Oh man did we party like it was 1999. Clara’s big birthday bash was so much fun, and even the weather miraculously cleared up for us (which I fully contribute to all the anti rain dances you guys did – so thanks). Of course you’re all virtually invited, so let’s get this show on the road. Here’s what the living room looked like decorated with some giant balloons and the fabric flag banner that I begrudgingly made for the bean just minutes before the first guests arrived.
On the other side of the room I hung a paper pendant that I made a while back above the hallway sliders and John taped up all of Clara’s 52 weekly photos (see the whole collection here) on the fireplace. It turned out to be a great place for people to stand and study them all (everyone had a different favorite) and it was so amazing to see how much she has grown and changed.
It had rained all morning but I refused to let the dream die (you know, the dream of actually using the patio that John worked so haaaaaard to build before the party) so I strung up some balloons that I got from Target for a few bucks to create a festive come-hither-and-enjoy-the-new-patio look. The forecast said it might stop raining by noon (which was the beginning of the party) but I snapped this picture around ten minutes before and it was still misting and overcast. Boo.
Pssst- Notice a privacy fence going on? Let’s just say John’s been busy. Details as soon as he catches his breath…
Thankfully, all that mattered to us was keeping Clara smiley, which didn’t hinge on the weather at all. We actually had to wake her up from her nap to attend her own party after a few guests showed up right on time. But she didn’t mind. Look at that happy girl. And isn’t her dress cute? It’s from Target.
Burger was possibly the best sport of the day to wear these ridiculous curly pink ribbons that I tied around his collar. I figured he’d immediately attack them until he got them off, but he didn’t seem to mind them at all. So he ended up wearing them the entire time. What a good big brother.
As for the food and drink set-up, we decided the kitchen was just waaaay too ugly to work as the main party backdrop (oy, that paneling) so we moved the kitchen table into the sunroom to create a little food and drink buffet. We even improvised and used a cute toy bucket of Clara’s for ice. Oh and here you can see the fabric runner that I made for the table using some of Clara’s weekly photo backdrop fabrics (I’ll have to share the steps for making that guy soon – it was really simple). And in the top right corner of the photo you can also see Clara’s special fabric that we designed on Spoonflower which we intended to use as a photo backdrop for everyone at the party.
Intended was the key word. We did manage to grab photos of a few guests in front of it (holding blank pieces of paper that we planned to later photoshop with their names so we could make an album for Clara to learn to recognize everyone). But the day was just such a blur that we didn’t get a chance to capture everyone. Maybe we’ll just have to make her an album with photos that we already have of everyone without that cute backdrop (which I plan to make into a beanbag someday).
As for the spread, we landed on a few simple crowd pleasing foods that work for babies and adults alike… and also had special meaning to us. We even made little cards to explain why we chose certain eats (just printed out on card stock on our own computer). For example, the pizza card said “Many of John & Sherry’s casual dates in New York City were enjoyed over a slice of New York pizza.” It was really nice to order five pies and call it a day (instead of slaving away making the food like we did for our backyard wedding – we must have been crazy back then).
We also had some of the most delicious chips and salsa in Richmond on hand – which also happened to have special meaning for us when it comes to our favorite girl. The card explained it all: “John was eating these Cafe Olé chips on his last day of work when Sherry called to announce that she was in labor.”
We also figured the other kids and parents would appreciate an easy little snack (one of Clara’s favorites). In fact when we held up a few things (Cheerios, Goldfish, these) she picked these (by pointing at them and saying “dis” – which isn’t a dis, but actually means “this”). And so the card read: “Clara loves munching on these veggie sticks and specifically requested them at her party.”
And although we would serve cupcakes along with Clara’s smash cake later in the party, we set out some cinnamon cookies with the food just to fill up the table with one more crowd pleasing treat (they’re also known as “labor cookies” because it’s an old wives tale that the spices somehow can start labor when you’re ready to pop – but it didn’t work when John whipped up a batch for me). So the card on these guys read: “John baked these ‘Labor Cookies’ when the doc said Clara was ready. They didn’t work – but they were good!”
