Winter Onederland Party

Theme parties in December can be tricky since a light or summery theme doesn't necessarily work well. My daughter didn't really watch much tv at the time of her first birthday so she wasn't really into any characters or shows. We decided on a festive Winter "One"derland theme.  (This turned out to be quite fitting in the long run considering she eventually came to love the movie Frozen and anything to do with ice or snow!)

Pinterest has so many creative ideas that inspired me (see my Winter Onederland Pinterest board).

Here are some of our own pictures that may inspire you. 

I ordered a digital, printable invitation party pack from BriezeesBoutique on Etsy
I recommend these because they typically come with invitations, banners, printables for cupcake toppers or water bottle wrappers, etc.  They're customizable and as long as you have a good printer it's easy to simply order and print these out yourself. 

The birthday girl got a special diaper cover for her big day. Ordered from kutekiddo on Etsy  

Baby girl's high chair was decorated with a banner that was part of the printable party package. She had a (DIY) smash cake and cute birthday bib.  We got a bounce house for the older kiddos. 

We created a photo booth area with plenty of wintery props including a 

North Pole directional sign from Oriental Trading Company. 

Bags of "Buffalo Snow" or "Snow Cover" can be purchased around the holidays (or on sale after) and make a perfect snowy setting for display areas.  

Party tip: Have plenty of food and drinks and don't forget party favors

as a gesture of thanks for your guests. 

We had a wall showcasing ages 1 month to 12 months photos 

&  a Happy Birthday penant banner. 

But the icing on the cake was the icing on the cake, literally. 

I absolutely adored Olivia's 1st birthday cake from

Jessica's Cakes Cookies and more (San Diego).

Follow my Winter Onederland or Boy or Girl Theme Birthday Party boards on Pinterest for other great birthday party theme ideas!

Sensory Spaghetti Fun!

This is a great (and easy and cheap) toddler activity! 

I used pasta I already had on hand, but you could easily buy any type of pasta noodles at your grocery store or dollar store. Prepare it just like you were going to eat it. Drain it and pour some oil over the noodles so they don't dry out, and better yet so that they feel nice and slimy!

Add them to a large bowl, tupperware or straight on a table or the floor but I highly recommend using a vinyl tablecloth as this gets a little messy. Especially if you add food coloring, which we didn't. But you certainly can. 

I also added several other sensory items like little toys, toddler utensils, baby links, a toy lizard and bath letters. Anything that toddlers can touch, feel and discover with makes this activity all the more fun! Have a great time!  Hattie xoxo