WEEKEND RUMPUS

When I began planning Nolan's first birthday I intended for the party to be based on a bright color palette of
blue, orange and green rather than focus on a theme. But, two weeks into the party planning process I watched "Where the Wild Things Are" and immediately knew I could not NOT incorporate a "Wild Things" theme into Nolan's party.

Sticking to my original plan of using bright colors I incorporated elements that would combine the Wild Rumpus theme and my color palette into a cohesive concept. My sister and I gathered branches and maple leaves from the park for the candy buffet centerpiece. After drying the leaves my sister used fabric paint to trace the veins and then dusted them with glitter. I found the orange vase on a clearance display at Target and filled it with fake Fall leaves from the Dollar Store.

I decorated vases with ribbon and wrapping paper and used crystal candle stick holders to add height and depth to the display.  Most of the supplies, including many of the vases, came from the Dollar Store.

I used a 2 1/2 inch paper punch and construction paper to create the thank you tags for the gift bags, which guests filled with treats from the candy buffet as a party favor.

M designed and made this crown for Nolan using cardstock and a pattern he found online. He lined the inside with matching gold paper and embellished it with green ribbon. This crown was truly the best part of the party. Nolan was in complete awe when he saw it.

M also decorated Nolan's high chair with a card I found in the dollar bin at Target and some cut outs from leftover construction paper.

The cupcakes were made by a very talented decorator at Whole Foods and the cakes were designed by an equally talented decorator at a local grocery store bakery.

And, finally; the party streamers.

This project was by far the most labor-intensive part of the party. I used a large circular punch to cut out hundreds of blue, orange and green circles. I strung fabric ribbon through holes I made using a small hole punch and thumb tacked each individual string to an inexpensive piece of molding I bought at Home Depot. It was a fun project and added a lot of color to the party. And, it's completely reusable for the next party!