Little Blue Truck Birthday

On Saturday June 7^th our son, Hunter, turned 1 year old. We celebrated under a tent in the backyard with 30 of our closest family and friends, and while nothing about the party had to do with shoes, the level of handmade detail was on par with any custom pair, so I thought it was worth sharing.

The theme of the party was based on Hunter’s favorite book, “The Little Blue Truck” by Alice Schertle. It’s a story about a friendly truck and his farmyard friends, hanging out in the countryside and lending a hand to anyone in need. This provided the perfect setting for a summer party and I focused on a blue palette with royal picnic check tablecloths and navy bandana napkins, mixed with natural farm colors from straw hay bales and fresh sunflowers to kraft paper accents. Everyone had a wonderful time – especially Hunter, who was showered with fun presents, yummy food, and lots of love all afternoon.

The invitations and thank you cards featured scanned images from the Little Blue Truck book, which I photoshopped, in the case of the invites, to include an illustrated caricature of Hunter in the driver’s seat. My sister-in-law, Ali, expertly created the table signs (complete with on-theme chalkboard labels) and Happy 1^st Birthday Hunter letters using her Silhouette cutter.

For the food, we offered traditional farm-fresh favorites including my mom’s divine deviled eggs, a huge batch of delicious corn salsa made by my in-laws and 4 outstanding homemade pies straight from my grandmother’s own farmhouse kitchen in Vermont. I made Hunter’s birthday cake and the Little Blue Truck cookies from scratch as well, which were tied with raffia and offered as party favors.

Our piece de la resistance was the Little Blue Truck replica my husband modified from a yellow Little Tikes roadside find, which included the addition of headlights, taillights, hubcaps, spray paint and an assortment of barnyard Beanie Babies hitching a ride. We also showcased a framed set of Hunter’s month-by-month photos encircling the drink table and had some twangy country music playing in the background. Happy Birthday, indeed, to our smart, funny, adventurous, little boy!