Gray’s birthday is in May but we decided to celebrate it in early June due to hectic travel schedules. She actually liked it because she felt like she was having two birthdays! Her party was a cooking theme with create-your-own-pizza-and-cupcakes. And she and her friends even had their very own custom aprons!

Details:

Location: our home here in TN (the back screened porch) to make their own pizza, backyard to eat and make crafts, and dining room to sing happy birthday to and decorate cupcakes. The party was for girls only.

Lighting: lanterns from Target.

Plates, cups, and napkins: Target

Gray’s Birthday Outfit: Appaman from Snap Kids

Aprons: I had an idea for cooking party and a vision for custom aprons and they were beautifully created by my friend, Konika. We went to a thrift store and found a dozen pillow cases, which she made the aprons. Not one was alike. Gray’s apron was an early gift from a friend, Annette and was purchased on Etsy.

Personal pizza pans: borrowed from a friend, Katie. She bought them from Ebay and they used to be pans from Pizza Hut.

Pizza dough: ordered about 25 doughs from a place called Roselli’s Pizzeria the night before. Owner lives in our neighborhood which is a plus, customer service was top notch!  The girls were able to kneed the dough and put toppings on it.

Pizza toppings: cheese, tomato sauce, olives, fresh basil, mushrooms. Each guest had two little white bowls filled with cheese and tomato sauce and then we had a little toppings bar off to the side. Parents who stayed were able to create their own as well.

We put the pizza in oven for 500 degrees for 15 minutes.

Drinks: water with lemon slices and fresh mint from our garden in a glass pitcher with spout, on a “lemonade stand”

Decor: fresh flowers from friends’ Maria and John’s garden, hydrangeas and lavender.

Activity: after they ate outside in the backyard, we put up a tent and blankets and they made crafts: created their own books from construction paper, drew pictures, and decorated with glitter and sprinkles.

Cake: made by mom and dad. Strawberry cake with real strawberries, pink icing, coconut topping. Continuing the tradition with a cake stand for birthdays from Rosanna.

Gray’s birthday crown, another tradition: from StellandLivi on Etsy

Cupcakes: homemade with strawberries baked in. Toppings bar included: chocolate chips, strawberries, marshmallows, sprinkles, and cupcake icing of different colors.

Gifts: On her invitation and a tradition for birthdays, in lieu of gifts we asked guests to donate to the Nashville Flood Relief.

She did receive a few cool gifts! One of Gray’s gifts from us matched the theme: it was a Rosie Flo’s Kitchen coloring book.

All photos by: her daddy :)

Snap Kids was gracious enough to mail us an amazing selection of designer clothes to try out and since they were so CHIC (I can’t believe they make clothes like this for little girls, I screamed when we opened the package) we decided, perfect time for a 5th birthday photoshoot!! So here they are, (pardon me, I will get back with you on some of these clothes and who the brand is!)

Little Marc Jacobs top and pants.

Little Marc Jacobs top and shorts (quite possibly one of my new favorite designers for kids!)

IKKS dress: Another favorite new brand, from France OF COURSE.

IKKS top and pants.

Photo credit by Garrett Nudd: cobblestone rue portraits