Wild ONE Safari First Birthday Party

Wild ONE Safari First Birthday

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

Wild One Safari First Birthday Party Decor

My sweet guy turned one this summer and I still can’t believe it. How is he already ONE?!?! As I was thinking of a theme for his first birthday party, I kept going back to his sweet safari decor in his nursery. So naturally, Jack’s Wild One made total sense! 

Balloon Arch

Wild ONE Safari First Birthday

I am really into balloon walls and arches these days. My rockstar of a husband is my muscle behind these projects and he is seriously such a trooper for inflating and hanging all of these balloons! You can buy balloon kits on Amazon or pick out your own balloons. If you are going to do a balloon arch, I highly recommend purchasing a balloon pump

Greenery Backdrop and Wild One Balloons 

MILESTONE SAFARI BIRTHDAY BANNER

I purchased these greenery panels from tableclothsfactory.com, spray painted them, and attached them with zip ties to create the size I wanted for my backdrop. Honestly, it was completely worth the money and effort to have this look. It made the perfect backdrop for the decor and photos. However, if you aren’t wanting to spend a little less time and money, check out these adorable and very realistic greenery backdrops

I found these adorable WILD ONE balloons in copper on Etsy! I absolutely LOVED the color! 

Monthly Milestone Banner

FIRST BIRTHDAY MILESTONE BANNER

I LOVE these sweet banners! It is so fun to see how much my sweet guy has changed in just 12 months! I made this banner with my Cricut, but you can also purchase these on Etsy. Also, if you don’t have a Cricut Maker, but love making crafts, I highly recommend the investment. I saved SO much money on this party by making my own decor! I was also able to customize everything and create exactly what I was envisioning for the party. 

Giant Balloon ONE

SAFARI BALLOON ONE

I first saw this idea on Pinterest (of course) and immediately texted it to my Jeremy, my rockstar of a husband. We bought two pieces of the 40 x 60 foam board from Hobby Lobby. I printed out the style of 1 I liked and Jeremy measured the foam board and cut it with an Exacto Knife. We then used hot glue to attach the sides of the one. Thankfully, the foam board bends really easily so that you can shape the letter. It is such a great statement piece and makes for a great photoshoot! 

Sally The Giraffe 

WILD ONE SAFARI BIRTHDAY PARTY

We just love Sally! My parents bought this as a “welcome home” gift when we brought Jack home from the hospital. She lives in Jack’s nursery, but was happy to be part of the decor for the party. You can purchase your own plush giraffe by Melissa and Doug on Amazon! 

Safari Highchair Garland and One Banner 

WILD ONE SAFARI HIGH CHAIR FIRST BIRTHDAY BANNER

This was honestly so easy to make! I purchased ribbon and tied it on string to create the hassle garland. I created the ONE banner on my Cricut Maker machine and attached it to the garland. This was one of my favorite pieces for the party! 

Safari Themed Cake and Smash Cake

Safari WILD ONE CAKE 

I just adore this cake design from Sugar Bee Sweets Bakery in Arlington, Texas! For all my local DFW friends, I highly recommend this bakery! I sent them ideas of what I wanted and they created this perfect cake and smash cake! I made the Wild One cake topper with, yes you guessed it, my Cricut Maker! 

Safari Tassel Garland 

For this garland, I created and printed the safari animals on my Cricut Maker and made the tassels out of tissue paper. 

Jack’s Wild One Safari Birthday Plates and Napkins 

WILD ONE 1ST BIRTHDAY SAFARI PLATES AND NAPKINS

These adorable custom first birthday safari plates and napkins are on Zazzle. If you don’t need them customized, check out this super cute party pack! 

Safari Themed Wild One Birthday Cookies 

WILD ONE PARTY COOKIES

For all my DFW friends, The Velvet Crumb created these gorgeous cookies! I highly recommend! 

First Birthday Milestone Sign 

SAFARI MILESTONE BIRTHDAY SIGN

I designed this in Canva and had it printed at our local print shop for about $40. It made such a fun statement piece for the party! 

