Thursday, July 28, 2016

A Simple Backyard 1st Birthday Party



Hello everyone!  Today I am posting about the party that we threw for our daughter's 1st birthday.  I was on the fence of whether or not I wanted to throw a party for a 1 year old but after attending the 1st birthday parties for a few of my friend's kids, I realized that it is just a fun excuse to spend some time with friends and family and to make cute decorations.  I kept it very simple and since it was summer I decided to make it an outdoor event.
I started by making the invitation.  My daughter loves kitties so I decided to make the invite cat themed even though the party itself didn't have a specific theme.  I usually make this sort of thing with my Pixelmator software but this time I decided to use my Silhouette software instead.  I chose to use the Silhouette software because I could find the kitty shapes in my library in the software instead of having to find and purchase the right png images.
For the smash cake I made a kitty cake.  I made the cake layers in a 4 inch CorningWare ramekin.  I made a basic buttercream frosting and after frosting the cake with a crumb coat I piped on the "fur" using  Wilton No. 233 Multi-Opening Decorating tip. I then used some purchased fondant to make the face and ears of the cat.  The black and pink on the eyes and nose was gel icing.  The whiskers bled a little, they looked better after I first finished the decorating but I forgot to take a picture then!
The cake stand was a $5 purchase from the dollar aisle at Target.  I used a barnwood frame purchased at Hobby Lobby to showcase the monthly photos of Lyla.  You can read more about the monthy photo sessions here and here.  I purchased the prints from Shutterfly because they have a new 4" by 4" print option.  The baker's twine, thumb tacks, and clothespins were all leftover items from this photo display in Lyla's nursery.
I used a tablecloth I had on hand and the bunting from her monthly photos to finish decorating the food table.  We served fried chicken, watermelon, cowboy caviar and chips (you can find the recipe in this post on our last NYE party), a couple of store bought pasta salads, a layered jello salad, and this delicious broccoli salad.


My mom borrowed some tables and chairs from a couple of friends and I simply decorated them with a few jars wrapped in burlap ribbon (originally from Lyla's baptism but they also made an appearance at this baby shower) filled with some budget blooms from a local grocery store floral department.
We also set up Lyla's birthday gift for the kids to play in at the party.  There will be a separate post on the making of this teepee at a later date.  There you have it, a very simple 1st birthday party.  It was fun and the weather turned out perfect despite a little bit of wind.

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