sage and sky designs: first birthday party: crafty goodness

Well, Miss E's party was fun, but it did not go off without a hitch. There was the cramming of all the tables and twenty-four people in our tiny house because of the rain. And then Eleanor, being a toddler, was cranky at nap time, so we had to push back the cupcake-eating until only three people were left to witness it. But that's okay; it wasn't her real first cake-eating anyway (we documented her actual first cake-eating experience during a little photo shoot three weeks before her birthday). And despite my insecurities, everyone really did have a good time. Plus, the decor turned out just like I had envisioned in my head, and the sweets tasted just a good as they looked.

The invitations beckoned our guests to join us as we celebrated our "sweet" little girl turning one year old. I designed the simple invites and had them printed as 4"x6" photos at shutterfly and then rounded the corners with my corner punch (the invitations are hiding somewhere, so this digital version will have to do for a photo).

As you know, the centerpiece of the party was the desserts table in honor of our sweet little girl. I used the sweet theme and number 1 design throughout the party's various elements.

Yummy lemon cheescake bars + tags I designed. (The vintage scale usually decorates the top of my fridge.)

Absolutely beautiful cake made by my friend Tiffany of Flying Buttercream Cakes (I made the tiny bunting) and inspired by this cake. Tiffany actually made the cake for the aforementioned cake-eating photo shoot that awesome photographer Marissa Bowers did (one photo is displayed on our mantel, below). The cake was too beautiful and delicious to go to waste, so I froze it to use for the party.

I also made a no-sew fabric banner (the "Happy Birthday" is above the sweets table) to accompany Marissa's cake-eating photo of Miss E. These days, the Eleanor part of the banner hangs in Miss E's room. I also love that the total cost for the banner was $2.75 (and as the hubby said, way cuter than any plastic banner you could buy for $2.75). I had most of the fabric in my stash (one quarter-yard I purchased from Hobby Lobby on clearance for $.75), bought a spool of ribbon, and used scrapbooking letters I had on hand.

I don't love this photo, but I have to share one of my favorite things from the party: the banner I made from Eleanor's monthly photos (seen here). What fun to see the changes from month-to-month, deciding whether or not she always looked like Eleanor from the beginning (she did in fact), and determining which month she started to turn into the E we know today (nine months). This is where I kept the favors (bags of candy for the adults and dollar-store toys for the kids) with labels that read (You're a sweet "1").