Saturday, September 24, 2011

Luke's 1st Birthday

Luke turned 1 on August 13, and we celebrated by throwing a big backyard birthday party.  Since he loves Sesame Street, we went with a Sesame inspired theme.  And since I love to throw a party, I couldn't wait to start planning for his! The week before his party was also the week I had off between summer school and the start of the new school year, and my mom just happened to be in town that week for work so we worked late every night preparing for the party - we had so much fun!

I made all of the printables in Photoshop Elements, and will give details with pictures below.  First, here is the invitation that I made.  I printed it onto card stock, used red envelopes, & made a matching return address label. 



Unfortunately, Luke had a virus and was so sick for his party.  I took a ton of pics, but only got a few of him actually smiling - he was pretty much miserable (poor baby).  About a week after his party, once he was feeling better, we went outside & took some "birthday pics".

I ordered his sweet monogrammed jon jon from Kynna BeBe Boutique on Etsy.  Her shop can be found here, & his outfit can be found here.  I love the way it turned out!  There are more pics at the bottom of the post.



I made this wreath for the front door with polka-dot gift bows.  I hot glued buttons onto the letter L, & attached it to the wreath with ribbon.



This is the favor table.  Each box had a pack of crayons, bubbles, play dough, elmo ring, & candy.  I made the pennant banner with with polka dot and gingham card stock.



 Here is a close up of the favor box, bubbles, and play dough.  I printed all of the labels onto plain white paper and attached with double sided tape.




Here is a close up of the 3 frames.  This was very easy to do - I just printed the 3 pictures, and used double sided tape to tape onto polka dot card stock, then framed.  I made them look like they were matted by leaving about 1/4th of the white paper around the picture when cutting.



The next few pictures are of decorations that my mom made for me.  I punched a ton of circles out of colored card stock with a 2" circle punch & she ran them through the sewing machine, creating strands of paper garland.  This was hung in the dining room, above the gift table.

Next, she sewed together colored crepe paper to make the ruffled crepe streamers.  The tutorial I used can be found here.

These are a couple of the projects that kept us up late!  I wish I would've taken more pics of the ruffled streamers because we had them hanging all over & they were so pretty - so much prettier than the plain crepe paper rolls.  The only photos I have do not do it justice!






The next group of pictures are of the refreshments.  We also served pizza, but I didn't get any pictures of that! The buckets I made by creating the faces of each character in PSE, then printing onto full page shipping label sheets - this is much cheaper than buying printable sticker paper & worked just as well.  Next, I cut each piece out and stuck them onto the buckets.  The buckets and colored boxes were full of cheese and butter popcorn.  I had planned to use sweet caramel or rainbow colored popcorn, but when we went to the popcorn store the morning of his party, it was closed for the day (I'm still not sure why).

My sweet aunt, who helped out SO much setting up for the party, cut all of the fruit and arranged it.  She also arranged the sugar and m&m cookies, and made the lemonade - I don't know what I would've done without her and my mom!  My mom made the fruit dip which was delicious.

The cupcakes were chocolate and white cake with white butter cream frosting.  I made the tiny pennant banner for the top of his cake using bamboo skewers, polka dot & gingham card stock, and embroidery thread.

I made the pom poms above the table by following the martha stewart pom pom tutorial found here.  The table runner is wrapping paper I found at Target.  It was one of the first things I bought for the party and served as inspiration for everything else that I made.

I also made the cupcake stands, but these were not the first ones I made.  I broke one of the first ones the day before the party, and had to make 2 new ones so that they matched - I liked the first ones a lot better, but I didn't have the energy or time to go back to the store to buy more supplies.

The water bottle labels were so easy - I made them in PSE, printed on regular white paper, and taped onto the bottle with Scotch brand packaging tape.  I kept them in the refrigerator over night & set them out right at the start of the party so that they were cold.





I really loved making the poms.  Some are cut with pointed tips, & some with rounded tips.  I used 10 sheets of 20X20 tissue paper for each one.




The next group of pictures were taken in the backyard.  We had close to 40 people attend his party, with almost half being kids between the ages of 8 months and 12 years old, so we had activities for all ages.  We rented a giant bounce house, had an art/activity table, pin the nose on Elmo game, bean bag toss, and an inflatable pool that we filled with ball pit balls and beach balls.  The kids ended the party with a water gun fight.  All of the kids were entertained through the whole party, so I believe the activities were a success!


Birthday banner ordered from here.

The basket was full of crayons, bubble, play dough, and Sesame Street coloring sheets.  The table was covered with white craft paper.

We bought a bean bag toss from Academy but thought that it was too difficult for kids, so Brad made this one from giant foam board and beach pails.  We looked all over for suitable bean bags, but couldn't find any so my mom sewed us some really cute ones!  My mom is the absolute best!


