3 One Year in a Flash

Jackson is One!!!  Our baby boy is now a busy toddler and while it is a little bittersweet, I couldn't be happier.  He is so full of life and such a joy to be around.  We are so blessed to be the parents of such a sweet happy child. 

And now for the details of Jackson's One Year in a Flash Party...

I knew as soon as I saw the idea for this theme on Hostess with The Mostess I was hooked.  I love to take photos of my little boy and it just seemed like the perfect theme for a fun laid back party for a one year old.  I had a blast planning every little detail of this party and hand making most of the items. 

I wanted the colors for his party to be fun and colorful.  With a lot of my design work being on the computer I knew I would need some digital papers along with some printed papers from the scrapbook store.  I was in luck when I found Echo Park's Little Boy Collection of papers and digital pack.  They were perfect for every little detail. 

Jackson's invitation featured a filmstrip wrap around the center and fun, colorful polka dot prints.

There were two inserts in his invitation.  One for the time capsule instructions and, my favorite,  a cute little Polaroid telling of the photo booth and photographer that would be at the party for mini photo shoots. 

On party day we had a blast seeing all of the details come together.  Each table was decorated with a mason jar full of gumballs and a cute centerpiece stick.  I loved sorting through the photos from the last year and choosing my favorites.  The mason jars I picked up from a thrift store for $4 for 13 of them.  Gotta love a good deal!!

For this afternoon party we did a dessert bar rather than a meal.  I didn't get a picture of the whole table (oops) but we had cupcakes, cookie pops, chocolate lollipops, brownies, and Crystal Light and lemonade to drink.  This made things so easy for me and very inexpensive.  I made a bunch of different desserts and ordered some cupcakes/smash cake for Jackson.  I placed lots of other fun items on the dessert and drink table like little signs in $0.50 frames I spray painted, and even my husband's first camera from when he was a child.  These little details really made the tables look complete.

Jackson's birthday banner was a little shorter than I would have liked but still looked very cute on the wall above the dessert table. 

My favorite part of the party was Jackson's time capsule.  It was so fun seeing all of the neat things people put into his time capsule.  We placed his time capsule on a table with his baby book and some other cute decor.  The letter J was just $1 at Michael's and I modpodged it with a scrap of extra paper from the party. 

His photo banner turned out cute too and hung above the favor table and time capsule table. 

The favors for Jack's party were little binder clips that I embellished with paper scraps, ric rac, and a sparkle star (simple tutorial to come).  Guests can use these to hold photos or other items at home.  They came with a little card telling the guests they would receive a 5x7 photo in the mail of their family in the photo booth. 

Can't forget the birthday boy and his adorable hand made camera onesie. 

He had so much fun running around like he was a big kid with the other kids at the party.  And oh my goodness he loved his cake so much he cried when I took it away from him. 

Wannabe Cakes

Throwing a party for a one year old can be tough.  The little one isn't quite able to participate in games and activities but you want to have a fun party for guests to attend.  A photo-booth is a fun way to have an activity at the party but in a casual way.  Everyone really had a blast getting silly and having their pictures taken.  The props were all handmade or items from around our home.  If you are looking for some good photo booth props check out Oh Happy Day Blog.  They have tons of do it yourself templates for props and they are super easy to make. 

We had a blast celebrating with everyone! Although these parties are a lot of work, I can't wait for next year.  Events and parties are my favorite!!

Thank you:
Invitations and Decor by The Lovely Apple
Photos by Life: by the French's Photography
Cupcakes, cookies, and smash cake by Wannabe Cakes

5 ONE...it is on the horizon!

Let the first birthday party planning begin...

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to plan parties.  It should have been my career path and if I thought it would pay the bills I would totally do it.  In the meantime I will just stick to planning parties for my little one. 

A first birthday is a huge milestone; a culmination of the whirlwind that has been his first year.  Most of you will think I am nuts but I want his first birthday party to be BIG.  Now don't confuse BIG with EXPENSIVE...most of what I have chosen can be done by myself very inexpensive.  I have been thinking about this party since Jack turned 6 months old and I have still not settled on just one theme.  I am just not going to be able to choose on my own. 

Here is where you come in...I want to know what you think!! 

Here is a little about each party.  Just leave me a comment with your selection and tell me what you think!!!

A Monster Bash
I love this party because it is simple and colorful.  All little boys are little monsters aren't they?  I feel like this is a cute little party that would be easy to pull off and a lot of fun.
Colors: Blue, Green,  Orange, and of course the lovely Chevron pattern found below
Activities:  Pin the eye on the monster, adopt a monster (each kid creates their own little monster doll), decorate monster cookies
Goodies:  their little monsters, a photo of them in the monster photo booth, crayons with monster coloring pages
And the decor...

Splish Splash Bash

This little party has been on my mind for awhile.  Ever since my hubby shot down my first theme and it was back to the drawing board I fell in love with this theme.  I am worried that it is too summery for the time of year but I think if I keep the focus on goldfish it should be ok.  I really like the colors.

Colors: Blue and Orange

Activities:  cute little fishing game (you know the one they used to play at carnivals when you were little)

Goodies: party hats, little tin pails full of goodies and candy, goldfish in a bag soap(trust me it is super cute)

And the decor...

Little Buckaroo

Jess has been in love with this theme since we found out we were having a boy.  I think he would want this to be his birthday party every year if he had any choice in the matter.  I do really love this idea but wonder if it would be better suited when he is older.  I guess there is nothing wrong with doing the same thing another year if Jackson really wants to.  I love the mason jars full of daisies and all of the texture involved with this party. 

Colors: Red and Blue

Activities:  horse races with hobby horses of course, cowboy photo booth

Goodies:  each kid would take home their very own hobby horse

And the decor...

Well there you have it.  One of these cute little parties will be Jack's first birthday theme, with my twist of course :) 

What do you think??  Leave me a comment with your vote and any thoughts you might have!!  I love to hear new ideas!