old fashioned ice cream party

my baby boy's 2nd birthday was on saturday and we had a party to celebrate! i was going for old fashioned ice cream shop party. the colors were orange and teal. homemade food and homemade decorations and lots of friends set the scene!

homemade sliders and mac and cheese; homemade vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream, accompanied by tons of toppings in mason jars; orange slices and cheese balls in glass jars on each table; homemade bunting hanging from the ceiling; playful balloons; photo garland of noah's 2nd year; lights above the yard; kids with ice cream faces and wet heads from swimming; and loving grandparents, all equal a really special and memorable birthday party. 

i still can't believe i have a two year old!

duke charm

i was telling friend shanna that my sis-in-law, marsa` did a fabulous job decorating for my brother's graduation party. she made the comment that all marsa` had to do was breathe on whatever she was doing, and it would come out great! i agreed.  

the duke colors are white and royal blue, which would have initially posed a bit of difficulty for me, but marsa` tackled it with charm. she made royal blue pom poms and royal blue bunting and combined them with beautiful flowers and candles. wa-lah, it was gorgeous.

the happy couple.

UPDATE:  go here for a tutorial on making pom poms and here for a tutorial on making bunting.

table-scape

i need to have a party so that i can set up a table like this:

 

amazing!

(photo credit: once wed)

a french first birthday

 here is lula mae...she's a beauty, and now, she's one!

lula's mom and dad, sarah and jay, threw her an adorable french inspired first birthday party.

sarah, always the creative inspiration for me, came up with so many sweet details that made this party special.

she created an image of her daughter, ordered custom material from spoonflower, and sewed these special bibs for each party attendant. she distinguished lula's bib by adding a pom pom binding to the edge. each guest got to take his/her home.

  she also made these adorable party hats.

the party table had a basket of beach balls and bubbles for the kids, and a simple, beautiful and delicious cake.  every bit of the food sarah made came from barefoot contessa, my absolute favorite chef!

other details included a custom banner that said, "bon anniversaire," which is of course happy birthday in french.  it laid atop a petticoat skirt that sarah turned into a whimsical chandelier.

 
sarah decoupaged a small piece of her custom fabric to a cut of cardstock, then glued decorative string into the shape of "bon anniversaire lula" for a custom first birthday card.

here's to lula's first birthday and sarah's creativity!