Party Animals: Ezra’s First Birthday Party

Ezra just turned ONE, and we had to celebrate his first birthday, PARTY ANIMAL style. I love first birthdays. Time flies, and children really put that into perspective. One minute you’re feeding them milk around the clock, the next minute, they’re walking and eating the same food you’re eating, like whaaattt? Slow down. Regardless if he remembers this party or not, I wanted to make his day extra special! I mean, it IS my momiversary, too (hello, unmedicated birth)! lol. Keep scrolling for all the details, and my DIY projects!

Styling and Decor

This party was inspired by Ezra’s nursery and cute party-hats on miniature animals that I saw on Pinterest. So I just went for a tropical jungle! I am all for going all-out on a themed kid birthday party, but keep it chic. It was going to be colorful and playful, but I made sure to keep the base black and white for contrast: table cloths, table runner, dessert table serving ware, and florals.

My sister and I had lots of fun making the balloon arch. It was my first time, but I think we did good! With the balloon arch, I wanted it to set the tone for a tropical vibe. The vibrant balloons were found on Amazon. We removed a few of the colors that didn’t flow, and replaced them with gold and teal. I listed all supplies below. I made tropical floral arrangements using hydrangeas, monstera deliciosia, phoenix palm leaf, and oriental lily. Not sure if you can tell, but half the arrangement is faux florals (the greenery).

The inspo for the tablescape was the cute little animals and their party-hats. I knew I wanted them going down the table. I happened to find tiger plates that matched his birthday cake perfectly. Then, I found the palm leaf plates on a last minute Target run, and it was a match made in heaven–it really tied everything together.

Food

For the menu, we kept the food simple, but didn’t skimp on the flavor. My husband made barbecue wings, rasta pasta, chicken and beef sliders, and a gouda shrimp dip. The food was so good, everyone kept saying how much they love it. I didn’t get any good pics, but I posted the video stills.

Dessert

I love styling desert tables. I couldn’t get over this adorable tiger cake, made by Cakes by Anna. We had white powdered donuts topped with a party giraffe, cupcakes from Publix with DIY party hats, animal print cake pops, and festive cookies. For contrast, I used a spotted black and white table cloth that gave me animal spots vibes.

For the DIY cupcake party hats, I used fun scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, pom poms, and a hot glue gun. I made a 90 degree angle (an ‘L’ shape) equal length on both sides, about 3 inch straight lines, and then connected the sides with an arc. I cut it out, rolled it into a cone, then glued it down and glued a pom pom on top, and voila!

Party Fun

I have learned that kids love art projects, so a painting station was perfect. We rented kid tables/chairs, and purchased white fabric from Joanne’s (this is the cheapest alternative to buying table linen). All art supplies were purchased from Amazon and Ebay (linked below). The kids loved this activity. It allowed for the parents to mix and mingle, while the kids were occupied. I recommend to have a chaperone at this station at all times. Luckily, the kids kept the paint on the table.

Party Animals

Ezra had such a great time! He loves to dance to Afrobeats, and he partied hard. As you can see, by the end of it he was knocked out! A big thank you to our family and friends for joining us.

I hope this post inspires your next kid party! xo

DETAILS: Planning and decor: Sheila. Tablescape: tiger plates, palm leaf plates, animal cups, spotted table runner, party hats on table, party hats on animals, animals Desert table: tiger cake, animal print cake pops, cookies, powdered donuts-Dunkin’ Donuts, cupakes-Publix, DIY cupcake toppers, spotted table cloth, black and white cake stands, gold and marble stand, animals, party hats on animals, confetti. Balloon arch: vibrant balloons, teal balloons, gold balloons, balloon arch kit, electric balloon pump, command hooks, thread that is strong to hold balloons on hooks Art table: confetti, easel, canvas, paint pallet and brushes, kids paint apron, paint . Tables and chair: A-1 Rental

Thanks for reading!