By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey and Candace Brower
Photography by Cedric Smith

A courtyard birthday party filled with color and humor and homespun chic fabulousness.
Here’s a peek at all the food-inspired details!

COLORFUL PAPER STREAMERS: 

Streamers was strung from one end of the house through the courtyard and attached to the carriage house to create a colorful canopy over the cake table. (2 people, 1 hour, 7 rolls of paper streamers and one roll of painters tape)

We used orange painter’s tape to tape lengths of colorful streamers to a white wall creating a fun backdrop for our food-inspired portrait photo booth! (1 person, 30 minutes, streamer scraps and one roll of tape)

BALLOONS:

Helium filled balloons (in the same color palette as the streamers) were taped to the floor behind the glass front garage door in various heights to give the illusion that the garage was filled with balloons and make a fun colorful backdrop. (1 person, 25 minutes, 3 dozen balloons and 1 roll of tape)

Colorful balloons were blown up JUST before the party started and floated in the pool. (1 person, 1 hour, 4 dozen balloons)

CUSTOM POLKA DOT TABLE TOP COVER: 


6-inch circles were cut out of coordinating patterned flannel yardage and laid (overlapping) on the table top to create a fun polka dot table topper! Find this affordable and easy to cut fabric in the “baby section” of your fabric store. NOTE: In the event of wind, lay strips of two sided tape down on the table first. (1 person, 2 hours, fabric scraps, scissors)

COLORFUL FOOD:

We did 5 cakes for this party (see all of them HERE) and decorated the top of each with a simple coordinating “grocery store cake toppers”! Yellow cake…yellow banana! Green Cake….a head of butter lettuce. Simple and such a fun conversation starter!! (5 cakes, 1 person, 5 hours)

COLORFUL CANDLES: 

When it was time to blow out the candles, we were prepared! Every cake had a coordinating candle.
(5 candles from Smith Brother’s Butcher Shop)

WIGS AND HATS: 


The invitation read “Come dressed as your favorite food-inspired color”. We had the wigs, hats and food ready for the party portraits. (2 people, 4 hours, paper scraps, fabric scraps, glue, scissors, lots of fun!!)

FLOWERS:

Every party needs at least a little “live” element. This was the Tulip Hoop. The hula hoop base started out as a horrible color, so it was covered in gold tape, then the tulip ends were taped on so the flowers could drape down and blow in the wind. (1 person, 30 minutes, 1 hula hoop, 1 roll of gold tape and 8 tulips)

FUN CARDS AND PINS:


All the guests received their OWN birthday cards (why not) and pins to add “flare” to their look if they so chose before their portrait was taken! I love these cards and pins from Greenwich Letterpress!!

And before the party got crazy, I had all my helpers take a group photo!!
Left to right: (Josh, me, Brenda, Candace and David)