July 23, 2012
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!! I cannot believe our little man
is already a year old. This past year has gone by so fast. It seems like just yesterday
I was in the middle of wedding season nine months pregnant. I never thought I
would get through that season let alone my first year as a new Mother.
Frank has brought so much into our lives. Sleepless nights, thousands of dirty
diapers, a messy house, baby contraptions that clash with our design style, toys
everywhere, tears, non-stop pumping, and frustration to name a few. But more than
anything he has brought us joy, laughter, smiles, happiness and a kind love that we
have never felt before. I will gladly take all of the difficult things that go along with
being a parent. This past year has been the hardest one of my life (more so than I
expected… props to parents everywhere!), but it has also been the best and the most
rewarding. I can’t imagine a life without our little monster.
So… to celebrate Frank’s very first year of life, Marty and I decided to throw him
a party! And of course it had to be the best party, complete with fun patterns, cool
colors, three cakes (yes, three!), a Frank Bar, balloons, and a few flowers of course.
When coming up with a concept for the party I knew I wanted to incorporate the
cute little bow tie he wore in his very first photo shoot. He always looked dapper in
it and I knew he would be wearing it on his birthday. I also wanted to incorporate
patterns and textiles since they are an important element to my design style. I
found some great patterns in our chosen color palette that we used to make table
runners, backdrops, and pillows to place around the house. Beverly also re-created
the patterns to use as the envelope liner for our invites along with all of the print
work. She also designed a “Frank Logo” that was used throughout the party on
things such as the to-go cake boxes, the CD covers, invitations, and the goodie bags.
We decided to throw some balloons and cute monsters in there for fun! For the
flowers, I really wanted to keep it minimal. White gerberas with a black center were
placed in green and blue bottle throughout the house.
A special Thank you to our talented friends Adam and Allison Hudson for capturing
our special day! We are so grateful to have had you guys there. Here a few of our
favorite pictures from the day:
Below are a few more fun details from the day:
Party fun: The Frank Quiz. We left “Frank Facts” (clues) throughout the house so guests could find answers to their “Frank Quiz”. The winner got a vase filled with pretty flowers.
Party Food: The Frank Bar. Guest chose between Frank Franks (beef), Bird Franks (chicken), and Spicy Franks (Andouille) and topped them with their favorite toppings.
Adult Party Favor: Frank’s Favorite Tunes. A CD complied of music that we all listened throughout the year. It included the song that played as he was delivered. I cry every time I hear it!
Kids Party Favor: Goodie Bags. The bags included bubbles, crayons, monster stickers, goofy sunglasses, and candy.
Little Monster Workshop: Beverly drew and printed out monsters that the kids colored at the “Little Monster Workshop”. We now have the pictures displayed in his playroom.
Cake: Maria’s cakes are always so amazing. They taste as good as they look, and they always look so good! I asked her to keep the design minimal and I requested a bowtie on top of the main cake. They looked so perfect displayed on a few of my white cake stands. With three cakes, we obviously had leftovers so we sent them home in boxes accented with Frank’s adorable logo.
CREDITS:
Styling + Planning: TULIP
Stationary + Print work: Beverly Hayman of TULIP
Photography: Adam + Alli
Cakes: The Cake Diva
Calligraphy: Southern Sprout (Bonnie Dickerson)
