Chloe’s 2nd Birthday Party – Sweets For Our Sweet!

We just wrapped up Chloe’s epic ‘ Sweets For Our Sweet’ 2nd Birthday Party, and I couldn’t wait any longer to get this blog post up!  She had THE BEST time, and so did I putting it together for her! 

The Theme
We chose the theme ‘Sweets For Our Sweet’ because Coco is literally the biggest sweet tooth.  She loves all things cakes, doughnuts, lollies but especially ice cream!  The beautiful Jess from Little J Designs came up with the colour scheme and overall idea..  She sent me a photo of perfect palette of pastel colours with a hint of gold, and I just fell in love with it.  I was instantly sold and set about creating a magical space for Miss Chloe. 

The Invitations
Jess from Little J Design also put together the invitations from concept, design to completion.  They were shaped like gorgeous paddle pop sticks and were dipped in chocolate sprinkles.  I think most of Chloe’s friends tried to eat them they looked so real!  Jess is so clever and such a sweet soul!

The Venue
Being that Chloe is a Summer baby (like her Daddy,) she’ll be having pool parties for life!  We chose Kawana Aquatic Center, our local public pool, for the venue.  There is a few areas within the centre that can be hired out, we chose the ‘Treasure Island’ space which suited the age of Chloe and her friends (newborn to 5.)  It was fully fenced, all of the children could walk in the water and there was fun water fountains to play with.  I loved that there was fencing because it kept the party and kids contained, which made it more relaxing for the adults.  Guests can pay for themselves or you can shout, we opted for the later. 

The Food
In the past I have always organised the kiddies party food myself, with the help of family.  This time I decided to out source and I can’t even tell you how much of a relief it was!  Honestly, I don’t think I will ever do my own party food again.  I didn’t have to bring a single thing.  Sharni from Grazing Acres put together the most delicious spread of breakfast yummies (9am party,) consisting of croissants, breads with spread, a build your own muesli bowl station, ham, cheese and fruits.  There was no wastage at all, the budget was perfectly on point.  If I had of done it myself I know I would have spent the same amount if not more, and ended up with left overs in the bin.  I could not recommend outsourcing the food any higher, and if you are close to the Sunshine Coast you must check out Grazing Acres because Sharni is incredible at what she does

The Cake
The beautiful Ange from Ange’s Cakes put together a stunning Ice Cream themed masterpiece.  We chose a white chocolate mud and everyone just loved it.  My favourite part was the gorgeously lux sprinkle mix she added.  Ange also made 24 amazing ‘Ice Cream Cones,’ that really did look like real ice creams but in fact they were stuffed with chocolate and white marble chocolate cake.  So so cute! Ange is so passionate, I just love her.

Chloe’s cake topper was from XOXO Design which is where I always get our cake toppers from.  I went with a custom gold metallic side mount, as the cake was already quite full on the top.  This idea was suggested by Ange and worked out fabulously.  XOXO design have a huge variety of cake toppers and party goods, and are always such a pleasure to work with.

The Sweets
I also organised custom chocolates from Print and Party.  This lady is amazing!  When you order her products for a party, her system sends you regular emails with the best party tips, so helpful!  Print and Party can put any custom design onto their chocolates packaging, however I found one of the website that worked perfectly.  So instead of customising the whole thing I just added Chloe’s name.  There are so many flavours available, I chose caramel and dark caramel.  From design to delivery the chocolates came very quickly in the mail. Print and Party were delightful to work with.    

The sweetest ice cream shaped cookies were handmade by Li’s Cookie Jar.  Liz is located into the Spring Field Lakes however ships across Australia.  She came up with the design and colours, which worked perfectly with our theme.  They came individually wrapped so would have made the perfect party favour, however I decided to make them available for the kiddies to eat on the day.  They were a huge hit, and Liz pulled the whole thing together for me so quickly, what a lady!

