Category Archives: Kiddo Parties

Widdle Wednesdays: Kiddo's First Birthday

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If you’ve been around Camp Kiddo for a while, then you already know all about our conflicted stance on The First Birthday. On the one hand….your child is ONE, my friends. Will they reeeeeally remember (or even care?) that you personally captured marzipan owls from the sugar plum forest and handcrafted 73 different types of petit fours to replicate an authentic Parisian patisserie for the dessert table? Mmm. Prolly not.

Then again, HALLELUJAH sistah! you made it past the first year raising your beloved child and YOU DESERVE TO HAVE AN AWESOME BLOWOUT TO COMMEMORATE A YEAR OF NO SLEEP AND POOPY DIAPERS! We like to think of the First Year Birthday Party as more an homage to the parents. And frankly, I can’t resist a good party…soooooo guess what? We’re going to check out some awesome little parties today. Whoo hoo!

First up? Sebastian’s Spectacular Sailor birthday. I feel like parent’s of boys need to be even more creative than girls when it comes to parties. For some reason most people think little boys are all about dump trucks and dinosaurs and little girls get most of the sassy SWAG. That’s why I was totally head over heels when I saw this little man’s gorgeous fete over at Twig and Thistle.


Sebastian’s mother is graphic designer extraordinaire, Katie Phipps. I thought this little crafty invite was just amazing.

Ahoy matey….the lovely Katie made all the decorations herself. I love the nautical flag banners and thought the simple newspaper hats were  crazy charming (and who doesn’t love to wear a fun paper hat, I ask ya?).

Hand crafted pom pom tissue flowers add lots of color—and are really fun-n-easy to make.

Mmmmm. I love Swedish fish and these made a super cute cupcake topped—I think I might even like them better than the fancy shark! But of course the best part was little Sebastian himself, in his vintage sailor suit.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet Sebastian! Yer mama did ya proud! To see even more of this adorable party, please swing by Twig and Thistle.

OK, next up we have something completely different:

Aubrey’s Milk and Cookies Birthday Party
Everyone knows cupcakes are hot, but really nothing beats the most basic, delectable cookie. I’m really loving the new trend of throwing Milk & Cookie Parties and I was completely taken with Anne Power’s amazing First Birthday for her little girl Aubrey.

I thought this was an especially clever idea: the party favours were little mini Frappuccino bottles, turned into milk jugs—served on ice, of course. Also, can we please discuss how awesome Baby Aubrey’s mock-cookie “Smash Cake” is??

Anne explains:

“The favor bottles were re-purposed Frappuccino bottles. I washed them and removed the labels. The lids were kind of tricky to get completely clean – some elbow grease needed for sure. I printed new labels for both the side and lid. I used 1% milk for 1st birthday – get it!? I also used the bigger side label to thank the guests for coming. Attached to the bottles were little bags of cookies and a brown and white pattern straw.”

Anne offers up this great tip: LAMINATE all your bottle signage! When you’re tucking bottles into ice, the condensation will turn your labels to mush in no time.

Mmmm. Is it wrong that when looking at all these pictures I just want to holler, “MMMMmmm COOKIE, cookie cookie cookie cookie!!!!” in a Cookie Monster voice??

Such a sweet day….and I have to say Anne’s little girl Aubrey is crazy cute—check her out in her little polka dot dressie!

I think what I love best about this party is that you can go as fancy or as simple as you like. Sure the cake and all those details were spectacular, but you could easily create a totally delicious simple cookie bar with a big tub of mini milk cartons too. Have you thrown (or been to) any creative kiddo birthday parties lately? Please let us know!

To see more of Anne’s fun designs, and get even more details on this party, be sure to swing by her blog A Party Style. Thank you Anne for sharing sweet Aubrey’s day with us.

OH and PS…..don’t forget that this whole post is coming from the woman who SKIPPED HER SON’S BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR. Yes, poor Wolfie never had a party this year, so I’m officially giving you license to not do much of anything when that first birthday rolls around. I promise you, your bebe will NEVER remember….and when you tell him or her that you rented a flying dragon/unicorn for their first birthday, Dottie and I will TOTALLY back you up.

Happy First Birthday, baby!

