{real parties} Winter Wonderland 1st Birthday Party - Alex Krasnoff

Good Morning everyone!

With chilling headlines lately like:
• Bracing for Winter Weather
• Monster Storm Cuts Across Heartland
• A Blizzard for the Record Books

I knew it'd be the perfect day to share with you a "Winter Wonderland" themed first birthday party to get our minds off of the freezing temperatures and warm us up a bit.

Party Girl: Alex
Celebration Type: 1st birthday party
Theme: Winter Wonderland
Inspiration: Anthropologie
Color Palette: vintage blue, raspberry pink, bubble gum pink, ivory and silver

When Alex from Tadpole and Lily contacted me about designing a winter-themed invitation for her daughter's upcoming FIRST birthday party, as soon as she mentioned "with an Anthropologie-vibe" I was excited to get started.

We kept the invitation simple by using various colored snowflakes I designed.

And then we included a "vintage" font and added a "weathered" effect to the snowflakes to make them seem worn.

All throughout the invitation design process...

Alex kept me updated on the party details she was working on with Whitney Miller Designs.

I just knew the the end result would be darling.

The photos you are about to see stir up feelings similar to that of sipping a warm cup of hot cocoa on a dreary winter day...

They'll leave you feeling warm and fuzzy...

Enjoy...

"snow white raspberry cake"

topped with a custom cake topper designed by Alex herself.

Mmmm...yum...the inside of that beautiful white chocolate raspberry cake.

the winter wonderland dessert table

a homemade banner draped on snow-kissed antique windows used as the backdrop to the dessert table.

Winter Wonderland cookies from my girl Lisa at the Cookie Jar

S'mores mini cupcakes from Cupcrazed Cupcake Bar

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods

Polar Pies (mini homemade oreos)

Popcorn balls

milk bottles made from leftover Starbucks frappuccino bottles

Silver striped straws from Modern Lola

Ice Crystals (rock candy)

Custom candle holder from Sweetiepie Caketopper Shop used on the "smash cake"

A very enticing smash cake indeed...

I adore this keepsake photo of her tiny hand covered in her very first birthday cake!!

 Little girl guests received an immediate "party favor" upon arrival...


a sweet Tadpole and Lily headband.


lucky girls...aren't they so cute!!!

Alex made "hot chocolate on a stick" as favors for guests too. (perfect gift to send home)

And here's the beautiful birthday girl, Leighton, along with her equally beautiful mom and adorable dad!!

Happy 1st Birthday Leighton!!!

I'd say this is a VERY happy birthday girl...

Summing up the party in Alex's own words...

"It took me weeks of planning and accessorizing!  I made trial runs of all the food that I made to taste test and make sure I could match the colors. I got a lot of inspiration from [you] Pen N' Paperflowers! Lots from TomKat and other party girls. I loved the hot chocolate on a stick favor we gave out. People were so excited about them and they were delicious. The whoopie pies were a HUGE hit. They were the first thing gone."

Thank you to Allison Fowler Photography for capturing the event so beautifully...

 

I want to especially thank Alex for allowing me to play a teeny-tiny part in this adorable celebration!

And I also want to thank her for coming back and sharing photos with me so I can now share them with all of you.

I was so happy to see the outcome of everything and I KNOW there will be many of you inspired by so many different details of this adorable Winter Wonderland themed 1st birthday party!!

Here are some of my favorite party details:
• the antique windows used as the backdrop (i collect old windows so these struck a chord with me)
• the mini s'mores cupcakes (PERFECT for this winter theme)
• the ceramic egg crate used to present the mini s'mores cupcakes
• the "snow" used at the base of the dessert table labels to accent the dessert table and tie in the winter theme.

Party resources/vendors:
Winter Wonderland Birthday Invitation - Pen N' Paperflowers Studio and Design
Winter Wonderland Cookies - The Cookie Jar
S'mores Mini Cupcakes - Cupcrazed Cupcake Bar
Straws, Plastic Plates and Tie Napkins - Modern Lola
Hot Chocolate on a Stick - (recipe posted by Make & Takes)
Headbands - Tadpole and Lily
Birthday Cake and Smash Cake - M H Brode
Custom Candle Holder used on Smash Cake - Sweetiepie Caketopper Shop
Party Design - Whitney Miller Designs
Ceramic Egg Crate - Anthropologie

Photography - Allison Fowler Photography