
Tuesday on Jasmine
MONSTER THEMED FIRST BIRTHDAY
Updated: Aug 9, 2021
We are throwing it back with this one - to a FIRST birthday for our of our little monsters!

Many of the parties and gatherings you see on our blog are recent events. However, most of the Jasmine ladies have been throwing themed parties for years and this monster themed birthday is no exception! We thought it would be fun to share a party that happened over 8 years ago, but would still feel current in 2021 :)
One of the best parts of planning a first birthday party: Mom and Dad get to pick the theme! We are now throwing parties for our kids (up to teenage years) who have very specific ideas on the type of party, theme, colors, etc. (which we still get excited about) But 8 years ago we picked a theme we thought would be fun and just ran with it! In this case - MONSTERS!
The overall theme of this party came from a hat we were gifted. We thought it had the cutest colors and feel. Looking back, how fun that a whole party was planned from a gift we received. Check out the hat - included on the party invitation below.

The hat also helped us pick the colors for the party: pinks, greens and yellows. We were planning this party for a girl, but wanted the colors to still be fun for any boy guests.
We picked a venue that would hold our large guest list. However, it ended up being a little overwhelming to fill the space with decor, while still staying on a budget. Plastic tablecloths ended up being our ticket to adding a lot of color throughout the room. Each round table was covered with a different color tablecloth from the party theme. Simple center pieces were also added using pink and green plastic containers (from the dollar store) filled with a colored tissue paper ball. In total, each table setup cost $3!! You can't beat that price!

The main focal point of the party was the cake and cupcake table, which also held some favors and misc decor. We will walk you through each element of the table below - also created on a BUDGET!

PENNANT FLAGS These were random pattern printed out and cut into a triangle shape. We also used a Cricut machine to cut out the monster shapes, which were layered onto kraft and other colored paper.
SMASH CAKE This was made from scratch by the Mom of the birthday girl. It's definitely easier than you think to create a tiered cake. Three round cakes were stacked with pink icing in between, then the entire cake was covered by piping using a grass piping tip (you can purchase one of these at your local craft store). The eyes on top are simply ping pong balls glued to lollipop sticks :)
CUPCAKES We wanted to keep these simple since we were making them all from scratch and needed about 70 cupcakes (sheesh)!! A box cake mix was used, then they were topped with yellow icing. You can create the eyes easily with store bought, black and white fondant. We cut two different sized circles, layered them and placed them on each cupcake to give the feel that each one was looking back at you!
O-N-E LETTERS So simple! We went to our local craft store and purchased paper mache letters, then painted them to match the party.
LOLLIPOPS How fun are these! They were able to double as party favors for the kids (and adults!). We found them at oriental trading and feel in love.
Honestly, we started sticking eyes where ever we could to incorporate the monster theme without spending too much. Example: even the drink dispensers were looking at our guests!

The pennants were also used to fill in where ever needed. At this particular venue, there was a pretty long wall full of windows. The pennants were the perfect addition in those - added a little decor without blocking the view!

The guests were entertained by a monster themed photobooth! Again, these seems detailed, but it was pretty easy to create.

For this one, we simple Googled "monster mouths" and found free printable. We printed them out, glued them to sticks and put them on display in another container from the dollar store! The little sign was added to tell the guests how to take the photo (from a camera on a tripod). Our favorite part was the backdrop! We also broke out the Cricut machine for these little monster shapes. Once we had about 100 of them cutout, we hot glued them to 8" strings of fishing line. Each line was taped to the wall to create the fun background pattern!

Lastly, We wanted the birthday girl to have a fun keepsake to always remember her first birthday AND wanted the kids at the party to take a monster home with them! We let our creative juices take over and spent some time drawing out some monster shapes on bright colored fabric. From there we put our sewing skills (they are not great, lol) to the test and created plush monsters by sewing together the fabric and stuffing each one with fluff! We ended up with one large monster plush that we had all of the party guests sign and then a few smaller plush monsters that the kids took home as as favor!
We would LOVE to hear from you in the comments below if you try any of these monster themed ideas!!
SHOP THIS PARTY
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