I struggled with deciding on a theme for her party, and I bounced several ideas off some of my best friends. When the pie theme popped into my head, I knew I had to run with it. It seemed fitting for Clara, who we frequently refer to as “Cutie Pie.” The color scheme was easy. I had seen a coral and mint wedding on Pinterest, and I knew those colors were perfect for the vintage-y pie theme. Back in early January, I had no idea those two colors would be everywhere a couple months later. I kind of want to use them all over the house now.
For the food, I wanted a menu that could be made largely in advance. I’m not sure it could have been done any other way, especially considering the exorbitant amount of pie dough I made leading up to the party. We broke it up, making party food each night after dinner, but still ended up doing quite a bit the night before (after my momentary “do we have enough food” freakout). This was the biggest party we’ve ever hosted (we had over 40 people at our house!) but thankfully had plenty of food to go around.
These hand pies were super popular with kids and adults. They’re like Hot Pockets but way, way better.
Our menu for the party included:
Frito Pie
Jalapeño Goat Cheese Whoopie Pies
Pizza Dip and tortilla chips
Ham and Cheese Hand Pies
Key Lime Pie Dip with fruit and graham crackers
Mini Chocolate Pies
Mini Peanut Butter Pies
Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes and Smash Cake
Beer, white wine sangria, and Trader Joe’s French Berry Lemonade soda
Nutella Pie Pops (favors)
I love mason jars as drinking glasses, and I used jute twine and craft paper tags to make these party-worthy. The mint paper straws tied the jars into the party colors.
Eric and I painted these frames (from Michael’s) and used them to display Clara’s monthly pictures. Since our bar was being used for drinks, we lined the frames up on our desk. We also put Clara’s baby book out so that people could flip through it if they wanted.
I absolutely love the idea of edible favors, and these Nutella Pie Pops were a huge hit. I made the paper hearts using my Silhouette and tied them on using baker’s twine. The paper was leftover from making the cupcake stand. The pail was a clearance find at Target after Valentine’s Day. I know it’s not coral, but it was too cute to pass up.
These stamped forks were one of my favorite DIY touches. I found the stamp and ink at Michael’s. It’s hard to capture on camera, but these looked seriously cute in person. This was definitely the easiest DIY of all the party projects.
I made the invitations and food labels myself in Photoshop and had them printed locally. I was really proud of how they came out.
Sadly, I didn’t get a great picture of Clara’s cake (this is a phone picture with an Instagram filter). I made it to look like a pie, and I was mostly happy with how it came out. This cake was my inspiration. I used Wilton Buttercup Yellow gel coloring to achieve the pie dough color I wanted for the fondant. Once Clara smashed the cake, we peeled back the fondant so she could dig right into the cake and frosting.
Clara looked adorable the entire time, and I’m beyond thrilled with how her dress came out. I’m so glad I decided to make it for her. The felt bow headband was also made by me.
Though the day started on the rough side since Clara didn’t nap at all before the party, things went surprisingly well (thanks to a few extra helping hands). Clara ate her cake like a champ (no surprise there), and we had a fabulous time. Our time spent with Clara has been the most wonderful time, and we’re excited to watch her grow and change over the next year.
Vendors:
Paper straws and twine for favors- TalkingTwineandTrim on Etsy
Paper food trays – ThePinkPicker on Etsy
Baking cups – CakeWithLove on Etsy
Invitations and food tents/labels – Designed by me and printed locally at Print1
Felt balls for garland – AnnyMay and Handbehg Felts on Etsy
Coral cake stand and bowl – Threshold line at Target
Felt ball and tissue paper garlands – Made by me
Clara’s dress and bow – Made by me, fabric is Verona Rouge Stripe by Riley Blake
