custom invitations

MAX’S 1ST BIRTHDAY – ROUND PARTY!

When people asked what theme Max’s first birthday was going to be, and I said “round”… they were like… ummm cool. Okay so Max is round, he loves balloons and balls- those are round, and honestly I couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t been done a million times before! Plus it’s so simple- just my style. 
The party was supposed to be in our backyard with lanterns strung from the trees, circular picnic blankets, ring toss, bubbles, etc. Guess what? It poured every. single. day. that week including the day of the party. Super dark outside too for pictures. Fantastic. We’re still in our rental (egg yolk and old lady sage walls), so basically my plan was to camouflage the grossness with tons and tons of balloons. I think it turned out really well, and most importantly, everyone had a great time! And let’s be honest, when you’re dealing with one to four-year-olds really all they need are toys and cake. Cake is clutch. 
FOOD:
See what I mean? Cake is clutch.
I baked two batches of white cake in sheet pans so the layers would be thin, froze the layers, cut with a 2.5″ biscuit cutter, then just piped colorful frosting in between. 
 All round food!
 Complete with Aunt Ellie’s Campfire Crispies! They are SO. GOOD. Do yourself a favor and order these babies.

DECOR:

Had to cover the nasty chandelier 🙂
Monthly photos of Maxie cut out into circles, naturally.
I made this little picnic blanket out of a drop cloth. Draw two concentric circles in pencil and paint in the lines. Make sure to paint the circle before you cut. That way it’ll look nice and neat! 
FAVORS:
Party crowns, tattoos, hula hoops, bouncy balls
Custom temporary tattoos with each kid’s name from our Etsy shop!
ACTIVITIES:
RING TOSS
I ordered the rings on Amazon and got bottles from the dollar section at Target. Since the party was supposed to be outside, I had painted wooden dowels to hammer into the grass. Sigh. Still a fun activity for the kids though! 
DIY GIANT SURPRISE BALL
Getting a surprise ball was a tradition at my sister and my birthday parties growing up. I decided to supersize it by using a container from Party City as the center to make this huge!
Each kid got to unwrap a color, once that streamer color ended, they got the prize and gave the ball to the next kid. It ACTUALLY worked! Couldn’t believe how patient the kids were waiting for their turn! So fun!
INVITATIONS:
I got the beach balls from Oriental Trading Company and wrote on them with neon Sharpies. Here’s the thing… they can’t fold totally flat, so they were considered a parcel… which means they were $3 each to mail! I took them to the post office and got 5 different stamps, which actually looked pretty cool. Thankfully I only invited a handful of people, and I hand-delivered most!
 On the back of the ball it said:
ROLL on over to Max’s
(address)
It was a sweet day for my sweet, round little Maxie!
-L
And the winner of the Freshly Picked Giveaway is….
Kelly Vance!
Woohoo!! Please email us at loveandlion@gmail.com!
Thank you all for entering! Many more giveaways to come!

SHOP CRUSH: DABNEY LEE

The first in our Store Crush series is Dabney Lee in Brooklyn, New York. One of our fav things is supporting small businesses, especially ones owned by women and mamas. Oh and Dabney is a mama to THREE. Triplets. Count ’em. Dabney manages to somehow balance motherhood to her cuties AND run a successful design business AND own an adorable retail shop. This colorful gem is located in the charming Brooklyn borough, Dumbo (and this summer she’s taking over Shelter Island!). Filled to the brim with beautiful paper, cheeky cards, unique party supplies, personalized goods, not to mention her  custom stationery and invitation lines. Modern preppy chic at it’s best.
Okay, can we talk about this custom wallpaper for a second? Dabney, you genius!

Comprehensive New York / Brooklyn section of course!
 Dabney’s shop is so cheery and happy! Colors and patterns (literally) wall to wall. 
 Party supplies up the wazoo!
 Dabney even designs wrapping paper. Yes please.
 Pup friendly of course.
We asked Dabney for a peak into her noggin and here’s what she had to say:
1. What has been your favorite thing about opening your shop?
Getting to know everyone in my little neighborhood. I love seeing clients come in when pregnant and then meeting their little ones after they arrive, or helping engaged couples with their wedding days! It’s been really fun to grow with the neighborhood and become a part of the community.
2. How do you balance being a mommy and a business owner?
I try really hard to balance being a mommy + a business owner. However, I know that I fall short from time to time, but that is just part of being who I am and what I do. I’d be lying if I said it was perfect all of the time. I purposely opened my shop 2 blocks from our home so that my kiddos can pop in to see me during the day for a quick hug and kiss!  
3. What is your guilty pleasure?
Definitely fried chicken. My grandmother makes the best fried chicken in the world, and I am so happy she taught me her recipe!  
4. What’s up next for Dabney Lee?
The launch of our tech line and pet line- due in stores this summer! Our planners and calendars will be in Target again this summer, and we are super excited about our designs. I think our clients will fall in love with the lines, we definitely have!  
5. If you could be anyone else for a day, who would it be?
It would definitely have to be my son Bennett. That kid is a wacko. I’d love to know what goes on in that little head of his, like why he thinks he absolutely needs to have pirate booty for breakfast or why he thinks running around naked is the best thing ever!     
You’ve gotta go visit Dabney Lee, people! Your brain will explode from the awesomeness. 
If you can’t make it to Brooklyn or Shelter Island, be sure to check out Dabney’s ONLINE SHOP and BLOG. Keep up with Dabney on INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST.
Dabney, we want it all!