Oh man did we party like it was 1999. Clara’s big birthday bash was so much fun, and even the weather miraculously cleared up for us (which I fully contribute to all the anti rain dances you guys did – so thanks). Of course you’re all virtually invited, so let’s get this show on the road. Here’s what the living room looked like decorated with some giant balloons and the fabric flag banner that I begrudgingly made for the bean just minutes before the first guests arrived.
On the other side of the room I hung a paper pendant that I made a while back above the hallway sliders and John taped up all of Clara’s 52 weekly photos (see the whole collection here) on the fireplace. It turned out to be a great place for people to stand and study them all (everyone had a different favorite) and it was so amazing to see how much she has grown and changed.
It had rained all morning but I refused to let the dream die (you know, the dream of actually using the patio that John worked so haaaaaard to build before the party) so I strung up some balloons that I got from Target for a few bucks to create a festive come-hither-and-enjoy-the-new-patio look. The forecast said it might stop raining by noon (which was the beginning of the party) but I snapped this picture around ten minutes before and it was still misting and overcast. Boo.
Pssst- Notice a privacy fence going on? Let’s just say John’s been busy. Details as soon as he catches his breath…
Thankfully, all that mattered to us was keeping Clara smiley, which didn’t hinge on the weather at all. We actually had to wake her up from her nap to attend her own party after a few guests showed up right on time. But she didn’t mind. Look at that happy girl. And isn’t her dress cute? It’s from Target.
Burger was possibly the best sport of the day to wear these ridiculous curly pink ribbons that I tied around his collar. I figured he’d immediately attack them until he got them off, but he didn’t seem to mind them at all. So he ended up wearing them the entire time. What a good big brother.
As for the food and drink set-up, we decided the kitchen was just waaaay too ugly to work as the main party backdrop (oy, that paneling) so we moved the kitchen table into the sunroom to create a little food and drink buffet. We even improvised and used a cute toy bucket of Clara’s for ice. Oh and here you can see the fabric runner that I made for the table using some of Clara’s weekly photo backdrop fabrics (I’ll have to share the steps for making that guy soon – it was really simple). And in the top right corner of the photo you can also see Clara’s special fabric that we designed on Spoonflower which we intended to use as a photo backdrop for everyone at the party.
Intended was the key word. We did manage to grab photos of a few guests in front of it (holding blank pieces of paper that we planned to later photoshop with their names so we could make an album for Clara to learn to recognize everyone). But the day was just such a blur that we didn’t get a chance to capture everyone. Maybe we’ll just have to make her an album with photos that we already have of everyone without that cute backdrop (which I plan to make into a beanbag someday).
As for the spread, we landed on a few simple crowd pleasing foods that work for babies and adults alike… and also had special meaning to us. We even made little cards to explain why we chose certain eats (just printed out on card stock on our own computer). For example, the pizza card said “Many of John & Sherry’s casual dates in New York City were enjoyed over a slice of New York pizza.” It was really nice to order five pies and call it a day (instead of slaving away making the food like we did for our backyard wedding – we must have been crazy back then).
We also had some of the most delicious chips and salsa in Richmond on hand – which also happened to have special meaning for us when it comes to our favorite girl. The card explained it all: “John was eating these Cafe Olé chips on his last day of work when Sherry called to announce that she was in labor.”
We also figured the other kids and parents would appreciate an easy little snack (one of Clara’s favorites). In fact when we held up a few things (Cheerios, Goldfish, these) she picked these (by pointing at them and saying “dis” – which isn’t a dis, but actually means “this”). And so the card read: “Clara loves munching on these veggie sticks and specifically requested them at her party.”
And although we would serve cupcakes along with Clara’s smash cake later in the party, we set out some cinnamon cookies with the food just to fill up the table with one more crowd pleasing treat (they’re also known as “labor cookies” because it’s an old wives tale that the spices somehow can start labor when you’re ready to pop – but it didn’t work when John whipped up a batch for me). So the card on these guys read: “John baked these ‘Labor Cookies’ when the doc said Clara was ready. They didn’t work – but they were good!”
