Sophie’s Second Birthday

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Just like Sophie’s first birthday, we kept the celebration small and sweet. This time, we celebrated in our new home with my husband’s parents and it was the perfect intimate gathering to celebrate our growing gal!

For a quick shop of the items we used or heavily considered), you can skip the full post and find everything in my ShopMy storefront here.

GENERAL DECOR

I didn’t go too crazy with the decor, but wanted to add a few festive touches throughout the house to make it feel more celebratory.

Sophie has been especially interested in butterflies lately as we play in the back yard and at the park so a Garden Party felt like the perfect theme for this year’s fête!

I thought that pairing a floral garland with our Happy Birthday garlands above the fireplace was a festive addition.

I thought it would be fun to add some festive flair to Sophie’s high chair so I attached this colorful garland of pastel ribbons to the edge of her tray to make it feel a little extra special for her celebration.

Balloons are always a hit, so we got some fun pastel colored ones to add to the festive vibe. Sophie loved playing with them, even after they began to deflate / sink.

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TABLE DECOR

I absolutely love my mango wood cake stand and accompanying tall glass dome! It’s both elegant and casual so it works for any food display / gathering. Highly recommend! I loved using it to hold Sophie’s cake.

Thankfully, summertime grants us so many beautiful blooms that we just brought in some hydrangea clippings from our yard to accompany the stand-up cardstock butterflies for the main table decor.

I had originally pulled out my beloved melamine plates and bowls from Julia Berolzheimer’s first collaboration with Pottery Barn, but we ended up deciding to use some disposable floral print plates that I had on hand.

I also thought these additional decor elements would have been fun to set up if we had been having a larger celebration:

Pastel Daisy Balloon Arch

Attach Paper Butterflies to Balloon Tails

Tabletop Forever Garden Flowers

Tissue Paper Wall Flowers

Silk Butterflies

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FOOD / TREATS

Sophie has also been OBSESSED with blueberries since she started eating solids so I thought about ordering the Milk Bar seasonal blueberry muffin cake for her, but then panicked thinking she may not want something so colorful / flavorful (she was very uninterested in trying a delicious strawberry cake at a friend’s house recently). If you want to try your hand at making something similar to the Milk Bar cake this recipe looks absolutely divine!

I had started researching bakeries in our new area, but then an option to order a small celebration cake from the famed NYC Magnolia Bakery appeared in my search which I just couldn’t resist. I normally prefer to support local businesses whenever I can, but I’ve also been interested in trying Magnolia Bakery to see what the fuss is about. Their little 6” vanilla funfetti-style cake was ultimately what I ended up ordering this year and it was a hit with the whole group!

I added some sugar wafer butterflies to add to the theme and I love the way they turned out! Sophie was also delighted by them.

These longer candles are our favorites, especially for birthdays!

I’ve repurposed these Kate Aspen calligraphy table numbers that I originally bought for our wedding (and ended up not needing) and now use them as cake decor. Unfortunately, mine are so old I can’t link the exact style (although it’s possible that you may be able find them secondhand on Poshmark). This alternative is very similar!

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ADDITIONAL FOOD / RECIPES

Since our group was small, we kept the food offerings to a minimum, but in searching for some on-theme ideas, I found many wonderful garden / insect & butterfly inspired food suggestions that I would be remiss not to include here:

Cookie Cutters / Sealed Sandwich Makers go a long way! You could make “Uncrustable” style finger sandwiches, or cut fruit into on-theme shapes.

Butterfly Shaped Charcuterie Board

Butterfly Mini Hot Dogs

“Snail Shell” Sandwich Rollups

“Caterpillar” Grape Skewers
(*be sure to cut grapes for littles under age 4!)

Farfalle “Butterfly” Pasta Salad

Babybel Cheese Wheel Ladybugs

Worm Dirt Cups // Individual Cakes

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