Kiddo Parties, Widdle Wednesdays

I know we usually take a little tour of wee baby clothes on Widdle Wednesdays, but this week I thought we’d mix it up a bit and take a look at First Birthday Parties! Whooo hooo! (insert fancy tooter sound effect here) So listen, I’m always torn on the First Birthday Party. I mean, on the one hand I think a sweet little cake and close friends is plenty for a one year old. Don’t feel pressure to do it up crazy. And there *is* pressure. I mean some of these parties you read about are SOOOOO over-the-top and I think, “Really? Does this child even know what the heck is happening or truthfully even really care that you picked Meyer lemons from Martha Stewart’s backyard for lemon curd and then hand crafted artisanal wee tartlettes topped with lavender scented whipped cream while the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba performed an accoustic set in your solarium??” But then the more I thought about it I realized, in a way, the First Birthday is almost like an anniversary party for the parents. Like, “Hell yeah! We made it through a year of no sleep, poop blow outs, crying and we now have mad diaper changing skillz!!” So when you think about it like that, why the heck not?? So I’m here to tell you….it’s all good. You can go big or go small and it’s all A-OK. I recently found a few First Birthday parties that were truly inspiring and SOOOOO pretty and cool I just had to share them with you.

This first celebration was an awesomely cute First Birthday for a little fella—although it could easily be for a little girl. Or a grown woman (hint hint…..August 22 is just a stones throw away, my friends. Ahem….). Presenting, Finn’s Woodland Wonderland!


The party was held in a park—a portable table served as the centerpiece with mossy silhouettes and all kinds of yummy goodies to nibble on.

The desserts were created by pastry chef extraordinaire Melody Brandon, from Sweet and Saucy Shop in Long Beach, CA. She made owl cookies, mini key lime pies, mini candy bar cupcakes, rustic pies and other tasty treats!  Insanely adorable. The mushrooms decorations were crafted by the super cool mama, Sarah.

See that clever use of an old vintage framed mirror up there? Smaht!

Those lollipop cakes are all the rage—I’ve never tried one, but they look amazing!! Also, look at the adorable photobooth. Very clever take on those “stick yer head in the window” ones. A basket of cool props completed the fun.

Amazing! I can’t lie, this is probably WAY more effort than I would be able to muster up….but I am pretty smitten with the level of detail this mama went to. OH, and one more bonus track. Now, this last image isn’t from the same party but I thought was another adorable take on the woodland treat—mushroom cupcakes! (Or perhaps for a Mario themed party??)

Images: My Sweet and Saucy. Mushroom cupcake from magnolia designs blog

The next First Birthday party is for a sweet little girl named Audrey and featured pink peonies —and adecidedly more feminine look. The theme here was a girlie, vintage sweets table. It’s so pretty, wait til you see.


A big, personalized paper banner set the tone—and how cute are these hats? I love pom poms. By the way, I think that sweets table is fancier than my wedding.



Again, super yummy pastries were the highlight. Served on beautiful vintage china and pedestals, they were like edible decor.

I love the little crafty paper flowers with Audrey’s baby photos in the middle and the super sweet little bundles of wild flowers. A charming contrast to the chic elegance of all the fancy cakes!

Speaking of fancy cakes…dig this birthday cake. Wow. The cake featured sugar paste “lace” and the most incredible hot pink sugar peony flower. You can see more of the party on Melody’s blog.

The final party was created by my lovely friend Sandy, from the Winding Road. Sandy put together a totally do-able, sweet party for a lovely little girl named Kate. The theme? Teapots & Blossoms!

I am in love with this big fluffy paper flowers! And just look at this amazing “button” teapot Sandy made on a blue canvas. So simple yet so genius.

The cake was made by a friend who recently started a cake making business. Gum paste cherry blossoms? Wowza.

What I love about this party is that while it seems super fancy and pretty, it’s actually a really clever collection of totally do-able items. Gorgeous tissue paper flowers, stacks of tea cups and a fun banner with the birthday girl’s name on it. Sandy is so talented and artistic. Be sure to swing by her blog. She is an amazing photographer too.

So there you have it. Some pretty adorable parties my friends. I view parties like these as inspiration and eye candy. I’m not saying you have to go this all out, but glean some fun ideas for your own versions—like buying a bundle of paper flowers from the craft store instead of balloons….so cute! Can’t wait to see what you guys rustle up in the coming year.

