Thursday, August 11, 2011

Our Dr. Seuss 1st Birthday Party...

Wow, I can't believe it has already been a month since we had Bresden's 1st Birthday Party!
{Although, it seemed like it took at least a month to just sort through all the photos
 & upload them for this post}
Brace Yourself for Lots of Photos & Details!!!
(If you want to enlarge the photos to view the details I am pretty sure you can just click on them)
I apologize to those of you who have been anxiously waiting to see photos.....
I really didn't mean for it to take me this long!
Hopefully it will be well worth the wait! 
I had so much fun planning my little guy's party
 & I am excited about sharing all of the details with you.
I hope that you may get some ideas or inspiration for throwing your little one's next party.
Is it too soon to start planning his 2nd Birthday???
Well Without Any Further Ado...

THE INVITATION
I created this invitation myself with inspiration & ideas from other invitations that I saw online. I wanted a "Very Seuss" invitation but I also wanted it to be personalized with a photo.  I took this photo of  Bresden in our backyard.  Bresden is wearing a t-shirt that I created using iron on transfer sheets that I purchased from Michael's, his shorts are from Kohl's & I found his Dr. Seuss Converse at Sears months ago .  I had the invitations printed at Costco.
SIGNS TO WELCOME OUR GUESTS

"Turning 1" instead of "Thing 1" was my own personal idea...I used it on the shirt he wore for the invitations & then again on this sign.


 


I actually purchased all of these metal signs in the markdown section at Hobby Lobby
(LOVE LOVE LOVE That Store)
A Can of Spray Paint, A Little Time On The Computer Designing The Stickers & Voila....Three Personalized Signs to Welcome our Guests!
I just might repaint them & use them to coordinate with whatever the theme is for his next party!

GUEST BOOK


I saw a few different people online use the "Happy Birthday To You" book as a guestbook & I loved the idea. I framed the rhyme that invited guests to write a message anywhere in the book & our family and friends wrote special messages to their "favorite one year old guy" that he will be able to look back on for years to come.  It made a really special keepsake from a special day.  I also framed an 8x10 of his invitation & put it out on the table too.  The welcome sign on the wall came from Michael's.  I highly recommend mylar balloons.  By the end of the day/the next morning all of the polka dot latex balloons were on the floor.  The mylar balloons were still floating over a week later & when I was tired of looking at them I just inserted a straw, deflated them and folded them up for future use. BTW, the balloons were tied to Dr. Seuss totes that I found in the dollar section at Target (another one of my favorite stores).

JUST SOME EXTRA DETAILS


Since our little guy gets around better barefoot I decided to set his cute little Converse out at the party (they were too cute to keep boxed up).
I sewed the party hat for him myself & I actually made him another shirt (that he wore at the party) with the #1 (above) on it but I realize now looking back at the pictures that I didn't really get any good shots of him in it.

OUR BEVERAGE SELECTION


Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid coordinated perfectly with our party's decor & I dressed up the bottled water with some ribbon.
We were also able to offer our guests a wide variety of drink choices
Thanks To

You can read my review of SodaStream by clicking HERE.
The buzz sound that the machine makes when carbonating the water created a lot of buzz....Everyone stopped what they were doing to find out what it was & they were very interested in learning more about SodaStream.  I was more than happy to share.

THE TREAT BUFFET & CAKE TABLE


Okay, so there is way too much going on with these tables to discuss every little detail.  This blog post is going to be way too long as it is.  So if you have any specific questions feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me & I will try to get back to you with an answer. 



One Detail that is Definitely Worth Mentioning is the Festive Cupcake Pops that I made using
To read my review of My Little Cupcake click HERE.
Also, You Can Enter To Win Your Very Own My Little Cupcake Cake Pop Mold right here on The Modern Mommy Must-Haves Blogspot.
Our Guests Loved The Cupcake Pops!  They were so fun to eat & they really added to the treat buffet.
My mom caught one of our little guests checking them out in the photo above.


Lanterns Are My New Favorite Party Decoration!
You've gotta love lanterns...they are inexpensive, add so much to the look of your party & when your party is over they flatten down to be used again (I love things that can be reused, in case you haven't caught on to that yet). 



I Loved the Idea of a Candy Buffet....But I had no idea just how quickly the price of candy can add up! I had to keep my budget in check if I didn't want to find myself on an episode of TLC's Outrageous Kid Parties (although, I really do love to watch that show)....so I found some inexpensive alternatives to buying bulk candy. I shopped clearance & holday mark-down candy, dipped & decorated Jumbo Jet-Puffed Marshmallows with Wilton Candy Melts & I even made my own flavored & fun-colored popcorn using the recipe found HERE.


