John Woodford's One Happy Camper Birthday
photo by Sarah E Dunn Photo + Design
I can’t believe how fast time is going - JW celebrated his first birthday back in November! I had so much fun planning it and celebrating with friends, but wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at some details.
I decided to go with a “ONE Happy Camper” theme for the party because I just saw so many fun possibilities for the food and decor. By using woodland animal decor, buffalo plaid accents, and a make your own trail-mix favor bar, it was the perfect theme for a little boy’s birthday - especially in the fall or winter months. I made the most of evergreen trees and holiday decor I already had to tie into the theme as well as fun snacks like smore’s on a stick, custom woodland cookies, and a homemade “pinecone” cheese ball (more details on food + recipes linked below)!
JW’s playroom got decked out as “Camp Riddle” complete with a teepee, pop-up “camper” tent, and faux animal rug. I hung black kraft paper on the wall and drew on top of it to easily create a night sky and mountain scene. This room was a great place for the kiddos to hang out during the party and we also set up the trail mix bar in here to kind of spread of the food and activities throughout the house.
Themed parties don’t need to be daunting - and I hope you can be inspired to throw your very own “camping” themed party in the future! This would be so fun for other events besides a first birthday too! Find more details including a menu list and all my decorating sources below!
xoxo
Emily
Pinecone cheeseball (I used my cheeseball recipe here, formed into the shape of a pinecone, then covered in almonds. I also added some fresh rosemary sprigs at the top for the stem! Serve with crackers, pretzels or chips).
Custom woodland themed cookies by Lauren’s Custom Cookies
Smore’s on a Stick (recipe here and I used pretzel rods as the sticks!)
Naked Woodland birthday cakes by How Sweet it Is - chocolate cakes with cream cheese icing (toppers linked below)
Cupcakes with Woodland toppers (toppers linked below and I just purchased pre-made cupcakes at the grocery)
Chili (recipe here) and toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream, Frito’s, Dorito’s. chopped green onion, hot sauce)
Veggie tray
Trail mix station (details/ingredients linked in section below)
photos below by Sarah E Dunn Photo + Design
Salted almonds
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips
Dried Banana Chips
Pecans
Cheezits
Rasins
M&Ms
Yogurt covered cranberries
To assemble: I placed each ingredient in its own bowl with a scoop or spoon for serving. I used a variety of vintage brown ceramic and wooden bowls to fit our party decor! I laid down some craft moss on the table underneath all the bowls and sprinkled to area with some pine cones as well. I put out brown kraft lunch bags for guests to use to fill with their own trail mix and added some cute personalized flags to each (using white cardstock cut into a banner shape and drawn on with a sharpie! I then used a wooden paper clip to attach to the bags). We also added a little sign/chalkboard with instructions and a few more decor items like vintage thermoses and trees!
The majority of my decor was thrifted or vintage. All the vintage thermoses, picnic baskets, camping related decor and little trees of all sizes I found at various thrift stores/Peddler malls (many of the trees are just Christmas trees from my regular Christmas decor!). The little wooden high chair I got at a garage sale while pregnant and had been saving (I spray painted it black!). Everything that I purchased for the party can be found below. If you have any questions about anything not listed just ask!
