Happy 2nd Birthday Stella!

Happy 2nd Birthday Stella!!  We love you so much and you've made these last 2 years SO MUCH FUN for us all!!

A special thank you to her grandparents for all of your help to make her day so very special.

Mom thank you for the adorable bday hat again this year....and her cupcake apron!  And thank you to all of you for her adorable gifts we were so happy you could all celebrate with us what a very special day it was. 

And now lets just start at the beginning and work our way up to Stella's 2nd Birthday CupCake Pary which again, this year, fell on her actual birthday - August 21st. OMG i had so much fun planning this thing!




I want to Thank my sister Amy for taking the time out of her very busy letter press schedule to bring my invitation design to life :)  I really need to learn the design programs so i can just lay these out myself because I think designing the invitation to any party is probably the best part of planning a party!  But until that day comes along....Amy I hope you continue to help me!   Not many of you know this but Stella's invitation for her 1st bday party last year took a Gold Addy Award in the Invitation Category at the Annual Graphic Design Show here in Toledo taking it to the Regional Level - which may mean squat to most of you...but means alot to my graphic design family!  It's very cool!  :)

Janice arrives from Georgia for the big day!  Janice is one of Stella's biggest fans let me tell you!  And it means so much to us that she plans a trip back home each year so she can attend Stella's bday party....because it would not be the same with out her G.A. Janice there!

Prior to her arrival she sent one of Stella's bday gifts which she was so excited to give and Stella loved it.  "Baby Butterflies" if you will that were shipped to Stella where she could witness their complete metamorphosis and a four-stage life cycle.  Thank you to Aunt Joyce for taking care of them for us since were were gone in Vegas and Up North.  

PARTY PREP:

While Stella napped for a long time that day (which could not have worked out for us more perfect), Tonya and I made my cupcake sandwiches....which if you ask us were the best!

The Wade's make the trip again this year and stay with us for the weekend.  Stella & Sterling.

Back in May while in Vermont i called Joanne & Peter's handyman, Travis, and had the first discussion about the possibility of him building a custom playhouse for Stella.  He was so awesome about it all and got just as into the idea as I did which i loved.  He even came up with the idea of building it at his house and trailering it to ours the night before her party so Stella would not see it until the morning of her birthday for the first time.  That made is so very special!


The playhouse gets delivered the night before Stella's 2nd bday party....AT 3:00 am!!!

I heard the loud putter of justin's 4-wheeler and tried to tell myself "jen, just go back to sleep you need your sleep it's a big day for Stella tomorrow you can see it in the morning".  YEAH RIGHT, i was up with my robe on darting out the back door looking like some old lady amongst the builder of her playhouse and his six 16-year old helpers!

 Dropping this 1,000 pound hunk of CUTENESS on the slab justin prepared for it.

 "The Playhouse Crew"  Travis is awesome - he built is with some help from his uncle and then the rest of these guys helped drop it into place that night.  Travis the guy to the far right, smiling away at 4am after being up since the crack of dawn working on this! 

 Day of her party Tonya blows up the balloons- Stella loved it.

 Hello Cupcakes!

48 gourmet cupcakes, 36 homemade by yours truly & my sitter Tonya cupcake sandwiches (dessert sandwiches), 24 cupcake bites by my friend Jill, 12 cupcake pops by Jill, and 12 mini-cupcakes 

TO BE EXACT!

 This year i went bonkers and made everything you see here, decorative-wise, and had a blast in July prepping.  The cupcake tower, all the cupcake toppers which adorned every single cupcake including the mini ones, bday garland and the single garland circles that we hung in our maple tree.  BUT next year i'll take it easy on the paper products (but i'm sure i'll just trasnfer all that time and energy into some other party planning details because i can't help it - i love throwing a party especially when it's for our Stella!

Her 2nd Bday Plate that I painted.

 Her UP Playhouse.  If you have never seen the movie UP - SEE IT.  precious.  Stella has watched it a million times.

Stella see her playhouse for the first time on her birthday!







Inside her playhouse - still needs to be finished with electricity, etc.

I printed 300 b&w photos of Stella in her 2nd year and threw them randomly all over the party tables - throwing in just a few color ones for a pop effect, haha ;)

The kiddie CupCake Decorating Station - which i forgot to put out all the cute kid aprons i bought this summer and the cute clamshell containers for them to put their cc in to take home (can't remember everything i guess!)

Drawing at her new art table with Grampy

Friends & Family!

Fun in the bounce house (thanks Denise!)

I had too much fun with the goody bags this year!   Inside they were filled with a box mix for making 12 cupcakes (it was Duncan Hines but a mini-cake box, it was too cute), a cupcake sucker, a foil tray mold for making a dozen mini-cupcakes and on the outside of the bags you can see there is a a recipe for homemade "Stellabration Vanilla or Chocolate CupCake Frosting". 

Great Grandpa Shorty takes a break from the party outside to watch the movie UP - he looks just like the guy in the movie...see him on the tv screen :)

Stella's Great Grandpa Shorty, who looks like the guy from UP, wrote this on this balloon and we set it free in the sky....who knows what will happen :)

Tonya & I toast to all of our hardwork.  This is my sitter who i met last year, she loves to throw a bday party with all the details as much as i do - hence as she said "...is why i got a job at Party City!".  She is AWESOME, she did SO MUCH for me that day like clean up the kitchen, prepare all the extra food baggies for family, you name it she did it. And thank you to all of you that helped me pull this off.

Painting her annual birthday plate.

Morning of her birthday with Sterling, in her none other than CUPCAKE PJ's!

Celebrating a few days after her party with her friend Amiah who couldn't make it to her party.

Stella had such a wonderful day and I always love to throw a party it was all so much fun to watch her enjoy her birthday.  Happy 2nd Birthday to our little girl!