Katies Communion!

Just a quick post on another event gone by. My niece Katie made her First Holy Communion this year. It was of course a very special day. I am so proud of her for getting through all of her religion classes and understanding the importance of God and Jesus in her life. It just made the whole family so happy to see her go through this rite of passage. She is growing into a fine young lady. Now I know the importance should be placed on the religious aspects of the day. But this is a party blog and with every Holy Communion comes a family celebration. I was so glad to be a part of the process.

Step One: The Dress

My goodness Katie was the best little model, she must have tried on 20 dresses, although I think we all knew this was the one as soon as we saw it. She seemed to know it too! Her smile seemed to get a little bit larger when she saw herself in this one. Of course, taking after Aunt Bitsy, the favorite was also one of the most expensive. But what's a mother to do? She had to get it. It is hard to see your daughter looking so beautiful and say no. The veil, shoes and gloves completed the look and Kate was ready for her big day!

The Decor

Well, Aunt Bitsy cannot let a celebration go by without adding a little something. My sister planned a lovely luncheon at a local country club after the ceremony. A nice way to avoid a mess at your own home and since you don't make your first communion everyday, it adds a little something special. They did a great job with F&B. I don't have many pictures as I was there as a guest and my future sister-in-law was the photog of the day. (maybe I can find some more pics later, would love to show the cake and centerpieces my sis ordered) Oh well, I was able to order a personalized banner, centerpiece and some mints with little crosses on them for little expense. Oriental Trading and Shindigz are two of my favorite sites for supplies. Beau Coup is also a good one for fancier favors and things.

The Church

Doesn't she just look Angelic? Remember I only have a few pics taken with my phone, so not the best, but Katie was just a doll. All those curls and the dress!

Katie was scheduled to make her communion with a couple of other girls. It was a nice mass and when the time came for Kate to head up to the alter, she did a great job of remembering just what to do. I have to say, I got a little choked up. I remembered my own communion and my children's. These kids grow up so fast!

Well, like I said, quick post. That's all I got on this one. God Bless you Katie Pie! You did a great job.

1st Birthday Party UP!

So, I have been kind of lacking in my posts lately. Not that there have not been any parties, I just not have been the host. I thought I would get around to posting a couple of parties that were not hosted by me, but were super important and super cute just the same. (I may have assisted in a small part of the planning as well!)
First up, My nieces very First Birthday Party!!
Her parents wanted to go with a balloon theme, taking the idea from the movie UP! which has a character with the same name as my darling little niece.
Her mom did a great job of putting it all together.
Pictured above is baby girl in her 1st Birthday Diaper Cover. So Cute. The website Etsy was the provider of many of the items for the party, including the diaper cover, onesie and the adorable tutu she is wearing below. Awwwwww!

Adorable Birthday Tutu!!

You all know I am a big fan of making banners myself. For this party,her mom had already arranged for a friend of hers, who I believe sells on Etsy as well, to take on the project. She did a great job and they came out really well. My pictures are not the best. Hopefully you can see how she tied in the balloon theme.










A really nice touch at this first birthday party was the lovely photo montage that her parents put together. It was a nice look back at babies first year. It was accompanied by music and played on the tv during the party.

You can still get your party basics at good old Party City. Balloons and some balloon themed decor was quick and easy.

CUPCAKES!!

In keeping with the UP theme, we found some samples of making your cupcakes look like balloons. Cupcakes were ordered from my favorite Creative Cakes in Tinley Park. We added the ribbon to the bottom to create the look of balloons. With the extra cupcakes, we placed the pics that came with the banner package. They looked so cute and were delicious!

SMASH CAKE!!

A big trend in first birthdays is the smash cake. Most bakeries will throw one in with a larger cake order. This one was supposed to have polka dots on it, but the squiggles kind of look like ribbon on a balloon. It was just the right size for baby to dig in and enjoy.

Happy Birthday Ellie!!!