Grand Little Place

There is something so special when your baby turns one.  For my youngest son’s first birthday I knew we wanted to go with something relaxed and if possible outdoorsy.  A camping theme birthday party fit the bill and remains one of my favorite parties.

Since my little H’s birthday is in November I guess I’m feeling sentimental that he is growing up so fast, this guy will be 6 this year!  For this party we had to make sure that there were indoor and outdoor options because in the Midwest you honestly don’t know what the weather will end up being.  Our previous home had a semi-presentable basement that fit the folksy vibe and that became the indoor part of the party.  I corralled the outdoor part of the party around our firepit (see the DIY Firepit here).  As someone who loves vintage and nostalgia this theme was so much fun to pull together.  The purchases for the party were minimal as I was able to pull a lot from items I already owned. The color scheme was loose with blues, greens, reds, and yellows being used to create a laid back vibe to the party.

I found these old boy scout patches at an estate sale and nabbed them up for the party.  I found mine at a garage sale but you can always find theme on ebay, and usually in a lot. I stapled them onto DIY felt pennants for this super easy custom party banner.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather the day of the party.  I wasn’t sure how the weather was going to go so I created a few different stations for guests.  All of the signage for the party was created from repurposed cardboard (thank you Amazon).  I found a DIY guide online and then free handed it.  It’s VERY imperfect, but it’s always a conversation piece!  LOL  Read the full tutorial for how to make your own cardboard taxidermy here.  Our son, lovingly referred to as ‘H’, was such a happy baby that this ‘Happy Camper’ picture area practically planned itself.

I loved how this trail mix station came together.  All of those old baby food jars found a new use as guests made their own custom mixes to take home.  Continuing on with the vintage vibe I added these blankets in various plaids and primary colors to round out the look.

No camp experience is complete without s’mores and this camping theme birthday party wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without this s’more station.  I found a bunch of s’more ‘recipe’ varieties online and wrote them out on the sign so people could mix up their own s’more concoctions.  This was a HIT!

Thanks for walking down memory lane with me, I sure wish these boys of mine would SLOW DOWN and stop growing up so quick!  For more camping theme birthday party inspiration click over to my Camping Theme Party Inspiration Pinterest board.

Don’t forget to pin!

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