In February, Charlie turned one. As well as it being the very first party for him that we have hosted, it
was also in some way a last hurrah in what was our very first home together, ahead of our big move
that same month.
I was ridiculously excited to party plan and design the theme across the table - I had been waiting
and looking forward to this moment (creatively), long before he was born!
Since it was his first birthday, and he hadn't been old enough to really be into anything massively,
we decided to base the theme on the day he was born. It was the depths of winter, and snow was
falling. We actually had to dig the car out of the carpark (with a window scraper no less) on the
day that we left the hospital. And so went the story of our Charlie Winters' First Birthday...
Big snow clouds hung threateningly over the table, bursting into snowfall, while cotton wool 'snowballs' lay strewn across the table in between the 'giant snowflake' doilies. I hand printed the table cloth in powder blue clouds, made little toppers for the food, party hats for our guests, and bunting for the mantle.
His birthday cake was a giant snowball, adorned with very pale blue buttercream and smothered in coconut, and we also carried the theme through the other food with things like white chocolate coated 'frosty' strawberries, and 'cloudy' lemonade.
To mark the day with a keepsake, I also made some folded hearts out of powder blue card, and left them out for guests to enclose some words of wisdom for Charlie to read when he is older. They are safely shut in his very fat first year baby book, for him to enjoy in years to come.
I hope that you enjoy looking through this small selection of pictures, and I hope that it inspires you
with whatever creative project you may have coming up.
Photography: Bill Benstead
Napkins, Straws, Pots, Cups: Pretty Little Party Shop
Lemonade Bottle: Next
Toppers, Hats, Bunting, Clouds, Tablecloth: Self-made
