pinwheel & polka-dot party details

I already shared Mia's party on Lemon Tree but we can't leave the family blog out so finally a month later, here we go...

We celebrated our baby turning one on July 30th.  It was a perfect day.  Steaming hot and humid but perfect nonetheless.  I didn't want it to end.

I created a sign out of cardstock to let guests know where to find the birthday girl.

I chose pinwheels and polka-dots as the theme because they are two of my favorite things.  

One of my favorite things was the cupcake stand borrowed from my very best friend, Sara.  

For the toppers, I was inspired by the skewers used in the decor of another pinwheel party you can find here.  They turned Starburst candy into pinwheels.  Genius.  I fell in love with that idea and had to use it somehow.

The birthday girl had her own special cupcake, of course.  A simple yellow and white one with a candle in place of the Starburst pinwheel.

Of course there had to be a bunting.  I actually made a real one this time, no staples or glue involved.  A two sided beauty of a banner with double wide bias tape sewn to the top.  

The same fabric was used by Grandma to sew the birthday girl and her big sister special party dresses.

Then there was the food.  Very simple but yummy.

Balled watermelon by Grandma was the one healthy snack available because you gotta have at least one.

There were pinwheel sandwiches using turkey and ranch dressing mix.

There were also Rice Krispie treat balls and caramel popcorn.

The goody bags were filled with candy.  I made little paper pinwheels, glued tiny buttons to the middle, and then glued the pinwheel to a mini clothespin.  I was giddy over these things.  Possibly my favorite part of the party.  

The yellow gumball machine belongs to my niece.  Wish it was mine.  Isn't it great? 

The drink table is an old one that belonged to a great aunt.  My sewing machine usually lives on it.  It fit the lemonade, mason jar glasses, and soda bottles just right.

The birthday girl had the right idea staying by the bucket of ice since it was 90+ degrees outside that day.

I used an old stool from our living room to hold a frame, paper, and pens asking guests to write the birthday girl a note.  

Jason was updating the garden with a new trellis for the beans and I got to make use of our old one at the party.  It became a photo display with mini clothespins and black and whites of the birthday girl throughout her first year.  I was going to take off the chicken wire and hang the photos banner style until my Mom had a brilliant idea.  Why don't you just hang them on the wire?  Perfect.  Thanks, Mom.

  

We used Daddy's old highchair for cupcake time.  And of course the pinwheel bib was ready and waiting.  

The birthday girl's cupcake had its own special place on the table.

And it was a big hit.  She loved it and was completely covered in icing in no time.

I used kid sized table and chairs from our home for guests to place their gifts.

Sara even got into the theme with her adorable packaging.  Love that.

I think it was my favorite party yet!  So much to celebrate.  

I'll share the more personal side of the party soon!