Pinspiration! Henry's 1st birthday party edition

Just wanted to share some of the things I've pinning lately that are inspiring ideas for Henry's 1st birthday party.  Of course, I can't use all of these...I'll have to find some that will work for the birthday theme, my tiny budget, and my less than stellar artistic skills.  But I thought these were so great that I had to share!

I love the idea of having something to greet party guests at the door!  A door hanger or a simple set up is perfect.

 

 

 

The smash cake has been around for a long time, but it's almost required these days, ha!  It's so fun to have a little cake just for the birthday baby to smash!

 

I also love these personalized cookies!  They could be party of the party food or really cute party favors.  I've got to learn how to make some of these!

 

I love it when the birthday baby has a special shirt or outfit that's part of the party theme!  Such a cute, simple idea that really brings things together.

 

It seems like every party online has some type of party-themed, food table backdrop.  These really go the extra mile in cementing a party's theme & make for some cute pictures to remember the day by!

 

I've seen this on Pinterest before, but recently seeing that a friend used this idea at her baby girl's party with great success sent me to Toy's R Us to gather supplies for Henry's very own ball pit!

 

 

I got all of these pictures off of Pinterest & have tried to use the links back to the website that they came from.  Be sure to follow the links to see other great party ideas!

 

What has inspired you lately?  Any party planning going on?  What great idea from Pinterest have you used at a party?  Did it turn out the way you hoped?  Boy, I've got a lot of work to do!  I'll be back with projects soon :)

 

Party Over Here, Party Over There

Wave your hands in the air like you just don't care...is that a song?  My mind is a scary place.  Ha!  Anyway, today Henry & I went to Hobby Lobby to gather ideas and supplies for his 1st birthday party...his 1st, 1st birthday party.  Follow that?  Well, we decided to have 2 1st birthday parties for him.  We have just been planning on having one party for him & having it in Mississippi.  We knew that we would be moving right before/during his 1st birthday & we'd be in Mississippi by the time his birthday actually rolled around, so that pretty much decided the location for us.  We felt bad about leaving out our Knoxville family, but everything between now & moving date is CRAZY busy! 

(I know these pictures aren't necessarily related, but I feel weird writing a post with no pics, so here ya go!  AND it's sort of relevant cause they're Hobby Lobby bags :))

Well, this past weekend we spent time with some family here in Knoxville and they asked about his birthday plans.  I felt SO guilty telling them that we were just having a party in Mississippi!  I know how much they love Henry & wanted to celebrate his first year with us...not only them, but our other family here, too.  We decided that we should have a small get-together before we move.  We've decided to keep it to just family, so it won't be anything elaborate, but I know that being surrounded by family who love him will make it special!

Speaking of special...I'm a special kind of crazy.  I can't leave well-enough alone.  Even though it's small & just some of our family, I still need it to FEEL like a party.  Am I completely crazy or do you know what I mean?  We can't just sit around & eat or it'd be like any other meal.  We need cake & decorations!  Now, if I was super crafty, artistic, or talented, it would be easy peezy to whip up a simple birthday party.  But I'm not.  I have caviar ideas, a cracker jack budget, and the talent of a cardboard box. *sigh*  The good news is that I'm motivated to make his little party an enjoyable & memorable event!

Sooo, why do I need 2 different sets of decorations?  Why can't I just use the same decorations for both parties?  Because I like to plan ahead when possible.  I was planning ahead for his party in Mississippi, so I already sent most of the stuff I've collected for his Mississippi party to Mississippi.  Yep.  Fail.  Oh, well...I'll figure something out.

I'm going to try my best to be crafty so I can have (hopefully) cute decorations on my tiny budget.  Y'all send all your Martha Stewart well wishes my way!!

Are y'all planning any parties?  What themes and unique decorations did you use for a special event?  Am I over-thinking everything or is this normal?