Ball Birthday

My youngest son loved balls (it was his first word, it was all he played with) so it was easy to come up with a ball birthday party for his 1st. This was a large party (all our family & friends were invited, as with all our 1st birthday parties).

The Decorations:

I found every ball I could... I bought a bag of play balls (the ones that go in ball pits) at Toys R Us and filled a clear bucket for the centerpiece. Then basically put balls wherever I could. I got kick ball- size playground balls at the dollar store that doubled as decorations and favors (this was a huge party...my husband's family is very large...there were a lot of balls around).

I found the "paper lanterns" at a party store, they actually had graduation caps hanging off of them (which I cut off) and no colorful ribbons to hang them from (which I added), don't be afraid to alter something to make it work for you. His banner was just letters I printed out on the computer, cut out, matted with colorful paper, and strung together with paper ribbon.

The Cake:

This cake I actually didn't bake, just decorated. I ordered a pre-made cake from Sam's Club, and had them just frost it white, smooth, with no borders (I think they thought I was a little crazy). This made it really easy to just add the bouncing balls and dash marks (thanks to Martha Stewart for this design) and it tasted great.

The Menu:

We don't do meals for big parties, so we plan it for mid-afternoon and serve snacks. This party was very laid back.

Veggies & Dip

Cowboy Caviar & Tortilla Chips

Lil' Smokies in a blanket & Barbecue Sauce

Fruit & Cream Cheese Dip

Ice Cream & Cake