I made up & framed a little rhyme to let our guests know that they could help themselves to the goodies & even make their own goodie-bag to go.... providing them with silicone baking cups & cute little bags to put their favorite treats in.


 
I even included Baby Mum-Mums, one of Bresden's favorite snacks in the treat buffet. So that he & his little guests would have something to munch on.  The adults enjoyed trying Mum-Mums too.
You can read my review of Baby Mum-Mums HERE.

We bought an easy-set pool for the party
 & I just wanted to make sure that all of our guests were safe.

THE CAKE


I made Bresden a little smash cake to resemble the one in the
Dr. Seuss "Happy Birthday To You" Book.

He had fun digging in, getting messy & eating cake for the first time.
I just wish we could have done the cake earlier on
as he was starting to get sleepy & had used up most of his smiles!
Something to keep in mind if you are planning a party for your little one.

OUR GUESTS
 


A photo booth is such a great way to make sure that you get photos of all your guests & providing them with props to match the theme makes for some memorable snapshots.

THE AFTER-PARTY

Since, the party was on the 4th of July, we included an invitation for a BBQ immediately following the birthday party.  I would say that it was a pretty fun 4th despite the fact that there were NO FIREWORKS!  Texas is in the midst of a serious drought so all fireworks (even professional displays) were banned!
MORE SIGNS
{actually just the back side of the ones you saw earlier}



Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the backside of the signs until the day after the party so the stickers kind of rippled a bit.

Believe it or not, there were actually a few more details that I didn't include photos of & things that I had planned for his party but I ran out of time....I will mention a few so that you might be able to do them if you are hosting a Dr. Seuss Party.
We had the movie "The Cat In The Hat" playing on the television in our living room during the party.  It made for good background noise & we sat on the floor below the TV for Bresden to open his presents so our guests could watch the movie if they weren't that interested in the gift-opening.

I was going to make a platter with green eggs & ham....I had the book, the ham & 3 dozen hard boiled eggs in my fridge but I didn't get to devil the eggs & color the yolk filling green or roll up the ham and insert toothpicks with pom-poms on top.

I had also planned to either buy rainbow swirled lollipops or make lollipop cookies with a personalized label that looked like the cover of "Oh The Places You'll Go" but said something like, "Of All The Places You'll Go We Are Glad You Came To Bresden's 1st Birthday Party."

Well, you have just about made it to the end of this post.  Thanks for hanging in there!
I hope that you have enjoyed having a "peek" at all the details from our son's party & I invite you to use any of the ideas that I have shared as inspiration for your next party.

I was not paid for posting this or for featuring any of the products or companies mentioned in this post.  I was only compensated by the products that I received free of charge for the reviews that I  provided links to in this post. Please feel free to share our blog with your friends but please do not use any of the photos on Modern Mommy Must-Haves without permission. Thanks!
 

39 comments:

  1. that is so cute and creative. you should do this as a part time job for busy busy moms. I love it!

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  2. WOW! I am in awe lol..amazing...You should start a business doing this! lol:)

    I used to do theme parties for my brothers..Our Circus party was pretty good, but nothing as great as this lol

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  3. Also, I'd love to subscribe via email to your blog..but can't find that option

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  4. WOW! I am amazed at all of the wonderful ideas you have given me!! I am planning a Dr. Seuss party for my son, who will turn one on March 2nd (sr. Seuss's birthday)! I will be using a lot of your ideas! :) thank you so much for posting this!!

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  5. WOW! I am amazed at all of the wonderful ideas you have given me!! I am planning a Dr. Seuss party for my son, who will turn one on March 2nd (sr. Seuss's birthday)! I will be using a lot of your ideas! :) thank you so much for posting this!!

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  6. Hello

    I love what you did for your son's birthday party! Where did you get his invitation? I am doing a Dr. Suess theme for my sons birthday as well and I love your invitation! You should start your own business. Love forward to hearing from you!

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  7. Thank you SO much for sharing this.
    To say I am not crafty is an understatement. But I can follow good directions!

    My daughter is turning 1 next month and she,along with her Daddy, share Dr Seuss' Birthday! She also LOVES the PBS Cat in the Hat show!

    Thanks!
    Heathr P.

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  8. Where did you get the huge Cat in the Hat poster that you used behind the high chair? I could use that for a game I have in mind. Thanks!

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  9. Where did you get that large Cat in the Hat poster that you had behind the high chair? I could use that for a game!

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  10. Very impressed with you Dr. Seuss party....planning one for my baby boy and excited to have new ideas thanks to your blog!! ;) I love the signs that you made and the little framed ones are such a great idea...what font did you use?? Thank you!!

