Cookies and Milk 1st Birthday

So Dominick's first birthday was approaching and I knew I had to plan something, after all it is his FIRST birthday! Well with us being away from all our friends and family, it would have to be something small because to be honest we would have no one to invite but my mother in law, my nephew and her husband. So I decided I would just focus on a dessert table. What better dessert for a one year old than cookies and milk! Our new house came with the cutest setting for this party. In our yard is an old wagon, so instead of getting rid of it the previous home owners built a western style shed to match it. I knew I could use these to my advantage so I wanted the party to have a vintage country feel to it. So I set out on my quest for cute things to match the theme. I started out on Etsy like I always do :) and I found the most adorable birthday banner ever!

 Corrie from Toadally Cute Parties did an awesome job. It matched the theme perfectly.

 I also found these adorable cupcake toppers from Paper Party Parade

 

 

 

I hit the jack pot at my local antique shop. I found some old fashioned milk bottles and an old burlap sack that I cut open and in half to use as table runners. For the kids milk bottles I went with, of course, Starbucks Frappuccino bottles. (Let me just tell you when I found that trick out online I almost died.) The paper straws are from Hey YoYo.

 

I kept it simple for favors and just offered good old brown paper bags for my in-laws to take cookies home. I also saved by displaying the cookies in storage jars I already had in my kitchen.

I knew I wanted to display a lot of photos to show Dominick's growth and share the memories through his first year of life. I had this string and clothespin saved from his baby sprinkle and put it to good use with some photos I had printed in lack and white. They looked great on the old wagon.

On the cake table I used a wall shelf I had in storage and placed it on some candle holders for a little height over the cake as the back drop. I got the idea for the pictures in a jar from a party posted by Taffie Wishes on Catch my Party. It was such a unique way to display the photos. All the frames I used for the party were purchased at Dollar Tree, which I spray painted white and sanded just a little to give them a more rustic look. The cake and cupcakes were all adorned with Cookie Crisp cereal and buttercream, and the trays for the cupcake are also from Dollar Tree. Can't beat that!

This was my first attempt at a cake bunting and I'm proud to say it was a success! With a quick tutorial I found on A Pair of Pears it was easier than I thought. 

The old wagon and the shed, my inspiration for it all. In the end I spent about $70 dollars to bring it all together. Talk about party on a budget! That's the reason why I started this blog. To show others that with enough creativity a nice party can be put together on a small budget. Even thought Dominick slept through most of his party, in the end we all enjoyed it and the kids loved it!

Sugar high = Party success!