Aqua and Pink Delight! Our Nelle-Belle is One.

Summer Birthday parties for little girls, there is nothing sweeter.   I think I started planning Nelle's 1st while she was still in the womb.  We all know that the 1st birthday party is really for parents (or even older siblings). I'm fairly certain Deuce was the lone vote for a giant waterslide, but it appeared in our back yard that morning like magic.  I think we felt bad that he has a winter birthday and will never get his OWN waterslide.  It did not dissapoint, and Im pretty sure by the end of the party most parents had made their way down a few times (this momma included).  My sweet friend Michelle Leonard from Michelle Leonard Photograpy got some amazing shots of the whole day.  I was so thankful she stole Miss. Nelle for a few solo birthday shots, it was so fun to see these a few days later and relive the fun.

Nelle's adorable bubble romper custom made by Pumpkin Pants 

We didn't actually set out with a typical theme for the party, but since we had decorated Nelle's room in shades of pink and aqua (inspired by her aqua loveseat in the header), it just fit.  Banners, poms and decorations made by mom.

The sweets, treats and eats room.

Everyone loves food on a stick, yes?  Easy for little hands, eliminates the need for plates.   

Nutella Sandwiches on a stick = BIG hit.  But let me tell you, it was HOT on this July day in Wilmington.  I did freeze the sandwiches first, but there were a few sliding casualties.  No one seemed to care, and I did see my husband eat one off the table.  5 second rule in full effect.

Craft Paper in the shape of cones worked wonderfully for these veggies.  They were so cute the kids actually ate them :)  

Fruit cut in shapes of stars and hearts.

Mini-muffins on, you guessed it, a stick.  I realized after the party ended that I forgot to add the Lemon Glaze but no one seemed to notice.

Cookies on cupcakes for double the sugar rush!  I made sugar cookies, baked them on toothpicks and just popped them on the cupcakes after icing.

My sweet friend Katie painted the owl picture as a Birthday Present for Nelle.  I had given her colors I wanted and she did the rest.  LOVE the way it turned out, and it is so cute in her room.

Sugar Cookies with Monogram.

Everyone could take home their own little bag of homemade treats.  

 Warning:  Gratuitous shots of my super cute kid to follow:

Did I mention it was hot?  These kids abandoned the waterslide to play in a bucket of ice.  

I scoured the local thrift shops for some old frames I could paint.  We created a little section of frames in the yard, and encouraged guests to sit down and pose for the camera.  We got some adorable shots of our guests, and its a great way to remember who was with us to celebrate.

Even Dozer got in on the fun!  

Arigato Mr. Roboto

Deuce loves Robots...and Dinosaurs....and Trucks....and Forklifts....and Dancing....and Singing....and Justin Bieber (more on that later). And, like most 3 year olds his interests shift....almost daily.  But when I asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted when he turned 3 in January - he was VERY clear - ROBOTS!  But no purple-eyed Robots.  I was pretty sure I could handle that.

I was going to start with some Robot Cookies, because sugar cookies are my thing.  But I went with mini-cupcakes instead because I thought they could double for his preschool snack that day. 

Vanilla Cupcakes, grey and white tinted whipped buttercream frosting with red accents.  * hint: when short on time, I use pre-packaged frosting.  For tinting, I simply separate a few tablespoons of frosting into a bowl, add a few drops of desired gel (I use Wilton) and mix well.  Then pop into a ziploc bag and snip off the end, or use a pastry bag and desired tip. 

 Robot cupcakes, no purple eyes....CHECK!

Favors for 3 year olds are not rocket-science...a quick trip to the dollar store can usually suffice. But I was feeling very Martha Stewarty, and decided to try a do-it-yourself robot.  I started with some black card stock, and then used a paint-marker to free-style a silvery Robot outline (I googled robots for inspiration).  Then I used a combination of pre-cut foam shapes (Michaels), and custom cuts for those shapes and/or colors they didnt have.

Then I cut out some Round Tags using the Black card stock, used a hole punch on both card stock pieces and then tied some black ribbon to attach them together.  The pieces were then placed in a clear celophane bag (Michaels clear treat bags), and the kids could then take the "bots" home and assemble them on a rainy day. 

The foam cut-out pieces were a great find, because they already came with adhesive backings so no messy glue for moms to deal with.  The best part of the whole project was the Deuce got to help, he had a ball sorting out the different colors and putting together like-shapes. 

Cool Robot Favors, no purple eyes....Check!  Er....wait.  If you look closely, you will notice that one robot actually does have purple eyes.  After consulting with Deuce, we decided he could stay because the eyes were shaped like hearts, thus making them acceptable.

The venue we chose was a local bowling alley.  We had never taken Deuce bowling before, but it worked out GREAT.  The provided all of the food and drinks, we had a great corner lane to confine little wanderers, and they even provided a bowling pin for all of his friends to sign at the end.  Deuces cool Robot Shirt from Target.

Super Fun 3rd Birthday Party - Robot Style...Check!