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.
Mia says
First thing Monday morning= check YHL re Clara’s party! Glad the weather held out..pictures and story are priceless. I am in awe with John’s video! What a treasure for her to see when she gets older. Thank you for sharing!
pattilouwho says
Looks like a great first birthday. I love the video…so awesome! She’s going to have so many wonderful memories…great job guys! :)
catie says
“due to scheduling conflicts…” i snort laughed over that one! may or may not have elicited a few looks from other cubicles around me!
happy belated birthday, clara!!
Kara says
Cute, cute, cute! My kiddos’ birthday parties have been total opposite in the sense that I love to make all the food from scratch, and very little in the way of decor or favors! They are lucky if I remember to run out for balloons, haha. But that’s why I love your blog. It inspires me to do home improvement projects I never would have thought of or considered in a million years! Happy birthday Clara!
Catherine Jones says
What great ideas! I love the “memory lane style” approach to the food. I’ll have to keep that in mind for our bash when January rolls around. Clara is very lucky to have such a creative mommy.
amy says
If your daytime job as a blogger doesn’t work out you definitely have a job as a party planner! Great job with everything, it all looks so pretty!
Jenn says
Hi Sherry and Jon!
This is my favorite post so far! I’ve been following for over two years – and this one not only made my grin ear to ear but tear up during the video (especially after reading your birth story).
Congratulations on your first wonderful year with Clara and many more to come! What an amazing day you put together for her. I hope you took pictures and put them in the time capsule.
Best,
Jenn
Robyn says
I love the idea for the time capsule.
Noel says
Yay! So glad the weather held up for you. You guys did a great job, what an awesome party! Happy 1st Birthday, Clara! Thank you for sharing the video with us, it is so sweet and adorable and definitely made me tear up a little (especially Clara’s first footage and “meeting Mommy”). And Sherry, I still can’t get over how pretty you looked after being in labor and delivering a baby. But I shouldn’t be surprised, you’re always pretty and you guys are an adorable family! Thanks (as always!) for all the inspiration!
Callie says
Wow! The party looks so fun! But the video…. Wow. You guys have done an amazing job documenting this first year! What a lucky girl. : )
Happy birthday pretty girl!!
Paige says
Happy Birthday Clara! Great party recap. I LOVE the video, especially the “lady and the tramp” spaghetti moment at the very end!
Sally says
Such an adorable video and an even more adorable little girl!!!
Jessica says
Oh gosh, I don’t even know you guys, but that video almost made me cry! Adorbs! And it made me realize that you take some phenomenal baby pictures :)
Happy Birthday to Clara! Looks like her first birthday party definitely beat my last few ;)
Louisa T. says
I’ve never even met you guys (except through your blog) and I cried, too! What a wonderful video. We have three kiddos (not so “kiddo” now, 18, 22 and 24!) and each one had their own “Smash cake”. What fun those were. Thanks so much for sharing Clara’s first birthday with all of us. You guys have done an amazing job, not just with home remodeling, but also with always putting her health and safety first. You are definite role-models to all young parents out there!
Katie says
So it takes something extra presh (do you like that abreviation) for me to come out of my hiding to comment. But this party is simply lovely. All of us in my office read your blog and yelled this morning from office to office about how perfect everything was! What a beautiful family and a great celebration! And oh wow on the patio by the way. Great work! And finally, thank you for the occasional Bethenny Frankel reference…you rule.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you had me at presh. So glad we didn’t let your office down with the ol’ party post. Haha.
xo,
s
Sarah@StyleandCentsability says
The first cake pictures always get me! So sweet! The decor is perfect.
http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/
ginai says
aww, made me cry!!!! love love love the video! you perfect people!!!!
Ericka says
MMMM! I baked those labor cookies to help me go into labor with my now 31 month old little girl. Didn’t work for me either – she came when she was good and ready:)
They are good (and spicy!) aren’t they?
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm- yes! So good.
xo,
s
Angelisa says
The party looked like it was a hit. Once again you two did an amazing job. Loved Clara’s dress, my daughter has the same one and wore it for Easter. The birthday video was amazing. I did get a little teary-eyed; it’s amazing how fast they grow in that one year. Wishing a Clara another great year to come with lots of milestones!
Megan @ Loving the little things says
Love all the party pics and details! Clara is blessed with such amazing parents and a great family! Hope her next year is filled with fun and love :)
Katie says
Wow! That looks like it was a ridiculously fun day, and like Clara really enjoyed herself. :) I love all the little touches that you guys included, like the messages along with each food item – so cool.
ashlee says
oh my god! you chose the BEST place EVER to display her 52 week photos. how beautiful! it looks amazing. your guests must have been thrilled to look through the pictures. also, man oh man, does that baby EVER look like your husband!
i love what you’ve done with your photo walls (the ones in your hallway). how do you feel about buying second hand frames and repainting/staining them? i bought a few today…they are super dingy looking, but i’m hoping they’ll clean up well.
did you paint your wall BEFORE you arranged your photo display? or do you plan on taking down the pictures and painting later? i’m torn over whether i should hang the photos up – my walls are currently ‘builder beige’ and i won’t be changing the colour for at least another few months. not entirely sure how my collage will look against that horridly bland shade of nothingness.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re huge fans of spray painting second hand frames for a new look. You can get them for just a dollar at thrift stores and they look new when you spray them! As for our hallway frame wall, we painted the wall first and then arranged the frames. But you can easily remove the frames and leave the nails in the wall and paint right around them (or even over them) and then rehang the frames so the order doesn’t really matter. Good luck!
xo,
s
Tasha says
I love how personalized everything was! You guys always come up with the best ideas…and you can totally bet that I steal them from time to time!! :) thanks for sharing!
candace @ thecandace.com says
Happy birthday, Clara! I loved reading through all of the birthday fun – it looks like a wonderful party with a lot of really special touches! You two are always so creative!
