The fact that I’m looking back on this day and writing a blog post is crazy. Colton’s rainbow first birthday party was bliss. We surrounded him with family, friends, delicious food and had an absolute blast. He managed to sneak in two naps, as well, so we were pretty well set up for success. It was an honor to have our dear friend Brynna Grae Lee take photos of everything. So today I’m sharing all the details of how we crafted this kid-friendly event in collaboration with IKEA Stoughton.
In dreaming up this special occasion I had two aims: make it kid-friendly and create an atmosphere in which everyone was truly present. For the former goal I had the sincere pleasure of teaming up with my local IKEA store. I recently learned of their sustainability practices and came to see the company in a whole new light. They have a charming selection of kids products that range from minimalist furniture to nostalgic wooden toys. So we worked to design a space that was totally safe and endlessly entertaining for Colton’s wee friends.
For the latter goal of asking people to be present, I wrote out a sign at the party entrance that said this: “There’s a photographer here, we asked her to come. Please put away your phones and just have some fun.” At first I think guests saw that as weird. But as the afternoon progressed many people made comments of it being liberating. There weren’t twelve people shoving their phones or cameras in Colton’s cake-smothered face instead of watching him actually enjoy it. Instead, our photographer took charge of capturing all the special moments and we agreed to email a photo link to everyone later.
The food portion of the celebration had me all Pinterest-happy. We played up the rainbow theme in every dish and display. Our cake and cupcakes were funfetti with vanilla frosting and cute toppers. My in-laws labored over the fruit and veggie trays to make them perfectly color-accurate. Then I dipped pretzels in white chocolate and covered them with sprinkles. Finally, I tweaked an Australian treat called, ‘fairy bread’ and instead did PB & Fluff sandwiches with a rainbow cutout and nonpareils.
The little ones at Colton’s party ranged from one-year-old to four-year-old. So while I certainly wasn’t planning any organized activities, I wanted to have areas where parents felt comfortable and kids could stay entertained. In the center of the room we had a small kids table with chairs and stools that held a ream of craft paper along with stamp pens. On one end of the room there were books, wooden blocks, a doll house, and plush fruit. At the opposite end there were baskets of Colton’s stuffed animals and bouncy balls. It was refreshing to give everyone free reign of our living room and let them play to their heart’s content.
As a sweet sendoff for the afternoon we gave our lovely guests a rainbow of M&Ms and a set of multicolored chalk. Goodie bags were always one of my favorite parts growing up so I wanted to carry on that tradition with Colton.
I had a hard time narrowing down all the amazing images we got from this rainbow first birthday party. So, sorry if it’s overload but I hope you enjoy! xx
The following products were provided by IKEA Stoughton for this rainbow first birthday: table runner, tablecloth, serving plates, chopping boards, multicolored rug, colorblock rug, high chair (we ‘hacked’ this and spray painted the legs white to match the rest of our decor), chalk party favors, stamp pens, carafes, tall vase, bud vases, rattan coffee table, building blocks wagon, doll house, storage wagon, book display, easel, percussion set, drawing paper + tabletop paper holder, fruit basket set, children’s chairs, children’s stools, children’s table
A tremendous thank you to IKEA Stoughton for collaborating with us on Colton’s rainbow first birthday!