Time Capsule Activity and Sign

WILD ONE SAFARI TIME CAPSULE

I think this is such a fun and sweet activity for a first birthday party! Since Jack won’t remember the actual party, this is such a fun way to show him how many people were at his party to celebrate him and who love and support him! I made the sign in Canva and had it printed at a local print shop. 

ONE Balloons With Tassel Garland 

Giant Safari ONE Balloons

I purchased these balloons from Party City and added tassels (the same one form the tissue paper tassel garland) down the string of the balloons. They were SO cute! 

Safari Stuffed Animals “Adopt Me” 

This was such a fun activity for the kiddos to “adopt” a safari friend! I found these adorable safari stuffed animal party favors on Amazon for SUCH a great price! 

Safari Party Headbands 

SAFARI BIRTHDAY PARTY HEADBANDS

These safari party headbands were so fun for the kiddos AND the adults! They looked so cute in all of our photos and added a really fun interactive and whimsical element to the party. 

Wild One Safari Water Bottle Labels 

This is such an easy and inexpensive touch to help keep the theme going throughout the party. I purchased this cute design on Etsy and used labels to print them at home. 

Safari Animal Cookie Jar Party Favors

WILD ONE SAFARI PARTY FAVORS

I found these cute jars at Marshalls and filled them with Safari animal crackers I found at Costco. I made the thank you tags on Canva and printed them on my printer at home. 

Lion Veggie Plate

SAFARI PARTY FOOD LION VEGGIE PLATE

I had SO much fun planning and decorating for this party! I hope this post brings inspiration for an extra fun and Wild ONE for your little one! 

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Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

It’s almost Mother’s Day! This year is especially exciting for me as this is my first official Mother’s Day with my sweet guy! He was in my tummy last year, but I really had no idea how much my world was going to change once he graced us with his presence. There is really no other feeling like being a mom. It isn’t always perfect and it isn’t always easy, but it is a joy like no other and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Mommy Newborn Photo

I know I’m biased, but I have the world’s greatest mom. So this day has always been so special to me. I now also have the world’s greatest mother-in-law and step mother-in-law, so Mother’s Day is one of the best days of the year to celebrate the many mommas in my life who love and sacrifice so much for their kiddos. 

Mother’s Day always centers around three main things in our family: Quality time, delicious food, and a creative and meaningful gift these mommas wouldn’t buy for themselves! 

There is something about a bundt cake that says Mother’s Day to me. Bundt cakes are classic and lovely, just like a mom. And you don’t have to be a professional baker to make a bundt cake beautiful and delicious! My first bundt cake pan came from my momma and my Nina (my grandmother) makes the most delicious bundt cakes!

One of my new favorite bundt cake recipes is this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake. It is super easy and you don’t have to have the entire baking aisle in your pantry. It only requires a few ingredients to make you look like Martha Stewart at your Mother’s Day family gathering! 

Gather those ingredients and let’s bake! 

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

  • 1 yellow box cake
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 cups of blueberries – I used frozen wild blueberries, but fresh will work too! 
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon zest 

Lemon Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar 
  • 1-3 tbsp. lemon juice 

Vanilla Glaze Frosting Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cups of milk 
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice 

Ready, Set, Bake! 

Heat oven to 350• F.  Prepare the box cake as directed on the box. 

Mother's Day Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Mix the lemon juice and lemon zest into the cake.

Gently fold the blueberries in to the cake and distribute them evenly throughout the bowl.

Quick Tip: If you are using frozen blueberries, make sure they are thawed before adding them to the cake. You can add the frozen blueberries to a sauté pan on low heat to help defrost. This will bring out some of their juices, so make sure to strain some of the juice before adding the blueberries to the cake. Otherwise the cake will have too much liquid from the berries. 

Add the cake batter to a lightly greased bundt pan and bake for 38-42 minutes as directed on the box.

Dessert Recipe Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

For the lemon glaze, add the powdered sugar to a small bowl and add the lemon juice one tbsp. at a time until you have the desired taste and consistency. If the glaze is too thick, you can add a little bit of water to thin out the glaze. 

For the vanilla frosting, combine all ingredients together and mix with a stand mixer or hand mixer until combined.

Once the cake is finished baking, allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Place a plate or cake stand on top of the bundt pan and carefully flip the pan over to release the cake onto the plate or cake stand. 

