Let’s be real, first birthday parties are in fact, parties for adults. Sure you hope your kid marvels at their birthday cake and has some fun, but all of the accoutrements are really for you. So I say you might as well be sure you & your guests enjoy it! Since I shared my baby shower with you last week, I thought it would be fun to share some tidbits from our wee one’s recent birthday party with you too!

When comes to kid-party planning I discovered quickly that it’s all about the theme. Thankfully, we’re still too early to have to do super heroes or Elsa, so I turned to one of my favorite new party supply companies, Harlow & Grey for my inspiration. Their debut Modern Camp party kit was the perfect theme for the kiddo – and for me! Better yet, it an easy fix since we moved into our house the day before the party. To say I was overwhelmed is the understatement of the century.

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I kicked things off by sending out printed party invitations from Minted. It’s an old school detail I just love and they become a momento post-party. Minted is always my go to choice for cards. You can select from a wide array of adorable invites from Minted’s community of indie designers and Minted’s free recipient addressing is a life saver for busy moms. Now they even offer coordinating postage stamps, making your envelop one that everyone will want to open. And saving the hand-writing challenged, such as myself.

Of course, mother nature decided she needed to throw me a last second curve ball – we ended up having to hastily move what was planned to be a garden party indoors after it decided to pour rain – but thankfully I was able to create a sweet scene just as easily inside.

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I turned to Minted again for my table linens. They invited me to try out their new line of fabrics that can be made into just about anything. I mixed in pops of black & white with Crossed Leaves Table Runner created by Abby Munn and Animal Mix napkins by Minted artist Jessie Steury. They coordinated perfectly with Harlow & Grey’s adorable cutlery, camping cups and bear-face cocktail napkins.

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I put more of a glamping spin on the camp theme with gorgeous textiles, rugs & pillows from the awesome party rental company Shelter Co. Since we no longer had room for a full-scale tent, a teepee saved the day. The littles loved running in out of it and we adults could lounge on the floor pillows and rugs, eliminating the need for a lot of extra seating. They also cushioned hard falls for all those early walkers!

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The dessert bar was decked out – the Modern Camping kit includes those sweet hanging stars, gold balloons and cake toppers. I stocked the set-up with cookies from San Francisco’s Batter Bakery that were actually more delicious than they are adorable – if that’s even possible. And Carter’s adorable Vanilla Butter Cream smash cake was a huge hit – though he wasn’t overly impressed with his first sugar. He appreciated the craftsmanship I think but was much more interested in jumping into the pillows and playing with the gold deer!

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All in all, the afternoon was an adorable success. It’s certainly a memory I’ll cherish forever and I can’t wait to tell the kiddo all about his special day.

Of course I had to have a treat for all the adults who attended, so be se sure to check back tomorrow for the debut of the Mr. Carter, our signature cocktail recipe!

photography by ashley batz

This post was in partnership with Minted.com. You can now shop my Curated Minted Store right here! Thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own. Thanks so much for helping my party vision come to life.

And thank you to Harlow & Grey, Shelter Co. and Batter Bakery for providing such amazing party supplies.

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3 Comments

  1. Wow I can’t believe how big he is!! Happy Birthday Carter! <3

  2. OMG! SOOOOO cute! But how is it already a YEAR?!!! Slow down, Carter! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Carter! xx UB