{Real Parties} Garden Spring Fling

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm ready for spring!!  So when I had to come up with a theme for my mother's birthday party it was simple.  Her only request was that it be a picnic style party at a beautiful botanical garden here in Virginia called Meadowlark Gardens.  She could not have picked a more perfect location.

I decided on having a simple menu of sandwiches, crudite, an orzo pasta salad and fruit.

My mother and father both love to garden, and since we were having the party at a botanical garden, I thought I'd use a garden theme.  I looked everywhere for an antique wheelbarrow with no avail so I opted for this old fashioned tricycle to hold the sandwiches.  The sandwich choices were ham & havarti on a pretzel roll, smoked turkey on a french roll and shrimp salad on croissant.

I love crudite in individual servings so when I came across these mini terra cotta pots I thought it was a perfect fit for this picnic (plus, I'm not sure about you but if it looks cute...I'm more likely to eat my veggies).

I decided to try my hand at making a fruit bouquet.  It wasn't hard but in the future I know to vary the sizes of the honey dew and cantaloupe.  I ended up doing some additional cutting at the end to fill in gaps.

Delicious and a perfect way to serve pasta salad for a picnic...big hit!

In lieu of a traditional birthday cake, I chose to make cupcakes.  My neighbor made the most wonderful log cake that I think melds perfectly with the garden theme.  I found this birdcage that is actually meant as a jewelry stand, my neighbor suggested I place the 'birthday girl's' cupcake in it...and she says she's not creative!!  Lastly, I decided to try my hand at cake pops.  Yummy, and so easy! Thanks Bakerella!

Lemon cupcakes

I love the way the cake pops turned out.  I found some cake pop petals by Wilton that I embellished with some of my own flower cutouts.

Here's my mom (the birthday girl), my dad and my baby Jack.

Happy Birthday Mom!! We love you!

Photography: Jonathan Hill

{Real Parties} Little Man Party

I can't believe it, it went by so fast, my little man just turned one!!  I know, it sounds so cliche but somehow we all say it!

I've seen this theme floating around a few blogs and it suits this 'little man' of mine to a T.  I love the mustaches and ties and I knew I wanted to incorporate a photo booth since it was such a big hit at the last party I planned.  The twist I added to this little man party was the root beer float element.  It all came about when I was trying to organize some of my party ware. I had a ton of disposable plastic coffee mugs that I needed to do something with...I had also recently seen a cake that a friend of mine had at a party.  It was a mug of beer with a beer can suspended, pouring into the mug.  Obviously, it wouldn't be appropriate to make a beer cake at a one year old's party so...root beer float cake it was!

Welcome to Jack's "little man" party

Since I don't have a cricut machine, I cut the ties out of scrapbook paper using a template that I drew freehand.  The letters on the other hand...let's just say...carpal tunnel!

The mini root beer float bar

root beer float cupcakes

Jack's smash cake

The photo booth was a fun activity especially because there aren't a lot of activities that one can do at a 1st birthday party. Besides, after a few root beer floats people started to let loose and have some fun in front of the camera.

The favors consisted of tie t-shirts for the little ones and root beer float kits for the older kids

Happy 1st birthday little man!!

Photography: Jonathan Hill