Selected as Party of the Day on October 20th!

Winnie the Pooh First Birthday Party

Elizabeth N By Elizabeth N  in Birthday

Drinks

Party Recap

– Full Name: Elizabeth D. Nelson
– Email Address: [email protected]
– Company Name: Geek-a-bye Baby
– Blog/Website Address (if applicable): http://www.geekabyebaby.com/blog/winnie-the-pooh-themed-1st-birthday/

Link to Dropbox for Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jhplgmywo3h5vkc/IyjNpIqDkk

For Geek Baby’s first birthday, we opted to host a Hundred Acre Wood/Winnie the Pooh themed party, since that was her favorite character at that time. When searching for inspiration or even supplies, we were shocked to find out that Winnie the Pooh just wasn’t as popular as he used to be! Even the party supply companies had discontinued their Winnie the Pooh products.

The first thing I did was prepare Geek Baby’s outfits! I knew I wanted her to wear a Winnie the Pooh-esque outfit, but a tad cuter, for her cake eating photos. I found a simple Winnie the Pooh onesie and matching hat at the Disney outlet for under $15! I added a matching tutu and it was Winnie the Pooh-tastic! She was fluffy — just like her stuffed with fluff counterpart! For her party outfit, I wanted a comfortable and fashionable romper, so I made a Winnie the Pooh romper with fabric I found on sale! Materials for this romper cost me less than $5!

My next task was to create a line of printables for the party. As always, the ever talented Lindsay Coderre, who is our Lead Graphic Designer here at Geek-a-bye Baby, was ready for create something totally unique and amazing! All together, she made invitations, thank you cards, water bottle labels, food signs, a banner and a wonderful poster! Creating your own printables is an great way to personalize your party without breaking the bank.

I bought copious amounts of mason jars in kid’s and adult sizes and used those for the cupcakes. I found super cupe wooden utensiles on Etsy with yellow polka dots, so each cupcake was layered into a mason jar and then had a spoon tied around it with twine. We used the mason jars as cups, as well. I found paper straws and added them for a little extra touch of our red and yellow theme.

Other indoor decor included little tree trunks I found online. We used them to display photos or hold food dishes. We bought loads and loads of planters that looked like honey jars from Garden Ridge. By writing “HUNNY” on a few of them, we were able to really add to the look! We also found a honey jar pinata at Party City and had to buy it!

On the buffet table, we had photos of Geek Baby starting on the day she was born and then a photo for each month leading up to her 12 month photo! On the book cases, we had photos of a bunch of her first moments, such as her first tooth or first time on a plane.

Outside, we wanted to add a lot of color. First, we bought a bunch of balloons at Party City — and found tiger striped balloons, as well! I wanted a bunting, so I made one! In Austin, we have a mosquito issue. I found citronella candles that had a honey jar look to them. I wrote “HUNNY” on them and they matched the decor perfectly. We wanted to add a Winnie the Pooh-themed sign or two to the front and back yard. We found a store on Etsy, CS Cute Crafts that made a simple but super cute sign out of thick scrapbook paper. And they customized it. After we bought that, they told us about the characters they could make, as well. Of course we had to buy Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore and Piglet! We wanted something made of wood, too, though. A sign that we could use for years to come. We found an adorable sign for sale on TheCommonSign’s Etsy shop. For the outside seating area, we went simple and classic. A natural wood table set we found at IKEA, as well as a few red folding chairs. We added some tulle to the chairs, as well as a burlap table cloth. At Party City, we found the Winnie the Pooh airblown inflatable on clearance! We also found some paper lanterns in our color scheme that added a little more color to our backyard!

We knew we wanted a wooden high chair, but couldn’t find any available commercially that we liked or felt were worth the cost. After searching for a few weeks, I decided to look on Craigslist. Jackpot! Found this high chair for $10! It was PERFECT! The morning of the party, I got my tulle and ribbon out and added lots of decorations to that already super posh chair! For less than $15, we had the exact high chair I dreamed about!

I wanted to have a few different interactive “stations”. The first one I set up was the fingerprint guest book. We gave guests three different green inks and they stamped their fingerprint on the tree and wrote their name next to the “leaf”. Next, we created little cards so you could write a note to Geek Baby. We included all the notes plus some other treasured items in a time capsule that is sealed until her 18th birthday. One of my favorite games, though, was the “Pick Her Future Profession” game. We placed a toy hammer, ball, book, measuring cup and paint brush in front of her…and the item she chose would tell you what her future profession will be.

No party is complete without favors! We purchased adorable Winnie the Pooh honey jars that we found on Amazon. All the adults got to take one of these homes. For the kids, we went a little overboard! We used mini mason jars and filled them with playdoh, we bought Winnie the Pooh ears, we made Winnie the Pooh blankets backed with super soft velour, we found little Winnie the Pooh figurines on clearance at Party City and HAD to buy them, and the final item — we made our own Winnie the Pooh crayons!

And the menu:

Menu:
Pooh Bear & Rabbit Party Mix
Bear and bunny-shaped graham crackers, M&Ms, cranberries and marshmallows

Honey Comb Cereal

Honey Roasted Peanuts

Owl Wings
Honey BBQ chicken wings — yes, this one made people a little sad, but I found it funny!

