My baby just turned 1. And I love to throw a party, so I threw a big one for him (and by him, I mean me). I was extremely please with the vintage toy baby shower I did for my friend, Laina, back in October, so I decided to go with that theme again. Plus, it gave me an excuse to buy Baby some of vintage toys I know he was wanting (and by him, I mean me).
I tried to be a frugal as possible with how I planned, decorated and fed everyone, but I’m not sure how well I did (still working on that ability). The party was open house style, which worked really well for a few reasons: 1) People (who don’t have kids) were able to drop by, but didn’t feel like they needed to stay for the entire time with a bunch of crazy, hyped-up-on-sugar kids, and 2) we saved money on food by serving snacky-type foods and offering a cupcake bar (rather than a big expensive cake). I decorated in blue and red with tons of vintage toys, many of which I was able to borrow from friends.
I made just about everything–pennant banners, pinwheels, puff balls, rosettes (I had about a million more to put up outside but ran out of time…I’ll save those for another event), and food. Over the next few months I plan to post some tutorials and ideas for making your own party decor.
Katie from KatieDid Designs custom made our invitation
Our Barrel of Monkeys cake, which turned out a little more “whimsical” than planned. Also, I hate fondant.
“Ball Pit” & Bubble Machine
The cupcake bar worked perfect with the open house; it allowed people to have cake at their leisure and leave early if they needed to. It was also super convenience because I was able to make all the cupcakes ahead of time; all I did was pull them out of the freezer the morning of the party. And I got to taste test lots of cake, which was probably the best part.
Mr. K has recently been into homebrewing. So he brewed a special batch for all the grown-ups.
Daddy & Mommy with the birthday boy!
Credits:
Invitation: KatieDid Designs
Food Labels: Paper and Pigtails (Etsy shop)
Photographer: Amber Murphy Photography
Other posts you might be interested in:
Vintage Toy Twins Baby Shower |
Ice Cream Shoppe |
Why Cupcake Bars are Better |
What a beautiful party for your lucky little guy! I love the open house idea and the cupcake bar looks delicious! Thanks for sharing with me.
Pingback: 1 Onesie |
This is SO cute! Love every last detail. Thanks for sharing! xo
Pingback: Us Lately | The Kays
Pingback: Party on a Budget: Ice Cream Shoppe |
What a fabulous party! I would love to know if you ever did the blog post on tutorials for making the party decor? I was trying to find them but not having much luck. Would love to know how you made the banners and decorations for this event. Thanks.
I never actually did. But I keep meaning to. =) Is there anything specific you’re wanting to know how to do? I can either get instructions together or send you a quick email. Just let me know!
I love the pennant banner and the decoration you did for the door with the ONE on it.
I know I am extra late! I’m planning my little guy’s 1 year old birthday party and I LOVE your ball pit! Questions:
How did it go over with the kids at this age? Did they enjoy it? Or did they stay away from it?
How many balls did you order to fill your pool?
Thanks so much!! I really want to do a ball pit. But, want to be sure it is worth it! Those balls are ex-pen-sive!
Hi Kia, the 1-yr olds liked the ball pit but didn’t spend a ton of time in it. The older they get, the more they like it. So any older kids attending the party will enjoy it too. The numbers of balls will depend on the size of your pool, but I’d say get at least 200. I got my balls at Target for $16 (pk of 100). Good luck with your son’s party! Hope it goes well!