Everyone ate their little hearts out and had a merry old time. Our party guest total ended up being 25 of our closest friends and family members, which was just about perfect. Here’s Clara taking time off from pizza eating to flirt with the camera man (our brother-in-law Todd very graciously snapped a lot of photos while we “hosted” and soaked up the day since he’s a pro photographer – and we’re oh so grateful).
And by this time it started to get nice and sunny out, so while most people were venturing outside onto the new patio (miracle of all miracles!), some people ate inside as well.
And Clara’s cousin John checked out our hallway frame wall with his new balloon friend. Btw, the giant colorful balloons were a huuuge hit with the kids. And two of them did pop, but they did so nice and loudly – which was helpful because one of the eighteen adults could quickly grab all the pieces (since deflated balloons can be choking hazards- safety first!).
We also mentioned that we wanted to create a birthday time capsule for people to contribute to at the party (we talked about it back in this post, which also has sources for a lot of our party supplies). What we ended up doing was grabbing a basket for people to drop notes and “artifacts” from 2011 into, which we would then transfer into a tin box for Clara to open on her 18th birthday. Oh and the note to direct people to contribute said: “Add something to Clara’s Time Capsule! We’re making a time capsule for Clara to be opened on her 18th birthday. So please write a note to be slipped in. (Something about her, about 2011, or even about yourself. Whatever!)” She ended up with lots of well wishes, a newspaper from that day, a party hat, and some stat cards full of gas prices and top recording artists and TV shows today. It should all be really fun to look back on when she’s eighteen.
See those little striped pens? Those were from the sentiment cards that people filled out for our wedding. I was so glad to spot them in the drawer when I went digging around for some fun little pens. And as for the note cards, they were just pieces of 8 x 10 card stock that I cut into quarters and drew a little heart at the top with pink, blue, and green markers. So the whole time capsule project was f-r-e-e.
And speaking of cheap thrills, these bubble containers shaped like ice cream cones were less than fifty cents a pop at Target (they sell them four per pack in the party aisle) and I used a silver sharpie to write each child’s name on them to create cute little favors. Once again, we printed out a little card stock sign to explain the whole shebang: Thank you for coming to my party! If you’re a young bubble enthusiast like myself, please take the party favor with your name on it. (This means you Laney, Elsa, John, Emanuel, Hayes, and Edison!) xoxo, Clara
Happily, they were a hit. Especially since everyone was gravitating outside to the patio (with rain clouds nowhere to be seen).
The balloon garlands were also pretty fun for the kiddos to look at, poke, smile at, and talk to (kids are kind of weird, but very cute). Look at my sweet momma and my sweet baby girl, living it up underneath them.
People even started spilling out into the carport, which is where some crowd rallying dancing took place. Here’s Clara’s cousin John getting the party started with some Macarena-ish moves.
We took the carport fun as a sign that it was time for my homemade piñata. That’s right the ugly goiter-esque creation that I shared on Friday actually worked out! I used a blow dryer to eliminate the moisture issue, popped the balloon, and then covered it with tissue paper “scales” for a fun girly effect inspired by this one I pinned on Pinterest a while back. I’ll be back with a detailed tutorial to share all the steps (I tweaked it to create a “pull string” piñata so the wee ones didn’t need a bat to get to the goodies inside, they each just yanked a bunch of strings to pop open the bottom and get to their treates – which were individually wrapped packets of Teddy Grahams and Goldfish). Long story short: it was lots o’ fun.
And because some of the party-goers stuck around in the carport for more bubble adventures (while others made their way back to the patio or the sunroom for more snacks/drinks/time capsule fun), we decided that it was time for some smash cake for the bean…
For those unfamiliar with a smash cake (my own Italian momma had never heard of it) it’s a tradition where you bake a tiny kid-sized cake for your one year old…
… and encourage them to dig in and make a big ol’ mess while snapping lots of photos and giggling uncontrollably. Clara was not shy.
It might have been the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
And she even generously shared some with us, so I ended up with a little icing in the hair situation and John got a cake goatee. Best time ever.
