Fire Truck & Dalmatian Party Fun!

I read a comment on Facebook that made me start thinking.  It basically said something like, "Why do people go overboard for a 1st birthday party?"  Considering that my grandson's 1st birthday party pictures were just posted a few days before this comment, I felt a little offended :(  Rather than responding to the Facebook post, I decided to vent here.  While this post won't be the norm for what you will usually see on our blog, I hope you will see some cute ideas that might inspire you.

First, let me start with the comment that I really wanted to post on FB. "Tillman's party was a ton of work but it was well worth the trouble. I enjoyed the family time we all spent working on it. The look on his sweet face when the fire truck pulled up was priceless! He couldn't take his eyes off it. Little ones will only have one 1st birthday. Want a big party? Go for it! Or keep it sweet and simple. Precious memories, no matter what you decide to do."  With that off my chest, Let me share some of the details and adorable pictures of the party with you.

Maybe it does look like we went a little overboard, but I am happy to say my family is blessed with so many talented folks.  Tillman's other grandmother is an interior designer/wedding coordinator.  All the tables, tents, and chairs belong to her so they were no cost.  She also made the precious banner for his high chair. My sweet cousin makes children's clothing and she donated all the material for the table clothes and she made Tillman's adorable fire truck outfit and his Dalmatian bloomers.  I am super thankful for these family members who know how to sew, because I am sorely lacking in that area.  I made all the pennants, banners, posters, and printables.



Tillman's Fire Truck and Dalmatian Party - View from the Street
 



We decided to have cupcakes for easy serving.  I found a tutorial on Pinterest and made the cake stand to match the other décor.

Of course, we had to use party-themed food.  The menu consisted of "Hot" Dogs, "Paw-some" Potato Chips, Fire Flames (Cheetos), Fiery Fruit, Firehouse Chili, Cool Down Coleslaw,  and 5-Alarm Baked Beans. Menu cards were made on PowerPoint.
 

We ordered the puppies from Oriental Trading. I printed a thank you note to tie around each puppy's neck.

 

I made the centerpieces using tissue paper and graphics I designed on PowerPoint.  The Dalmatian and the fire truck were created using shapes on PowerPoint.  Thanks to Creative Clipart and KG Fonts for the other clipart and fonts seen in all the pictures.

 

 

I used scrapbook paper and card stock to make this banner.  Thanks to Angela (my colleague, best buddy, and TpT store co-owner) for teaching me how to cut letters and artwork freehand :)

 

The birthday boy with his smash cake and high chair banner made by his other grandmother.
 

You can't have a fireman party in July without a fire extinguisher!

At the last minute due to the heat, I decided to make a water blob for the kiddos to play on.  It was a royal pain but all the kids absolutely loved it.  I found the tutorial on Pinterest and the next one I make shouldn't be as much trouble since I learned from trial and error.  I also found a cute little puppy sprinkler (which I forgot to make a pic of).  It was beige and brown so I spray painted it white and painted on black spots to make it look like a Dalmatian.  Needless to say, it was popular with the younger party-goers.
 

The firemen were so awesome! They brought gifts for the children and let them go inside the fire truck :)

Here is Tillman and his Grandpa (my hubby).  I wish you could see more of his cute outfit!

Thank you for letting me share my pictures with you! I had so much fun helping plan, organize, and make this party happen!  I am truly blessed!