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You are here: Home / Crafting / Simple, inexpensive first birthday party

Crafting Decorating Little Ones

Simple, inexpensive first birthday party

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My baby is one!  So hard to believe!

He actually turned one on Thanksgiving day.  Pretty fitting since his sweet self and his safe birth are at the top of my thankful list this year.  In the busyness of the holiday season, I never got to share his sweet birthday party decorations.

Simple first birthday party decorations

Let me say up front I am not much of a party planner.  Decorating for an event that I know will only last a few hours just doesn’t get me jazzed the way other decorating does.  Who wants to spend a lot of time or money on decorations that will likely end up in the trash after just a few hours?  This mama certainly ain’t got no time for that.

But on the other hand, it was his first birthday.  I just couldn’t let it pass by without making things a little special.  So I set out to put together some party decorations that are easy, inexpensive, and meaningful.

I see lots of truly amazing kids parties on Pinterest with creative themes and tons of details.  But I’m not really a theme kind of girl.  So instead I just stuck with a loose color scheme of blue, green, and yellow.  The majority of the party décor was put together with a pack of scrapbook paper and some fishing line.  It doesn’t get much more basic than that!

scrapbook paper party decor

I chose the buffet at the end of the family room to be the gift table.  Using my trusty scrapbook paper I made three banners to layer over my wise old sayings sign – one in each of the party colors.  I also put together a paper chain to hang from the front of the buffet and folded a piece of scrap fabric to use as a small table runner.

Birthday party high chair banner

I used more scrapbook paper to create a banner to go around Griffin’s high chair.  This is so easy to make – simply cut out triangles and tape them to the high chair tray.  I also decided to make Griffin a special birthday crown.  Using this tutorial from Hellobee, I made the crown out of a scrap piece of felt and some contrasting embroidery thread.  This little crown was actually one of my favorites of all of his decorations.  It cost less than a dollar and took about an hour to make.  And it was so sweet.

Simply first birthday decorations

The mantle was another favorite spot.  I didn’t fool with moving anything that was already on the mantle –  it all happened to match the color scheme already.  The ONE letters were simply $1 cardboard letters from Michaels that I covered in scrapbook paper and taped to some fishing line.  I also made a banner from Griffin’s monthly photos to show how the little guy had grown.  To make the photos into a banner, I had some 4 x 6 prints made, rounded the corners with a scrapbook punch, and taped them to fishing line.

Since we have our TV on our mantle, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to incorporate some more photos of Griffin.  I made a quick slide show of some of my favorite photos of him from the year and played it on the TV during the party.

And there you have it – Griffin’s simple, inexpensive first birthday party decorations.  Everything put together cost less than $20 and most of the decorations can be used again for other parties.

And of course I have to share a photo of the birthday boy in his crown.  I didn’t really have time to take many pictures at the party but here is one of him on his actual birthday.

birthday boy

 

Love that sweet smile!  So what about you – do you love to plan elaborate parties or do you keep the party decorating to a minimum?  What are your go-to party decorations?  Anyone have other tips for simple party décor?

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15 Comments

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Comments

  1. cassie says

    January 6, 2014 at 8:13 am

    aaaw, he is adorable!!! happy first birthday!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      January 6, 2014 at 7:39 pm

      Thanks Cassie. Of course I think he is adorable too!

      Reply
  2. April Hoff says

    January 8, 2014 at 10:38 pm

    Your little boy is darling! I love your paper decorations and the string of his pictures across the mantel is soooo cute! :)

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      January 9, 2014 at 6:03 am

      Thanks April! I think the photos are my favorite part too!

      Reply
  3. Julia @ 551 East Design says

    January 9, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    I love the banner with the pictures! I might have to use that for Rad’s 1st bday! It’s super clever. :)

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      January 9, 2014 at 6:46 pm

      Thanks Julia! That was my favorite part too – I’ve secretly been trying to find a way to work it into our everyday decor.

      Reply
  4. Sheila at Longings End says

    January 11, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Happy First Birthday to your sweet baby boy. ENJOY each moment. Before you know you will have blinked and he will be taller than you like my three “baby boys” now all grown. I did all my sons’ parties at home and had a blast. Blessings…

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      January 11, 2014 at 12:32 pm

      Thanks Sheila, Time is already passing so quickly. The other day I almost teared up when I realized Griffin is walking almost all the time now, no more cute wiggly crawling! I am working hard to treasure each day while still welcoming the changes.

      Reply
  5. Dacia @ Lemon Drop Life says

    January 24, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Adorable! That crown is too cute!!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      January 24, 2014 at 5:06 pm

      Thanks Dacia! I love that crown. :)

      Reply
  6. stephanie says

    July 6, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Hi! just found your site and love it! i was wondering if you ever created a more detailed tutorial on your subway art? thank you!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      July 6, 2014 at 9:10 pm

      Stephanie – thank you so much! I made my huge subway art several years ago and never really posted a tutorial for it but I have had several requests for one lately, so look for it in the next couple of weeks!

      Reply
  7. Jan Elizabeth says

    October 26, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    Seriously brilliant! It looks great, has meaning, and didn’t take much time or money. You are so clever and will cause me to rethink party decorating (or lack thereof!)

    Reply
  8. Melanie M says

    November 4, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    Love this! Thank you for explaining how you did each decoration. It’s helpful since I am not crafty!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      November 9, 2014 at 11:26 am

      Thanks! And the great part is it really is just cutting for the most part – super simple.

      Reply

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