Follow-Up on Madeline's 1st Birthday Party

The photos of my daughter's first birthday party are now in {courtesy of Min Mi Photography at www.minmiphotography.com}. Read below for details of this party. 

This Parisian-themed party was initially based on the French character from the popular storybook, "Madeline". I thought what a perfect excuse to use a Paris theme because my daughter's name is also Madeline! LOL. I did not want the entire party theme to be centered around this character since I thought it would be too cutesy. So I included other Parisian design elements and styles. The colors I used throughout the party were black, pink, and white. I was hesitant in incorporating black as part of the color theme, but I just held my breath and went ahead with the idea. I have not regretted since because now I find myself drawn to this color combination everywhere I go.

The day of the party was very hectic, but I was so fortunate to have many people helping me out. It was a party that I was planning for about 6 months in advance. As someone who was organizing this type of party for the first time and without any professional help, I realized that no matter how much planning you do, it will never come out exactly the way you imagined in your head. However, by the end of the party, I found myself enjoying the celebration of my daughter’s first year and was relieved that I did not have to stress over the details anymore. 

Party Color Theme: Pink, black and white {with black and white polka dots and pink and white stripes}



Now in my shop!


Decorations: I designed the invitations, which were made to look like a passport. 

Other design projects included tags, signs, and labels.

I also made the tissue wreath for the sign-in table area. The tutorial can be found at Blissful Nest. Instead of using a guestbook or a wishing tree to have guests sign-in, I used an Eiffel Tower, where guests could tie postcards with their written messages. 

The table flower centerpieces were made out of tissue paper and I used spaghetti jars as vases. I filled each jar with pink gems and used scrapbook paper, ribbon and scalloped designed tags to help carry out the Parisian theme. 

The photo op area was very simple to make. I purchased the tri-fold board from an office supply store and the rest of the items were from the 99 Cents store. The little signs had sayings for people to hold while taking pictures. Some had random phrases that read, “Ooh la la”, “Bonjour!”, etc. The back board should have been much bigger, but the photos were still fun to take. I had a good laugh watching some of the dads goof off with the prop items. 

I figured that since the food menu already included some desserts, it wasn’t necessary to buy a cake for the party. So along with the help of a family member, we watched an instructional YouTube video and made a faux fondant cake. Not bad for a couple of first timers!

Many items were purchased from Michaels and some from Home Goods, Target and the 99 Cent store. Most of the printable files are now on sale at my Etsy shop!

Vendors:

Paper Designs - FLIPAWOO

Photography – Min Mi Photography

Macaroons – Sparkles Kitchen

Restaurant – Maggiano’s Little Italy (yes, I know it’s an Italian restaurant, but this place is great!)

Clear containers – www.papermart.com

Black and pink tutu – frillerup