Piglets in a Blanket
Another one that made people sad!

Tigger Tail Pasta
Pasta, black olives, cucumber, tomato, Italian dressing — OK, they were all a little morbid!

Fruits and Vegetables from Rabbit’s Garden
Crudite of broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, apples.

Winnie the Pooh’s Picnic Sandwich
Brisket with Coleslaw on a Hawaiian roll

Dessert Menu:

Hundred Acre Wood Cake Pops
Cake Pops designed to look like Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore

Piglet’s Pancake Cupcakes
Pancake batter flavored cupcakes with maple syrup buttercream

Roo’s Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Winnie the Pooh’s Beehive Honey Smash Cake
Spice cake with honey glaze and sugar bees. We found the recipe on Martha Stewart’s site.


Vendor Credits:
– Food: Geek-a-bye Baby
– Cupcakes: Geek-a-bye Baby
– Cake: Geek-a-bye Baby
– Printables: Lindsay Coderre
– Photography: Adell Photos
– Paper Straws, Utensils: AngieHeartsJared
– Decor: Geek-a-bye Baby
– Winnie the Pooh Characters: CS Cute Crafts
– Winnie the Pooh Hundred Acre Wood Sign: TheCommonSign

Idea

Party Highlights

  • What People Ate

    Menu: Pooh Bear & Rabbit Party Mix Bear and bunny-shaped graham crackers, M&Ms, cranberries and marshmallows Honey Comb Cereal Honey Roasted Peanuts Owl Wings Honey BBQ chicken wings — yes, this one made people a little sad, but I found it funny! Piglets in a Blanket Another one that made people sad! Tigger Tail Pasta Pasta, black olives, cucumber, tomato, Italian dressing — OK, they were all a little morbid! Fruits and Vegetables from Rabbit’s Garden Crudite of broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, apples. Winnie the Pooh’s Picnic Sandwich Brisket with Coleslaw on a Hawaiian roll

  • What People Drank

    Custom Labeled Water Bottles Apple Juice Apple Pie Flavored Iced Tea

  • Best Moment

    For Geek Baby’s smash cake, we almost ran out of time finding what we wanted to do. That’s when Martha Stewart came to my rescue. Sort of. I found a photo of a beehive cake. And the recipe sounded divine. Not too sweet, since Geek Baby didn’t really like sweets. I looked for the cake mold Martha Stewart used and, thankfully, found it right away. I went to Amazon to find little sugar bees to add to the cake, in order to really enhance the whole look of it! In the end, we made the cake ourselves and it cost us less than $40 for a VERY professional looking cake. Best part, though? Geek Baby didn’t even want to destroy it. We think it was WAY too pretty for her to destroy. So, her Great Aunt Sue helped.

  • Funniest Moment

    One of my favorite games, though, was the “Pick Her Future Profession” game. We placed a toy hammer, ball, book, measuring cup and paint brush in front of her…and the item she chose would tell you what her future profession will be. Everyone had to pick which item they thought Geek Baby would choose and how long it would take her to choose it. She first chose the measuring cup…but no one had that one picked! So, we took it away and let her choose again. And the paint brush was the winner! Geek Husband had the right item and closest time — but we gave the prize, a Le Creuset honey pot, to the second place person, since, well, it just wouldn’t be fair to keep a prize meant for our guests.

  • Most Touching Moment

    The most touching moment was how very happy our little girl was after the outpouring of love and affection for her on her special day.

  • Best Dressed

    The birthday girl, of course!

  • Desserts

    Dessert Menu: Hundred Acre Wood Cake Pops Cake Pops designed to look like Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore Piglet’s Pancake Cupcakes Pancake batter flavored cupcakes with maple syrup buttercream Roo’s Red Velvet Cupcakes Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting Winnie the Pooh’s Beehive Honey Smash Cake Spice cake with honey glaze and sugar bees. We found the recipe on Martha Stewart’s site.

  • Party Favors

    We purchased adorable Winnie the Pooh honey jars that we found on Amazon. All the adults got to take one of these homes. For the kids, we went a little overboard! We used mini mason jars and filled them with playdoh, we bought Winnie the Pooh ears, we made Winnie the Pooh blankets backed with super soft velour, we found little Winnie the Pooh figurines on clearance at Party City and HAD to buy them, and the final item — we made our own Winnie the Pooh crayons!

  • Activities / Games

    I wanted to have a few different interactive “stations”. The first one I set up was the fingerprint guest book. We gave guests three different green inks and they stamped their fingerprint on the tree and wrote their name next to the “leaf”. Next, we created little cards so you could write a note to Geek Baby. We included all the notes plus some other treasured items in a time capsule that is sealed until her 18th birthday. One of my favorite games, though, was the “Pick Her Future Profession” game. We placed a toy hammer, ball, book, measuring cup and paint brush in front of her…and the item she chose would tell you what her future profession will be.

  • Budget

    $500.00

💬

2 comments

  • Melissa F

    Melissa F wrote:

    LOVE!!!

  • no photo

    Leeran wrote:

    This is a great idea! Did you draw it? I would love to do something similar but I'm not an artist at all! I would love to find out if I can get this image so I can print it for my child's upcoming birthday. Thanks!