Nathan’s Vintage Babar Birthday Party!

This past year has brought much happiness with Owen in our lives. And one of the things I’m most grateful for is the amazing group of fellow new mothers that I’ve become friends with since Owen’s arrival. We started out as a playgroup but have become so much more, supporting each other as we’ve shared the joys and frustrations of motherhood and experiencing the growth of our children from tiny, sleepy newborns to fast-moving tots with big personalities.

Time goes by so quickly! Almost all of our little ones are a year old now. And it has been such fun taking part in all of the birthday celebrations, seeing all of our boys and girls smashing up their first cakes.

A couple months ago, Mitzi, a playgroup mommy, asked me to help her with her son’s first birthday party. I, of course, was super excited to do some party planning and crafting and also honored to be a part of Nathan’s celebration. I was even more enthusiastic when she told me the theme was “vintage Babar” – what a cute idea! I love children’s books and I love anything with a vintage style, so I had no trouble getting inspired for Nathan’s party. Plus, Mitzi’s energy and excitement for her son’s birthday was absolutely contagious.

In case you’re not familiar with Babar, he’s the elephant king character in the famous French children’s book series. The books feature beautiful illustrations and a lovely black script font. I tried to incorporate these elements into the party invitations and decorations. Plus, Babar often travels in his stories, so a touch of traveling was part of the design too – hot air balloons, cars, suitcases, etc.

The big day finally came to fruition this past weekend. Here are some photos from the Babar-ty! Happy First Birthday, Nathan!

The invitations set the stage for the party theme, with red stripes, polka dots, and Babar-inspired fonts. I lined the bright red envelopes with color copies of pages from Babar books.

The welcome table included lots of cute pics of Nathan, vintage Babar books (of course), and an awesome sign created by another mother in our playgroup, Ali. A little stuffed Babar sat next to a sign that I designed asking everyone to write a message for Nathan in the guest book.

The tables looked perfect with gray, yellow, red and white colors. I handmade golden yellow paper crowns that Mitzi filled with Cheerios. Owen loved this snack!

I also crafted pinwheels that Mitzi used to decorate the tables.

Every detail was perfect for the Babar-ty, including the food signs.

The drinks were even decorated with labels that I designed. I loved the striped straws that Mitzi found too.

And every birthday party needs banners, of course! I created a happy birthday sign, cutting out the script by hand. I also put together an adorable banner of monthly photos of Nathan with his Babar stuffed animal – he’s changed so much over the past 12 months!

The dessert table looked fantastic. Mitzi did a great job with all the details – Nathan is a lucky little guy! I crafted the toppers for the cupcakes and I was happy with how perfectly everything came together.

It looks like Nathan’s cake tasted as good as it looked!

A vintage high chair decorated with an “I am one” banner that I crafted out of paper and ribbon was the perfect seat for Nathan, the little king of elephants, to enjoy his first cake.

The favors were Babar books adorably wrapped in craft paper and baker’s twine. The old suitcase tied in the Babar travel theme.

Thanks to Nathan and his family for letting me be a part of his day! Looking forward to our boys sharing many birthdays together in the years to come.