[TOP SECRET KIDDO SCOOP: Don’t tell anyone—but technically we didn’t buy Wolfie any birthday presents for his first three birthdays!! I mean, listen, he got enough stuff from friends and family and we figured he was still little so he wouldn’t notice. Hey, I’m serious. Don’t you tell him or I’ll be paying in Pokemon for the next year!! Also, it rained on his birthday this year and we had to cancel his party—so he technically hasn’t had a birthday party this year either. Woot! Let’s hear it for Mom of the Year Alix! See? No pressure from me on fancy parties….but just you wait. When I finally get it together it’s gonna be the bomb. Pinkie swear.]

Happy Birthday Kiddo: Rainbow Brite.

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I’m one of those gals who is a little extreme when it comes to spending money. I’m either spending $200+ on a schmancy Marc Jacobs handbag or I’m spending $2 on a bag from the thrift store or something from Target. It’s sort of working for me. I’m not at all opposed to throwing down money on something beautiful or well made, as long as it’s “special”. That’s why I’ll never throw down crazy money for, say, a Prada t-shirt. Makes no sense to me. At the same time, I LOVE getting creative and snazzing something up that was really affordable. One of the things I’m most proud of here at Modern Kiddo is that we feature a range of stuff. It’s true, some days we post gorgeous-but-spendy European clothes—and why not? I think it’s perfect eye candy and great for a splurge! At the same time, we’ll also offer up totally affordable things from Target and our beloved recycled vintage items from Etsy and ebay. Which all leads me to today’s post. A clever birthday party for an amazing little girl. If you are one of our original readers, then perhaps you already know this adorable little lass. The fabulous Miss Pippi:

I love this kiddo! She’s got mad style and clearly a most adorable personality to boot! Last weekend she celebrated her 3rd birthday. Her mama Heather told me that she didn’t have much time to throw together the party and had to get creative. Well, let’s just say I can’t wait to see what this talented lady cooks up when she HAS time. I think this is one of the cutest parties ever, and what I love most about it is that it was super simple, sweet and affordable. The theme? Rainbows.

(That expression kills me. “Um, can everyone please stop looking at me? I’m trying to focus on my cake!”)

Um, yeah. The cake? HELLO. I thought it was adorable before they cut into it….but now?? WOW.

Pip’s older brother Dax was the DJ for the party (how cool is that kid??) and I’m told the set list included some old school faves like Billy Idol, Michael Jackson and a personal fave, Kung Fu Fighting. Aw yeah! I love this family.

Please note La Pip hopping on the trampoline in the background….too cute!

To keep the party easy peasy, Pippi’s mama picked up some rainbow tissue paper banners and a couple dozen balloons in rainbow colors. She scored rainbow tooth brushes and Care Bear gummy bears from the .99 cent store and the lollipops and sixlets candy were from Oriental Trading Co.—which all made for super fun and colorful favors. In addition to the amazing cake, they ordered some yummy pizzas, cut up fresh fruit in rainbow colors and added a batch of rainbow cupcakes to sweeten the deal. All totally do-able, affordable and completely adorable.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LADY!! We think you’re pretty great.

Love, yer pals at Modern Kiddo.

Party Perfection: Circus Party from Winding Road

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With Wolfie’s birthday this week, our minds can’t help but turn to parties.

We here at the Modern Kiddo Lounge love a good party.

We delight in attending a smashingly good party. We love the thought of sipping a mimosa while wearing cute shoes and turning events in our lives into charming bits of cocktail fodder. But behind every great party is a hard working person that brainstormed up a whole slew of awesome and those people need to be celebrated.  Please know, party planners and crafty moms out there–your work is appreciated!  We love your cleverness and craftiness and just sheer sassiness for pulling off amazing parties for friends and families.  Two words sum it up perfectly:  You. Rock.

Today, we’d like to share with you one of the most delicious parties we’ve seen in the blog world in awhile.  Sandy from The Winding Road held a joint circus birthday party for her five year old daughter, Laura and one year old son, Jacob.  Out of her very clever mind popped some serious awesomeness.  Sandy did a wonderful reinterpretation of a popular child’s party theme–the circus–with nary a clown in site.  Lady, I’m head over heels for this party!