Shreya says
What a lovely birthday for a lovely little girl!
p.s. The video made me tear up too!
Mindy says
Wow. I’m a puddle after watching that awesome video–you guys are too adorable! I’m glad you had a great party!
michelle says
what a fast flying year!!! is she walking yet?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, cruising and pulling up like crazy but not walking yet. No rush though! Haha.
xo,
s
Hedi says
Happy birthday, Clara!
Thnsk for the virtual invite! The party seem to such fun and again really speial and specialized one! Sherry, the photo with you and the bean, if I may call her that, is just so beautiful! It deserves a place somewhere it could be seen!
MandyP says
Awwwwww! I don’t even know you and I cried through the video! My six year old son watched with me and kept saying, “Awww, she’s so cute” and then at the end he said, “I wish she lived close and I could hug her.” =)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s adorable! I told Clara and she smiled really big.
xo,
s
Valerie says
Oh my goodness. A whole year has come and gone. She is going to love the video when she gets older. It’s wonderful how many pictures you took of your bean! Thank you for sharing your video and the growth of your child with us! Truly a blessing! Best of luck to you when she’s 3 going on 4!! I have a 5yr old, 18 month and 9 weeker…the transition to 4 is a true test of parenthood. Don’t worry about turning 2 or 3 those are smooth potatoes!
Happy birthday Clara!
Valerie
Kate says
AWW I nearly cried watching the video never mind you two! Lovely party and a lovely little girl you have! Happy Birthday C-Peter!
B says
That video was beautiful.
freefalling says
That video is too beautiful for words.
What a One-derful year indeed.
Kim S says
Beautiful family! I loved the video. Happy belated birthday to Miss Clara!
Jennie says
happy birthday clara! went to a wedding this weekend with the same kind of cards and explanations…they were such great conversation starters and we couldn’t stop talking about them. great idea!
Becca says
Your little girl is precious… you already know that though! I would like to hire John to do the video for my baby’s first birthday. Of course, I don’t even have a baby yet… I’ll have to work on that:)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that means he’ll have time to gear up to make you a sweet video in a few years. Haha.
xo,
s
Kana says
I love everything about this party!!! way to go, cool parents ;)
Abigayle says
I just wanted to say that 1. I love your blog and once my fiance are married and buy our first house I definitely plan to follow in your footsteps! 2.Yyou guys have made one stinkin’ cute baby! and 3. I think you guys are pretty amazing parents and Clara is one lucky little lady!
Tori says
You guys need to stop posting stuff that makes me cry. It’s totally uncool.
Happy birthday to the baby girl! It looks like her first party will be a tough one to top :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha blame John! That video gets me every time and it’s all his doing!
xo,
s
Lucia says
Congratulations guys!!!…what a nice video…I must say I have cried…your baby girl it’s so sweet. I also have a baby of 7 months and all Clara is doing is so familiar for me.
I read you from Spain cos’ you are amazing.
kisses. Lucia
Ashley Watson says
I havent looked through all the comments… but has anyone said how you look JUST like your mom??? WOW! i almost thought it was you! super cute party.. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I get that all the time. We don’t see it (we stare at each other in a mirror and nothing!) but everyone says it so it must be true. Haha.
xo,
s
sarah says
Happy birthday to your little girl, you got some great party decor idea’s going on there, love it!!!
http://miss-hippy-chick.blogspot.com/
AlyceB says
Happy birthday Clara!!
PS – I started watching the video, and my 7 week old daughter just paused her wiggling and snuffling to listen to the music! Plus, I spied an Ergo! I love mine, so wish I’d had it for my son, but better late than never!
tricia says
That video is amazing! Priceless:) That is something you will treasure forever and always!
Melissa says
That was a beautiful video! Amazing and just brought tears to my eyes. Happy Birthday Clara!
Mary says
Loved the video . . . what a wonderful birthday gift for a beautiful girl.
Tania says
The video was so sweet, I am sure she will love watching it over the years. To know see incredibly excited you both were over her birth and all the milestones that followed will be a beautiful gift for her. The party looks fab, so glad you had a great time celebrating. I am craving those cupcakes now!
Amy says
What a cute party! I watched your video and I have to say, your baby is the most smiley baby I’ve ever seen. :) Any plans to show a DIY tutorial on how you made the balloon garland? Would love to make one for my friend’s baby shower. I’m sure I could figure it out, but if someone already has (aka, you ), it’d be great if there was some tips or pointers. I’m afraid in my horrible mathematical state, I’d mess up on the spacing and/or tying them onto the string.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! We’re planning one for tomorrow’s post on BabyCenter so we’ll post a link over to it as a PS to our morning or afternoon post. It was such a simple project but it made such an impact for so little money!
xo,
s
Jaime says
I was looking forward to the post about Clara’s birthday all weekend. I’m really glad you decided to share this special moment. I think Clara’s such a lucky little girl to be a part of such a loving family. I think when she gets bigger she is going to really appreciate how meticulously you documented her very special first year.
Maureen says
Loved the video, its not even my family, but I cried. Completely precious!