Everyone ate their little hearts out and had a merry old time. Our party guest total ended up being 25 of our closest friends and family members, which was just about perfect. Here’s Clara taking time off from pizza eating to flirt with the camera man (our brother-in-law Todd very graciously snapped a lot of photos while we “hosted” and soaked up the day since he’s a pro photographer – and we’re oh so grateful).
And by this time it started to get nice and sunny out, so while most people were venturing outside onto the new patio (miracle of all miracles!), some people ate inside as well.
And Clara’s cousin John checked out our hallway frame wall with his new balloon friend. Btw, the giant colorful balloons were a huuuge hit with the kids. And two of them did pop, but they did so nice and loudly – which was helpful because one of the eighteen adults could quickly grab all the pieces (since deflated balloons can be choking hazards- safety first!).
We also mentioned that we wanted to create a birthday time capsule for people to contribute to at the party (we talked about it back in this post, which also has sources for a lot of our party supplies). What we ended up doing was grabbing a basket for people to drop notes and “artifacts” from 2011 into, which we would then transfer into a tin box for Clara to open on her 18th birthday. Oh and the note to direct people to contribute said: “Add something to Clara’s Time Capsule! We’re making a time capsule for Clara to be opened on her 18th birthday. So please write a note to be slipped in. (Something about her, about 2011, or even about yourself. Whatever!)” She ended up with lots of well wishes, a newspaper from that day, a party hat, and some stat cards full of gas prices and top recording artists and TV shows today. It should all be really fun to look back on when she’s eighteen.
See those little striped pens? Those were from the sentiment cards that people filled out for our wedding. I was so glad to spot them in the drawer when I went digging around for some fun little pens. And as for the note cards, they were just pieces of 8 x 10 card stock that I cut into quarters and drew a little heart at the top with pink, blue, and green markers. So the whole time capsule project was f-r-e-e.
And speaking of cheap thrills, these bubble containers shaped like ice cream cones were less than fifty cents a pop at Target (they sell them four per pack in the party aisle) and I used a silver sharpie to write each child’s name on them to create cute little favors. Once again, we printed out a little card stock sign to explain the whole shebang: Thank you for coming to my party! If you’re a young bubble enthusiast like myself, please take the party favor with your name on it. (This means you Laney, Elsa, John, Emanuel, Hayes, and Edison!) xoxo, Clara
Happily, they were a hit. Especially since everyone was gravitating outside to the patio (with rain clouds nowhere to be seen).
The balloon garlands were also pretty fun for the kiddos to look at, poke, smile at, and talk to (kids are kind of weird, but very cute). Look at my sweet momma and my sweet baby girl, living it up underneath them.
People even started spilling out into the carport, which is where some crowd rallying dancing took place. Here’s Clara’s cousin John getting the party started with some Macarena-ish moves.
We took the carport fun as a sign that it was time for my homemade piñata. That’s right the ugly goiter-esque creation that I shared on Friday actually worked out! I used a blow dryer to eliminate the moisture issue, popped the balloon, and then covered it with tissue paper “scales” for a fun girly effect inspired by this one I pinned on Pinterest a while back. I’ll be back with a detailed tutorial to share all the steps (I tweaked it to create a “pull string” piñata so the wee ones didn’t need a bat to get to the goodies inside, they each just yanked a bunch of strings to pop open the bottom and get to their treates – which were individually wrapped packets of Teddy Grahams and Goldfish). Long story short: it was lots o’ fun.
And because some of the party-goers stuck around in the carport for more bubble adventures (while others made their way back to the patio or the sunroom for more snacks/drinks/time capsule fun), we decided that it was time for some smash cake for the bean…
For those unfamiliar with a smash cake (my own Italian momma had never heard of it) it’s a tradition where you bake a tiny kid-sized cake for your one year old…
… and encourage them to dig in and make a big ol’ mess while snapping lots of photos and giggling uncontrollably. Clara was not shy.
It might have been the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
And she even generously shared some with us, so I ended up with a little icing in the hair situation and John got a cake goatee. Best time ever.
Here’s the cake carnage. Not a bad job for a dainty little girl, eh?
