Better late then never right? I had all intentions of getting everything together and publishing this blog post prior to starting back at the Pharmacy full time... insert website troubles and #momlife here... it didn't quite happen when I had hoped it would. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy a glimpse into Mía's first birthday party as much as I enjoyed planning it. It definitely wouldn't have happened without the many hands of family and friends that helped with food, decor, and hosting. A special thank you to my sister for capturing the big day for us. Let's jump right in!
I knew from early on that I wanted a Garden Party theme for her first party and I started gathering ideas straight away. I was all ready to cut out a hundred giant paper petals and start making the flowers for the walls. As I was browsing in Michaels for inspiration I happen to come across some giant paper flower kits and it saved me so much time. Making them was a piece of cake but figuring out how to hang them was the tough part. I didn't want to ruin my walls but it had to be sturdy enough to hold the giant flowers for the entire day. After sticky putty failed (several times in fact) we found that these 3M adhesive tabs worked perfectly.
I sourced out her smash cake and the adult cake from the amazingly talented Crystal of Gateaux Rose. The beautiful garland of greens on the main table, her high chair, and the balloons were from The Flower Shop and I couldn't have been happier at how well they looked. Flowers and greenery have a way of instantly elevating any decor and they made the garden party them come to life. I had wanted to print off photos of Mía at every month of age, but that just didn't happen. I displayed her newborn photo with a pair of booties that I had crocheted (yes, me!) for her before she was born. I picked up the golden letters that spell out "ONE" on clearance from Michaels so that was another lucky find. They had a hook to hang on the wall but again, I wanted to save my painted walls from any unnecessary damage so I just placed them leaning against the wall and they looked great.
I ordered Mía's flower crown (and a matching comb for myself) from Oh Dina! in the summer because I knew she would be able to wear it to the several weddings that we had to attend and it was going to be something that she would wear on her birthday too. I just adore everything Oh Dina! because she creates the most beautiful pieces from such high quality materials that she sources from all over the globe. They are the type of pieces that you will hold on to and cherish for years to come. As part of the party favours I had made flower crowns for the little girls and my mom made little bow ties for the boys. The flower crowns were made of supplies from the local dollar store and I suggest you make a mock one first so you get an idea of how much you will need to buy and more importantly, how much time you will need to make them all.
For food we had slow cooker cocktail meatballs, Icelandic pancakes filled with jam and whip cream and ones with just a light dusting of sugar, icelandic shrimp cake (sounds strange but delicious!), cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches, savoury asparagus bread pudding, baked baguette with Brie and pecans drizzed with honey, and I made a raspberry lemonmade. Phew... I didn't realize we had so much food until I typed it all out! However, it was a good thing we did because most of it was all gone by the end of the party.
For her first birthday we purchased custom a play tent for her from a small shop called House of Hale in Alberta. I planned for this tent to be in her room in a little nook near one of her windows so I thought the lace front panel at the top would allow more light to come in. I adore the pom pom trim along the door flaps and I think it compliments the lace so well. The panels are made of a sturdy cotton canvas and I can already tell it will be able to within many play sessions with Mía and her friends. My favourite feature of this tent is that it is collapsible and that makes it great for storage or to transport it to another location. For the party we decided to set up the tent in our living room so all of the kids can have easy access and their parents would be able to keep an eye on them easily and it worked out quite well.
It has been a whirlwind of a year for our little family and it's crazy to look back on how quickly we came to her first birthday. Words can't even describe how full our hearts are to have this little person in our lives... this sassy, funny, clever, and sweet little girl. Happy Birthday little one, know that you are loved cherished beyond any describable measure known.
xo
Thanh