DIY Necktie & Bowtie Themed First Birthday Party

Before baby L was born, I bought two sets of one monthly onesie stickers from Baby and Belly Designs on Etsy (formerly little babycakes and co.) We decided not to find out L's sex until he was born, so we bought one set for a boy and one set for a girl. Of course, my precious L is a boy, so we ended up using these adorable necktie onesie stickers to take pictures of L every month.

I found an adorable first birthday bowtie onesie from Stitch to my Lu on etsy, and a birthday party theme was born!

It's not easy to photograph a one-year-old at his own birthday party.

I wanted a birthday banner that matched the theme, and rather than search for one, I just made my own.

I printed large outlined letters on card stock paper and then cut them out. (Ok, technically, my mom and mother-in-law cut them out for me.) I cut bowties out of scrapbook paper to make the middle of the "A's" and made a necktie for the letter "I." Then I attached them together using brads to make the banner.

I bought cheap frames and framed the monthly pictures of Lucas, and put them out as decorations, too. For party favors, I made bowties for the little boys and hair bows for the little girls using the directions I found here.

The sign reads "Help make L's birthday party a black tie affair by selecting a bowtie or hair bow for your little one."

Most of the kids at the party were significantly older than L, so I decided to have a game for all of them. We did our own version of "pin the tale on the donkey" and had the kids stick a bowtie on a picture of L while they were blindfolded. (I traced a bowtie on to the picture so that the littler kids would know where it was supposed to go.) I made sure to have prizes for the winners and for everyone who participated so that no one would feel left out.

The game before and after.

We had a great time, and the decorations and game were cheap and easy! Plus, all of the little guests looked absolutely adorable in their matching bowties and hair bows.

What creative themes can you think of for a first birthday party?

Bethany is a contributing guest blogger for Mommys Craft Obsession. To read more, visit her blog, "I was promised more naps."

Love this blog? 

Vote for us daily so we can continue to bring you great giveaways!