originally i was going to do a very simple, theme-less birthday party for poppy just because i’m aware babies do NOT care what kind of party they have (if any at all). i was still planning to do the traditional things- (cake, balloons, etc) but just not worry about matching everything and going minimal/EASY. then i went to order cookies, bc brandy house is a magical cookie fairy, IYKYK… she asked for a theme bc of course needed some kind of direction in the design. she LOVES matching themes and does an amazing job so i started to reconsider. my first random thought was, lets do strawberries! cute, fun and springy. after a quick pinterest stroll, there were already LOADS of strawberry-inspired party ideas like ‘berry first birthday’ and ‘sweet ONE’. then saw some strawberry photos with other fruits, veggies… and it clicked- a farmers’ market! typed it in the search bar and YES. immediately knew this was fitting and something that would be fairy easy to throw together.
the truth is, i really enjoy hosting parties and getting creative. besides, they’re only little once and at some point (when you have a teenager) they stop thinking it’s cool to have a theme so take advantage of these years while ya can. everything came together pretty effortlessly and most of the stuff i bought was… wait for it… amazon, DUH.
the time of the party 1:00 so we did sandwiches for the main food. i have an odd obsession with sandwich making so i whipped them up the morning of!
“classic club”- ham, turkey, bacon, provolone, green leaf lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo on a wheat french baguette bun.
“chicken salad”- i cheated here and bought the in-house made sanoma chicken salad at whole foods, served with green leaf lettuce on a mini croissant.
“vegan wrap” – cucumber, shredded carrots, roasted red pepper, chickpeas, sprouts and lemon hummus rolled together in a spinach tortilla.
they were all a hit! i put a cute farmers-y spin on them by wrapping each in adorable bakery paper + black and white craft string. i also had a package of chalk board labels (stickers) but go lazy and just stuck a label in front of each sandwich style. the sides were garden veggie pasta salad and kettle potato chips. (had every intention on making my mama’s famous baked beans and deviled eggs but ran out of time) we had a few charcuterie boards by the wonderful @mcalestergrazingco – valerie is a master! there was a board in the shape of a “1” which we’ve done for the other kids’ parties before, so cute! brandy at @sweetgypsybakery did the cookies and cake pops which were, as always, too gorgeous to eat. but then you fight the urge bc they’re also delicious!! the cakes were homemade by yours truly, i really love making for my kids. something v sentimental to me about it so i try to do it myself- unless the child has a special request that i don’t want to tackle (like rosie’s rainbow ‘paint’ cake with a million layers) haha… this was a recipe i found on Pinterest, lemon poppyseed + cream cheese icing. the more i bake, the more i realize it’s often as easy as making from a box! this was pretty straight forward and YUMMY. even coming from someone who is not usually a lemon dessert fan. ps- the tiny 4 inch pans make this smash cake the cuuuutest mini size for our mini girl!
we kinda cheated on the lemonade but make it my own with store bought jugs of lemonade from whole foods but added handfuls of freshly slices lemons, strawberries and mint. highly recommend the mint bc its sooo pretty and adds a refreshing twist. adults 21 and older, feel free throw a little vodka in it to enhance your experience (i didn’t but should’ve lol). the lemonade dispenser and wooden crates were borrowed from mcalester grazing co but if you’re looking to purchase, i know amazon has the crates, found them here as a set of 3. hers were neat bc it was a set that stacked inside of one another for storage- i might need to buy my own for future events! the tan gingham table cloth was just what i was looking for, but almost went with a light blue or sage green. two of these were perfect for draping over the standard pop-up tables… with plenty of extra material. this one was available in several other color options. we had three different colors of balloons– pink, olive and pale yellow and didn’t have helium so just let them roam around outside for kids to play. although poppy was too little for a piñata, i knew there would be some cousins and friends who’d love it- the watermelon piñata was too damn cute too.
lets talk about the treat bags! these were maybe our fav part (me and rosie’s) she helped me, actually did most of them herself for our little guests. i had a vision to make market looking bags using the fiber baskets bc i had ordered WAY too many of those lol. the baskets come in the blue or brown and alllll different sizes (i’ve linked the smaller 1/2 pints, but we also used the pint size for serving bowls) filled them with gummy fruit snacks, pack of 12 small plush fruit/veggie keychains, fruit/veggie bubbles (24 pack), and temporary floral tattoos (actually beautiful tats lol). the red gingham napkins really were the chef’s kiss in these 🙂 which are also available in many colors. topped each with a simple brown thank you tags (the string included) packed in clear bags… it honestly melted my heart how much the kiddos loved these party favors!
fresh flowers from whole foods (tulips, sunflowers) were used for the table and the chamomile flowers for the cakes. the bees wax “1” candle is from my wild oak- the 1 was sold out recently but i’m linking the 3 (they have others). disposable wooden/bamboo plates and utensils were great quality, size and paired nicely with the brown straws and scalloped napkins. the farmers marker themed invite was by the after luna studio (etsy shop) was sent out via text but i printed one for a keepsake. this template was literally perfect and was basically the start of my inspo and what we used decor reference.
the ONLY part that was a bummer was that we didn’t get her present put together in time for the party. not that it really matters but it was certainly ON POINT bc she got her very own market + accessories (baked bread set, cookies, fruit basket, basil, vegan groceries)! i had always pictured it being set up with everything else but it arrived a little too late to get it done- and was vvv time consuming to assemble lol. dad spent every bit of 2 hours before people arrived and gave up with about 90% complete. however, it was in full service the next morning. the best part is her other siblings also love to play! we bought it from @odinparker, which is one of my fav shops to collect their food, dished and many other timeless wooden/felt toys. aside from the tedious assembly, this is a beautiful piece. their kitchen toys are interchangeable with it as well!
and just like that, we had another over-the-top birthday. well, some folks probably go even further overboard, but that’s okay too. however you party is PERFECT if your baby has a special, memorable day. we all know that can happen with as little as a cardboard box with one year-olds! 🙂 we sure adore our poppy. her daddy, siblings and i are absolutely smitten and cannot believe she is one whole year !!!
hope this was helpful if you’re planning a farmers’ market party! as always feel free to reach out if there’s anything i missed or additional questions. PLEASE please tag me on instagram with your setup!! i’d love to see how it turns out :)))
talk soon!
xx
katy
