Printalicious Party Time

One of the biggest milestones for parents is their child's first birthday. The excitement in planning that first ever birthday party is exhilarating. And I had the opportunity to do it twice for my little girl! My family lives quite a distance from us, and some of my family members are not able to travel to us. Since I have a sister and an aunt with birthdays in August as well, we decided to make a the trip to them to celebrate the special occasions.

We had the wonderful opportunity to combine my daughter's first birthday and my sister's sixteenth birthday in a printalicious joint milestone celebration. My sister loves zebra print, and her favorite color is yellow. So what goes better with yellow zebra print than pink leopard print?! That way there is consistence while each girl is able to retain their own individuality. And let me tell you, the results were too cute for words! 

I have seen many colors combined with zebra print, but I can not ever remember seeing it combined with yellow. I was shocked at how stunning the yellow/zebra print combination was when I started putting together the decorations for my sister's party. It makes sense though... mother nature did think of it before I did (the bumble bee). And before you ask, I did not make the cakes (I wish... wait till you see the sorry excuse for a cake I made for my daughter's second 1st birthday party!). These gorgeous creations were made by Darlene Celentano, owner of Sweet Street in Sebring, FL. If you are near the highlands county area I highly suggest you check her out. Not only do they look amazing, but the also taste incredible. You can contact Darlene at sweetdarlene@embarqmail.com.

My sister's theme was easy to come up with since she is old enough to communicate her likes and dislikes. The question then became, what do we do for my daughter? And then it came to me... leopard is a great animal print and pink goes oh so well with it. I love the contrast and consistency of these two themes together. It almost makes me want to have twin girls (almost!).

Once we had the theme nailed down, off I went to Party City to get the paper products. I expected to have a hard time finding yellow zebra items, but I did not realize that pink leopard was going to be just as difficult. So I did colored plates with animal print napkins. I had to search that store high and low to find those leopard print napkins, but I was so excited when I did. They were perfect.  

My next stop on the shopping trip was JoAnn's (oh how I love JoAnn's) in search of fabric for the banners. I was able to find zebra fabric, but again the leopard print proved difficult to find. I finally found something I could work with in the outdoor canvas section. Luckily I only needed 1/4 yard to make the banner because the price tag was hefty. Do you just love these party banners? Well you are in luck. They will be coming to HootyCutie shortly! Can't wait? Send me an e-mail and I will create a custom banner just for you.

And then it was on to Hobby Lobby (which my husband has tried to ban me from... ha, good luck). I was able to find scrapbook paper in both leopard and zebra print. I also picked up some pink and yellow. I cut the paper into different sized circles, and woha la... unique confetti. And I just love the way it turned out.

I was also able to find some leopard cotton fabric at Hobby Lobby to make a dress for my daughter. I would love to say that she had a great time at the party, but in the middle of it all she came down with a fever and was obviously not feeling well. So that is why she is crying in all of the pictures. Poor baby girl. First birthday and first illness all at the same time. But good news for you... the flower bows you see in those pictures are coming to HootyCutie very soon! Want a specific color/theme? Just send me an e-mail!

Luckily the party went much better for my sister. I can not believe that she is 16 already! How time flies. I am so proud of the beautiful young woman she has become. Not only is she stunning on the outside, but she is kind, caring, and has heart and determination the likes I have never seen. I am proud to call her my sister. (BTW that is my beautiful mother helping her cut that incredible Darlene Celentano creation).

Do you like what you see coming out of that gift bag? Well I have good news... can you guess what it is? That's right, it's coming to HootyCutie soon! Have an outfit that you need a matching clutch for? No problem. Send me a picture and I'll create one for you.

All and all, it was a wonderful party and we enjoyed so much visiting with family. We were so blessed to be able to celebrate these milestones with them all.