I’ve been so busy with my other freelance work, I haven’t really done too many custom invitations this past year. So when Davis’ first birthday came around, I took full advantage and created something really fun and what I hope is memorable. I knew I wanted to tie in his announcements to the party theme, so I decided on a First Trip Around the Sun theme.
I know that Davis may not remember any of the little details included in his party, much less the party itself, but when he’s older and looks back on photos, I hope he’ll see how special it was and how loved he was by everyone.
Like his older brother’s 1st birthday invites, I wanted to incorporate his monthly photos as well.It was so nice to hear that everyone enjoyed receiving these in the mail and that they loved spinning the wheel to see what each month unfolded.
Here is an animated GIF so you can see what every image contained.
I used one of the photos of him eating his smash cake to make these custom thank you note cards.These party favors complimented the theme really well. I found someone on Etsy that makes these fun plantable die-cut shapes. I packaged them with my own backer card and translucent envelope.Of course, the little kiddos got their own little party favors as well. A goodie bag full of fun little treats.Once again, my sister made this cute little smash cake, that I topped with a matching little flag, and all the delicious cupcakes that got devoured. The wind really picked up that day so a lot of the cute signage and even the balloon arch decor I had created was just being blown around. At least his little high chair banner stuck around for his cake smash and his little custom shirt managed to stay clean the entire day, which is pretty amazing considering this is how well his cake smash went.
I still can’t believe this little guy is one already and that I have two boys. I can’t say I ever imagined my life with two boys, but now, I can’t imagine my life without my two boys. 💙
This is the first year Jackson really understands birthdays (ie: cake with candles, balloons and presents). He specifically asked for a Toy Story party with cake and balloons, so I had to deliver. And of course, I can never just do basic. So although the guest list was limited to our bubble (the grandparents and my sister) due to Covid, I couldn’t pass up on making it his best 3rd birthday party ever.
I created a digital invite based on the Toy Story 3 movie poster.
A big thanks to my sister/best auntie ever, for creating another amazing cake.
And what current birthday isn’t complete without a Zoom Celebration?
This was the digital invite I created, sent to a handful of our family and friends.
A big thanks to everyone that sent their birthday wishes and love to Jackson and to those that joined us on Zoom. Jackson is one super loved kid and we are so blessed to have such amazing family and friends.
Last week, our little man turned two, so we invited some family over to celebrate with a small backyard party.
Jackson is about all things transportation right now. So I thought it fitting to have a Planes, Trains and Automobiles themed birthday party.
I started with a digital invitation and let that set the look and feel of the party.
I thought it would be fun to incorporate one of those balloon arches as a backdrop, but with wanting to keep the budget real low this year, I decided to try my hand at creating one on my own. 120 hand pumped balloons later, here is how it turned out.
I’m used to creating my own banners and menu signs, but this was the first time I decided to do a DIY food station as well. One of Jackson’s favorite dishes is my spaghetti, so I decided to do a Pasta Station.
And of course no party, big or small, is complete without a dessert table spread.
Freshly baked homemade cookies and other sweet treats made up the dessert station.
A big thanks to my sister for, yet again, baking the delicious cupcakes!
The driveway was decorated with a little road and other sidewalk chalk creations so Jackson and the other little kids could drive around in his little car and motorcycle toys.
I have been under the weather this past month, which is unfortunate, because it’s delayed me sharing this exciting project I worked on for Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD) these past couple of months.
This is LCAD‘s premier annual fundraising event in support of their talented students and their award-winning programs. The event plays an integral role in raising funds for the $2.5 million awarded annually to their students’ merit scholarships.
For their 30th Anniversary, they celebrated with a diamonds and pearls theme to incorporate both the traditional and modern symbols.
The accordion folded invitation and response card was digitally printed on a pearlescent paper, paired with matching pearlescent envelopes, all packaged up with a vellum wrap and sealed with a custom foil embossed seal.
A photo of LCAD circa 1964 juxtaposed with LCAD today was also incorporated into the invitation, which again played off the more traditional Fine Art Drawing + Painting classes to the now modern courses offered of Extended Reality Design (XRD).
I also got to design the event program, various event signage and the guest keepsakes, which were these ceramic coasters that included of the artworks being auctioned off that night, by LCAD’s President, Jonathan Burke.
The program played tribute to all the years past and all the amazing people that have played an integral role to LCAD and this fundraising event by showcasing several photo collages.
Image credit: Xun Chi Photography
Slideshows I designed were displayed throughout the night showcasing the different artwork being auctioned off as well people that were being honored and showcased.
Image credit: Hugh Foster PhotographyImage credit: Xun Chi Photography
It was such an honor to attend this event and get the opportunity to see my final designs in person. The event itself was so much fun and being a part of a live auction for the first time was an experience in itself. It was pretty amazing to see the incredible amount of people that gave so generously throughout the night to support the students of LCAD.
I loved the idea of doing something similar to their son’s 1st birthday invite but with a princess/panda theme. Same, but different.
Stacy had found these adorable princess panda illustrations online so we incorporated them into the design and they were the inspiration behind the pattern I created on the backside of the invitations and thank you notes.
I love that they even brought back another caricature artist for Sofia’s party. So now we have another drawing of our growing family.