Here’s the cake carnage. Not a bad job for a dainty little girl, eh?
Then we pulled out three dozen cupcakes from our favorite bakery (Ukrops) and announced that everyone else should dig in too, since Clara set a great example. And did they ever. Oh and since all the other food got a label, of course the cupcakes earned one too: “These are the same cupcakes that John & Sherry enjoyed at their wedding, which Clara was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.”
And in some miracle of bulk cupcake ordering magic, three dozen of these pink, green, and blue babies came out to under $14. Yes, that’s less than 38 cents a cupcake. And I didn’t have to make them. I’m actually not sure I could have made and iced three dozen cupcakes for under $14, so it was definitely money well spent. And it freed me up to make Clara’s smash cake, which was lots of fun.
Here’s where everyone was outside and we realized that we hadn’t taken a wide shot of the sunroom with the kitchen table all set up with food (well, cupcakes and cookies at this point) so we snapped one (that table in the corner is where the bubble favors and time capsule stuff was set out for everyone).
And here’s a shot of everyone hanging out on the rain-free patio (there was even some ball playing in the backyard). We felt so lucky to end up with a nice day to celebrate the bean.
And we capped off the event with a little year-in-review video that John made for Clara on the computer using iMovie (and then burned to a DVD so we could share it with everyone on the TV in the living room). Look how many people we can fit on good ol’ Karl the Sectional.
Oh and as for the bean’s presents, you guys know I made her this quilt (which she very cutely pawed and smiled at when I gave it to her) and we also got her this fun little stacking game where you make sandwiches from one of our favorite eco companies. She loves it! And John will be building her a sandbox any day now to complete the gift trifecta. She also got lots of books and some great “activity presents” like a membership to the Children’s Museum and a series of toddler nature classes from the family. And her boyfriend Will Bower got her a super fun bathtime bubble blower and an über stimulating book called First 100 Words and this gorgeous dress that she’ll wear to woo him the next time she sees him.
So there you have it. Our precious baby girl’s first birthday party full of food, family, friends, fun, bubbles, balloons, cupcakes, chaos, and laughing til we cried. And the cycle of babies continues! John’s sister Katie recently announced that she’s expecting again (you can see her cute baby bump in the photo above our Clara video). Congrats to Katie and Martin! I’m sure we’ll blink our eyes and find ourselves at that baby’s first birthday party before we know it.
Carly says
Hi there, the party looks like it went perfectly. I love all the colors.
Did you make Clara’s cake yourself? And if so, how did you get those (fondant?) dots on the sides? I want some for cupcakes I am making for my SIL’s baby shower and would rather buy them than make them if possible…
Thanks!
And good golly, John is amazing. He truly has been busy!!
YoungHouseLove says
I did make the cake myself! But those dots were little fondant circles that came with a cupcake kit from a friend (I glanced at it in the cabinet and decided to raid it for her smash cake and just use the dots). They’re called Sprinkles cupcakes and they come in a metal tin if that helps!
xo,
s
Amanda says
You can get the Sprinkles cupcake kits at Williams Sonoma:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sprinkles-cupcake-mix/?pkey=e|sprinkles|5|best|0|1|24||5&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-
I love the Red Velvet ones.
Melissa says
Looks like a lot of fun! The decorations were great. You guys have one GORGEOUS daughter! The video was great. Happy Birthday, Clara!
Tracy says
Well, I must admit that this morning as I clicked onto your blog, I was really hoping for the details of the birthday bash. I thought I might have to wait until this afternoon. The whole decorations and set up look wonderful and get me inspired to have friends over for my son’s 1st birthday in September. And the video was just perfect and makes me want to take more and more photos of him….that might have been my favorite part! She is a very lucky girl!
Ruhi says
Sherry, I love the sweater you’re wearing in the pics. Where did you get it?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from the Banana Republic Outlet in Delaware (I got it over Easter when we were there with J’s fam). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Becca C. says
So glad that Clara’s party went off without a hitch! All of the decor and food look wonderful, and she obviously had a great time. That movie has me in tears over here. You have such a sweet girl… thank you for letting all of us watch her grow up.
