01 Oct 2010 2 Comments

First Birthday’s Sneak Preview

So I thought I would share a few sneak previews of the Small Fry’s birthday. I realize that you’re probably tired of hearing about the party but I just can’t help it. I’m very excited!

If you’re planning a birthday party, there are lots of resources on the internet where you could buy coordinating party supplies. From the invites to the matching party favors, you’ll easily find it online with a quick Google search. However if you’re like me who longs for a personal touch and customized items, you’ll have to turn to Etsy.

For those of you not familiar with Etsy, it’s a fabulous website that homes hundreds, and maybe thousands of individual shops where crafters can sell their products. You can find pretty much anything under the sun at the Etsy website.

My first step was coming up with the perfect birthday invitation. I always design, print, and assemble my own paper goods, but since the design that I have in mind has a 3-D effect and needs a Cricut machine (and I didn’t want to invest $400 in one at the moment), I had to turn to Etsy and order custom giraffe die-cuts using a Create A Critter cartridge. Designing and printing was easy but it took me a while to cut card stocks and put them all together.

Now that the invitations were picked and assembled, it was time to think about added personalization so I also designed a “handmade by” graphics and had Teresa of tickledpink create it into a rubber stamp for me. I also ordered a matching Safari postal stamps on Zazzle.

After creating the inspiration board a few months ago, I’ve been looking for the perfect number 1 cookie cutter. I looked at all the local baking store and online but couldn’t find the right one so I turned to Etsy once again. Spending almost $25 on a cookie cutter is a lot but I get to pick the right font, size and thickness!

I have a lot more things planned so I’ll be sharing pictures next week after Jordan’s birthday and after the party on the 16th. I’m having so much fun putting this all together. I already know what his cake would look like so I just need to order it this week. Michael and I really can’t wait to watch him eat his first cake ever! Oh, and he’s also going to wear a coordinating birthday outfit from Etsy so stay tuned for the pictures! ;)

by Joy in Birthdays, Party Planning