Elephant 1st Birthday Party

Well it's only taken me about a month to post, but I'd say this party is well worth the wait. I had a blast working on twins Sawyer and Preston's first birthday party. I've been friends with their Aunt Lauren since 9th grade and have had the pleasure of making many memories with their family over the years. So when their mommy, Hayley, came to me asking for help with their first birthday, I was thrilled. She wanted it to be perfect and put a lot of time and thought into making it just right for them. I was so glad to be able to help her with the process, and I think the final outcome was nothing short of amazing thanks to all of the family and friends who helped along the way.

Hayley's in-laws' beautiful home proved to be the perfect setting for the soiree.

A custom door hanger was placed at the entrance and animal cracker favors reading "Animal crackers just for you. Elephants and friends from the zoo" were in a basket by the front door for easy access upon guests' departures.

The entry table displayed photos documenting the boys' first year.

Pinwheels and paper flowers gave the party a vintage vibe. And an assortment of apothecaries were placed throughout with marshmallow, animal cracker, gumball and chocolate candy fillers inside.

The boys' first year monthly pictures and paper balls hung from ribbons in the front window.

Now for the food...

Wraps, sandwiches, veggie kabobs, chips, fruit and cookies were served for lunch.

Personalized water bottles, smoothies and mini apple juices were served for drinks. And of course, we can't forget to show my favorite straws in the world :)

The party wasn't the only thing styling on this day. The boys wore custom outfits made by their very talented Nana. The attention to detail was amazing.

After snapping some pictures in their sweet outfits, it was time to get the cuties naked for eating their first cake. The cakes were served on personalized plates featuring the boys' painted hand prints. Their momma wanted to them to have a keepsake they could use at each birthday celebration to come. I loved the idea!

Look at those sweet faces!

After the boys had their fill, it was time to cut into the big party cake, made by the same bakery that did their parent's wedding cake. Cold milk was served alongside it in Starbucks frappuccino bottles.

Delicious chocolate-caramel buttercream cupcakes, made by S and P's Aunt Lauren, were also served for dessert.

I hope you had a fabulous birthday, Sawyer and Preston! A little detail, and a lot of love was put into making your day so very special. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it!

Party Sources:
Invites and printables-DigiBuddha Paperie on Etsy
Cake-Barb's Cakes

Food-Tropical Smoothie Cafe and family

Custom Plates-Painted By U

Canopy Stripes

As I mentioned in a previous post, black and white canopy striped fabric is one of my current obsessions. It's classic, clean and oh so elegant. Not to mention that it can make a bold statement in a room without being too flashy. I normally favor a very neutral color palette with accents of greens and robin's egg blues, and this pattern could be put in any such setting and be beautiful. Here a few of my favorite examples: Is this room spectacular or what? It's modern, classic and sophisticated! There is a large amount of stripes in this room, yet it's not overbearing. And the symmetry and clean lines displayed throughout give the room great balance. I could just plop this room right into my house! This is another example (as shown in a previous entry). If you don't have the money to invest in a rug, buy a few pillows and get the same look in your room for a fraction of the price. Whoever said black and brown don't go together was seriously mistaken. Lo

Table Decorating Contest

Jon and I are leaving to spend a long weekend in San Antonio with his parents and his brother (who will be town from Arizona). But before we go, I wanted to leave you with some pictures from the Officer Spouses Club Table Decorating Contest that was held last night. I called Jon on my way home from base, and he immediately asked "How was the contest?" to which I responded "Victorious." The 32nd FTS, our squadron, took first place! The theme was Silver Screen so we decided to focus on famous quotes from each movie genre. Each place setting featured a different movie. We had a "drive-in" for our center piece where clips of the famous quotes were shown. Welcome to the Jayhawk Drive-In! Wizard of Oz place setting. The glass had a button you could turn on to make the water swirl and look like a tornado inside. Also notice the witch's feet sticking out from under the plate :) A close-up of the yellow brick road I painted. Silence of the Lambs pl

Guest Room Before and After-Healing Aloe

Here is a shot of the room in all of its coral glory. Great for a teenager, not for a soothing guest room. And here is the Healing Aloe after. Healing Aloe is a color by Benjamin Moore. It was hard to get a good shot of the true color, but it is more of a seafoam than gray. Aside from painting the walls and buying a new white quilt for the bed, everything else in the space we already had--most of which are hand-me-downs (bed and dresser) or thrift store finds (lamp and side table). It will all be sufficient for now, and hopefully a space that our guests will love. I'm very happy with the outcome and the progress of one more room in the house coming closer to completion. One down, three to go (at least in the painting department!)

House of Hydrangeas

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