I have to admit that although I was preparing for Johaan's first birthday for a while, the day he actually turned one was a little emotional. I realized how fast that first year went by and I wasn't sure I was ready for my "baby" to become a "toddler" just yet. But oh well, better get used it...
Since Johaan's actual birthday fell on Thursday we decided to celebrate at home, just the three of us (thaththi, mama and J), with a small (and healthy) mama-made birthday cake and leave the big party for Saturday. We were also able to Skype both grandparents and take a few birthday pictures. And of course open the gifts. I liked it this way.
I need to tell you, I am not a big party person. Or I should say, not an experienced one. But since here in US it is a tradition to have a big party for your one year old (and I guess not only here but just not in my family), I didn't want Johaan to miss out.
I picked a theme for Johaan's birthday party quite a while ago. I made these pictures of owls a few days before he was born that hang above his crib from the day one, he seemed to like them and so I decided I will go with the owl theme. I also knew I wanted to do most of the decoration myself (1.I did not find things I liked, 2.I enjoy crafty projects). The only things I bought were plates, cups, utensils and table covers.
Picking a place for the party was an easy task. We live one block from my favorite park (Franklin Street Park, 495 Franklin Street, Cambridge, MA) that looks like somebody's garden. It also has big trees (we really appreciated the shade on a hot early afternoon), water feature for kids and a grass area (although a fake grass your crawling baby will appreciate it) with a big metal dome in the middle (that kids can climb on and that sounds like a big drum). It has several tables with chairs and few benches. Perfect size for a party of 20 people. I did get a permit at Cambridge Public Works' Operations Center although they told me it is not required. Permit gives you right to reserve the tables but other people can still use the park.
In terms of food, we decided to make everything at home with little help of Trader Joe's. This was the menu:
- Pastry Bites Uncured Ham & Cheese
- Pastry Bites Cheese and Onion
- Grilled Oregano Chicken
- Israeli Couscous Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Herbs
- Arugula & Parmigiano Regianno Ravioli with Basil Pesto
- Butternut Squash Triangoli with Tomato Basil Marinara
- Chicken Nuggets
- Chocolate Birthday Cake
So, that's about the general stuff. Now let's get to the fun part, creating the birthday party decoration!
Happy Birthday Sign
What you need:
* thick paper in three colors for the owls' bodies and the cloud (or as many colors as you want)
* black and white paper for eyes
* scrapbook paper with different patterns
* white paper and printer to print the letters
* twine
* scissors
* glue
* small round object for eye shape
Instructions
1) Cut out tear drop shapes from the color thick papers. Bend the top and glue it to the rest. 2) Cut a small triangle from the scrap book paper just so it fits the folded part and glue it on top of it. Once the glued parts dry out cut out a small piece from the top to achieve shape of the owl's head/ears (rounded wide V-shape).
3) Use small and a bit bigger round object to draw the eye parts (I used the plastic cover from Johaan's bottle:)) and cut them out. Glue the black part and the white part together. You can play with the different looks by placing the black part up in the corners or close to the middle, you will see how the owls come alive! I also put eye lids on some eyes by cutting the white circle in half and gluing it on top of the black part of the eye.
4) In MS Word type all the letters you need in a pretty big size, print them (you can print them in any light color so it's easy to see them on a white paper, just use the reverse side of the paper if you want the letters white), cut them out and glue them on the owl's body.
5) Take small scissors (or a small sharp object) and punch small holes into the owl's ears. Run the twine through the holes to tie all the owls together.
6) To personalize this sign, cut out shape of a cloud from a white thick paper, print the letters (this time in black) and attach the cloud with the twine to the rest of the sign.
I had the owls all in one row, put them in two rows just for the picture.
Owls
What you need:
* thick paper, different colors
* scrapbook paper with different patterns
* black paper for eyes and nose
* twine
* scissors
* glue
* small round object for eye shape
Instructions
1) Draw a shape of the owls head on a thick paper (can be solid color or with pattern). You can create any shape you like, round, pointy ears etc. Cut them out.
2) Use bigger round object to draw the outer part of the eye. If the owl's face is a solid color, use matching scrap book paper, if you used patterned paper before, use solid paper now.
3) Use small round object to draw the white part of the eye and even smaller for the black part. Cut both parts out. Glue the black part on top of the white one. Cut small lines on the white part towards the black piece and bend every second part. Glue the whole eye on the face.
4) Draw a small long triangle for the nose, cut it out and fold it in the middle. Glue it at the bottom of the head.
5) Draw wings on the thick color paper and little bit smaller ones on the scrap book paper so when you glue them together you can see solid paper on the edges.
6) Draw the owl's feet and cut them out. Punch small holes in them and run a short piece of twine through it, making a knot at the end.
7) Mark with a small dot where you want the head and the wings. This part can be tricky and you might come up with a better idea (please share if you do!). I used the stapler for attaching all the parts to the lantern (tried the glue but that didn't work, also tried sewing it but it was too much work). Keep the lantern folded and staple parts where your marks are. Be careful not to tear the lantern.
8) Assemble the lantern according to the instructions, tie the
twine from the feet to the bottom part and use piece of twine to hang
the owl from the top. Fold a color paper lenghtwise several times and then in half, slide it through the metal part on the top.
Food Signs
What you need:
* white paper and a printer
* toothpicks
* scissors
* glue
Instructions
1) Cut out oval shapes (I actually cheated a bit here and used leftovers from an owl's kit I once purchased at Papersource but simple oval shape would do the trick)
2) Type items from your birthday party menu and glue it on the ovals.
3) Attach two toothpicks on the back of the sign.
I hope your child's first baby party will be as enjoyable as ours. Just don't forget, don't be disappointed if some things don't turn out exactly how you imagined, after all, kids can be unpredictable.
Have fun crafting and celebrating!
Here are few pictures from Johaan's first birthday party.
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