stellasbash | A Joyful Riot

Circus Animal Cookie First Birthday Party

June 25, 2015 ·

It’s here! Today I am sharing with you Stella’s first birthday party: my animal cookie, sprinkle-filled labor of love!

Are you maybe wondering where this animal cookie obsession came from?! Theres a story behind it actually!

When I was 9 months pregnant with my Stella, I had this day where all I could think about was those pink and white frosted Circus Animal Cookies. I hadn’t had them in a very long time so it was kind of weird that I suddenly wanted nothing but them but I could not get them out of my mind! This was probably the only time in my pregnancy I’d say I experienced those “pregnancy cravings”.

I was at work that day and my husband had driven me so I didn’t have a car to run to the store and find them and after work we had to rush and meet my family for pictures so no time to stop! That night I designed a birthday party invitation featuring the little treats but it didn’t quite fill the need, surprisingly ;) The next morning I still really wanted the cookies but we were rushing to get to my baby shower so we couldn’t make a stop. But then something magical happened!

I showed up to my shower that Malissa had put together and there on the favor table was a huge jar of animal cookies!! She had no idea I’d had this intense craving, she just decided they’d look cute at the party (and they did)!

Ever since then, I’ve had this fascination with those cute little cookies! Remember when I dressed Stella up as one for her first Halloween?! So what better theme than pink and white and sprinkles all over for her first birthday?!

I didn’t focus too much on the circus aspect of the party because, let’s face it, that’s been done before! But I did include a few circus/carnival elements like tickets on the tables and on these adorable confetti filled balloon wands! The invite was ticket shaped and there were tons of carnival games with prizes for the kids to play. You can purchase the invitation here.

DIY Animal Cookie Punch Game

June 17, 2015 ·

Are you ready for animal cookie party DIYs?! A lot of them have already been posted here during this last year of preparation for Stella’s one year party. I wasn’t technically prepping for this party for a year (don’t worry!) but I knew I wanted to do it so I gradually did little projects as I went.

This punch game though is one of my favorites! I didn’t want Stella’s party to be too circusy themed even though they’re called “circus animal cookies”. I love circus parties but I’ve done one before, along with everyone else! So I wanted this party to be more unique. I did want some carnival-y games though! These games were a huge hit with all the little kiddos! I had 5 games plus a piñata and I spent only $100 on all of that; prizes, candy, supplies, everything! This game probably cost around $15 because I filled a lot of the slots with $1 prizes, but you could do it for even less if you filled them with prizes that came 5+ to a package. Dollar Tree is the best place to shop for making and filling this game.

I love this game cus it’s not really a matter of talent or luck, the kids just simply punch through the tissue paper and claim their prize!

And Now She is One

June 4, 2015 ·

My baby girl is a little one year old now! She has always changed so much from day to day but this last week especially I’ve been blown away by how different she is every day. She acts less like a baby, sleeps (finally and HOORAYYY!!!), takes just one nap, is so interactive with all people and animals, says two words consistently (kiki-which is what we call our cat, and dog. Yes, her first two words were kitty and dog! haha!) and sometimes says Mama and Dada. She gets her feelings hurt when I say “no!” (uh oh…do I already have an emotional girl on my hands? :/ ), almost has walking down and gives kisses and hugs a lot more freely. I could go on and on about all the little things about Stella that I love and adore but I really just wanted to share some photos of how we celebrated her first birthday!!

One of my best friends always says that the one year birthday should be a celebration for the parents as well because we survived our first year with our new babies. I like that idea a lot! Especially with the first one since it’s all so new and, at times, hard. But, let’s face it, since our one year olds can’t really voice their opinion or decide for themselves what we do for their birthday, it kind of is a celebration for us! At least I made sure Stella’s was ;) We wore party hats all day, we went to the zoo the next day, we took her one year pictures with lots of color and balloons, and we had a really big party!

I know a lot of people don’t really think birthdays are that important. They don’t see why they, or anyone else, needs to be celebrated so much, especially for a one year old. Here’s what I think: there is only one day a year that is just for you. This is the day we are all supposed to reflect on how happy we are that you’re a part of our lives! Every other holiday is for everyone (or everyone of a certain group anyway) and that is wonderful but your birthday is the one day every year that you are supposed to feel a special happiness that sets you apart from everyone else. I always feel that way on my birthday, and there is just nothing better! So I hope to pass that feeling on to my children. I want Stella to feel special and happy and important every single day but there’s just something magical about that one day a year when others really go out of their way to make that happen. So even though Stella won’t remember any of these things we did, I do think the happiness she felt that day, and the connection everyone had by being together and celebrating her, will influence her forever. There is never a good enough reason to not make memories with the ones you love.

So are you ready to see like one billion pictures?? Including a few sneak peeks of her party?! :D

That’s Stella’s new face. She does it when she sees loved ones, animals, and donuts.

There’s more where that came from..

Sprinkle Party Hats | Free Printable Friday + The 9 things I Didn’t Know About Becoming a Mom

May 22, 2015 ·

So my daughter somehow turned one on Wednesday?! I have mixed feelings about this timeline because part of me wants to say “what in the world happened to that year!?” whereas part of me feels like it was definitely the longest year of my life.

I have a few things I wanted to say and share about my first year as a Mom but before I delve into that I want you all to grab these adorable party hats!

Stella and I wore them all day on her birthday and I plan on making everyone wear them at her party next Sunday.

For the purpose of our party, these are covered in sprinkles but you can call it confetti and no one will be the wiser! :)

They’re easy to whip up and can be decorated in a number of ways or simply left as is, but I share how I made them up below. Click through for instructions!

DIY Simple Clay Animal Cookie Necklaces

May 20, 2015 ·

It’s high time for another Animal Cookie DIY don’t you think?! And I really love this one! It’s a perfect little gift or party favor or prize for party games! That may or may not be what I’m using them for… ;)

You can barely tell the difference between these charms and the real thing huh? :D Seriously though, these are easy as pie to make and you can get a ton from just one little package of clay so that makes them a really frugal and practical piece of jewelry.