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  11. I can't thank you enough for sharing this. You gave me so many great ideas for my son's 1st Birthday Party (which is ironically going to be this year on August 11 - 1 year from the day of this post!) Thank you again - and GREAT job!!!!!

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  12. hi do you mind sharing the template with me for the invitation? I love it and my son's first bday is coming up...

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  13. Hi, would you please share how you got the iron on turning one for the tee shirt your son is wearing please? I absolutely love your entire idea. Thank you.

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  14. HOW DID YOU MAKE THE INVITATION?I CANT FIND THE RIGHT NE FOR MY SONS 1ST BDAY. I WANT TO USE HORTON HEARS A WHO. WE ARE DOING THE SEUSS THEM TOO.

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  15. This is so wonderful, if I would've seen this before I decided on my sons first birthday theme I definitely would've nabbed some of your ideas! What a knack for creativity! Thanks for sharing!
    Vanessa N.
    Brooklyn, NY

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  16. Hey is there any way to get the template from you for the invitation? It is exactly what I am wanting but have no idea how to go about creating it! Thank you for sharing your ideas!

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  17. I would like to pay u to make me invites like these and also a shirt like that if ur interested...contact me at ashleyagreene@ymail.com thanks!

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  18. How did you make the invation? Having trouble making one. Thanks

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  19. this is amazing! whats your email address?

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  20. I am planning my son's 1st birthday in January 2013 and the theme is Dr. Seuss. I could not be more thankful for your blog. I am certainly not as crafty as you, but I will definitely give it a try. Thank you for sharing!

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  21. Love the invitation! Are you selling the template?

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  22. I love the invitation! I have identical twins and want to do a Thing 1 and Thing 2 for their 1st birthday party. It seems everyone loves it as well. I have great ideas for other parts of the party but I can't find the right invite. Your party was so creative, I might have to steal some of your ideas. :) We had the boys dress up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 for Halloween. I make the costume and knitted their "wigs". Would you be able to tell me how you made the invite? My email is jax7859@gmail.com Thanks so much!! Jackie

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  23. Can you share your e-mail address with us?

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  24. I am doing a Dr. Suess theme for my son Jackson's 1st Birthday. I have looked & looked trying to find the perfect invitation. I love the one you made for your son's birthday! Can I purchase the template?
    I can be reached at sammonskimberly@yahoo.com

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  25. Are you willing to share or sell the invitation template? It is exactly what I've been looking for!

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  26. How did you do the invitations????

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  27. where did you get the template for the guest book sign? amazing party!

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  28. I just now decided to throw a Dr. Seuss bday party for my son Oliver and found this post. Thank you so much for sharing! He's only 3 months old but it's never too early to start planning right? lol I would love to learn more on how you made his birthday shirts and how you executed the games if any. Also, I'd love a template for the invite too if you're selling it. Thank you!
    littlemrsmiddleton@gmail.com

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  29. I'm throwing a Sam-I-am for my daughter Samantha and found so many good ideas on your site! The pictures and step by step directions really helped ;-) I agree with others on here - you SHOULD start your own business! I did have one question... where did you purchase the 'Dr. Seuss Font'??? Thanks for posting this - Samantha's 1st birthday will be better for it!

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  30. This post is amazing - I'm doing a Sam-I-Am theme for my daughter Samantha - her party will be better b/c of this! I do have one question... Could you please tell me where you purchased the Dr. Seuss font?

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  31. I love your invitation! If you would be willing to sell the template or create one with my son's name and photo, please let me know!! My email is patriciadevlin.10@gmail.com.

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  32. How did u create the invitation? I love it

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  33. Hi can u tell me where you designed the invitations. I love them

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  34. I see that many people are asking for the template and I would also LOVE the template! I am willing to pay as well! Please contact me at karendshorst@yahoo.com The party is adorable and gave me many great ideas! Thanks for sharing!

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  35. Do you have a template for the turning one iron on? If so I would love it if you shared! It is sooo awesome! Amazing party! Nicole

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  36. Wonderful ideas! I am yet another mom wanting that invitation template!!! If you are willing to share please e-mail me at andreansmith86@hotmail.com! My daughter's birthday is next month and I haven't found any other Seuss invites that I like...

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  37. HI there,

    Amazingly wonderful creativity and execution!

    What font did you use to create the Turning 1 t-shirt? Any chance you'd be willing to share your template for that?

    Thanks,
    Lori

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  38. I'm also interested in the Turning 1 t-shirt design. If it's not possible for you to share your template for that, would you mind sharing what font you used?
    Amazing creativity and execution!
    Thanks,
    Lori

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  39. What did you use to design and create the invitations and signs?

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