Then we pulled out three dozen cupcakes from our favorite bakery (Ukrops) and announced that everyone else should dig in too, since Clara set a great example. And did they ever. Oh and since all the other food got a label, of course the cupcakes earned one too: “These are the same cupcakes that John & Sherry enjoyed at their wedding, which Clara was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.”
And in some miracle of bulk cupcake ordering magic, three dozen of these pink, green, and blue babies came out to under $14. Yes, that’s less than 38 cents a cupcake. And I didn’t have to make them. I’m actually not sure I could have made and iced three dozen cupcakes for under $14, so it was definitely money well spent. And it freed me up to make Clara’s smash cake, which was lots of fun.
Here’s where everyone was outside and we realized that we hadn’t taken a wide shot of the sunroom with the kitchen table all set up with food (well, cupcakes and cookies at this point) so we snapped one (that table in the corner is where the bubble favors and time capsule stuff was set out for everyone).
And here’s a shot of everyone hanging out on the rain-free patio (there was even some ball playing in the backyard). We felt so lucky to end up with a nice day to celebrate the bean.
And we capped off the event with a little year-in-review video that John made for Clara on the computer using iMovie (and then burned to a DVD so we could share it with everyone on the TV in the living room). Look how many people we can fit on good ol’ Karl the Sectional.
Oh and as for the bean’s presents, you guys know I made her this quilt (which she very cutely pawed and smiled at when I gave it to her) and we also got her this fun little stacking game where you make sandwiches from one of our favorite eco companies. She loves it! And John will be building her a sandbox any day now to complete the gift trifecta. She also got lots of books and some great “activity presents” like a membership to the Children’s Museum and a series of toddler nature classes from the family. And her boyfriend Will Bower got her a super fun bathtime bubble blower and an über stimulating book called First 100 Words and this gorgeous dress that she’ll wear to woo him the next time she sees him.
So there you have it. Our precious baby girl’s first birthday party full of food, family, friends, fun, bubbles, balloons, cupcakes, chaos, and laughing til we cried. And the cycle of babies continues! John’s sister Katie recently announced that she’s expecting again (you can see her cute baby bump in the photo above our Clara video). Congrats to Katie and Martin! I’m sure we’ll blink our eyes and find ourselves at that baby’s first birthday party before we know it.
heather s. says
I attended a wedding on Saturday and the rain in SE MI thankfully stopped long enough for the outdoor ceremony! Looks like everyone had a blast at the party.
I also noticed the privacy fence and what looks like new plants still in their plastic pails.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes more details on that as soon as John catches his breath!
xo,
s
Maggie says
Everything looked so great, everyone looked like they had a great time. I LOVED the video of Clara’s first year…I’m not going to lie I totally teared up watching! :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLARA!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh good, it’s not just me. Haha. That video gets me every time! It’s just amazing how much she has grown and what a sweet girl we have. So happy and full of joy.
xo,
s
Alisa says
I teared up too ;) She’s just too stinkin cute!
Sarah says
the video doesn’t show up for me? just a blank space between the last paragraphs? tried from my phone as well and no luck?
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe try checking it out here directly:
xo,
s
Sarah says
all good now! A-DOR-A-BLE!
Eve says
Happy Birthday Clara!! What a fun party and so many cute ideas (that I’m going to have to copy for my son’s 1st birthday :)
Clara is a lucky girl to be surrounded by so much love…and it shows!
Bree says
You guys did such a great job!! Happy Birthday to Clara!!
OH! Glidden is giving away a quart of paint: http://www.glidden.com/index.do (site is running slow though)…thought I’d pass it on!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Allison says
Such a great video! The spagetti eating at the end was hilarious – just like lady and the tramp.
kate says
typing through tears here…that video was so precious! and i love the atmosphere you created for the party with those big colorful balloons. the patio looked wonderful and so inviting…glad the weather cleared up for ya! looks like Clara had a wonderful 1st bday
Emily M. says
Thank you so much for sharing these birthday photos. It looks like you had a wonderful day! I love the little diy touches like the time capsule, photo wall, table runner and the pinata! Really great ideas.
