and travel…and Saint Louis too, since that is where we live. It was a blast designing everything…from the party hats to the little passports. (Most of which will be available in my new shop soon, including the travel poster below.) And if you didn’t catch my post of the invitations, see them here.
When the little party guests arrived they each got their passport photos taken in front of a big map. I borrowed my friend Fran’s polaroid camera…she took most of them, including Jaxon’s! (See her blog here.) They got their passport stamped for all the things they did, like eating cake and ice cream!
Everything was exactly how I imagined a little kid birthday party to be. The kids table was in the center of the room, marked with bright red balloons. I love seeing the kids wear their party hats! The tables were lined with brown postal paper and sprinkled with giant confetti. Daddy bought balsa wood airplanes that we placed all around.
It was nice to have a little play area for the some entertainment between activities. Jaxon had fun playing with his friends, Weston and Jack!
We had pizza, yummy snacks…cheese balls, pretzels, and animal crackers, homemade sugar cookies shaped like clouds and airplanes and of course cake! The cake sat on top of the same vintage suitcase as the one in this photo. I made Jaxon a little smash cake. It said I’M ONE on it…but he liked the ice-cream better!
Later we played ‘pin the propeller’ on the nose of the airplane. Some of the kids were blindfolded…hilarious!
Before departure, all the little party guests went to the baggage claim to get their suitcase favor…filled with homemade sugar cookies, pretzels, a notepad for ideas, small toy and plastic airline wings. So glad that I found just enough suitcases for the party…
With some twine and tiny clothes pins, I put Jaxon’s photos from his first year on display for everyone to see how my little peanut grew!
Opening gifts! Daddy was trying to get the last picture of the party. (It was blurry…shhh) Thank you Eddi and London for helping!
Finally the birthday boy and me, Momma!
…and Daddy too. Thanks babe for all your help and for making the slide show!
Jaxon’s first birthday party was such a blast…all the little ones had so much fun! I was happy the way everything turned out. My little stinker wouldn’t keep his party hat on…this is the only one I got! Thank you to my family and friends for all of your help, especially with all my crazy little details. More party photos to come!
So, here they are…Jaxon’s first birthday invitations. I know. I know. I’m crazy, but that is what happens when designers have children. They go overboard. But this is just the beginning. Just in case you are interested, they will be available in my new shop soon! Oh and a special thank you to American Stamp for being so speedy in crafting my custom rubber stamp and Nick Becker for his lovely photography.
note: some information has been blurred due to creepos.
