Wednesday, September 11, 2013

A Rootin’ Tootin’ 1st Birthday Party

It has been a flurry of activity around here lately.  We’ve been preparing for a very special celebration.  On Monday my nephew turned one!  We celebrated country style with a Cowboy/Farm themed party on Saturday. 

My sister Hannah and I have been planning this party for months.  We spent countless hours scouring the internet for inspiration, making decorations, planning the menu, and designing the invitation and printables.

The invitation set the theme for the soiree with cow print and bandana print.

party invite

The party was held under my sister’s covered carport, which we decorated with red and blue fabric garland and balloons.

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The brown doors lead to a storage area, so to pretty them up, we covered them with paper fan rosettes.  The birthday boy’s high chair went in front.  He had to be the center of attention, obviously!  Colorful balloons and cow garland decorated his seat. :)

cowboy party paper fan decorations

The sides of the carport were decorated with red and blue bandana garland and more balloons. 

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A “Happy Birthday” banner set off the left wall which was strung with photos from Ruger’s first year.  Hannah had so many adorable photos of her firstborn that we had to incorporate those into the decor for all the guests to enjoy during the party.  The gift table and cake were displayed below.

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The rustic cake stand was made by Hannah’s husband from slices of a tree trunk.  Ruger’s “smash cake” took up the top tier and cupcakes for the guests were below.  And just for good measure we had a layer cake, too!

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The two tier white cake was covered with black cow print with a piped rope border.  A banner on top and a fabric covered number “1” decorated the top.

cow print cake

The cake was displayed on stacked potato crates from the family farm.  Inside the crates we displayed the party favors:  jars of cowboy cookie mix tied with little recipe cards.

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cowboy cookie favors party

On the other side of the doors was a second photo wall.  Beneath that was the drink table strung with garland.  The beverage dispensers were giant jars (from World Market) and beverages were served in pint jars with striped straws!

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The tables were set with white tablecloths and bandana toppers in red and blue.  For the centerpieces I made little paper fan rosettes on sticks and stuck them in a tiny tin bucket.  The various red, blue and brown papers were all cowboy themed!

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Several floral arrangements invoked a country feel with yellow and white wildflowers and golden sunflowers nestled in mason jars.  These were originally designed to decorate the food tables, but we had so much food there was no room for flowers! :)

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The buffet was set with pork barbecue, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, fruit and veggies.  We served the food in aluminum pans and baskets to bring in the farm theme.  I figure the chuck wagon serves food in tin trays, right? :)  Giddy up and grab some grub!

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The “eatin’ irons” and napkins were arranged in my antique toolbox, which is a favorite of mine for parties and centerpieces.  Unfortunately, it slipped my mind and I didn’t get a photo.

All the cowpokes and farmhands in attendance dug into the cowboy fixin’s and had their turn hanging out with the birthday boy.

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While the adults enjoyed plentiful food, drinks and conversation, the little cowpokes entertained themselves with cornhole, frisbee, bubbles, and farm themed coloring pages.

cowboy party kids activity table

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At the entrance to the party we set up a little photo area with western props—an antique wagon wheel, a pony saddle and a cute stuffed horse along with a couple horseshoes and some spurs.  The little cowpokes loved it!

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The birthday boy finally warmed up to the horse and had his picture made, too! :)

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After dinner, we all gathered round to watch Ruger have his first birthday cake!

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I think he enjoyed it. :)  After cake, Ruger had a fun time helping to open all his presents.

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At the end of the party, the little birthday boy was caught trying to steal a cupcake!  Apparently he wasn’t satisfied with his cake.  :)

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We all had such a wonderful time at his cowboy party!  I took so many pictures that I actually filled my memory card.  (That’s never happened!  Time for an upgrade! haha) 

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Happy Birthday Little Ruger!

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I’ll be back soon to share all the DIY details from our Cowboy party!

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