A whole lotta pink: Audra's vintage first birthday party.

Hello, my name is Abby and I am a children's birthday party planning addict.

Seriously. I know I have a problem. And that problem is probably Pinterest, though my obsession certainly began prior to its invention. In fact, I'm pretty sure it began while watching my mom set the table for every party, every holiday, and every taco night. (Yes, taco night. As in nights we had tacos for dinner. She has the cutest vintage-looking Mexican tablecloth. Which my sister has already claimed, darn her.)

Lucky for me (and the 30 people crammed into 600 of our 1200 square feet last weekend), my mom also has an extensive collection of vintage table cloths. Which I borrowed to throw the cutest party yet — Audra's very girly, very adorable, and very pink vintage first birthday party.

SWOON. (And again I say thank you to the Lord for knowing what I need. I love my son more than life but there is no pink in raising boys and I sure do love pink.)

Without my mom's help (and I'm not just talking tablecloths — she was a cake frosting, deviled egg-making machine), this party would have been impossible.

It also would have been impossible without the sewing talents and gorgeous fabric collection of an Etsy seller named Wesley. My inspiration for the entire party was the cake bunting and fabric flag garland I purchased from her shop, Bluebird and Violet.

Look at this preciousness, please:

Yes, I probably could have made that myself. I have a sewing machine. But I do not have that many adorable fabrics, nor do I have time to search for them. Handmade by someone else is the way to go, friends.

Everyone loved the poms, which I have actually made by hand before (easy) but decided to purchase as a kit from Martha Stewart this time around (easier). I'm going to hang them in Audra's room...just as soon as I find myself willing to part with them in the dining room.

This was taken post-party. There were tons of mason jar glasses and
I had bottles of sparkling lemonade sitting in the center.

Along with the tablecloths, which I layered to cover my enormous table,

I only used eight of the 20+ tablecloths my mom sent me.
And this is just her pink stuff.

I used off white serving pieces, old jelly jars and a teapot full of spray roses, super cute pink paper plates, and pink and white striped napkins. My sister-in-law lent me her Mason jars for beverages (large bottles of sparkling pink lemonade from Trader Joe's) and I stuck baby blue and white paper straws in each one.

Even though the majority of our guests were adults, I wanted food that was geared toward the kids: PB&J cut into flower shapes, large bowls of goldfish crackers and clementines, a platter of deviled eggs, individual veggie pizzas, and strawberry cupcakes. We also made two pans of baked ham and cheese sandwiches for the grownups (so good). The kids went home with pink and white frosted animal cookies as favors.

The chandelier was a hit — I strung it with photos from the 27th of every month to document Audra's growth over the last year. Each month was written on a tiny heart sticker and clipped to the photo and ribbon with a mini clothespin:

 

Finally, I made Audra's birthday shirt. I usually buy them off Etsy, but I couldn't find one that fit the party and decided if I could hand sew a book on Calvin's Super Why costume, I could hand sew a number one on the front of a onesie. I used pink and white polka dot cotton fabric, and hand stitched it with contrasting baby blue thread. And I added a little heart on the back of the neck, too. Because I could. :)

A pretty party and a house full of people we love = the perfect way to celebrate our sweet Audra's first year. We are so blessed by the love and generosity our friends and family show our family, and especially our kids!

Now, to begin planning Calvin's next party! I'll give you one hint: It's going to be super. ;)

DIY.

Earlier this year — in February, I think — I had a BRILLIANT idea: buy a plain grapevine wreath.

Why was that a brilliant idea, you ask?

Oh, it wasn't.

I love having a wreath on the front door — it's happy, and welcoming, and shows that you take pride in your home. It's kind of like the bow on a present — the wrapping paper is plenty cute on its own, but the bow makes the package. Which is why I buy a lot of grosgrain ribbon. It's inexpensive and there's really nothing cuter than a perky little knot on a present.

Anyway, the problem with wreaths is this: there are some REALLY bad ones. And it's not worth having a wreath at all if it isn't well done. Who wants to be greeted by drooping fake flowers, plastic-looking berries, and wads of poorly-hidden super glue? Kind of negates the whole point of having a wreath, dontcha think? But the bad ones are all I can find! Even the wreaths at Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware have been a little questionable lately, and besides that — I'm not spending $100 on a seasonal wreath. No matter how cute it is.

Which is why I decided to start making my own. The first time I did this was out of necessity — these tiny, adorable twin Boy Scouts from down the street asked me if I wanted to purchase a Christmas wreath. I hate the Boy Scout wreaths — three pinecones, all frosted with fake snow, and a large red bow. Almost everyone I know has one of them at Christmastime. Probably because Boy Scouts are cute and irresistible and did I mention the ones who came to my house were tiny adorable twins?? So, I bought an ugly Boy Scout wreath, and when it came I couldn't bear to put it up as it was. So I cut off the bow and the pinecones, leaving me with a pretty decent plain green wreath. To which I added a big green ribbon, springs of real juniper and red berries, and a sparkly little ornament — all of which I had on hand, minus the juniper. It turned out really cute.

So I went ahead and purchased a plain grapevine wreath for $3.99 at JoAnn Fabrics. Thinking — hey, I made that Boy Scout wreath pretty cute, why can't I just do that for every season?

Well, to be frank — because I'm just not that creative. The first two versions I "decorated" by tying a ribbon around them. And that was after some heavy thought.

Luckily, my friend Martha is never short on creativity. I saw a snake wreath tutorial in Martha Stewart Living and decided to give it a try (but without the snakes, because, well...ew.). The ghost was pulled from another craft tutorial in her magazine, and was originally meant for a mirror.


Not bad, huh? A $3.99 wreath, a $3 can of black spray paint, a scrap of ribbon, some Halloween junk I found in my basement, a piece of cardstock, and about five minutes of my life = a pretty cute (and spooky) front door.

Here's hoping Martha comes up with some good ideas for Christmas, too, because I've got nothing.

Mix and match.

Can any of you tell me what's wrong with this picture?


a) Tyler is wearing a sweater in July.
b) He's got a little something on his upper lip.
c) There's a Nuby lid on a Gerber sippy cup.
d) All of the above, really, but especially the stupid sippy cup thing.

How hard is it to match up a sippy cup to its appropriate lid?

Nate says hard. Apparently, Tyler Florence agrees.

Normally, a milk ad would not be blogworthy. But I have been giving Nate the hardest time about matching up the sippy cups with their correct lid. Every time he gives Calvin a drink it's in a strange combination of cup/lid — between colors, sizes, and brands.

To me, which cup goes with which lid is a total no-brainer. Of course I do the sippy cup purchasing. But still - it's not difficult to match them up! In fact, the other day Nate gave his brother Mike a sippy cup/lid test (hoping to prove his point that sippy cups are really really hard) and he passed with flying colors. He even matched the colors correctly within the same brand.

But then there's this. An ad I ran across in Martha Stewart Living magazine featuring the exact two brands of sippy cup we have at home, mixed up.

I don't question Martha on anything, not even her editorial decisions regarding advertising, so I will trust that this — though inherently wrong — is the presentation I should be using when offering beverages to my child. Especially if I expect him to grow up to have exquisite taste and an appreciation for Good Things.

Sigh. Score one for Nate. He's such a visionary.