happy birthday emmers! / decorations and paper goods

i'm so excited to start sharing photos from emma grace's party!

from the beginning, my purpose for the party was to have a thank-you-so-much-we-couldn't-have-survived-without-you-celebration for our friends and family.  yes, we love EG and birthdays, but the only reason she made it to her first birthday was because we have such a fantastic support system.

so here is the first installment of our baby girl's celebration! :)

first off, my favorite part....the invitation!

i know most people are probably ok with a text or email invitations, but paper is my love language.  i love printed photos, and handwritten notes, and snail mail, and most of all, invitations!

designing emma grace's party invitation was definitely the most fun, but emotionally involved, project i've worked on to date.  i knew i wanted her party to be full of flowers and sunshine, and after finding some watering cans at ikea, i found my inspiration.

i filled the house with flowers and pictures, and more flowers and more pictures.

i'm officially obsessed with silk flowers.  i know they don't smell the same, or look the same, but when you're planning a party on a budget, for a baby, they are the most wonderful thing. i found the garland at michaels, and the stem flowers at the dollar tree. besides being incredibly budget friendly, it allowed me to set up days in advance, saving me last minute morning of stress.

the downside to having a million photos of baby girl is that i have a million favorites of baby girl. when it came time to picking a few of my favorites, i printed a hundred. i found a pack of brightly colored yardstick and matted them the best i could.  pretty sure they will be hanging on the walls of my dining room until her high school graduation. #babyshrine

oh, and balloons will always and forever be appearing at any event i plan for the rest of my life. or if it's a wednesday.

all photos by sarah carpenter.