ONE YEAR PHOTOS!

Welp, she's done it again! Our friend Sara of Sara Jayne Photography has once again blown me away with her talent. A couple of weeks before Kenley's birthday and just two days before me and Jason's anniversary, we met Sara at the church where we were married {and also in Sara's studio} to take Kenley's One Year Photos.I was a little bit nervous for this one because Kenley is quite the busy little one year old and sitting still is not really on her agenda these days. Thanks to Sara's quick trigger finger and playing the Hot Dog Song on repeat we were able to get some amazing shots that I will treasure forever.

A note to mamas, I 100% absolutely suggest you book a "Watch Me Grow" type package with your photographer or book newborn, 6 month and 1 year photo shoots! It's definitely an investment but I truly can't put a price on the photos that Sara has taken for us. This baby stage goes by so incredibly fast and I am so grateful to have these photos documenting my pregnancy and Kenley's first year. It's so crazy to see how much they change between newborn and 6 months and then again from 6 months to a year. Even though I've taken approximately 80 million of my own photos they just don't hold a candle to professional ones. 

Check out the rest of Kenley's "Watch Me Grow" photos by Sara Jayne:

maternity :: newborn :: 6 months

For those of you in the Twin Cities looking to get a hold of Sara {which you should all be doing} you can find her here: 

facebook :: website :: email

Make sure to link up every Tuesday!

DIY Marshmallow Cakes

When I saw these adorable little Marshmallow Cakes on Icing Designs, I just knew I had to try and recreate them for Kenley's Birthday Party. It was such a fun project and I'm really happy with how they turned out, so I figured I'd give you all a tutorial so you can make them for your next birthday event! 

Here's what you need/what I used {this can vary slightly based on what you're doing}...

                                                                                *1 bag of large marshmallows

                                                                                *1 bag of WHITE Wilton's Candy Melts

                                                                                *1 bag of YELLOW Wilton's Candy Melts

                                                                                *YELLOW Sprinkles

                                                                                *PINK Sprinkles

                                                                                *RED Food Coloring

                                                                                *Parchment Paper

                                                                                *Decorating Squeeze Bottle

                                                                                *Toothpicks

                                                                                *Mini Cupcake Liners

STEP 1: This is important, pour yourself a nice big fat glass of wine. Everything is better with wine and cooking crafts are no different!

STEP 2: Time to get to work. The first thing you're going to do is put together your candles. I did this by melting some white candy melts following the instructions on the bag. 

I wasn't sure how many of the melts to use, so I threw in about 25 and that was more than enough.

STEP 3: After the candy is melted, pour it in to a handy dandy little squeeze bottle {found at Michaels} and then begin "drawing" the base for the candles on a sheet of parchment paper. 

 It took a few to get the hang of it and I found that tapping the top of the squeeze bottle on the counter in between each one helped eliminate air. You can tell a few of them got air bubbles, but I made a TON just to be sure I had enough good ones in the end. 

STEP 4: *CRUCIAL!* You need to let your candles dry COMPLETELY! It is if utter importance that you practice some patience {this is where the wine comes in handy} and let these suckers harden all the way before moving on to the next step. 

STEP 5: Once your candles are completely dry, repeat steps 2 & 3 using either yellow Candy Melts or adding yellow food coloring to the white {I use yellow melts}. This time you will be adding the flame to the top of the candle. You want to be sure that the flame is connected to the base creating one piece when dried. 

STEP 6: Before the yellow hardens, add yellow sprinkles creating the look of being lit! 

STEP 7: Refill your wine and once again wait for the candy to completely harden. I'd say it took about 20-30 minutes. Once the candles are completely dry, pop them off the parchment paper and move them to a plate. 

HOLY CRAP, THEY ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE CANDLES! 

STEP 8: Melt more candy, this time use the color frosting you'd like. I just added red food coloring to the white this time to create a lovely pink color. 

STEP 9: Dip your marshmallow. I dipped it a little less than half way, swished it around and then shook off any excess. 

STEP 10: Immediately after dipping the marshmallow grab a toothpick and create a hole. Next, gently insert the candle. Because the frosting will be warm, the candle will melt, so be sure not to you're not pushing it too low. And finally, sprinkle the top with your choice of sprinkles. Then once again wait for the candy to harden.

VOILA! 

Adorable little marshmallow cakes!

To complete the project I bought these mini cupcake liners off Etsy and used those to serve the marshmallows. 

Pink Balloon First Birthday

When Jason and I first talked about Kenley's First Birthday Party, we agreed that the first one needed to be a big one and when I started to brainstorm I had a million ideas running through my head. We threw around a couple of ideas for the location but ultimately decided that our party room was most convenient and made the most sense. Once we had the place nailed down it was time to start thinking of themes, ideas and decor. After several different ideas I landed on a "Pink Balloon" theme. I loved it because it was fun, girly, very appropriate for a birthday and allowed for some very fun decor. 

But enough of me blabbing...here's an up close look at Kenley's Pink Balloon First Birthday Party!

the OUTFIT. 
I'd say aside from a wedding dress and a prom dress the first birthday dress is the most important outfit a girl will wear. OK, maybe not, but to me Kenley's outfit was very important and needed to be perfect!

dress :: Pippa & Julie // shoes :: Stuart Weitzman Sugar Flats
tights :: Nordstrom // headband :: EcoStreet

the STATIONERY. 
You all know by now that stationery is my favorite part of party planning. I had so much fun with the concept of these and just LOVE how they turned out.

courtesy of Paper Event


the DESSERT. 
What better menu for a 2pm 1st Birthday Party than a dessert bar? It was so fun to put together and I absolutely love how it turned out - not to mention the treats were DELICIOUS. I'm still on a sugar high!

Cake Pops: Starbucks // Candy: Party City // Cookies: Target // Dum Dums: Spangler Candy

Cupcakes, Pudding Shots & Marshmallow Cakes by ME! 

the DRINKS.

 water bottle labels courtesy of Paper Event


the DECOR.

Balloons: The Corner Balloon Shoppe // Birthday Hat: Dainty Couture // Birthday Sign & Coloring Books: Paper Event

Frames: IKEA // Kenley Photos: Sara Jayne Photography

Everything else is by ME!

the CAKE.
The cake is a pretty integral piece in the first birthday but this was one thing I didn't even think twice about. I knew I wanted a cake from Sweet Retreat and I knew I wanted a pink ombre rosette design. I love how it turned out and it was DELICIOUS! Kenley was very dainty while eating it but absolutely loved the sugar.

Cake: The Sweet Retreat // "1" Candle: J.Love Creations


the LOVE.
I really can't say it enough - Kenley is a lucky little girl. As a mama I don't think anything could make me happier than seeing the people I love all together to celebrate my baby and not because of the gifts - though everyone was extremely generous - but because I know that these people truly love Kenley.

all 4 grandmas! 

all of my bridesmaids reunited!

To see all of my inspiration and to pin any of these photos, check out "Kenley's First Birthday" board on Pinterest:

One more thing before I go, I have to give a major THANK YOU shout out to my mom and my Beeb. Thank you both for letting me run ALL of my millions of ideas by you. Thank you for helping me organize my thoughts and execute my plans. Thank you for everything you did to help the day of. You are the absolute best party planning committee in the world and this day wouldn't have been so special without you.

And THANK YOU to everyone who was there to celebrate with Kenley.♥

Make sure all you mamas are linking up every Tuesday!