Avery's 1st Birthday...Part 2

I'm happy to say that Avery's party went really well. I'll be the first one to admit that yes, maybe the party was a little more for me than her. I mean the party was all for her, but she could care less about the food and decorations...but I really wanted it to be special and something she can look back on when she's older and know that I tried to make it the best I could just for her.

With that being said, this party stressed me out! I tortured myself with magazines, blogs and pictures from extravagant parties that I in no way, shape or form have the means to do. I had visions of the perfect party, but did what I could. I decided to go with a ladybug theme...cute and simple. My heart was set on cupcakes, but I decided to save this until she's older. I made all of the decorations myself. I attempted the infamous Martha Stewart pom-pom balls which turned out okay, but nothing like dear old Martha's. I am totally convinced that when she offers her "step-by-step" instructions for her marvelous creations, she conveniently leaves out a crucial, but yet easily miss-able step just so that no average person's attempt will turn out as perfect and flawless as hers. I do have to pat myself on the back for my resourcefulness regarding my homemade ladybugs. My good friend (and coworker) Haven brought some leftover sale dots from Bath and Body Works that she thought we could use at work. I confiscated the dots and decided to turn them into ladybugs, adding rhinestones and other patterned paper. I also made a birthday banner with cut out circles and stickers...nothing fancy.





("Auntie Lee Lee" showing of some of the ladybugs)

I discovered that you can customize invitations on Etsy....*sigh*, oh how I love Etsy. I found a really cute design that I loved and added my pictures of Avery holding the letters O, N and E. This was another project I took on...I rushed through it so the letters turned out a little sloppy, but they served their purpose.




The seller of the invitations worked with me, redoing it until I was satisfied (I will definitely be taking this avenue for this year's Christmas card!). I also relied on Etsy for Avery's shirt. I've seen a ton of cutesy birthday shirts, but I wanted hers to be just for her so I ordered a personalized shirt that turned out great...and most importantly, was affordable. And I knew I could count on my friend Amber to make the perfect matching tutu and hair bow to complete the outfit.


Nana came through with the cakes. She has a friend who does a great job making cakes and she did not disappoint for the party cake and Avery's personal cake (although it was a "birthay" cake, not a "birthday cake"). She was also so kind to take care of all the plates, napkins, cups, etc. Mawmaw took care of the tablecloths and punch and made the cutest little ladybugs out of rice crispy treats. I tried my hand at play dough cookies which turned out pretty good...and apparently tasted good too, since I didn't have any left to take home (besides the ones that fell on the ground prior to the party...thanks babe :)).




Adding to my stress was that fact that the first party attempt had to be canceled due to snow. I was so disappointed because I knew that a lot of our family and friends were going to be able to come and I was worried they may not be able to make it when we rescheduled. Fortunately, mostly everyone was still able to come which ended up being around 45 people! I was happy to see the people we love there to show their love for the Poots. The delay in the party also gave me a chance to finish things that I may not have gotten finished to being with...God knows what he's doing :).

So now that I've bored you with all the details you probably could have done without, here's a preview of party pictures...and you know me and my picture overload, there will be plenty more to come....