It’s hard to believe I’m posting my little man’s fifth birthday. We’ve come along way from our Little Peanut party. LEGOs…ahhh LEGOs. Timeless small land mines of colorful plastic that will occupy your typically boisterous child for hours on end. Parents rejoice! I was more than happy to oblige when Lincoln decided he wanted a LEGO birthday party. Fun, easy and colorful, there are so many options to create your very own LEGO party on a very limited budget. Many of the items were made by using a circular hole punch and foam squares to raise the circles off the paper. We utilized many of the LEGO items we have in our house for colorful accents! 
I created an invitation similar to this sign, which adorned our mantle along with a few other Lincoln and LEGO items. 
I painted pasta sauce and salsa jars using a yellow spray paint. The face was made by punching out circles and cutting mouths from adhesive black paper, then sticking them to the jar. 
The kids all decorated LEGO man faces and played a rousing game of Pin the Head on the LEGO man! 
All of our party guests were asked to guess how many LEGOs were inside the jar. The winner won some birthday cake M&Ms! 
The cake was a homemade chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. The “LEGOs” were candies made by melting candy melts and placing them in a LEGO block candy mold. Some of Lincoln’s LEGO men made an appearance to help hold the candles for the birthday boy. 
The treat bags were filled with small lego kits and chocolate lego candy favors. 
The grown ups also received some chocolate candy LEGOs as a parting gift. And for being awesome. 
We purchased yellow square plates and used the same black adhesive paper from the pasta jar lego head to make a variety of faces. 
Our big five-year-old and his almost five-year-old cousin were very excited for the party! Happy birthday Lincoln! We think you’re awesome!
Category Archives: Birthday
LEGO Birthday Party
Filed under Birthday
Sweet and Simple Birthday Party
My daughter turned 1 a few months ago. I knew that I wanted to make her first birthday special, but wanted to keep it simple so I could focus on her big day and not be overwhelmed with all of the details. I ordered a few wonderful decorations on etsy and kept the menu easy with food that both adults and kids would love.
Invitation from Penelope and Lala.
I set up a simple buffet table and added little gold flags and bunting. The rag garland was also a beautiful touch and stayed hung in my living room for weeks after the party. Rag garland and flags also from Penelope and Lala.
We served a variety of muffins, pigs in a blanket, bacon and broccoli quiche, apricot and cheese crescent bites, and a salad topped with barley and roasted sweet potatoes (elin’s favorite).
We served caramel cake with salted caramel icing along with a mini smash cake for Miss Elin.
The birthday girl looked adorable in her party outfit! (Shirt from B. Swanky and bloomers from Bloomin Bloomers)
Everyone had a blast and Elin especially loved her first taste of cake.
Happy Birthday Sweet Elin! We love you so much!
Candy Land Birthday Party
My game-obsessed toddler just turned three! To celebrate, we decided to pay homage to his favorite game, Candy Land, at our most-loved local frozen yogurt place, Yo Mama. I wanted to keep it simple but just add a few tiny touches and some cool tech gifts to make the day extra special.
All his pint-sized friends were sent a Candy Land themed invitation. I designed this with inspiration from the game board and the story of Candy Land included in the box (which Lincoln asks us to read almost every day). This invitation is available in my Etsy shop, Morning Star Designs, as a printable file.
Each Lord and Princess of Candy Land was designated a cupcake by King Lincoln. Our King donned a special crown to celebrate the occasion.
Guests dined at tables with different candy buckets representing the various stops along the way to the Candy Castle, including Gummy Pass, Licorice Lagoon and Lollipop Forest. They were all allowed to snack on the centerpieces and bring some home at the conclusion of the party.
Before filling up their yogurt cups with whatever they wanted, they colored pictures to hang on the special Yo Mama art gallery wall.
Finally, all the mini guests were treated to homemade play dough with special cookie cutters as a parting gift.
Wishing King Lincoln the happiest of third birthdays! May you always find your way to the Candy Castle…
Bug Themed First Birthday Party
So my little bug turned one last weekend! Where did the year go? I feel like I was just posting about our brand new baby and now he’s quite the active little boy. But enough of the sappy mom syndrome and onto the party. We decided to keep things on the simpler side and had a small casual bug-themed BBQ for our families.
The mantel was cute-ified with a Very Hungry Caterpillar banner created by Will’s particularly crafty grandma.
Guests young and old got into the spirit of things with fake spider rings.
