Planning the Big One...the Little Details

I used to say I'll keep my children's first birthday's simple because they won't ever remember it. Like I said I used to say that. Then I had a child and I realized that this first birthday is also for me...the mommy. It's something I get to enjoy planning to make my little boo's day very special. To celebrate the day that two became three. To celebrate our little family.

Now I am not going overly crazy. But I am paying close attention to the details. I've been getting lots of inspiration for Kara's Party Ideas ( http://karaspartyideas.blogspot.com/ ) Man does she have some cute parties featured on there.

I've already showed off her birthday outfit. I'm sending out really cute invitations that Alisha over at Lilypad Boutique ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/lilypadboutique?v=wall&ref=ts ) did for me. Since some of you are getting them I will wait until after I have sent them out this week before I debut them on here.

I'll debut the cupcake toppers and stickers that she did for me now though.

This is the cupcake topper design...I'll be printing them out on card stock and attaching sucker sticks.


Okay I'll have to debut the stickers another time because google mail is being a pain right now. But anyway they are super cute and I am going to use them for either the invite envelopes or for the goody bags. Just depends on what kind of packaging material I can find this week.

I am working on a birthday banner for her, but I am having a hard time finding a font that I like and making it look like what I want it to. Here are two pictures that I took the other day when I was trying to get a perspective.

I'm just not sure if I like the green behind the "H"

And the white to me just stands out too much.

I'm also not super crazy about the font, but I was trying to get one that would be noticable. What I would really like to do is put the letters directly onto the orange but I'm not sure how to do it. The pumpkin is a pre-cut out that I found in a package at the Dollar Tree, so it's not like I can run it through the printer. It seems to me like the only thing to do is to somehow create my own stencil and do it like that but I'm not sure how?

I plan on running some really cute ribbon through each individual piece and stringing it up at the party. It's going to say "Happy 1st Birthday Aubrey". I really wanted to make it, but if I can't figure out how to get the letters like I want them then I may just scrap the idea and get Alisha to design me a banner as well.

The other details include hay bales around the fire pit (since we are going to be roasting weenies and making smores), fall decorations, carving a #1 in a pumpkin and Aubrey's initials in another, a "Welcome to Aubrey's Pumpkin Patch" sign, lots of pumpkins, and lots of green and orange balloons.

I figure it's the little details that can make a party that much more fun looking and I have enjoyed getting to do all these creative little things. We are right under 4 weeks until the big day, and I am praying for good weather so we can do this outside in my parents backyard. If it's not pretty weather, then we'll adapt and move the party inside. I guess the important thing is to be flexible and just enjoy the time.