A "decorate your own cupcake" station for the little kids as well as a "memory book". A memory book is something I kind of made up of course. It is a simple scrap book that we filled with pictures of Miss Ava throughout her first year with various family members and friends. I cut up pieces of paper and set out markers for guests of the party to leave a special birthday message for the birthday girl. It is a simple keepsake and a cuter guest book that everyone will be able to look back on over the years.
For Ava's first birthday I really wanted to get her some TOMS shoes. Preferably the silver tiny glitters, but being so busy, I didn't order off line and was left to scour the malls and call as many shoe companies as I could. No one carries the tiny glitters in such a small size. So I was forced to buy her some hot pink Mary Jane's with a cute bow on the toe. She liked them just the same.
I also made her a gift of course. I am really glad my family taught me from an early age that hand made gifts really are the best. Not only are they one of a kind and personalized, they are cheap! I was on a shopping spree with my friend Nicki and she showed me this box on blank cards for less than ten dollars. The cards had cute little pastel coloured owls on the front, four different styles. Of course I bought them. I knew I could use them for something creative. As Ava's birthday approached, I found some simple wood frames unfinished at the dollar store, so I picked up four. I also found a pack of pastel card stock at the dollar store which went perfectly with the pastel colours of the cards. I painted the frames a cream colour, cut the card stock to fit the frames and placed the owl cards over top. I also left secret messages in all the cards. I thought this would be a fun find for Ava when she was older and maybe replacing the owls with pics of her high school crush. However, my Sister found these messages about 30 minutes after I left her place for dinner.
This is what the final creation looked like,
After Miss Ava's birthday came Baby B's 1st Birthday. Ava was born 2 weeks before Brooklyn who is our cousin. For Brooklyn's baby shower I made her a sign-able frame as one of her gifts. It was Winnie the Pooh themed and had a jade green border. I wanted to make Brooklyn a growth chart. So I made it Winnie the Pooh themed as well and tied in the jade green colour scheme in the numbers and leaves.
This is what the final creation looked like,
I personalized this gift by making the characters appear like they were going to someones 1st Birthday with the cake with one candle, the party hats, and balloon. I like giving these personalized gifts to friends and family because I find that today, we get so much "stuff" we really don't need and we forget about the simple treasures that are so special to us. And keepsakes are something that can last a life time and be passed down the family.
Good tip for giving hand made items as gifts, sometimes guest of the party will approach you to make one for them, Cha-Ching! Might have a special something to show you all in July.
Come back soon, and I'll share some more hand made creations with you!
-AR
