Presley's Super Sweet 1st Birthday

It seems like the first year of Presley's life went by so fast I don't even remember most of it, especially since I started working on her party late summer! I was unsure what her 1st birthday theme would be but I knew I didn't want anything that would be dated in years to come and I knew I wanted lots of pink! So I took that and ran with it and that eventually developed into her Super Sweet 1st Birthday. I got most of my inspiration from Pinterest but since I started this blog a while after her actual birthday, I don't have many of the references. If you see something you like and want more info just send me an email and I would be glad to do more searching to find the source! Presley's invites were designed and printed by Chickabug, but I failed to get a pic of them!

The sign was made by my husband and I. I bought wooden letters from Hobby Lobby and spray painted them with a mixture of pinks. The large polka dot balloons were purchased from Sweet Shop Lulu.

 

 

 

 

The candy buffet was the main decor of the party and also served a favors for the guests to take home! I ordered all of my candy from Oh Nuts and I was more than pleased with their customer service. They had best prices out of all the candy companies I compared, along with the best selection. The jars I picked up along the way at Ross & TJ Maxx. The cotton candy balls were purchased from Atlanta Concessions and I purchased the paper straws from Sweet Shop Lulu and inserted them myself. I also purchased the paper favor bags from Sweet Shop Lulu and used a Martha Stewart craft punch to scallop the edge of the treat bags to give them some character. I then printed up some Avery tags and attached the to the bags. I also used Avery labels for the additional 4x6 cotton candy packs I ordered from Atlanta Concessions.

 

 

 

I used to bake cakes for fun when I was in high school, so I decided long before the party that I would make Presley's Birthday cake, and I hope to do this each year in the future. My Mom and I signed up for a fondant & gum past class at our local Michael's, before that I had only worked with buttercream. So this was my first cake prior to taking the class, I think I've gotten better since then!

 

 

I also did a quick smash cake topped with chocolate ganache, my first experience making the stuff, but I think it turned out great and Presley certainly enjoyed it! I used a little AmeriColor food coloring and chocolate cake to create a "Neapolitan" cake!

 

I was in total shock by what transpired next, a pony in my house! My sister and brother-in-law decided to surprise Presley, and everyone else apparently, with a real live pony. The pony definitely created some excitement, he resides on Auntie Kim & uncle Jason's farm, although my neighbors were surely glued to their windows to see if we planned to keep the pony in our front yard in the middle of town!

 

My husband and I decided that we wanted to purchase at least one keepsake gift for Presley at each Birthday, so she would have something to remember each year by. I thought a Tiffany & Co. charm bracelet would be the perfect keepsake and the cupcake went perfectly with the party theme. She gnawed on the box a little, apparently it was pretty tasty!

To cut time spent designing a thank you note, I sat Presley in the middle of what was left of the candy buffet and snapped! Everyone really enjoyed this cute photo of her on their thank you notes, which I created on Tiny Prints!

 

The Birthday girl with her Dad.

 

And finally with a very exhausted Mom!

 

I searched high and low for the perfect outfit for the gorgeous birthday girl, a dress from Hartstrings. It was a tiny bit big for her, but it matched her party so perfect!

 

Atlanta Concessions and Catering http://www.sakida.com/
Sweet Shop Lulu http://shopsweetlulu.com/
Chickabug http://www.chickabug.com/
Hartstrings http://www.hartstrings.com/
Oh! Nuts http://www.ohnuts.com/