Woodland Friends First Birthday Party

We had our sons, “Woodland Friends,” first birthday party, and it was a real “hoot.”

{No pun intended. Ok, maybe a little.}

Considering this was my second kiddo’s first birthday, I wanted to make sure that we did the same type of celebration for him, that we did for our oldest sons, first birthday. {See that party here: Airplane First Birthday Party}

So that meant inviting friends and family, extra sweets, and fun little “extras,” to make it super special. {That you’ll see below}

Woodland Friends Party

When I decided on the Woodland Friends party theme, I knew that I better start off contacting someone for my invitations. “Perfect Printables,” came to my rescue! Not only did Megan run with the theme when I told her my ideas, the customer service, and production turn-around time, was impeccable! She knew I had kinda slacked, and waited until the last minute to order them, but she totally made it happen for me. “Perfect Printables,” will definitely be on my contact list for party invitations in the future!

{I smudged out the address and phone number for photo purposes. I assure you that they were spot on, and “perfect.” No pun intended. Ok.. maybe a little again.}

Aren’t they adorable!?

For my oldest sons first birthday, we asked the guests to forgo bringing a birthday gift, but if they insisted on bringing something, we would love to donate goodies to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

This time, we did the same, and donated goodies to “Operation Christmas Child.” What a wonderful organization it is, and what a great feeling imagining boys and girls opening gifts on Christmas that they may not have received otherwise. {I had Perfect Printables create a small card to include with the invites, explaining the details for the guests!}

Keeping with tradition, we like to create a time capsule for our kiddos, so guests can write a little message for the birthday boy, that they can open on their 20th birthday and read what everyone had to say! We lock it away, and he will wipe the dust off in 19 years, and see what’s been said. 🙂

Ok guys… seriously… this was the easiest party I have ever thrown. Adding in “stuffed,” forest animals, created such an easy, adorable touch to the dessert table. So if you’re planning on throwing a woodland theme party, I highly suggest grabbing stuffed animals for décor!

So let me say… I now have a major crush on The Pretty Paper Studio’s Etsy shop, and I can be pretty particular when it comes to printables for one of my parties. When I searched Etsy, and found them, I immediately fell in love. It’s almost as if they are in my brain, and know what my taste is exactly.

The Birthday Party Mega Pack, was ABSOLUTELY perfect for the direction I was going in! Water bottle covers, cupcake toppers, signs, food tents, and so much more! Fantabulous customer service, and precious designs…. make a combination that automatically adds them to my “go-to” list for party printables, and you should too! See why:

The backdrop of any dessert table is always a highlight, and I couldn’t think of a better place for the “Happy Birthday,” banner. Seriously… the colors, and modern look to the printables are just too…stinkin…cute!

Such a sweet little welcome sign, creates a warm welcome to any dessert table… don’t you think?

Let’s get in to the dessert table details, shall we?

I found the wood cake stands at Hobby Lobby, and I’m so glad that I did. I was so already preparing to head to my mom and dads farm, and “sweet talk” my dad in to becoming a lumber jack. 🙂

Ok, woodland friends or not… I still had to throw in a white porcelain cake stand {or two}. I have to squeeze in a little “girly,” in this house full of boys!

Eeeeek! The cupcake toppers were the perfect addition to the cupcakes. {I’m no baker, let alone cupcake decorator… so when I could count on The Pretty Paper Studio’s cupcake toppers, I knew I was saved!}

I can’t throw a party without having Sweet. Sassy’s cake pops. I sent over a picture that I found on Pinterest, asked if they could do it, and they were up for the challenge! So excited with the way they turned out. Delicious… as always… too!

The night before the party, I shared on my Facebook page that I had found a new love, in the sweet-snack world. I seriously cannot keep this in my house, like, EVER. Its amazingly easy to make, and even more delicious. If you’re ever looking for something quick to throw together for a party, look no further than this trail mix. Yumm-O.

S’mores Trail Mix

To make this, I simply combined a box of Golden Graham’s Cereal, a bag of miniature marshmallows, and a bag of milk chocolate or semi-sweet, chocolate chips. Of course you could adjust the quantities of each item to your liking, but I found it super easy to just use the whole box or bag of each! 🙂

I found little “S’mores,” candy, during my search for party treats. When they arrived, I saw they were a “round,” shape, and thought it would be cute to call them “stones,” to carry on the woodland {outdoor} theme.

Yep, I totally can’t take credit for these adorable little hedgehogs. I found the idea on Pinterest, AND my friend Brandy made them for me, on party day. She said they were super easy, and I couldn’t get over how stinkin’ cute they were. Right?

Was this an easy way out for a quick dessert? You bet. Hey… who doesn’t love a Kit-Kat?

I’m such a sucker for color coordinating straws. But how could I resist birch straws, for this party? Add the straw flags from The Pretty Paper Studio, and it just made perfect sense.

If space allows, I always try to incorporate an area for guests, and create a “guest central.” For this party, I had the drop off basket for gifts that were being donated, the time capsule station, and the favors for the guests to grab on their way out. This little set up worked perfect, and took out any confusion, or “missed,” items of the party.

So what were the favors? A Pinterest find of course! Smore’s-To-Go! Wrapped in “treat bag,” plastic, and tied with a party favor label, made the perfect woodland friends party favor!

No matter how good the cake pops are, how cute the decorations, how much fun my son had, or how many friends & family came by…

there is NOTHING better than the feeling of helping other boys and girls out, that may not be able to have blessings in their lives, such as birthday parties, and even a Christmas gift.

Our hearts are full, looking at this photo of all of the goodies from friends and family that will be sent to the “Operation Christmas Child,” organization this year.

It’s never too early to start teaching our children to think of others, right? 🙂