This post is dedicated to Ceci's first birthday party and the related party planning. I decided that a "rainbow" theme would be a lot of fun. It would also allow me to mix-and-match some of my existing napkins, plates, etc. I looked around at a lot of websites and started doing my planning about 2 months in advance. I first surveyed all the cheapo stores such as Big Lots and the Dollar Store to look for fun accessories that could be used for the party. I also decided to make some cake pops (chocolate covered cake on a stick), a rainbow layer cake, and rainbow tutus for both girls. These were the big projects, at least!
I started with the things I could do ahead of time. This included making the layers for the layer cake. It is important to use gel dye rather than regular food dye. I also opted to go with boxed cake mix, despite my snobbery towards it, because I did not want to stress out if the layers broke. Good thing, because it took an extra batch due to user error!!!
I read that it was also quite important to trim the cake. Since there are six layers (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple), having a rounded top on each could screw things up. The last thing I wanted was to mess up the cake immediately before the party, so I took the advice!
Cake balls are crumbled cake (again, I used boxed) mixed with frosting. The balls are then frozen to firm. To assemble the stick, one must melt a little of the chocolate, dip it in the stick, and then insert into the cake ball. My cake balls were then frozen for dipping closer to the party time. I would like to have done the whole thing ahead of time, but the decorations on the chocolate may have run due to condesation, so I decided that dipping would be a last minute thing.
Here are the dipped and sprikled chocolate cake balls. The white ones I made with the layers of cake I messed up on (good to know it was good for something!).
Mira was very helpful throughout the process. Each day I dipped the cake balls (I did them in small batches during Ceci's late afternoon naps) she got her own cake ball and bowl of frosting with sprinkles. On the last day Ceci was awake (so I was distracted) and Mira poured the whole shaker of sprikles into her bowl and started eating it with a spoon!
Now, on to Ceci's actual birthday and the party set-up:
Lovely flowers from Oppie and Omie
My rainbow twizzlers display with marshmallow "clouds"
Rainbows of fruit!
Ann came up with this lovely display for the cake pops! Skittles at the bottom, shreds of tissue paper from the puffs I made, and marshmallows at the top. Hidden inside are blocks of styrofoam that the sticks were stuck into.
Justin got out fishing wire and hung the puffs I made across the room
Another lovely flower display
Singing Happy Birthday! You can see Mira's rainbow tutu. I took Ceci's off before I got a picture! I thought she might get it dirty with cake. I should have really taken Mira's off. She has now urinated on it twice....
The finished product!
Mira actually didn't want cake, only ice cream. I am mostly posting this picture to show off her tutu.
This was Ceci's third cake celebration, so she pretty much had the hang of it! Look at her with those fingers in her mouth. It is like she is saying, "Yeah, I'm cool. I'm not going to go crazy with the cake. I know how to do this!"
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