Polka Dot First Birthday Party - The Decorations

When I was coming up with party ideas for Baby E's first birthday, I knew that I wanted to keep it pretty simple.  I wanted it to be something cute and girly and fun, but I also did not want to stress myself out trying to match a specific party theme.  

I settled on polka dots!  A polka dot theme is pretty easy to stick to since most party places carry party goods in a polka dot pattern and polka dot fabric is generally easy to come by.  To keep it bright and fun, I chose the colors hot pink, purple and lime green with orange and turquoise.

I made a "Happy Birthday" banner to hang over the food table and included a couple bunches of balloons - pretty simple!

I used a white tablecloth and skirt so as not to make it overwhelming with all the other colors we had going on.  I made a scrap rag bunting out of polka dot and solid fabric in the party theme colors.  That sucker was HEAVY!  After trying to keep it up with tape, I threw in the towel and hot glued the thing to the tablecloth. 

Remember this table?  I put it out to hold the gifts and added another bunch of balloons to make it more obvious.  I also made a picture collage for each month of Baby E's life.  I stuck the pics directly onto the wall with gift wrap tape so it wouldn't pull the paint off when removed (don't take my word for it - test an inconspicuous area first).

I replaced the red bow on my book page pom wreath with a hot pink polka dot bow.  I also made a picture banner with Baby E's monthly pics.

At the last minute, I realized I had nothing on the front door - whoops!  I threw this paper "wreath" together using supplies left over from other projects.  It took me about 10 minutes and cost me $0!

Most of the projects for this party weren't time consuming and could be done in 30 minutes to an hour.  I had grand ideas for the party after seeing all these amazing parties on Pinterest.  However...I had a little epiphany in the midst of planning this party.  I could spend every spare minute making sure every last detail was just perfect and be a anxious wreck by the time the party rolled around OR I could cross some things off the list, focus on the projects that were important to me and took little time and ENJOY my daughter's first birthday party.  So, I let go of living up to Pinterest Perfection (I'm coining that phrase right here & now!) and had the best time at the best first birthday party for the best little girl. :)  And for me, that was the right choice!

Linking up to: Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek CottageHookin' Up with HOH at House of HepworthsFriday Favorites at Simply Sweet HomeTickled Pink at 504 MainFrugal Friday at The Shabby NestFriday Favs Party at Naptime CraftersWhatcha Got Weekend at Lolly Jane BoutiqueWeekend Wrap up Party at Tatertots and JelloSaturday Seven at Positively SplendidSundae Scoop at I Heart Nap TimeThink Pink Sunday at Flamingo ToesMarket Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet StuffMade With Love at Sew ChattyJust Something I Whipped Up at The Girl CreativeTake-A-Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee CraftsWill See It Wednesday at Fabric Bows & More

Macy Goes to the Fair Pennant Dress

I am so glad I made it through to Week 3 of One Month To Win It!  I love, love LOVE this dress and am SO glad to know many others did, too.

Let me tell you, I have been most excited about this week since we got the list of themes.  When I saw "Bunting and Banner Week", this idea immediately popped into my head!  

Start with a simple white dress and add a tiny pennant-style banner and you have:

The Macy Goes to the Fair Dress!

I am beyond excited with how this turned out!  If you're anything like me, you know that ideas in your head don't always translate well into real-life items, so when it does, it's like hitting the jackpot!

I started out with a pillowcase dress and altered the pattern to work for my idea.  I added box pleats to the neckline which make me think of a Big Top at the fair.  Then I made a mini pennant banner and trimmed the neckline with it.  I finished off the neckline and arms with bias tape I handmade.  

But of course I couldn't stop there!  I cut out approximately 1 MILLION little bitty triangles (really, about 250) and stitched on 5 rows of the tiny pennant banner to the hem of the dress.  I love it so much!

This dress is a great stash-buster project!  All the little triangles were made from my scrap bag.  The bias tape was made from fabric left over from another project.  I love using things I have on hand!

Sidenote: The whole time I was working on this dress, "Macy" kept popping up in my head.  This dress really did name itself!

You might have also noticed The Macy Bow in these pics.  I had fun with this one!  I added a few more elements than I usually do and love how it turned out. 

Next time your favorite little girl needs a dress, don't run to the store!  Go grab a pillowcase and a handful of scraps and see what you can come up with! :)

I want to add a very big thank you to my friend Cheryl from

  NC Life Photography 

for taking beautiful photos of the dress for me!  If you live in Florida and need some photography done, check her out!  She does family shoots, engagements, weddings, you name it!  We've had family photos and baby pics done with her and they have all turned out amazing!

Linking up to these lovely parties!