clever alternative to baby announcements & favors

if handing out cigars or beef sticks after the birth of your baby isn't exactly your thing, try something clever like magnets featuring an image of your baby and all of his/her birth information. (also available for many other occasions such as save-the-date, graduation, birthday announcements, and wedding favors.)



another clever option are custom m&m's. now you can put your own words and photos on those little round chocolates! there are a multitude of colors to choose from, and while they're quite pricey, they certainly are cute! available in bulk or in several favor-sized options!



*magnet image courtesy of fin+roe
*m&m image snagged from m&m website

First Birthday Bash — A Superhero Theme to the Rescue!

Marking your baby's first birthday with a fabulous bash can be fun when you make the planning less stressful by pulling all the basic elements of a theme together. As an example, let's look at a superhero-themed first birthday party for both boys and girls.

The Invitation
Send friends and family a fun-filled invitation that gives a flavor of the event's theme. Choose a design with bright colors reminiscent of superhero comic books or fonts that have similar characteristics. Another option is to work with a designer to customize every element of the invitation. Include fun wordings in the tone, catch-phrases or words such as, "KaPow!" or "Zap!" and don't forget to give your child a superhero alter ego, too!

The Favors
What are parties without favors? Instead of the traditional favor goodies, involve every boy and girl in making the event a gathering of "super friends" by giving them their own superhero gears — capes for those with the power of flight, power cuffs empowered with amazing strength, or even a mask to hide secret identities.

The Decor
Set the right atmosphere with simple elements from the theme to make it extra special. There are many fun ways to sprinkle superhero elements around the party scene. I love finding old comics and making them into confetti to scatter around tables or printing out action phrases from superhero comics and adding them to all sort of surfaces (walls, doors, etc.) to add to the excitement.

The Cake
The perfect cake for such an event calls for cupcakes dressed with superhero emblems. I love the sight of a sea of cupcakes with different emblems and the kids will love snatching one to "power up" or have them decorate their own sugary sweets! Look out world, here comes some supercharged little superheroes!



{Cathe, Feterie)


Photo credits: Feterie (top), Discovery Denim, BombusCrafts, BiteMeBakery (bottom)