You are My Sunshine

This is the first of a two part blog about Stella’s first birthday party. There are just too many pictures to try and put in one post. So, I’ll start with all the fun party planning!

We celebrated a couple weeks early because when I started planning and ordering invitations I was unsure if we would have any offers or contracts on the house and I really wanted to have the party at home.

I’ve been thinking about this party for months and wanted to make it special {I guess mainly for myself since Stella will have no recollection that this party ever happened}! Before Stella was even born, I had seen another party that had a “You are My Sunshine” theme and thought the idea was too cute – so I took the idea and made it my own!

I searched and searched on Etsy for just the right “Sunshine” themed package and found one {from Kidfully Celebrations} that included invitations, cupcake toppers, favor tags, a welcome sign, a birthday banner, and a 3-piece centerpiece. I ended up having to order more invitations, favor tags, and cupcake toppers than what was included in the package. I could not have been happier with the results!

Then, I have a friend’s mom {Tried and True Designs on Etsy and FB} that designs diaper bags and bibs! I had seen that she had done some onesies around the holiday times and thought it would be perfect if she could make Stella a “Sunshine” themed onesie and bib for her birthday outfit. I contacted her and am SO happy I did because the onesie and bib turned out absolutely perfect!

My girlfriend at work made the tutu and bow {Slugbug No Hit Backs on Etsy and FB}, which completed Stella’s look! Again – I could not be happier with the way the whole outfit turned out!

For the sweets, I ordered the cupcakes, cake, and smash cake from Say it with Sugar in Wylie. My family has used them for years and we always love the creative design AND wonderful taste of their cakes! It was definitely a hit!

I also had some apothecary jars from my baby shower last year and used 3 of those and filled with coordinating color-themed candy! Candy is expensive, people! So, I opted to use my smallest jars.

I also bought lemon heads to fill the favor bags. I set the favor bags in a basket on a table in our foyer with a picture of Stella and some balloons on it.

I made the highchair banner from material and ribbon I bought at Hobby Lobby. I cut a triangle from paper as the pattern and literally cut piece after piece to make the banner. Then, a little hot glue and fabric glue and voila! {I was super proud of myself for making this because if you know me…I am the opposite of crafty!}

I was able to borrow some burlap from a girlfriend and used that for table cloths and used the extra material pieces from the banner to create a “runner” on the cake table and food table!

I also used little {orange and yellow} picture holders from Hobby Lobby to decorate the house with pictures from birth through her first year. I also bought cheap frames at WalMart and spray painted them yellow to match the theme and put Stella’s pictures in those, as well.

This past Christmas, as a gift for the grandparents {and myself}, I made a book on-line of Stella’s first 6-months and laid that and Stella’s baby book out on our coffee table…in case anyone is as obsessed with my kid as I am ;)

As far as the food, I actually enlisted the help of the grandparents and my sister. I knew I would stress out if I had to provide all the food, so they were all so nice to agree to bring something. I did some little smokies with bbq sauce in the crockpot and some Funfetti Chex mix. My mom made Hawaiian roll sandwiches, Blake’s mom made pasta salad and deviled eggs, Lori brought a veggie and fruit tray and my sister made corn dip with chips. It all was so yummy – and I ate on the left-overs for days!

Lastly, I set up a table for the birthday presents in our dining room. I used orange table cloths and a couple picture frames as well as the letter’s from Stella’s room that spell out her name.

Everything about the party was perfect! I’ll be sharing more pictures from the actual party in my next post!