Jess says
i love it all! i really love he direction your new house is going. it’s perfect! thanks for sharing personal things, like these parties, with us, too!
Georgia says
Awwwww you guys made me cry! that movie is so cute!
I love her scary grrrrr face, her sucking pasta face, and how you have had such an AMAZING year!!
Your amazing parents, and Clara is so lucky to have you.
The party looked fab, and love the time capsule.
I hope one day if im a parent, ill be as Cool as you both are!
YOU ROCK!
Georgia says
Oh and i was so engrosed in the post that i burnt my spaghetti bolognase! dohhh! But you guys are worth it! :o)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! So sorry Georgia!
xo,
s
Jen says
I never comment, but I just had to say: Sweetest.Video.Ever!!! You two are amazing home renovators, but even better parents. Very heartwarming.
Lindsey says
I loved the video – so so sweet.
LARY says
Wow! How fun! Everything looks gorgeous! And John did a great job on the video… how awesome it’s gonna be for Clara to look at it when she’s older.
Hugs to Clara! :)
Andrea B says
Just gotta say, if I’m ever blessed with children, that smash cake is a GREAT idea. Loved the expressions!
Beautiful, fun, lively decor, and looking forward to reading about that fence.
Kudos!
Maggie says
I never really comment…not even for your giveaways (and I should!), but wanted to say “Happy Birthday to Clara!”
I love seeing all of your home improvement posts, but am more partial to y’all since Clara’s birth. My little one, Mary, is ten months old today, and you’ve all inspired us to cloth-diaper (started at 7 weeks and still loving it!) and do a weekly photo shoot ( http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.540093033849.2053346.177800058&l=6b16364c4a ).
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my goodness, your daughter is adorable!!!
xo,
s
andrea worley says
Happy Birthday to your sweet girl!! What a great video!!
Leigh Anne says
The video for Clara’s birthday is so sweet – she will cherish that! Did it take long to do? What software did you use to make movies before you got Mac computers?
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve always had Macs and always used iMovie for as long as we’ve been making/editing videos. Does anyone have a PC recommendation for Leigh Anne? As for how long it took, probably about four hours total (we spent some time watching all of our footage from the last year and picking our favorite clips and photos). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
On my PC, Windows came with Windows Movie Maker, which isn’t toooo bad.
Tuqs says
iMovie was a bit too complicated for me, so I’m trying to make one using Picasa. If you already use it for storing your pictures and videos, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
Elizabeth says
Awwwwh big girl beansie!!! Happy Birthday Clara! Love her!
Sarah says
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL video and the party turned out awesome! Happy Birthday Clara! Us May bdays have to stick together. ;) (mine is May 15th).
Cindy says
Oh! The video. The video! Be still my heart. The surprise spit up, the spaghetti slurping, the lopsided crawl, all the open-mouthed smiles and laughter. Love it.
Glad my no-rain dance worked. :) xo
Pamela says
Happy birthday Clara!!! What an amazing birthday party! The video totally made me wanna tear up! What a brilliant idea! I might try to collaborate a video for my daughter’s first birthday!
Madine, Germany says
This post, especially the video, made me very happy. Thank you for sharing.
Kim S says
Looks like fun was had by all, and no rain…yeah!
Are you planning on continuing the weekly photos?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re going to do monthly pics because we just can stop cold turkey! Haha. More on that a bit later in the week!
xo,
s
Michelle says
I love that smash cake!!! What a cute idea.
Paola says
You are the coolest parents ever! :):) The video made me cry!! Clara is gonna love to see all this in the future!!! :)
Awesome job!!! :)
Ana Brightful says
Congrats Mom and Dad! The first birthday was so amazing for us too. I loved the video! I cried at my own daughter’s birthday, and I must say your video made me cry as well! Happy birthday, Clara!
AJW says
Please stop taking up valuable web-space with stories about your family.
NO. ONE. CARES.
