After celebrating Lily’s first birthday this last weekend with friends and family, I couldn’t help but share her special day!
Weather… Holy Cow! Was it hot, or what?? I never claimed to be a meteorologist, but on the Thursday night before the party, while watching the weather, as I heard “Saturday will be the hottest day of the summer…” I nearly froze. Lily’s party was going to be at noon, at the height of the heat. I pulled some positive thinking out of my Mary Poppins bag: decided to fill the kiddie pool, grab some water squirters, crank up the AC, batten down the hatches and prepare for a scorcher! We were going to need EXTRA cold water and ice, lots of ICE!
Now, down to the fun part… The party planning!
After I explored Pinterest, I found a ton of great ideas for a ballerina party, which I pinned on Lily's Party Board (and future birthday parties as well, I’m picturing an Itsy Bitsy Spider party or The Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday in someone’s future).
The ideas listed below were completed by me, three of my girlfriends, with our kids running around, an ordered pizza for dinner and wine... LOTS of wine!
Quenching your thirst… Wet your whistle with some pink lemonade! I was inspired by a Pink Lemonade Party plan I found on Pinterest (but I can’t find the link for the party, sorry). Nothing over the top special about the actual pink lemonade, but all the little touches create awesomeness. I, actually a friend, sliced lemons into thinly sliced triangles, small enough to fit each into their own personal little pocket of ice (ice tray). Then, she sliced pretty ones to drop into the pink lemonade for a little added touch. Soon the frozen lemons were floating in the pink lemonade and displayed (melting) in an ice bucket. I displayed the masterpiece in different shaped canisters and pitchers…
Mmmm, the FOOD… Since we are celebrating at high noon on the hottest day of the summer, I planned on cool, light, and serve yourself kind of a meal. When people offered to bring food, I did not turn them down. Plus, let’s be honest, I can’t say no. Deli platter, Bar salad, Chinese salad, fruit, cheese and crackers… Keeping everything as simple as possible, but delicious and kid friendly at the same time.
Just Dessert… I stumbled upon several adorable ballerina cupcake ideas. I ended up relying on a dear friend (Danielle Peregrim, DaniMarie729@aol.com) who knows the ins and outs of the pastry world. After calling in the reinforcements, we got down to business!
I supplied the cupcakes.
By the way, my super secret to a great cupcake: Add vanilla pudding mix (dry) to your cake mix. The cupcakes will stay moister longer. It works every time!
She supplied everything else!
Just Dessert PART II… This could break a few hearts, I’m sorry in advance, but party favors drive me insane. I can do without a collection of engraved frames from weddings, or votives with dates, or knick-knack toys, etc… I have them and, unfortunately, they are all collecting dust in the attic because I can’t bear to throw them away or they are lost in the abyss of my car. Either way, they aren’t being used… After this summer, I’m going to end up with a puddle of melted crayons in my car, huh?
Even though I have a strong dislike for favors, I still wanted people to walk from our home knowing we appreciated their company, they needed to leave with something… but what? Another Pinterest find; I found Erin Cooks and the blog post called Pretty Pretty Princess Pink Party Popcorn. There were other tutorials on making tri-colored popcorn, but this was straightforward and to the point, and looked wicked EASY!
To create a cute display, I covered empty (diaper) boxes with wrapping paper, lined the inside with plastic table cloths, and tied it all together with extra yarn I had in the house. Everything to picked to match Lily's party colors and purchased on sale from Target... CHEAP!
Want a detailed tutorial on how we did it... E-mail me at info@lilyandfrog.com and I’ll post ASAP!
Dress-Code… Ok, we didn’t have a dress-code by any means. Honestly there were kids running around in their knickers and diapers after jumping out of the pool, tracking water through the house; no harm, no foul, right? And then there was Lily in her birthday tutu. I have to say, I’m a little bias, but she was absolutely adorable…
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