Particularly when it comes to costumes.  Costumes just add a level of wonderfulness that can turn any event into something your children will remember forever. Some of my favorite memories revolve around costumes and clothes (actually I think the costume/uniform was the driving force behind me joining Brownies, Lacrosse, and Band. Hmmm….clothing obsessed even back then…)

Clearly Sandy knows the importance of a good costume.  And came up with some great ones. Sandy gives us a glimpse into her costume craftiness—with some surprisingly affordable solutions:

“I found the girls’ jackets and the baby’s tuxedo on ebay for $9.99 each! I added the gold fringe and red flower. I made their skirts myself (the harlequin fabric is by Michael Miller). Lauren’s top is really just a basic white tank top with pre-ruffled trim (from JoAnn’s Fabrics) stitched on top of it. Her top hat is from Michael’s (the doll’s section) and the feather is from there also. Her boots came from Janie and Jack. Anna’s shirt and socks along with Jacob’s shirt came from Target. I had the best time pulling bits and pieces together!”

And decor is just as key.  I love how Sandy focused on this great Circus sign as a pivotal design element.  Here’s how she made the “Circus” sign:

“It’s basically a piece of wood from Home Depot, painted, with paper mache letters added. I bought the letters at JoAnns. We placed the letters on the wood and traced them. We then removed the letters and drilled holes into the wood. We placed the letters back on and added Christmas lights from the back. The holes in the wood and in the backside of the letters were larger than those in the front as the lights needed to go all the way through the wood and into the letter but only the tip of the light showed through the letter. We used hot glue to adhere the letters to the wood and duct tape to hold the lights in place!”

Take a look at this “photo boot” Sandy set up. A simple backdrop and props are all you need. We love a good mustache. And polka dots. Boy, how we love polkadots. Oooh!




And we love smiles too.

Clearly Sandy knows how to throw a party! Thank you so much Sandy for sharing your photos with us.  For more of about Sandy and her wildly creative party, please head over here!

Sugarcoat It Studios–Modern Cakes

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I must admit that on the eve of the Peach’s first birthday, I am rather wracked with guilt.

I’m not throwing her a birthday party.

Partly because I just can’t deal with throwing a party. Some people are effortless party throwers.  Other people start to hyperventilate the moment the invites go out and have several nervous breakdowns until the event just thinking about gift bags, entertainment for kids from age 13 to 3 months and how will they be able to blow up 250 balloons in 15 minutes and vacuum the cat and UGGGGHHHH!

Excuse me while I find a paper bag to breath into…

When the Peach is the lofty age of 12 or so and starts asking about her first birthday, I am fully prepared to lie and tell her we had a big blowout involving dancing bears, handmade glitter play dough and Lady Gaga.  I’m sure a couple of hours on Photoshop could produce some sweet fake photos of this event as “proof”. You’ll stand behind me, right? Right?

But the one thing she will have is a proper cake.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good cupcake.  The indulgent frosting. It’s demitasse serving size.  The snuggy comforting taste of it.  It is like holding a bit of one’s childhood in the palm of your hand.

But sometimes you need to break out the big guns and get a cake.

A cake that says: “IT’S MAH BABY’S BIRTHDAY, GOSH DARN IT AND I LOVE HER/HIM SOMETHING FIERCE, PEOPLE!”

And if you need that kind of cake, then let me introduce you to Krista Markell and Sugarcoat it Studios.

Krista has my heart. You see, she did the extraordinary. She ditched her full-time fancypants corporate gig to follow her passion. And her passion was cakes. I gotta admit with cakes as gorgeous as this, well,…I’m happy she quit her job.

You see what I mean?

These cakes are bananas. Actually, I’m sure Krista could make a banana cake if you asked! She made me coconut! Mmmm coconut.  She’d even put harajuku girls on it I asked for it, like Kate and Callie did. Yup, Krista is that cool.

Lucky Kent to have a cake this awesome!

This cake KILLS me it is so stunning. And matching invitation from Stolen Plate Press. Krista and Etienne work together often to create matching invites and cakes. I bow to their awesomeness.

This one takes the cake! (Hahaha!!! Who says puns are out of fashion?)

Thank you, Krista!