Happy Birthday, Clara!
bw1426 says
Love it!!!!!! What a perfect party!
paintergal says
Aw, thanks for including us in on the fun. She is so stinkin’ cute! Glad you were able to enjoy that fabulous new patio.
Amber says
I would write ‘time capsule’ letters to myself when I was a kid, to open when I was 18, so if Clara is as dorky as I was (am?) she will absolutely LOVE opening her capsule. I’m stealing this idea for my future baby.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, John loved this comment so much he walked across the house to read it out loud to me. Hilarious!
xo,
s
Sarah Johnson says
Gosh! Great video…. I cried watching it!
Sarah says
Looks like it was a great party, and I had tears in my eyes for the whole video! That last picture of the three of you when Clara was so tiny is just precious. Congrats to you all…
laura says
Looks like a great party! Glad the weather cooperated for you! Can’t wait to watch the video when I’m not at work! :)
cristina s says
wow what an amazing video that was. Kuddos guys. :)
Clare says
The party looks awesome!! So colorful and fun! The video made me cry!! Happy Birthday Clara!!!
Amy says
What a sweet party! I teared up watching the video thinking about my little guy’s first year!
By the way, I recently spotted this bean bag pattern on Made. I’m planning to try it out myself!
http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/looking-for-hours-of-entertainment-meet.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! I love that one!
xo,
s
Melissa says
So glad you had a lovely party day for the lovely Beanerina! I swear I’m not a stalker, but I was thinking of you guys Saturday and hoping it was a good party celebration for all! There’s nothing like your first baby’s first birthday. :)
And actually, I have that same lime sundress (I adore the crochet top!) for my little girl and she wore it on Saturday even. Psychic connection? ;-)
Happy birthday, Clara!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s too funny! Total psychic connection. Haha.
xo,
s
shunta says
that video has me crying at work!!! But happy happy happy tears!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Laura says
I mean, after watching that video, I really think you guys need to add some giggles, squeals, and fun in that little girl’s life. She doesn’t seem happy at all. :) Happy Birthday, Clara! She is too precious. They grow way too fast!
Letty says
Aw, so cute! The video made me teary-eyed! Clara is so loved, and it’s so sweet! Great party!!
elaine K says
Watching your video shows what great parents you are. So glad it didn’t rain for the party and that it was such a success. Clara is adorable!
Tina says
Everything looks perfect! So glad the rain went away for you!
heartartz says
Great fun Birthday Party.
You two are the BEST parents..Clara is an adorable happy little girl…but most of all together, you are a wonderful family.
The video made me cry. Loved it!
Love to all of you and…
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday sweet Clara
Happy birthday to you
Little Brick Ranch says
WOW – you guys amaze me! I have decided if you ever get tired of blogging (or run out of things to do in the new house you can instantly start up a part planning business. This party looks amazing. So colorful, simple, and sweet…AND all on a great budget!! I LOVE it!!
I have been following you guys for about 2 years and originally found you when I was planning my own backyard wedding and somehow stumbled across your post. We wound up not being able to do it at home (due to construction and some other house related dramas) but I loved your style so much I just kept on reading and reading. I now have my neighbor hooked as she is about to explore the whole cloth diaper venture when her baby is born in about 5 weeks!
Thanks for all the inspriation over the years…keep it coming! :)
Bianca…sorry for the super long comment!
Rachel says
The video was SO great! What an awesome keepsake.
Gavin S. says
Did Clara end up wearing the family birthday hat? I thought that was such a cute idea (plus it totally blends with all your weekly fabric projects). Hope you were able to snap a few pics of her donning it!
YoungHouseLove says
We forgot all about it during the party (ack!) but later that night we had dinner with most of the family at John’s sister’s house so she wore it while chowing down there!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Looks like a great party – you’re making me crave a cupcake. Love that first cake-eating shot of Clara – she looks quite serious and determined. Shoving fistfuls of cake in your mouth is important business!
Sofie says
I wanted to leave you a comment saying how wonderful everything looked, but then I saw the video, and I can’t remember anything else.