Party Favours
Cloud Theory Marshmallows put together beautiful boxed marshmallows for the littles to take home.  Each gourmet marshmallow was handcrafted, and came in the mail from Adelaide.  I made sure that we kept a few for ourselves and they were absolutely delicious.  The packaging was so gorgeous and perfect as a take home treat.  The wonderful woman behind Cloud Theory Marshmallows just loves what she does.

The Decor
My biggest tip when decorating a party would be to choose one statement piece and put your budget into that.  I choose a 5m balloon garland from Party Planet.  The owner Kelly is so passionate about her job, and this shows through in the work that she produces.  I gave Kelly an idea of the colour scheme to work from, then left the rest up to her.  The result was phenomenal and everyone was talking about our Party Planet balloon garland.  If you are close to the Sunshine Coast you really must check them out, they even deliver and do the set up too.  What a weight off of my shoulders, abd to work with Kelly was an absolute dream!

As the party was outdoors I needed to create a beautiful backdrop, so I ordered a custom screen from Be Branded.  Little J Design provided to concept to Be Branded’s specs and then it was printed.  The idea was perfect and can be used for future parties.  The cloth was great for providing shade, a barrier from the drizzling rain and also the wind.

Most of the other party supplies was purchased from Kmart.  Things like the paper plates, cups and napkins.  I had a photo of Chloe at ages newborn, one and two, that I printed and put into white frames.  Jess from Little J Design made me a sign to let guests know to take a party favour home, it matches the back drop.  Then I placed pastel milk bottles and a big white vase on the tables, and filled them with colourful flowers I purchased from Aldi for only $25. 

Photography
Time and time again I am thanking this gorgeous soul because every special occasion she photographs the most stunning images for our family.  Nicola Holland Photography… I will be forever grateful to her.  I can not stress how important it is to get someone to photograph life’s special moments.  If you say you’ll do it yourself, I can guarantee you won’t.  Believe me, you will be to busy with your guests or just having fun.  Photographs help memories last a life time, and I just adore capturing every important stage in my littles lives.  Not only does Nicola photograph families, but engagement sessions, weddings (overseas too) and everything else in-between and beyond. 

Outfits
Chloe’s Sunglasses – Wander Luxe Baby Co
Chloe’s Swimmers – Willow Swim
Chloe’s Swim Hat – Willow Swim
Ari’s Swimmer –   Nenna Swim

Supplier websites
Photography – Nicola Holland Photography
Invites and design of signage and printable – Little J Design
Breakfast table – Grazing Acres
Cake and ice cream cupcakes – Ange’s Cakes
Custom cake toppers – XOXO Design
Cookies – Liz’s Cookie Jar
Custom chocolates – Print and Party
Marshmallow party favours – Cloud Theory Marshmallows
Balloon garland – Party Planet
Custom back drop – Be Branded
Chloe’s sunglasses – Wander Luxe Baby Co
Chloe’s swimmers – Willow Swim
Chloe Swim Hat – Willow Swim
Ari’s swimmers – Nenna Swim

Supplier Instagram pages
Photography – @nicolahollandphotography
Invites and design of signage and printable – @littlejdesign
Breakfast Table – @grazing.acres
Cake and ice cream cupcakes – @angescakes
Custom cake toppers – @xoxodesign_au
Cookies – @lizscookiejar
Custom chocolates – @printandparty
Marshmallow party favours – @cloudtheorymarshmallows
Balloon garland – @party__planet
Custom back drop – @_bebranded
Chloe’s sunglasses – @wanderluxebabynco
Chloe’s swimmers – @willow_swim
Ari’s swimmers – @nennaswim

Discount codes
I have a HUGE list of discount codes available, including to some of the stores involved in the planning of Chloe’s epic party.  All you need to do is subscribe and it will hit your inbox.

Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram for more special moments with my little loves, click here.

For party inspiration check out my Pinterest here.

Now for the party spam!

Enjoy x