YoungHouseLove says
This is a blog about our life (so that’s what you’ll find here), but there’s no pressure to drop in if it’s not your cup of tea. Based on over 400 comments it does seem like some people care about posts like this – and we’re so grateful they do!
xo,
s
SRF says
what a rude comment! AJW: please stop wasting valuable comment space with your nastiness! i, for one, thoroughly enjoyed this post, and i’m happy to read about all the happenings at young house love, whether home improvement or birthday related!
Noel says
UGH…some people…this comment calls for a Stephanie Tanner, “HOW RUDE!” I love these family related posts (I secretly couldn’t wait for Clara party details all weekend), and I love how you guys keep everything real. Keep on doing what you’re doing!
Kristin H. says
I CARE! And.. last time I checked ajw, that disproves your statement of “NO. ONE.”
I would hate to see what ‘valuable web space’ that YOUR stories take up.
I would go on, but the sweet little disclaimer below is asking me to be nice.
so, Amen to your comment Sherry. Fo realz.
Sara says
Wow, how rude. Nobody is making AJW read this blog and they can take their mean comments elsewhere.
I am another longtime YHL reader who was looking forward to seeing today’s post about Clara’s party. It was raining at our house almost all weekend and I remember thinking on Saturday that I hoped you would have nice weather for the party. Everything turned out so cute and fun and I love seeing posts like this because I read your blog so much that I feel almost like I know you guys and I’m sure other readers do too!
Meredith says
I was driving to work this and kind of “eh” about Monday morning and was HAPPY when I thought that it would probably be Clara’s birthday post this morning. I love hearing about your adorable family and all of your adventures.
Ames says
Why are you here AJW? Why did you take the time to type this out? Just click the little red button in the corner of your browser, and WHOOSH! No more family stuff! It is amazing how these super valuable interwebs work. AMAZING.
Elizabeth says
Happy Birthday dear Clara!!
Beautiful party, beautiful video! What a treasure for her when she is older.
Can I just say, that you should totally keep all the photos of Clara up in the fireplace, until you start the project on it! Somehow it fits into the decor of the living room :)
tammy says
The b-day party turned out fantastic!! Love the one year b-day video. Just starting tuning into your blog and love it. You do great home renovations and DIY projects. I also love the family photos and stories you share. I can definitely tell your little girl has touched your loves more than words can say. I feel the same way about mine. Keep up the terrific blogging :)
alg says
Be forewarned, I’m about to get all mushy.
Sherry — ever since you posted Clara’s birth story, my husband and I have (for the first time in more than 3 years) been able to talk about our beloved daughter Sonia’s arrival on this planet. I want to thank you for that. It was SO scary, neither of us even knew how to broach the subject. For years.
And talking about it has helped. A lot.
John — watching the video you made for “the bean’s” birthday reminded me of all of those wonderful moments during Sonia’s first year — the things that at the time we were still a little too shell-shocked to really appreciate. So thank you, John. I needed that.
Now that we’ve worked through our post-traumatic-stress, we will definitely be making similar videos to mark Sonia’s first, second and third year… etc. There are just too many amazing little things about childhood to leave them buried inside a digital camera.
And who knows, maybe — now that we’ve faced our deepest, darkest fear — we can even begin to think about moving forward with building the big family we once envisioned.
Maybe. It’s still pretty scary. But at least now we have a better handle on that fear. And although we don’t know you from Adam, I wanted to let you know that our healing is partly because of you & your willingness to share your lives.
You three are an inspiration. Not just as DIYers, bloggers or as a couple/family — but as human beings.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet Alg. So glad you guys are moving forward! I definitely know how it can be hard to talk about. Have so much fun with the videos!
xo,
s
Katie says
The house looks beautiful! I also love the balloon garland, along with all the amazing decorations. The best part of your post for me was the mention of the veggie stix! Saw them when I was out grocery shopping today and decided to give them a try. My 18 month old daughter, Charlotte, has not stopped munching on them and I think her and I might have to fight over the rest of the bag :)
Melissa says
Loved the video! We did the same thing for my daughter’s 1st and 2nd birthday, and plan to continue the tradition every year until she gets annoyed/embarrassed by it. I think it’s a great tradition to start and my daughter loves watching them all the time now. I still tear up watching the first video though, every time. Soon enough we’ll be making a video for her 3rd birthday in July!