Colorful bowls of candied watermelons and neon gummy worms were set about for nibbling as guests chatted. 
We paired grass green silverware with bright green plates to add color to the table and decorated cheap IKEA vases with little felt ladybugs purchased at a craft store.
Guests snacked on carrots and potato chips with “bug dip”, which was inspired by Taste of Home, while plastic bugs adorned the various serving platters.
Watermelon, baked beans and butterfly pesto pasta salad accompanied platters of homemade burgers and brats.
We made picnic ant cupcakes, inspired by the Hostess with the Mostess, to match the piece de resistance – Will’s mini vanilla bean birthday cake. I’ll post more details about the mini cake soon!
The birthday boy was quite the ham and had a grand time playing in his caterpillar shirt made by NaptimeCraftMommy.
Filed under Birthday
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Party
My niece Mallory recently celebrated her second birthday and her party was too sweet not to share! What girl, big or little, can resist dress up and fancy things? This theme works great for a little girl’s birthday or for a wedding shower or adult birthday. Nothing wrong with teaching them young how fabulous that little blue box can be, right?
Guests were invited by an imitation little blue box with the words Mallory & Co. written across the front. The back read “Breakfast at Mallory’s” across the back along with the invitation details. (These invites are available for sale as a personalized PDF file at my Etsy shop, Morning Star Designs).
The house was filled with lovely blue touches, from the homemade tissue poms to the placemats to the balloons.
Tiny guests were given their party favors upon entrance to the party. This party was just for mommies and girls (minus Lincoln) so necklaces, bracelets and sunglasses were passed along for some dress up.
A beautiful Tiffany-inspired cake adorned the table. A breakfast of blueberry french toast, tomato egg strata and donuts was served. Along with mimosas for the mommies and blue juice for the kids.
Little fancy touches of pearls and china were strewn throughout the house. Simple and elegant!
I had a little fun with Photoshop and put Mallory’s face on the Breakfast at Tiffany’s movie poster, and changed the words to Breakfast at Mallory’s. It was a huge hit!
The birthday girl was beaming as we all sang happy birthday and blew out the candle like an old pro. Mallory wore a shirt designed by Lois Jean Linens, complete with an embroidered pearl necklace and a little black ruffle at the bottom.
Mallory and Sir Lincoln had a blast partying together! Happy Birthday to my darling niece!
Donut Shop Birthday Party
My son is a donut-aholic. He comes by it honestly. I’ve been obsessed with the little O-shaped treats since I had teeth. So when it came to throwing Lincoln his two-year-old birthday party this year, a donut party was the perfect choice. Lincoln was so excited for his birthday party, he could barely stand it. I originally planned on putting a candle in a donut, but he kept talking about birthday cake all week before his party. This Mommy could not disappoint her big boy…so a cake he got (in the shape of a donut)!
A donut-shaped invitation was sent to all of the guests. With the back reading “Time to Eat the Donuts!”
A Lincoln’s Donut Shop sign hung above the breakfast buffet. Since Lincoln’s always happiest in the morning, brunch seemed like the perfect idea. Donuts from my favorite hometown Cumberland Bakery in Des Plaines, IL were served along with homemade baked apple cider donuts. Also on the menu: overnight blueberry french toast, balsamic asparagus and red pepper mini frittatas, bacon and cheddar mini frittatas, honey poppyseed fruit salad and little sausages.
Oberweiss chocolate milk decorated with the donut logo was served in little milk jugs with blue and white paper straws.
We used Lincoln’s Melissa and Doug wooden donut set to hold the silverware and napkins and the food tags.
I baked 2 round “Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cakes” and iced them with vanilla buttercream. I used a biscuit cutter to cut the middle out of the cakes to create the donut shape. The cake was topped with colorful sprinkles and a 2 candle. After a round of Happy Birthday, Lincoln replied “very, very good singing guys.”
It may have been a kid’s party, but adult bevis were served. Bloody Marys and Beermosas (Belgian White Ale and Orange Juice) were sipped using the blue and white paper straws.
The birthday boy wore a personalized donut shirt given by his aunt and Godmother from Lois Jean Linens. All in all the day was a big success! Cheers to another great year!
Pink and Orange Cowgirl Party
My daughter and my niece both have a birthday in September. So, this year we decided to throw them a joint birthday party. My mother-on-law and sister-in-law did such a great job on the decorations and treats. The girls had such a fun time at their party and the guests enjoyed every detail.