Congratulations, Clara! I think my favourite picture was the one of your face all smushed up against the glass. :)
Shelley says
What a fun and memorable day! It’s a good thing you guys don’t live in Portland, OR because it poured all weekend. Love the details, might steal some for my future niece/nephew baby shower. =)
Amanda says
I was so curious to see how was the party! So pretty in every details. Glad it didnt rain so u could use the pati-oh!
Love the video, Clara is such a beautiful smart girl :)
Happy 1st year Clara full of blessing and wonderful things!
Congratulations to mom and daddy, good job :)
Kisses!
Marlo says
What an awesome, AWESOME video! It made ME cry.
Happy Birthday Clara.
Melissa@Julia's Bookbag says
FABULOUS party!! Beautiful baby!! So happy to see such a wonderful celebration for your girl in your gorgeous new home!! xo, Melissa
Linda says
wow You guys did an amazing job!
Nikki T says
Great job on the party!! It looks like it was perfect for that perfectly adorable little bean of yours!
Polka says
Happy Birthday Clara :)
the party looked amazing :) love your ideas
best
polka
Krystle says
Such a cute and fun party and lemme tell ya that video made me all choked up! So awesome to be able to look back from Day 1 to 365! Happy Belated Birthday Clara!
Sarah says
That looks like such a great party! She is so sweet! My 2 year old son and I love the Clara video, and my son is obsessed with babies right now so he kissed the screen like a hundred times while watching it.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, that’s so cuuuuute!
xo,
s
Alex says
I have a 15 week old son, and the hormones must still be raging or something — I was crying 4 seconds into that video! GREAT job John!! Thanks so much for sharing with all of us. So inspiring. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I must still have some hormones going on too. Haha. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
xo,
s
Amanda says
Here in Brazil it’s usual to make that kind of retro video on the party. I love it :)
Here is the one I made for my son 1st bday last year on july: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ATvORweOY
and here is the one for my daughter – big girl – 5 yrs old this year on february:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2BcgPxYhsE
Kisses!
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo,
s
OMG-YHL says
Happy birthday Clara! Thank you so much, John and Sherry, for sharing your sweet girl with us! She’s so adorable! I love the idea of those quick facts next to each of the foods– I might have to steal that idea for my next party.
Summer says
Okay, that video was the best! …..Sherry, it made me cry so I can only imagine.
heather says
I just watched that whole videos and teared up, laughed, teared up again, laughed again. You have such a beautiful family that you can tell is so full of love. <3 Happy Birthday to the Bean!
Megan says
I loved the video! It was a tearjerker, but I controlled myself because I’m at work. My kids are older and it really goes sooooooooooo fast. That sweet video brought me right back. :)
Alexandra says
Happy first birthday Clara! She seriously is the cutest, happiest baby I have ever seen. You guys are clearly great parents with a wonderful daughter!
Kate says
Congrats on pulling off such a fantastic party! It made me exhausted to even think about all of the work that went into the smallest, pretty details! Love how you made the food personal with little story cards. Might have to steal that idea for my son’s 2nd birthday! My favorite card? The cupcake sign about Clara’s scheduling conflict. Made me smile so thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that was all John. He’s the funny one.
xo,
s
Ashley in NC says
Oh my gosh, that movie had me balling. Congratulations on a wonderful first year with the bean! The party looks like it was so pretty and lots of fun. It makes me want a little girl someday.
Amanda says
Oh gosh…I’m going to blame the pregnancy hormones but I actually just started crying (why am I admitting this?) watching the 1 year video! So cute and well done!!! Congrats on Clara’s 1st year and an awesome looking party!
Brittany says
She is so freaking cute.
Lita says
I love the photos of Clara and her smash cake! She made me smile at my desk!
Hey, here’s a blog from a fabric company–Kathy has some tutorials and directions on here. There’s a bean bag pattern and what I am dying to try: starching fabric to the walls (it’s supposed to be easy to install and more importantly easy to remove). Or perhaps you guys could try and show us how it goes? = )
http://www.makingitfun.blogspot.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! Love it!
xo,
s
Kelley says
I love the wide shot of the sun room. Such fun, festive colors.