Happy Bee-day! Poppy’s first birthday party.
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With Poppy’s second birthday just around the corner, I can’t help but reflect on her first birthday. I am a sucker for an adorable themed birthday party and I’m so excited to share the details. Despite the fact her birthdays have always been during the pandemic in a winter month, we’ve made the most of it and really have enjoyed the intimate parties.
After some research (of course I did research about my kid’s birthday party), I decided on a bee theme. I liked the color scheme and nature related touches and I felt I execute it without needing to be extravagant or over the top (which just isn’t my style).
The decorations. I went a bit old school and got some paper streamers in black, white, gold and yellow. I created a hanging garland for behind a gold glittered “one” banner. I then hung it throughout our home for various photos. This was so easy and inexpensive! I also used the streamers to drape across the ceilings.
The cake. I made Poppy’s Cake myself. I won’t lie, this was a bit stressful but I enjoyed it too. I used this wonderful no sugar added, banana based recipe for a Healthy Smash Cake from Eating Bird Food. I also added blueberries to the batter for a bit more sweetness. I made 3 – 6″ round cakes for 3 tiers and decided to just use plain whole milk yogurt as icing. It’s something Poppy enjoys and was so simple and actually a great texture when icing (I drained all the excess water). I also cut up strawberries to place between the layers. I piped from greek yogurt around the edge and placed the strawberries in the middle to keep them from escaping. I then “dirty-iced” the cake with the yogurt.
I decided on this cake topper, which is wooden and painted gold which fit perfectly into the theme. I purchased some bee sugar decorations for the cake as well as some cupcakes I made for the big people. I went simple with the cupcakes and used boxed cake mix (it really is the best and the easiest). I made one batch of traditional vanilla cupcakes and also made a gluten free batch with dairy free icing (Simple Mills Almond Flour Cake Mix and Vanilla Frosting) to be conscientious of dietary restrictions of some guests. They were shockingly delicious too. And finally, some bee napkins – because who doesn’t like a themed napkin!
The “big” gift. We decided to purchase a play kitchen for Poppy. We decided on the Chelsea 3-in-1 Play Kitchen from Pottery barn. We also considered the Ikea kitchen as it is more customizable and even functional as the sink bin can be removed. Based on the available space in the living room where the kitchen was going, the Pottery Barn Kitchen, despite it being a bit of a splurge (they do have sales so keep an eye out and don’t play full price!), was the perfect fit. We decided on gray as it matches our main kitchen! We made gift suggestions to those who asked for food and accessories for the kitchen which worked out great. Here’s some of her favorites:
DUKTIG Utensils
DUKTIG Vegetable Set
DUKTIG Cinnamon Rolls
Melissa and Doug Cutting Fruit
Melissa and Doug Felt Food Pizza Set
Wooden Toy Bake-Cookie Mixer Set and Hape Coffee Maker Set (Caution: There are a few smaller pieces in these two sets to keep aside until older. Use parental judgement)
The outfit and accessories. Etsy was the place that I found her adorable outfit and accessories. The onesie with the small bumble bee touch and the gold skirt was just too much! I used a smaller yellow bow as the one that came with the set was a bit large for Poppy’s head. I also purchased a small golden crown headband for cake smashing photos. It is actually still one of Poppy’s favorite accessories to wear! The shop is unfortunately no longer open on Etsy.
The joy. It was truly a wonderful day. Letting go of the expectation of planning the perfect party and creating the perfect cake and getting the perfect gift was ultimately what made the day. Watching her bumble around in her little skirt, open some presents and smash her cake in a little gold crown was amazing – what truly could be better? At the same time, I was (and still am) so proud of myself for what I did and I felt so accomplished for making it special for my daughter and my family and myself. Often as a mama I have the desire to feel seen for what I’ve done, not just the physical accomplishments but the immense mental preparation that I put into everything. The ability to be able to provide that validation for myself is something I continue to work on – but something that is so meaningful for me in feeling fulfilled in motherhood.
What themes are your favorite for birthday parties? Help all the mamas out with your great suggestions!
Let’s talk soon,
Al