These are Luke's sweet Cousins, Madison & Jacie.  Look at where Jacie is pinning the nose - I don't think she could've even reached his nose if she tried!  I love it!

The next group of pictures are of Luke as we were singing happy birthday to him, and as he ate his cake.  Since he was so sick, he really didn't enjoy eating the cake.  I found the wooden high chair on craigslist and painted it with Krylon brand spray paint in banner red- I'm not very good at spray painting & so used about 6 cans of the red, plus one can of a primer coat.



Here are some of my favorite pics from the party.

I love everything about this photo - I love the way that Madison is looking at Luke, and the way that he is facing her with his hand in the air - and I especially love how Jacie is sneaking a taste of the cake!  So cute!
I must admit that this isn't my favorite family photo since I'm the only one smiling, but it is the ONLY one we took together at the party.  I love that Brad sported the Sesame Street shirt - when I bought it I really didn't think that he'd actually wear it (although I hoped to talk him into it) - but he did & it was awesome.  I was in such a rush to get ready that I forgot to put on earings!

This was right before the party when I was trying to get Luke to wear his party hat & smile - the hat was off before the picture was taken, and he was not up to smiling - poor thing!  But, I did get about 20 pics that look just like this one.


Smiling, hat off

Hat on, not smiling - at this point the strings had snapped off, so it wasn't going to stay on anyway


Here are more of the pictures I took a week after his party once he was finally feeling better.



I LOVE this little face!

I wish that I would've taken more pictures - especially of all our guests.  My aunt also took pictures of the party, so maybe I'll update once I get those.

Thank you so much to everyone that came to Luke's birthday party!  One of my best friends from Dallas, Kelly, & her family came & that meant so much to us - thank you!  Thank you so much to my Auntie V - she came a couple of hours early & helped a TON - we really put her to work & she did a way better job than I could've done!  And also, THANK YOU MOM - you are the BEST & I love you! 

I can not believe that my baby is one!  This year went way too fast. 

Happy birthday, Luke!  You are the light of our lives - we LOVE you!


To see all the awesome link parties I've linked to, go HERE - awesome parties with tons of creative ideas!


Tip Junkie handmade projects

38 comments:

Kim@todayismysome-day said...

Beautiful baby with gorgeous blue eyes! The polka dots are adorable and I love streamers and circle garlands. Party planning is so fun and so exhausting :) saw you at I Heart Naptime.

www.gallamorewest.com said...

Awww, what a cute party and a cute little Luke you have! I have a Luke too, and I'm busy planning his 1st birthday party (next month). Great job! I love the circles sewed together and the ruffled crepe paper.

Jenny @ Simcoe Street said...

Oh my gosh -- I love everything about this party, and your little man is gorgeous. So happy I found your blog! Come visit me when you have a moment

Jenny
www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com

Paula said...

Luke is super cute! Our boys are about a month apart; Zoom turned 1 on 9/10. I need to put up a post about his elephant themed party. You guys did a great job :D

Sally @ Polka Dot Market said...

This is adorable! Love the colors, decor and all the polka dots - great job, Mom! Sharing on our Facebook wall today. :)

Craft That Party said...

♥ your party and all the sweet details! I am going to store that bean bag toss idea, perfect for little ones!

ScrapShana said...

Excellent ideas! You did a fabulous job! How did you make the tissue poms? I have to make some of those!!

Jamie Conn said...

LOVE your party! I am doing my son's 1st bday with Elmo theme too! Got some AWESOME ideas from u! Thanks soo much for sharing Polka Dot Market! Where did you get the red vintage highchair! Would DIE to have one!!

CLD said...

Just darling. Every detail is just wonderful. And Luke, well he is just precious. What a lucky little boy...Thank you for sharing all your awesome ideas. Have a great Sunday. Bobbie

Ara Watts said...

Can ou tell me how to get started with the Photoshop Element? I downloaded it today and have no idea where to get started.

The Autocrat: Haley said...

Super cute!! Great job!

Be Colorful Coastal said...

How fun are you and how gorgeous is he? Love all the color here on your blog. My babies are all grown now but this takes me back. I so loved pulling together parties for the kids. I didn't have a computer then but I used a book called The Penney Whistler as my kid party bible. Enjoy. This is such a great time in your life but let me also say that it only gets better and better. :0
Thanks for stopping by BeColorful today and leaving such a glowing comment.
Pam

Joni Nickrent said...

Adorable party...beautiful pix. So many fun elements! Pop Art Minis

Christa said...

Oh my goodness, thank you all so much for the sweet comments!

@Sally@Polka Dot Market- thank you for posting my link on your FB page! That made my day!

@ScrapShana- I used the Martha Stewart tutorial & there's a link in my post.

@Jamie Conn - I found the high chair on craigslist for $5! It was in really bad condition, but nothing a little (or in my case a lot) of spray paint can't fix! Also, if you want me to send you any of the files I made, let me know!

