Au Courant Columbia: Jones' 1st Birthday Party

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Jones' 1st Birthday Party

The party was loosely animal-themed. Almost everything was homemade (food, decor, favors). Close family and friends were in abundance. The babe enjoyed himself immensely.

homemade party hats; inspiration via here

balloon animals (made by James!); inspiration via here

Balloon animals, from left-right: pink poodle, orange tiger, pink pig, blue dog, green Loch Ness Monster. (My husband is uber-talented, no!?) Nessy was made specifically for me. The hubs and I have a running argument about which is more believeable- Nessy or Bigfoot. I claim Nessy because she would be harder to fake...

guacamole & chips...more balloon animals: white bunny, yellow monkey & pink swan

left to right: yellow monkey, pink swan, yellow duck, green elephant

The balloon animals were the hit at the party, truly. Not pictured, the hubs also made a really cool horse and a hummingbird too. We may start renting him out by the hour for parties...

homemade cake with homemade bunting decoration; inspiration via here & here

the sweet birthday boy with his Aunt Cat; homemade crown tutorial via here

Here are some of the details:
Food- organic animal crackers & organic Cheddar Bunnies; homemade guacamole & chips; cantaloupe, strawberry & blueberry fruit salad; grilled cheese roll-ups; homemade cake.

The cake- this was my very first attempt at making a homemade cake. Ever. It was intimidating, but I was determined to do it, and it actually came out pretty damn well. I used a cake recipe that I can't seem to find online now...and this buttercream frosting recipe. The cake was a little dry, but other than that, it tasted great.

Favors- each child took home a balloon animal, a party hat, and a goody bag which included a vintage, metal animal-shaped cookie cutter and a small plastic animal figurine. I used plain white bags for the favors & sealed them closed with an animal stamp- either a duck or an owl.