My mother-in-law made this adorable banner that hung by the mantel.
My sister-in-law made and decorated these super cute cook cut out cookies. They were delicious too!
Each birthday girl had their own vase with their name and age filled with pink and orange flowers.
Friends of the family made this adorable cowgirl cake as a birthday present to the girls. It tasted as good as it looked!
Guests were given goodie bags adorned with a pin-able sheriff’s badge with their name. Inside were cowboy stickers, bubbles, a bandana and lots of candy treats.
The birthday girls looked cute in their pink and orange cowgirl shirts and had a blast at their party!
Special thanks to my family for throwing such a wonderful party for the girls!
“M is for Mallory” Block Party
By a strange twist of fate, my sister and I were lucky enough to both have babies last year. A mere nine days separate our darlings, so February was a fabulous fete-filled month for our family. My niece Mallory gathered her closest friends and family members for an “M is for Mallory” Block Party. This cute play on words was sprinkled throughout the party, complete with gingham table clothes, ants, ladybugs and of course, blocks. It was quite a refreshing party when you are suffering from the winter doldrums like myself.
I helped my sister by designing this invitation as well as a few other party printables.
Rice Krispie treats were shaved down and iced to look like blocks.
Mallory enjoyed her own “M is for Mallory” smash cake.
Paper ladybugs were placed throughout the room as well as these ladybug initials placed on the treat table.
Each family was given an M&M cookie mix in jars topped with alphabet block fabric.
Each of the kids received a bag of party mix along with a special note from the birthday girl.
Pictures of little Mallory from week 1 to 52 were placed on a poster board near the gift table to see just how much she grew in a year.
Mallory donned a ladybug tutu from Crazy 8 and a personalized ladybug onesie created by Lois Jean’s Linens.
Wishing our little ladybug a very Happy 1st Birthday!
Little Peanut Party: A First Birthday
I can’t believe our little peanut is already one year old. Time sure flies! To commemorate the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, we threw our man a Little Peanut Party. As a child, I was obsessed with elephants (and still am). We often refer to Lincoln as “Peanut,” so the theme just came together. This party was fun and very cost effective, as a large bag of peanuts costs, well…peanuts.
I came across this Debbie Mumm fabric at JoAnn’s and couldn’t resist. With the help of my sister who freehanded the letters on card stock, the cheap and easy Happy Birthday sign was strung on ribbon and pinned to the fabric and table. I designed the invitation (which is available on my Etsy shop, Morning Star Designs).
Guests were treated to an array of themed homemade goodies, from Peanut Butter Swirl Cupcakes, to Elephant Ears, to Peanut Brittle.
Lincoln tore into a piece of Mommy’s labor of love elephant cake. The cake was baked in a Wilton cake form using the Wilton recipes for butter cake with buttercream frosting.
Guests drank from elephant toe cups, silver cups with cut labels to resemble toenails.
Peanuts were strung from the chandelier in the dining room tagged with pictures of Lincoln throughout his first year. Vases of peanuts and stuffed elephants were placed on the table as centerpieces.
The kids received bubbles as party favors, while the adults each received a bag of roasted peanuts with a special note from Lincoln.
The birthday boy was very excited for his party! Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day!
Campfire Birthday Party
My sweet little girl turned 2 last week! She has recently fallen in love with messy, gooey smores, so we decided to throw her a campfire birthday party.
The adorable red invitations were created by fellow HAP blogger, Stef and set the tone for the fun, outdoor party. The invitations can be ordered here in her Etsy shop, Morning Star Designs.
Guests were served “bug Juice” in mini canteens adorned with name tags.
We snacked on all of Isla’s favorite foods! Jagged cut wood signs painted with black paint were used as food tags.
The birthday girl wore an adorable personalized pink and red raglan tee created by Jamie at Sweet 3 leaf prints.
Instead of cake, we treated ourselves to smore cupcakes: devils food cake topped with marshmallow butter cream and topped with Hershey squares and mini graham crackers.
No campfire birthday party would be complete without a smore buffet! My favorite combination? Peanut butter cup smore on chocolate graham crackers with marshmallow fluff.
A red bandana banner created by Andrea at Where the Green Grass Grows hung above the food table.
As party favors, guests were asked to take a “smore for later.” The cellophane bags were tied with jute and a tag also created by Stef.
All the kids left with bandana knapsacks filled with treats and small toys.
Happy birthday Miss Isla!
Subscribe by Email
hauteapplepie.com 
