5.13.2013

# Cooking # entertaining

Baby's First Birthday

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! Last week was very special for us as we celebrated our youngest daughter's first birthday. I can't believe the year has flown by so quickly. We marked the occasion with delicious food, homemade cupcakes and a puppet show of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Here is a picture of the buffet table. For flowers I arranged a lilac and hydrangea bouquet. It was fragrant and abundant and perfect for spring.



What you can't see in the picture are the pink streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. I was in a bit of a rush that day to get everything ready on time and did not think to take a picture!



For the cupcakes I made a simple vanilla cake recipe and this homemade strawberry frosting, which turned out to be so delicious. It takes a little bit of effort but is well worth it to have an all natural frosting. The strawberry flavor from this recipe is delicate and velvety. I made both the cupcakes and frosting the day before, kept them sealed and separate until the following day, then I frosted them right before the party began. (I refrigerated the frosting only.)

I also made tea sandwiches: smoked salmon with herbed cheese and cream cheese cucumber, and had assorted salads available. Even though the food looks elegant and grown-up, it was all very kid-friendly! We used paper plates and napkins decorated with fairies...

Here is a picture of Goldilocks in the puppet show, which was performed by Puppet Theater on Wheels . (I love puppet shows. Remember the one I saw on the barge in Richmond Upon Thames?)




And finally, a photo of the hydrangea bouquet a few days later. I change the water in the vase every day to make the arrangement last as long as possible.



As the years go on I'm having more and more fun planning these parties. It was a wonderful gathering and most important, our baby really enjoyed it... which is all that matters!

News

♥ Check out this great article in Rebellious Magazine called Creating a Mom-drobe Part 1. In the article, Megan Cottrell tries out the ten-item wardrobe for herself.

♥ Lessons from Madame Chic is mentioned on My Life in Focus blog in an article called Paris AND New York.

♥ I posted my ten-item wardrobe for spring video on Huffington Post Style and it has received a great response from the community! In the article I also answer the question: do Parisians actually call it a ten-item wardrobe?


I hope you have a wonderful week. See you soon! x

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10 comments:

Claire said...

Sounds like a very lovely party. I love the theme and thanks for sharing the cupcake recipe!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Looks like a wonderful buffet and the flowers are perfect! Happy Birthday to your daughter I cannot believe it's been a year since you gave birth!

Rebecca D said...

Everything looks beautiful. What a wonderful celebration!

Joni said...

Aw, very nicely done! Happy birthday to your little one. I cannot believe your daughter is one already. Time is flying by.

Unknown said...

What a nice party! I love putting on children's parties too - so much fun!
Hannah x
thesublimetimes.blogspot.co.uk

Kathryn Bechen said...

What a pretty table Jennifer; Happy Birthday to your daughter!

Anonymous said...

Jennifer,
Thank you for the mention of my blog. I just wanted to tell you that I loved your book so much! It has changed my life.

Also, my grandmere leaves for Paris next week. She is 84 years old and will be staying in Paris for the first time! It's never to late to fall in love with Paris.

Eleanor said...

What a beautiful table and the puppet show was an ingenius idea. Happiest of birthdays to your little one!

GreenSleeves said...

I love the simplicity and yet the beauty of this celebratory table. Shows you don't need all that stuff from the party stores to make a truly festive time!

Gabriel said...

Congratulations on the first year! That is always such a milestone (for us parents).

I wanted to ask your thoughts on the 10 item wardrobe and the tragedy in Bangladesh. I have never been a clothes horse but now, trying to slim down to just a few key pieces makes me feel like I won't be a part of the mass consumerism that is fueling sweat shop labor.