I’ve been sitting on the idea of writing a blog for a really long time now. Well, let’s take a few steps back. I had a brilliant idea to start a blog when we were DIYing the heck out of our wedding 3 years ago, So I did! I spent hours publishing the first blog post and then that was it. No second post. Nothing. I don’t even think I ever looked at it again after I hit publish. It’s still floating the interwebs somewhere. I’ll buy you coffee if you can find it!

So here I am again, spending way too much time overthinking the first post, wondering if this is going to be my one and only before I am fleeing to something else. Only this time there is something pushing me to keep going. Something new(ish) to me that inspires me to share and step out of my comfort zone: Motherhood! While I was blessed with two very smart, beautiful step-daughters when I met my now husband 9+ years ago, we added to our family in September 2015 when Birdie Mae was brought into this world.

Here is something else about me that makes blogging seem like it is probably not for me. I am a big time procrastinator. I am pretty sure I should be awarded a medal for procrastination, really. But hey, we can’t all be perfect, right? I figured if I am going to start this new venture I should at least stay true to my dawdling roots and start this blog with Birdie’s first birthday…. which happened to be 6 months ago.

Taco’bout Fun! 

I am a party planner. Mainly weddings, but I have always enjoyed planning little parties, which is actually how I got into the wedding business. When the girls were little we did a variety of themes, including: pirates, cupcake-making, snowflakes (well before Frozen was cool!), and rockstar. For Birdie, an end of the summer fiesta sounded appropriate because who doesn’t love a good cactus? My mission for planning parties is to not break the bank and that is where my love for DIY and crafting makes a difference!

When you have your theme in mind, get your invitation made ASAP! Not only will it be useful in gathering decorations, it’s also a must for all of the indecisive mamas out there as it is easy to second-guess yourself once you get sucked into the blackhole of Pinterest. My incredibly talented wedding-planning partner at @daintyarrow_events dreamed up this gorgeous invitation and I was able to use it as inspiration for pulling the entire theme together! (romper by @missveronicajean, bow by @littlebiscuitbows)

You can’t have a first birthday without a milestone board highlighting the first year. String some pom-poms, get fancy with a chalkboard marker, and voila! If you happen to have a local cactus nursery owned by your old babysitter (that’s a thing, right?) they might be generous and let you borrow a giant cactus for an extra splash of charm. Thanks again for that, Roelyn!

Yeah, ok, some people may not approve of alcohol at their kids’ birthdays. But we love beer so you can almost always expect it at our parties, #sorrynotsorryfolks! If you have any household items that may match the theme, be sure to utilize them! Bird’s nursery had some fun knick-knacks, including a marquee letter and a gorgeous woven wall hanging by @santefedesign!

A friend of mine is a cake-making genius. I sent her some ideas and told her to work her magic and it turned out way better than I expected! (side note: see that cardboard cactus? My original idea was to make a ton of them for centerpieces but then I waited until last minute. Remember, A+ procrastinator over here! I ended up buying a ton of adorable succulents and planted them in up-cycled cans instead)

Need a cost effective party favor? Spend $4.00 on oreo molds and create choclate-dipped oreos. Bada-bing, bada-boom! The great thing is that the molds are reusable so you can create an endless variety of treats for future parties and gifts!

You can find a variety of tutorials on the web for creating tissue streamers but none of them will tell you that tissue paper is a magnet to curious babies. Make sure you’re doing this far, far away from little hands or else your streamers will end up in pieces all over your living room floor.

Birdie was sick the three days leading up to her party, go figure! She ended up having Roseola so her adorable cactus romper was complimented by a rosy red full-body rash. She was in good spirits despite being exhausted and dealing with the overwhelming attention she received from her family and friends

Ok, I’m done. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again at the next post!

XO

Leann