DIY: Floral Number or Letter Tutorial

 

Floral numbers or letters make the perfect addition to baby showers, weddings, birthday parties or special occasions. It's actually surprisingly easy, though it is quite time consuming arranging the flowers so make sure you have plenty of time for that part. I had seen floral number ones all over the internet and looked into where I could buy one. It became apparent that they are not only hard to source, but also very expensive due to the fresh flowers and time consuming elements. During a trip to Hobbycraft I spotted this cardboard one and thought I'd had a go at creating my own, always looking to save some pennies!

DIY: Floral Bunting Cake Topper Tutorial

 

 For Isabella's birthday party I ended up making two cake toppers, a glitter one (see my tutorial here) and this floral bunting one. We had two cakes - one full of sugar and naughtiness for the adults and a no-added sugar version for the babies/children, hence needing two cake toppers. Creating a floral bunting cake topper take no more than 5 minutes, so the perfect option for a last minute addition too. You could easily adapt this to say 'Mr & Mrs' for a wedding, 'boy/girl' for a baby shower or any other number for birthdays.

RECIPE: Mini Completely Edible Flower Pots

 While preparing for Isabella's floral themed birthday party I was having a think about how we could integrate that theme into the food. We had a lot of people at our house for her party, so the food needed to reflect this. It couldn't be complicated, yet I still wanted it to have an impact when people walked in. I love creating, cooking and baking...hence making these completely edible flower pots. They were ideal finger food for the party, left no wrapper or cases behind and fitted in perfectly with the floral theme. Once I had the idea in my mind I was determined to somehow create them and in fact ended up doing so with just what we already had in the house. A true store cupboard creation. 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Party Food

Deciding what food to have at Isabella's first birthday party wasn't easy. We were hosting about 35 adults and 6 children/babies, all within limited space. We therefore needed food that could easily be picked up, no need for cutting or preparing (ie. cheese board and bread) and that catered for all dietary requirements. I love hosting and thrive off this kind of challenge, it was also a welcome distraction from returning to work too. 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Party Bags

Party bags can be a source of stress for parents - what to fill them with? What about the extra cost? How to cater for the variety of ages/genders? We decided to brave the topic of party bags for Isabella's birthday party and create some for the guests who were children. As it was Isabella's first birthday party she was too young to invite her 'friends', so we chose to invite everyone who has been significant in her first year of life. It was incredibly special to have so many people who love and care for Isabella altogether, including six children. This made the task of party bags for the children much more manageable and in fact turned into one of my favourite aspects to organise. Perhaps due to these stunning Liberty Betsy Party Bags* from Party Pieces (£6.99 for 8 pack) - though their beauty made me not want to give them away!

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Outfits...yes there were two of them!

For Isabella's first birthday I had been searching for her birthday outfits. Yes...outfits, because if you can't wear two outfits on your first birthday then when can you? I really wanted an outfit that showed Isabella was turning 1 and a 'party' outfit for when her birthday party began in the afternoon. 

DIY: Glitter Birthday Cake Topper

 When we were thinking about what type of cake we were going to have for Isabella's first birthday we just couldn't decide. I really wanted a smaller version of our wedding cake, but that would have been hundreds of pounds and I just couldn't justify it. We eventually settled on a Victoria sponge from Costco, it was only £7.29 and huge! But it didn't look like a birthday cake, or anything special to be honest. I therefore wanted to add some personal additions, making an £7.29 cake look like something a bit more special. 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Party

Isabella's is now one...a whole year old! Her birthday was on a Sunday this year, so we had her party actually on her birthday. It was so special to have everyone who loves, cares and has been a big part of Isabella's first year altogether on her birthday. We organised her party to start at 12.30pm so that we had a good chunk of the morning to spend together, as well as putting the final touches to the party food. It worked really well because Isabella napped just before her party started, enabling her to dance the afternoon away! 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Liberty Party Decorations from Party Pieces

 

 Liberty London is well known for their stunning fabric designs and when Meri Meri collaborated with them to create a party range I couldn't have been more excited! We are having a floral themed birthday party for Isabella's first birthday, so the Liberty Betsy party range couldn't have been more perfect. Party Pieces is a website that stocks an extensive and outstanding range of party supplies, including this Liberty Betsy range. 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Gift Inspiration

As Isabella's first birthday is in around a week I thought I'd share some gift ideas that are ideal for first birthdays. Babies are such hard little beings to buy for, with interests constantly changing you really want to find gifts that will last. This collection of gift inspiration are all chosen due to their longevity, outstanding quality and serious cuteness (of course!)