It's birthday time!

check out this sweet banner I found in the millalove Etsy shop!

That little baby in the photo to the right is about to celebrate her very first birthday.  First birthdays are always so fun but also sort of difficult to plan because although the party is for a 1 year old, it's really for the adult guests.  I think I've come up with a fun theme that bridges the gap... it's a photo/picture themed party.  

I already have quite a few ideas in the works, but I need your help with a couple things!  

#1) Planning the food is always my absolute least favorite part of party planning!  We'll have people in and out between 2pm and 7pm.  I really don't want to cook the day of the party, but it does need to look good and keep people from starving... any ideas for easy to serve pretty party foods?

#2) We've hired a professional photographer to do mini photo sessions with the guests.  Any ideas for fun props I could put out for people to play with?  I also need to come up with a way to make a backdrop or some sort of "stage" area for guests to take pictures themselves. 

The two things above are my biggest challenges, but I'm excited to hear any party ideas you might have.  I'd love it if you'd link any party ideas (your own or anything you've found around the web) that incorporate photos.  Thanks! 

Guacamole

I usually keep this blog all craft related, but I have the recipe for the yummiest guacamole ever and I’ll throw in a crafty bit for gifting and/or serving it. Justification accomplished, here’s my yummy guacamole recipe:

4 ripe avocados
2 lemons
6 green onions
1 fresh red chili
1 clove of garlic
A drop of Tequila
2 envelopes of guacamole seasoning mix (I use Old El Paso)
Tortilla Chips

Squeeze the lemons’ juice into a cup (if you warm the lemons in the microwave for just a bit and roll them on the counter top before cutting & squeezing them, you’ll get more juice). Scoop the insides of the avocados into a bowl and pour some of the lemon juice on top to keep them from discoloring. Add the smashed clove of garlic, a drop or two of tequila, & the spices. Combine with a hand mixer (I like it a little chunky, so I don’t blend it until it’s completely smooth). Remove the seeds from the chili & cut into really small strips. Cut the onions small too. Mix the chili and onions in. scrape the sides of the bowl, smooth the surface of the guacamole, & cover it with lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.

We used to have an avocado tree in our back yard that produced an insane amount of fruit, which presented a wonderful opportunity to make friends at work. While you’re at it, you may as well show off your crafty skills! Print the recipe on cardstock, cut it out, punch a hole in the top and thread a ribbon through. Toss 4 small or 3 large avocados in a brown paper lunch sack, fold the top down, punch a hole in the folded section and attach the recipe card. If you’re feeling especially generous you could even include an airport sized bottle of tequila (I don’t recommend that if you’re handing them out at work!).

Liv’s “welcome to the world” party was a pink and green theme so of course even the food needed to be pink and green. I made this yummy guacamole and served it in an extra large wine glass (you can pick one up at Michael’s… it’s not really for drinking from… unless you drink an entire bottle at once and use both hands to lift the glass). I dyed some rock salt pink by shaking it up in a zip top bag with a couple drops of food coloring, dumped it onto a paper plate, wet the rim of the glass, ran it through the salt & poured the guacamole in.

Don’t forget the corn chips!