My original plan for my son’s first birthday was to have a space-themed party, but after I read him the book, Where The Wild Things Are, I knew I had to change everything.  For two weeks, my sole purpose was to DIY on the decorations. It became a routine, craft by day (at work, during downtime), and bake at night.

Here is one of the crafting projects that I worked on during the day:

     While I’ve always been a fan of streamers, I really fell in love with the fringe streamers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s actually really simple and easy. Plus I saved money by making this myself. All you need are large sheets of folded paper crepe. I purchased these from Amazon.com.

The fun is the unraveling part!

Next up, i wanted to create a personalized name banner to affix to his high chair.  I wanted it to stand out so it would complement his smash cake. However, having a one year old and doing things pretty much on my own, my plan did not go the way I had wanted.  However, I did find a place for this elsewhere.

Upon the entry way/foyer:

Over to your left you would see Max’s monthly pictures:

I wanted a have a craft station for the kids, so I got some gable boxes and lots of Christmas foam stickers from Michaels.  As you can see, the tablecloth is not straight.. Since my son got a hold this area and wanted to yank them off.  I promise, it did look nicer and clean!

Here are a few pictures from the Virginia party:

And here’s a picture of my family! This second party (pictured below) was held in Houston. I was able to fly some of my party props with me.  You guys, after looking at a lot of these pictures and the overall look.. I realized that no matter how great your decor is, it’s important to dedicate enough time to carefully set up the decorations. Time was not on my side.  I certainly needed extra time to set up the decor/props/items galore to make it perfect.  Am I happy with the turnout, sure. Could it be better, totally.  Am I hard on myself, def. Raise your hand if you’re a type-A like me? *raises hand*