I can't believe it's almost time to return to Gentry's Farm for some pumpkin patch fun. Lots of sweet memories from last year...I can't believe how big our little guy is now compared to this photo!
Now I'm off to bribe my hubby into picking me up a Pumpkin Spice Latte to really finish off the day right! ;)
All good event design starts with a little inspiration board to get things going. :)
I created this during my initial detective work in exploring the Dr. Seuss theme:
Lots of fun things I wanted to incorporate: red, aqua blue with yellow accents for color, green deviled eggs, paper poms for decoration, loved the fun polka dot napkins from Paper Source, maybe a candy bar, a wall of photos from every month of the first year, a killer cake, maybe make him a handmade party hat (with a 1 of course, not a 2)....
...but then there's reality. One mama such as myself cannot do it all like the inspiration board hoped for, no matter how big her dreams are. And at the end of the day, all you really care about is "how can I get him to smear the frosting for the classic 1st birthday photo when the cake is made of fondant?" Enter Daddy to the rescue : flip the cake upside down. :)
Speaking of cakes, check out the work of my dear friend Jay Qualls of Maples Wedding Cakes. Jay was in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine this Fall, y'all...I'm going to be reminding C at his birthday every year that Mama made sure his first birthday cake was from a celebrity cake designer! Trust me, this will impress his girlfriends one day. :)
Isn't this topsy-turvy cake so fun? The curve/lean to it was very Dr. Seuss! And I love how Jay matched the colors perfectly!
I had this etsy dealer custom make this fabric bunting to match the party.
Lots of cute little Dr. Seuss character stuffed animals were everywhere (ebay purchase). I intended to give these for guests to take home but in all the fun I forgot!
Green eggs and ham of course!
And of course, Goldfish crackers are always a hit with toddlers. :)
I intended to make custom labels with Colin's hat pictures for the Jones soda bottles, but waited till the last minute and had to skip the detail.
Cat in the Hat watching over the gifts.
And now for the best part....
My good friend Sara of Sara E Rose Photography, was there to capture every moment. I ran around taking the photos above like a crazy woman before everyone got there, but once the doorbell rang (Sara was first to arrive), it was so nice to just sit back and enjoy it all. She offers birthday packages, and I *highly* recommend this to local friends. Here are some collages of the special moments she captured:
Thanks for all the great feedback on our party! Already dreaming up ideas for next year! :)
Side Note: I do not have any of the decor available anymore, it has been sold. Check out eBay and etsy.com for Dr. Seuss party goodies!
Toddler Hat available here: http://www.seussland.com/toddlercathat.html
Requests for invitation wording:
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
You could not, would not want to miss a celebration such as this!
<NAME> is ONE! today is his day, he makes his first wish on his first BIRTHDAY!!
<Month> is the month, and the <day>th is the day from 2 to 4 is when we will play.
Another wording example I found along the way:
"We're having a party! It's plain as can be!
I want you to celebrate with me!
The Cat will be there along with the Fish,
Horton & Sam, the 2 Things and we wish
that you would come too! We'll have much more fun!
We'll play in the rain....we'll play in the sun!
So get in your Who-train: DATE
Start making tracks: TIME
Meet us all at the Prairie of Prax: PLACE
I received many inquiries for this party/invitation. The invitation wording and hat links can be found on a later blog post featuring the party details. If you are interested in me recreating these invitations for your party, they are available for $5.50 each plus shipping. There is a 3 week lead time, so please plan accordingly for your mail date. You may email me with your order. Thanks!
Well, my favorite season has come and gone, but I'd still like to share a few glimpses around the house of Fall. I know I say it all the time, but living in the South, particularly Nashville, with four seasons is spectacular! Every month holds a new surprise when you walk out the front door. Always something to be excited about next...in October it was the beautiful leaves outside and in our own backyard.
Couldn't resist doing a little photo shoot on the front porch! My two favorite pumpkins. (see Daddy in the reflection?) :)
And around the house....
My favorite thing is decorating the mantle. All the fall leaves really warm the room up! The different orange glass bottles are from Home Goods and the felt banner I picked up on clearance at Target last year after Halloween. The Pottery Barn clear glass vase I use all the time - I just switch out the branches and flowers depending on the time of year. I have a feeling this won't be here for much longer when Colin is up and about very soon....! :)
Front entry table...little straw owl (missing his "Boo!" sign)...
Mmmm pumpkin scented candles! And I love these little seed pods that look just like mini dried pumpkins. A great find at Target.
Spooky skeleton in the dining room.
Another shot of the foyer table.
And the big day...Halloween! Colin's first! He made it to one house (our neighbors) for trick or treating.
Hope you enjoyed our little Fall fest. Now back to winter which just arrived today with the first frost!
