Jules is ONE / camping picnic party

 when a year goes by this fast it's scary! i cannot believe my baby is 1! 

to celebrate, we had a picnic at a neighborhood park.

the fenced in area kept the babies contained, the playground entertained the older siblings and the coffee entertained the adults.

decorations were simple, i painted these cardboard trees inspired by [roxy marj] who made his bear blanket that he was photographed in for the [monthly milestones] which you can see are printed out and used as a banner. seeing the growth from 1 month to 12 months is amazing.

lincoln had the same monthly banner at his [carnival themed first birthday]

the felt fire was sewn and put into this awesome metal container i thrifted.

balloons become more spunky with a little [tissue paper tassel]

you also cant go wrong with a donut tree and [mini s'mores]

this tent is pretty much part of the family. also seen at [lincolns lego batman party] 

the only change i make from party to party is the garland.

adopt / make your own [a-frame tent] with this easy diy post.

 the spread was easy, inspired by autumn. since the party was in the morning, we had: 

- coffee [thanks heritage!]

- bagels

- pumpkin muffins

- apples and caramel dipping sauce

- fruit

- mini s'mores

- donut tree

- apple cinnamon sticks

 this adorable smash cake (and the "goodie bag" cookies below) 

were baked and created by the beautiful and talented [@amandajanebakes]

 our 1 balloon decided to take off a little early.

i always try to personalize as much as i can, without going overboard.

i found this [mountain bodysuit] and sewed a plaid 1 on it.

 Jules was the cleanest smash cake baby. took one lick and decided he's good. 

luckily we had a ton of kids to share with.

diy / a-frame tent

so i made this tent about a year ago. i got instructions from [my cakies] and made a few modifications. i've been wanted to post about it for a while, but never got around to taking the photos. since it was already built when i took photos, i wanted to share my modifications, and refer you to [my cakies] for more details and instructions. another good template can be found on [a beautiful mess]

what i love about these tee pee tents, not only are they easy to make and easy to wash... they fold up flat and can slide into a closet. although lincoln doesn't like when i put it away. its his hide out.. especially when fighting naps.

materials:
(4) 1” x 2” x 48” whitewood moulding
(3) 3/4” x 48” poplar dowel (putting one at the top and two on the bottom)
drill with a 3/4” spade bit
measuring tape
pencil
fabric (thick/ stiff) for frame (approx. 46” x 85.5” un-hemmed; 44” x 83.5” hemmed)
fabric for window and top triangles (less than a yard)
staple gun
sewing machine
scissors

garland for decoration (optional)

pillows and blankets (for play / nap time) 

i added these leather triangles to keep it from buckling out. i made the triangle shape that i wanted with the wooden legs and tightly stapled the leather to the wood creating a triangle.

also it helps if your tent is on carpet or a rug, it wont slide as much. 

for my fabric i chose a thick muslin canvas. i found that it was easier to work with when it was stiff and would probably last longer/ stretch less than a thinner fabric. i had some left over leather fabric (lets be real, pleather) and i decided to go for a window. i hemmed the pleather rectangle to give it a nice clean shape. measured it on the canvas with a pencil so i could see what i needed to cut out. I made sure to give the inner window (canvas material) a nice thick hem as well so it wouldn't rip when a little person tugged on it.

instead of using elastic on the legs, i thought a thick hem (big enough for the pole to fit through) would make the tent more sturdy.

what i love most about this diy, is there are no little pieces. the poles fit right into the holes. 

i'm glad i made a window. "mommy, atch dis" (watch this)

and of course some black card stock triangle garland for the plain side.