@Ara Watts - I would suggest learning the basics of PSE first - that's what I did & it took a while. The good thing is there are a ton of great tutorials online. My favorite site is Thecoffeeshopblog.com - it's a great resource!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, your Luke is PRECIOUS! What a sweet boy with such blue eyes and an adorable smile! :) I clicked on this from the link party because of the fun wreath, and you just blew me away with every little detail of the whole party! Wow! I love all the decorations and the food and the favors...my 3 yr old son would have loved to be there; he's a Sesame Street fanatic. You did an absolutely amazing job! And someday when Luke is older and sees all the pictures it'll remind him how very much he's loved because of all the time and effort his mommy put into his first party! Thanks so much for sharing! I'm super impressed. ;)

amy
oneartmama.blogspot.com

Rach H @ FamilyEverAfter said...

I just saw that you're a new follower of my blog, and i had to come check you out. holy cow! i am a new follower of you! this party and your photography are ah-mazing!

Kirsten @ Mushki Loves said...

First off..your little guy is too adorable, I mean eat those cute little cheeks adorable! The party turned out beautiful! everything was so well thought out from the favors, the decor, the cute banner on the cake! His Daddy's shirt! LOVE the wreath! LOVE IT all! I would love it if you would link up to my party going on right now!

Hope to see you soon!
Kirsten
www.mushkiloves.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

What a great party! You did an amazing job with all the DIYs!

Kath said...

I love all the polka dots and bright colors. you did an incredible job and I'm sure it was a ton of fun. I'm a new follower and excited to see other posts. take care.

kathryn @ www.thedragonsfairytail.blogspot.com

raising4princesses said...

I'm seriously impressed with all the ideas in this post! You throw a great party. Thanks for all the inspiration! I started a link party at my blog and I'd love for you to link this up. If you're interested it's http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com/ Have a lovely day, Maria

Jenni Swenson said...

I love Sesame street parties. You have so many creative ideas... and your baby is beautiful!

Valerie Earnest said...

Thanks for sharing your party! It's adorable!

I'll be featuring this on my blog tomorrow for Three Things Thursday, so I hope you'll stop by and check it out.

Adorable little boy, too!
Valerie- www.occasionallycrafty.blogspot.com

Kirsten @ Mushki Loves said...

K, Miss Cuteness!

I think I'm following! Please let me know if it doesn't show up!

;) Kirsten

Krafty Max Originals said...

Happy Birthday Luke - what an amazing party!

Hop'n by from 'Creative Me Monay Hop'. Sorry I am so very late, it has been a crazy week! Bu, I'm following your blog now, wont you please come and follow me back?? ~KM

Krafty Max Originals

Crafty Mischief said...

What a fun party! I saw your wreath on The Funky Polka Dot Giraffe and had to stop by. Thanks for the inspiration!

Paty said...

how great party!!!
and what about Luke??? Oh... so handsome... cute and lovely!!!!
brazilian hugs

Angela @ Our Family Journey said...

What awesome ideas!!! I wish I had these ideas before my daughter's first birthday! Everything is so perfect and well thought out! Love it! Great job! Your son is adorable!!

Be Colorful Coastal said...

I was late getting my post up today but I just wanted you to know again that I loved your images and all the work and thought that you put into this party so I featured you on this week's Motivated Monday. Thanks again for linking up.
Pam

Kirsten @ Mushki Loves said...

HEY! I featured your super cute party at Mushki Loves! Thank you so much for linking up!

Have a great night!
Kirsten

Fowl Single File said...

Everything's so adorable and vibrant and polka dotty! I just love it!

mamaof3crazyboys said...

I have a Luke too that was born aug.13th, 1999. he is 12..stumbled across your blog from HOH...love it :)

Anonymous said...

Too cute! My little guy turned one in September. I wish we lived closer because I think we would become fast friends. I LOVE my cricut and my mom just ordered the new Expression 2. I'm so jealous! I'm your newest follower and can't wait to check out more of your blog! Would you follow me back? I'm over at www.createdbycori.blogspot.com

Thank you!

Jenna said...

Hi, Luke is a PRECIOUS baby! You did an awesome job decorating his party. My son's first birthday party is going to be next month and we are doing the ELMO theme as well. I have customized most of his party stuff. However, I am unable to make an invitation, water bottle labels, etc. Could you post a tutorial?

The Family that Laughs Together said...

Beautiful party and baby!

JenRice said...

Great Party! Can you tell me where you found the sesame street character faces used in your invite, labels? I've been looking all over!
Thanks a bunch!
~Jen

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous!!!! You have an adorable family and love love love the party decor!!! Great job!!! Your son is an absolute doll!!!

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Anonymous said...

So cute!!! Do you have a link for the invite and water bottle wraps?