Adelaide Jane Celebrates "One" at Her Ice Cream Shoppe

When I thought about where to have Adelaide's birthday party, the natural place was Kentucky because of our family being all in one spot. Plus when I started thinking about her first birthday about five days after she was born, we didn't have any "friends with kids" here in New York.

But since Adelaide was born, I was able to use my child to make friends my own age and who had kids. Double bonus for me! Haha. And we have become close with these wonderful new friends who bring so much love & joy to Adelaide and myself. They have made living in New York with a baby away from family a much easier transition. For this, I will be forever grateful.

So in light of these amazing friends, I decided that an intimate birthday celebration here in New York was a must. Something short & sweet for our baby girl and her friends. I decided on an ice cream shoppe theme to bring a dessert flavor since Adelaide is *super* sweet and because this summer has been hot, hot, hot causing me to eat a lot of chilled ice cream.

Because this was a last minute shindig, I decided to do a lot of crafting myself. I wanted the colors to be pale pink & mint for a vintage feel. I found the perfect invite that was simple and chic from Etsy. I ordered them and had the proof within 24 hours. Talk about quick customer service!

For decorations, I knew the dessert table would be the focal point but had to put a few touches around the house. My favorite (mainly because I amazed myself with my craft ability) was the ice cream wreath that I made. I found the perfect color ribbon and got to creative thinking to make these ice cream cones.

I also made a welcome banner for the entry and another for the family room mantle. I added fresh flowers for color and Ms. Mary made these beautiful flower balloons for accent pieces. I also added a little flare with special detail-oriented fun such as the lemonade straw flags in the mason jars, cake pop flags, napkin rings, and signs peeking out of the flower bouquets. And of course the dessert table needed a little tree as the centerpiece sweetly decorated with these sparkly ice cream cone ornaments!

As for the food, I had to do all things sweet. An ice cream bar. Cake pops (mint oreo & birthday cake). Fruit cones. Cookies. Cupcakes. And of course a mini cake for Ms. Adelaide.

I lucked out with favors for the kiddos. Target had mini ice cream cone sidewalk chalk (perfect fall activity!) and Michael's had ice cream bubbles. Then I found little cupcake bath fizzes so I had to get them. For the adults, I made bath time ice cream cones. A few bath salts plus a loofa stuck in a paper cone! Something the moms could use to relax after party time ;)

Having my mom, aka Mimi, here to celebrate with us was extra special. I love that she got to meet Adelaide's little friends so she can put faces with names. She has met my New York mothers and now she got to meet my New York friends!

We truly are blessed to have stumbled upon such a wonderful community of friends who have embraced our family and welcomed us to New York.