Robin @ our semi organic life says
Also I must say that it’s amazing she’s so clean in her smash cake photos! It’s a true testament to how well she knows how to feed herself – instead of just getting it all over her front/arms/legs & head. Great job teaching her manners so early!
Jennifer S. says
What a beautiful, special day!
Nuha says
the party looks incredible!! Happy 1st birthday to Clara..and Sherry..you are gorgeous!
xoxo
Kellie says
Oh my gosh, that video totally made me tear up! And I’m not even a mama yet (ready to pop anytime though!). Plus now I’m inspired to get Big & Little Sister shirts for our pit bull Ruby and Baby Evelyn.
Thanks for sharing Clara’s big day with us!
Ames says
It looks like it was a great party! You guys really had some creative ideas, and cool things that Clara can look at as she gets older. And the patio is amazing!!
Camila says
Congrats guys! It’s been a while since I visit your website and now seems to be a great opportunity to leave a message. And what is that video? Tooo cute! Clara is really lucky!
Camila
Keli Cook says
I just watched the video John made and seriously bawled my eyes out, and I don’t even know you people! Looks like you all had a wonderful day. Happy Birthday Clara!
Maryana says
Hi Sherry!
This is Maryana (and baby girl Maria) sending a hi from Brazil… We have being following YHL for a long time (Maria since belly time),unfortunatelly we are not big on comments due to English issues (we are portuguese speaking ladies). This time we had to say something… First because it is so great to see cute Clara turning one, second because Jonhn´s video got me crying… WHAT A CUTE VIDEO!
I am also doing a time capsule for my Maria,since her birth, also to be given her when she turns 18… loads of stuff already into it, gotta need a container in the end…
You should include the lovely video in the capsule!
Best wishes for the bday girl and loads of love all the way from Brasil (with z for u guys),
Mary and Maria
Kat says
Happy Birthday Clara! Aren’t little girls the best! Job well done and she will look back at that video and smile.
Kari K says
Such a cute video! Thanks for sharing
Sue says
The video is fantastic! Thank you for sharing it! Well done, John!
Sue says
Oh, and someone must have pi**ed in AJW’s Wheaties this morning. What a wienie!
Felisha says
Are you going to continue with Clara’s weekly pictures, now that she is is 1?
I love the idea of using her weekly fabric as decor for her B-day.. Very cute idea.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah we’re planning to do monthly pics for the next year since we can’t bear to stop just yet.
xo,
s
Allison says
So many great ideas executed for the par-tay! I love the time capsule especially. And that video was too precious–I’m sure Clara will treasure it!
lara says
what a great party! i even got tears during the video. so many great pics! and glad to hear you’re going to keep going w/ monthly photos. we’ve done that w/ both our girls, so fun to see them grow!
i just might have to make some of the tissue pom poms for decorations in my girls’ rooms!
Lesley says
Ugh, that video was so stinking cute! She was so tiny! Makes my ovaries itch….
Melanie says
What a beautiful party! Would love more details on how you did the cute pull string pinata construction besides what you already mentioned.
YoungHouseLove says
We have a tutorial in the hopper for ya! Tomorrow hopefully.
xo,
s
lara says
may i ask what music was playing during the video? LOVED it!
YoungHouseLove says
There’s a URL at the end of the video that links to the musician’s site (where you can download free songs). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mary says
hahah I laughed out loud at the caption you had by the cupcakes. Love all the details!
KathyL says
Best Brithday ever! My son turns 28 today, and your video took me down memory lane. Thanks, and I love you guys!! Happy Birthday Clara-girl!!
Torrie @ a place to share... says
What a perfect way to enjoy my coffee (I know it’s a little late in the day, for coffee, but…… ;). I loved the big balloons, the pinata, the CAKE(!), and that video was simply beautiful. Our weekend was filled with to-do’s…. a little fun, but mostly to-do’s. This was a gentle reminder to slow down this week, and enjoy extra time with my children. Thank you for sharing!