The cat's meow: Sammy's first birthday party

I was having the most difficult time coming up with a theme for Sammy's first birthday party until I had what I like to refer to as my Carol Burnett/Gone with the Wind moment; a few months ago I was doing some cleaning and came across a vintage curtain panel that had hung in my old apartment.  I knew I had found my theme as soon as I saw it:

 

Sammy's favorite animal?  Check.  My favorite colors?  Check.  Cute factor?  Check.  I then did what any other [in]sane person would do and set about scanning the curtain and working on designing the invites and other accessories, like stickers that could be used as cupcake toppers and on the lollipop favors and party hats (the frames were free downloads courtesy of Maybe Mej--she has some lovely digital downloads on her blog, so be sure to swing by and check out her work) .

I used the stickers to jazz up some plain yellow party hats that I had picked up at a local party supply shop; add some curly ribbon and you've got yourself some delightful personalized hats.

After the success of the lollipop favors that I made for my friend's baby shower this spring, I knew I wanted to make them for Sammy's birthday party.  I really like how they turned out this time around--plus it doesn't hurt that I was able to find the lollipops in my signature color.

The cupcake toppers were next: I used a 2" scalloped punch for the backing paper and then affixed a sticker to each one, using double-sided tape to adhere everything to a craft stick. 

My mom and I made all of the cupcakes the day before the party; they were a yummy vanilla with a vanilla buttercream frosting.  It was my first time ever making cupcakes and frosting from scratch and I think they turned out pretty well.

To keep with the cat theme, I made citrus sugar cookies shaped like kitties and decorated them with yellow and blue sugar sprinkles.  They were as tasty as they were charming.

And last but not least, the smash cake. I used leftover batter from the cupcakes to make a Sammy-sized 6" cake that my mom then decorated to look like the cat on the invitation--she did an awesome job!   To save you all from photo overload, I'll be sharing the last batch of party photos tomorrow, so be sure to come back for candids from the party, including Sammy's cake smash and other random cuteness.