Every parent wants to give their child a great 1st birthday. Well, when your mom is Dina Hafez-Suggs from Deliciously Darling Events, you’ve definitely got an edge! Today, were are sharing all of the details behind the Paul Frank inspired birthday party she put on for son Jadd, shot by the talented Jeremy Adamo. You won’t believe this party. Balloon artists, build-a-monkey, an ice cream truck and OH so much more — this is one for the books!
Can you give us an overview of the event? It is so wonderful to be able to create special parties for other children but when you get a chance to create a party for your own child, you have to bring the cuteness!! This “Julius the Monkey” 1st birthday party was for my son, Jad. The party was held outdoors at a pavilion Hembree Park, in Roswell, GA. Jad and friends enjoyed playing in the park in addition to all the other activities.
Was there a specific theme or style? The theme of this 1st birthday party was “Julius the Monkey”. Julius is a Paul Frank character that often appears in their clothing line.
What inspired the theme or style? Let me start of by saying I’m slightly obsessed with Paul Frank and Target. When they joined forces and began to offer Paul Frank for Target, it made my day! My inspiration for this party came from a ‘happy birthday’ Paul Frank onesie from Target. The onesie was orange with Julius wearing a bright party hat. What a perfect theme for a 1st birthday party. I used the shirt as the color pallet. Focusing mostly on yellow, blue and orange.
What were your playful twists that made the event unique? There were so many personalized touches that made this event unique – the most notable was the colorful custom candy and dessert buffet.
Marshmallow bananas, smiley face lollipops, orange slices, gumballs and banana cotton candy were just some of the adorable items offered in the buffet. The children (and adults) grabbed a yellow sand bucket and began to fill their bucket with goodies.
Did you DIY any of the details? I love a great DIY project and I was so excited to actually do an edible DIY project! What better to go on a cupcake than a fondant Monkey cupcake topper? When I make cupcake toppers I use homemade fondant. It is so easy to do and very delicious! Did I mention it was cost effective as well? For a link to the recipe and a step by step tutorial click here:
http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/p/marshmallow-fondant-mmf-recipes.html There are a few variations listed, my favorite is the one that uses candy melts for extra colorful fondant.
I was also lucky enough to come across step by step instructions for making a fondant Paul Frank monkey: http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/paul-frank-monkey-birthday-cake-fid-636300
The end result was just adorable!
What was the most memorable moment? With so many memorable party moments, it is so hard to pick just one. If had to, I would say – as the mother of the birthday child – the most memorable moment of the party was when we sang Happy Birthday to Jad. He was genuinely surprised by the singing and clapped along. He also looked at the smash cake with such curiosity. After dipping his fingers in frosting he immediately wiped it off. No face full of cake for this little monkey! It was so cute and a memory I will cherish.
Tell us about the food and desserts. Guests feasted on an assortments of sweets like homemade chocolate-chip banana bread, brownies, rice crispy treats, banana chips, Julius sugar cookies, cupcakes (with the most adorable homemade fondant monkey cupcake toppers) and deliciously birthday cake! The birthday cake and smash cake were the centerpiece of the table. The bottom tier was vanilla cake with a key lime filling and the top tier was a chocolate mousse cake.
What kind of energy did your entertainment give the event? The children were so excited by all the activities and entertainment! Not only did they enjoy the park but they had an opportunity to create their own little stuffed animal at the build-a-monkey craft table. The monkeys’ little t-shirts even had a custom iron-on that matched the other party graphics and birth certificate. A craft table is a great way to keep your little guests busy until the entertainment arrives. The kids were so happy when they saw their first of three surprises. The first surprise was a visit from Skittles the Clown, who performed lots of fun magic tricks, face painting and balloon art. The second surprise was a visit from an ice-cream truck! The children LOVED running up to the truck and picking out their ice-cream. An ice-cream truck is a great way of serving a cool treat on a hot day. The children and parents really enjoyed it. The third surprise was a visit by a very special little monkey friend. Our monkey friend helped sing Happy Birthday to little Jad and posed for pictures with the children. It was such a cool spin on a Monkey birthday party and made for such a special 1st birthday for little Jad.
If there was one thing you could change, what would it be? If I could change one thing about this party it would have been the timing! I selected a time right before nap-time so the children were a little tired.
Event styling & Graphic design: Deliciously Darling Events | Photography: Jeremy Adamo | Birthday Cake & Smash cake: Cakes by Darcy | Cupcakes & brownies: Sam’s Club | Cupcake toppers: Deliciously Darling Events | Candy Jars: Deliciously Darling Events | Candy: Sweet Factory | Banana Cotton Candy: Dandy Cotton Candy | Julius the Monkey Sugar Cookies: Reema Hafez | Plates, table covers, Julius the Monkey towels, Paul Frank stickers: Target | Entertainment: Skittles the Clown & Monkey | Ice cream Truck: Atlanta Ice Cream Truck | Water bottle labels & Printing: Spectra Integration | Balloons and birthday candle: Birthday Direct | Build-a-monkey craft: Stuffy Soft
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Thank you so much for featuring one of our parties! We are so thrilled.
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Such an adorable birthday party! Thank you so much for the the mention of my blog for the MMF recipe – It’s so nice to see what you have created with it =)
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