Lumberjack is a great theme for winter babies
We hosted Otto's first birthday on December 3. His real birthday isn't until the 18th, but since that's cutting it a little close to Christmas and holiday travel, we decided to throw the party in early December. Most of our friends have two kids now - toddlers around Henry's age and babies of various ages, so we knew a brunch would make the most sense with nap times. And, errrrr, kids just seem to be in a better mood in the mornings. I had decided back in July that I wanted a lumberjack theme for the party.
I picked out this theme because I thought the plaid and greenery of "lumberjacks" would fit well with a December birthday, but little did I know that shabby-chic, rustic Christmas decor would be "in" in a major way! I found SO many cute decorations there were absolutely perfect for the party. And it was all relatively cheap to boot.
Plaid paper plates, cups and napkins were easy to find. But I found these pails (similar here)in the dollar aisle of Target and thought they'd be perfect for holding snacks. I put popcorn, kettle corn and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies out for causal snacking.
I found the mini trees (similar here)in the dollar aisle (anyone else notice the the "dollar" aisle is now the $3-$5 aisle?! Nothing in there is a dollar!) at Target and loved the burlap bottoms. Then I really struck gold with the adorable plush lumberjack ornaments! There were lumberjacks, tents, canteens, canoes, and fires. I decorated our formal dining table (comfortably serves 8 so it's quite large) with these ornaments, creating a "winter wonderland" scene. I found reindeer confetti that Henry learned the hard way was made out of wood and not chocolate. Which is hee-lair, because he doesn't even like chocolate so I'm not sure why he wanted to eat it!
The showstopper for the winter wonderland table was the cake! I searched Pinterest for something outdoorsey, woodsey, or lumberjack-y. I found a pic I really thought would fit the theme and sent it to my cake gal. Unfortunately, she's renovating her house and not taking any orders! She did recommend her friend to me though. I sent them the picture and worked out a quote and a delivery date. Guys, if you're in Dallas and need a specialty cake, I HIGHLY recommend Jaels Cakes! It turned out just like the picture I sent and it was good too - not too sweet. They delivered it to my home and even set it up for me. Top notch service and so much talent! *not being paid to say this, just spreading the word of an amazing local, small business*
We had a full brunch served with pumpkin praline french toast, ham egg and cheese breakfast sliders and cheesy hash browns but I forgot to take pics. Standard. Not that food is all that interesting anyway, right? What IS interesting is seeing if Otto would get into his cake! But first, we sang to him. I love that he stared at me the whole time and smiled. Melted my mommy heart!
Then the cake! First off, I don't believe in "smash cakes." Why would you give a baby an entire cake?! Do you know how expensive specialty cakes are? WTF are smash cakes about, anyway? I could go on about how that's not only financially excessive, but also teaches food excess and poor eating habits from a young age... But we have cute pics of Otto eating his first cake to get to! So, I gave him his first bite.
He wasn't sure about it at first. Then the sugar kicked in and he was like, ahhhhh yeeeeeeeah! And he shoveled it in by the fistfuls.
The party raged on until nap time. Our playroom got demolished, a few more stains were added to the carpet (thanks rain and mud!) and hopefully a good time was had by all who came! BTW, if you came and are wondering why there aren't pics posted of you, I try to keep the blog to only posting pictures of my own kids and family. Some people are cool with it, some aren't, so I just limit the shots to us to protect those who don't want to be pictured, especially since there were so many kids. Happy (almost) Lumberjack Themed 1st Birthday, Otto!
I found the mini trees (similar here)in the dollar aisle (anyone else notice the the "dollar" aisle is now the $3-$5 aisle?! Nothing in there is a dollar!) at Target and loved the burlap bottoms. Then I really struck gold with the adorable plush lumberjack ornaments! There were lumberjacks, tents, canteens, canoes, and fires. I decorated our formal dining table (comfortably serves 8 so it's quite large) with these ornaments, creating a "winter wonderland" scene. I found reindeer confetti that Henry learned the hard way was made out of wood and not chocolate. Which is hee-lair, because he doesn't even like chocolate so I'm not sure why he wanted to eat it!
The showstopper for the winter wonderland table was the cake! I searched Pinterest for something outdoorsey, woodsey, or lumberjack-y. I found a pic I really thought would fit the theme and sent it to my cake gal. Unfortunately, she's renovating her house and not taking any orders! She did recommend her friend to me though. I sent them the picture and worked out a quote and a delivery date. Guys, if you're in Dallas and need a specialty cake, I HIGHLY recommend Jaels Cakes! It turned out just like the picture I sent and it was good too - not too sweet. They delivered it to my home and even set it up for me. Top notch service and so much talent! *not being paid to say this, just spreading the word of an amazing local, small business*
Then the cake! First off, I don't believe in "smash cakes." Why would you give a baby an entire cake?! Do you know how expensive specialty cakes are? WTF are smash cakes about, anyway? I could go on about how that's not only financially excessive, but also teaches food excess and poor eating habits from a young age... But we have cute pics of Otto eating his first cake to get to! So, I gave him his first bite.
He wasn't sure about it at first. Then the sugar kicked in and he was like, ahhhhh yeeeeeeeah! And he shoveled it in by the fistfuls.
Even Henry got into the cake. Not the icing, just the cake. There was a little girl at the party who only wanted the icing, and her mom and I basically arranged their marriage. Mostly because I want her to be my co-MIL. Also, what a perfect fit! Ying and yang, if you will.
The party raged on until nap time. Our playroom got demolished, a few more stains were added to the carpet (thanks rain and mud!) and hopefully a good time was had by all who came! BTW, if you came and are wondering why there aren't pics posted of you, I try to keep the blog to only posting pictures of my own kids and family. Some people are cool with it, some aren't, so I just limit the shots to us to protect those who don't want to be pictured, especially since there were so many kids. Happy (almost) Lumberjack Themed 1st Birthday, Otto!
What a cute theme!! Love all of the decor and touches of lumberjack-ness :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously an adorable theme. I love all the plaid. And totally agree with a brunch time party for that age. Don't want the kids to be melting down with missed naps.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute theme and honestly one I have never heard of before! I loved the accompanying fashion to it as well and that cake is adorable!
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique theme and the decorations are so pretty! You did an awesome job!
ReplyDeleteBelle | One Awesome Momma
WHY IS OTTO 1?! Also, this is definitely a great theme for a winter baby. I love how warm and cozy everything feels. Also, can I please be invited to Henry's wedding? That would be great, thanks.
ReplyDeleteLUMBERJACKS!! Ah. I love that so much. What a little sweetie. I can't believe he's almost a year old! How did that happen?
ReplyDeleteThis is darling!!! I can't wait until I have my own baby to do things like this! Such a cute and unique idea!
ReplyDeleteMelanie
omg this is SUCH a cute idea. Happy birthday to your little man! <3
ReplyDeleteHow adorable! Love all that plaid! What a fun birthday theme!
ReplyDeleteI love this theme so much. That cake is amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this theme! I'm planning a party for a client in January and she chose this one! I love everything you did for the decor :)
ReplyDeleteSuch an adorable theme! Love that cake, happy bday cutie!
ReplyDelete