1st Birthday Party - #1 Theme!

It can be difficult to decide on a theme for a first birthday party because baby doesn't really have an interest in any specific characters that you could base the party off of.  For my daughter's first birthday I decided to go with the "number 1" as the theme.  Here are some ideas that you can use for a first birthday party regardless of your theme!

Invitation

I found this invitation on a website called Lil' Duck Duck.  You can find it at www.lilduckduck.com.  You can choose the colors you would like to use, and you have some ability to customize the invitation.  I liked this particular invitation because it showed how much my daughter grew and changed during her first year. 

Wooden #1

My husband made this wooden number 1 out of a 4x4.  He then affixed it to a sturdy board so that it would stand.  I painted the number 1 light pink and set up a backdrop of balloons so that it would look cute for photos.  I later tied some balloons to it and used it as a decoration at the party. 

#1 Welcome Sign

This wooden number one is cut out of plywood.  I then painted the plywood white and added stripes of various thickness and colors.  The writing was done with wooden letters that I covered with sparkly purple scrapbook paper.  At the time of this party I did not have a Cricut machine.  If I were to do this sign over again I would cut the letters out of vinyl using my Cricut machine.  I added a crown and made a wand out of a wooden star.  I covered the crown and the wand with scrapbook paper as well.  I drilled two small holes in the top of the 1 and placed wire and ribbon through it to make a hanger so that the number 1 could serve as a welcome sign on the front door.

#1 Decorations 

Balloons

I found a really big number 1 balloon at the local party store, and I used that as a decoration where guests entered the house.  Balloons are not expensive but make great decorations because they stand out.  Plus, there is no better way to be festive for a birthday party than with lots of balloons!

Shoe Photo Decoration

It is a little difficult to notice in the picture above, but there is a tiny pink shoe holding a stick in the shape of a number 1.  That stick has small pictures attached to it with tiny clothes pins.  In order for the stick to stand in the shoe you must insert a piece of floral foam in the heel of the shoe.  I then placed shredded tissue paper over the floral foam.  This is a fun and easy way to display some pictures of the birthday girl or boy!

#1 Cookie Favors

For party favors I made some cookie sandwiches and tied a number 1 to the cellophane bag holding the cookies.  To be honest this process of making the cookies, wrapping them, and affixing the number 1 tag took quite a while.  If you choose to do a favor like this, I suggest making the cookies a couple of days before the party.  I then stuck the "Thank You" sign in a little vase behind the cookies so that guests knew that they should take some home.

Happy Birthday Banner

To make a simple birthday banner like this one, you will need scrapbook papers and ribbon or cord. If I were to make this banner today, I would use a Cricut machine to cut each of the letters.  Since I did not have a Cricut machine at the time of making this banner I typed and sized each of the letters in Microsoft Word and then printed them out.  I cut out the letters and traced them on scrapbook paper.  I then cut the scrapbook paper to create the finished letter.  (Yes, this was the long way around...but it worked!)  Glue the letters onto rectangular pieces of scrapbook paper.  Punch two small holes at the top of the scrapbook paper to feed ribbon through.  Hang the banner somewhere that lots of guests will notice it at the party!



#1 Cake

I got a cake and cupcakes at Sam's Club, which was easy and inexpensive.  I was very specific, however, about the colors and design on the cake and cupcakes.  I wanted it to match the party colors perfectly.  I took a printed picture of a crown and wand to the bakery at Sam's Club and they used their fancy machine to make it edible and place it on the cake.  I created a 3D number 1 to use as a cake topper.  I created this out of scrapbook paper.  (Create a sample first and then work on the real thing.)  I also purchased a small round cake for my daughter to dig into.
 

1st Birthday Party Hat

You can buy some very cute party hats on Etsy or you can attempt to make it yourself like I did.  The best way to do this is to use a sample party hat as a guide.  Take a piece of scrapbook paper and cut it the shape of the sample party hat.  There needs to be a notch in the back where it will hook together (you will see this on the sample hat).  You can also tape the inside of the hat to make sure it is secure.  Glue some feathery ribbon/cord around the bottom edge of the hat.  Make a small bow out of ribbon.  Put a piece of floral wire through the bow and insert the wire through the small hole on the top of the hat.  Tape the wire to the inside of the hat.  Add a number 1, flower, or other embellishment cut out of scrapbook paper to the front of the hat to complete it.  There you go...super cute and you saved yourself some money!