pink and gold first birthday

yay! elena's first birthday came and went with a huge success! it was a small celebration with only family present, and everyone showered her with their love and gifts. 

i am so biased, but i have to say this is the best party i have made for any of my kids. i'm not a pink girl by any means, if i can avoid it, i will---but this party? SO.MUCH.PINK. and i was ok with that. 

from the canvas to the piñata, i made it all. with my God-given hands. no help. all me. and i'm so proud. i'll let you in on a little secret--i really want to go into party planning business. 

this canvas was incredibly fun to do, because i am not an abstract artist. i loved every minute of it, though! now, what to do with it....? 

the cake was french vanilla with cream cheese frosting. it was delicious. i ended up making a cake stand because i could not find one anywhere...and it turned out just perfect.

and as you can see, we had a plethora of pink sweets: pink covered squared rice krispie treats, cake balls, and pink wafers (elena's favorite). so much sugar!

my handmade pink crepe paper flowers were so pretty, i loved the look of them, but i'm not sure i'm a flower maker. i felt birthday girl needed some real flowers too and these were perfect! 

and can you believe no one had baby pink bubble bottles anywhere? i had to paint these and top them off with glitter. adorable party favors. 

this "chalkboard" sign for elena was a huge hit. even though there's a typo on there, i love how it turned out. 

and you guys have seen those shapes made out of pictures on Pinterest, right? what's a first birthday without remembering the actual birth. i absolutely loved making this because i got to remember every single moment on those photos. the feelings of elation at her birth to the laughs she caused when she learned to scooch out of her car seat. 

i fixed up a delicious lunch: chips and homemade salsa, rich guacamole, and tacos! gotta have tacos. i used a pinterest recipe (super easy) for the punch. and even made it better for the adults with some pink moscato! 

elena's little pink and gold birthday table was a labor of love. 

and the piñata? seriously, super easy following a tutorial online. i loved how it came out! 

and her outfit? yep, put that together too. like a boss. check out those gold shoes! 

nothing could make me happier than seeing how blessed she was all day! 

i'll be posting cake and gift pictures next because so.many.pictures already, so stay tuned. by the end of it, i'm sure you'll want a nap like this little girl had when it was all said and done. 

happy hump day everyone!