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake Recipe Mother's Day Brunch

Use a toothpick to poke small holes on top of the cake and pour or brush the lemon glaze on top of the cake. The glaze will soak into the cake giving it extra lemony deliciousness and an extra moist cake! Depending on how much lemon flavor you like will depend on how much of the glaze you use. I like to use about half on the cake and save the other half to serve with the cake for those who want extra glaze! 

Slowly pour the vanilla frosting on top of the cake allowing it to naturally fall down the grooves of the bundt cake. Like the glaze, the amount is completely up to you! I liked to use just enough to coat the top and make it pretty! I serve the rest of the frosting on the side of the cake for those who like a little cake with their frosting. I’m definitely talking about my momma here. 

Mother's Day Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake Recipe

For extra garnish, zest part of a lemon on top of the cake. Enjoy!  

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake Recipe

I hope this cake brings joy to everyone at your table! How did it turn out? I would love to see your beautiful cakes! Leave me a comment below or send me a picture on Pinterest here! I hope you have a beautiful Mother’s Day! 

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Boy’s Safari Nursery Theme: Blues, Whites, and Grays

Safari Themed Boy's Nursery

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

Decorating our nursery has been the most fun I’ve had decorating our home. When we found out we were having a baby boy at our gender reveal party we were SO excited! But I quickly realized I was going to be a BOY mom! I had all these ideas and plans for a girl’s nursery, but what did I want to do for my precious guy? 

Boy's Safari Theme Nursery Decor

I immediately started looking all over Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration. I started shopping online for ideas from some of my favorite brands and stores. I saw so many cute ideas. How was I supposed to choose? I finally narrowed it down between two styles. A natural look with white, green, and a touch of gold or white, gray, and navy blue. I knew either way I liked having neutral colors with one main color pop. My husband preferred the navy blue color palette so that made my decision easy! 

I couldn’t find one specific nursery “set” that I just loved so I started piecing things together to create our perfect nursery. While this took a lot of time, it was definitely worth it! Now we have a nursery that we love and is uniquely ours! Buy Buy Baby, Wayfair, HomeGoods, Target, Pottery Barn, Hobby Lobby, and Etsy helped us complete our perfect nursery for our sweet guy. 

Nursery Furniture

The first thing we picked out was our nursery furniture. This took a LOT of searching, but we finally both agreed on the Soho Baby Hampton Nursery Furniture in Stonewash from Buy Buy Baby. You can purchase individual pieces or the entire set. We decided to purchase the entire set because we really liked each piece. 

Safari Themed Boy's Nursery

The crib is a 4-in-1 convertible crib so it grows with baby and has three adjustable mattress heights! I love the neutral color of the crib, but I wanted some fun sheets with a pop of color. We have some plain navy sheets and white sheets, but these aden® by aden + anais® Denim Wash Cotton Muslin Fitted Crib Sheet in Blue are my favorite! Jack loves to look at the arrows as he falls asleep. 

Safari Themed Nursery Changing Table and Dresser

The dresser has so many drawers for storage and makes for the perfect changing table! Just add the changing topper and you are all set! Everything you need for diaper changes, night time, and outfit changes are easily accessible with so much storage space! Our Colgate changing pad is comfy for Jack and super easy to clean! It looks so cute on our changing table with this Kushies changing pad cover! All of the drawers catch right before they close to help prevent little fingers getting caught! 

Speaking of changing pads, thank goodness for our Bubula Diaper Pail! It’s airtight lid keeps those unpleasant smells trapped inside to keep your baby’s nursery smelling fresh and clean! We liked the gray color for our nursery but they have so many color options to choose from. It also holds a LOT of diapers so you don’t have to worry about changing out the bag every day. And speaking of the bag, you can use any trash bag so you won’t be spending extra money on specialty bags. 

Safari Themed Nursery Soho Chifferobe

The chifferobe just completes the room and offers so much storage! The drawers are perfect for clothes, socks, and accessories and the shelves are great for toys and books. We absolutely love it! All of the Soho Hampton Nursery Furniture comes with hardware to attach it to the wall to prevent the furniture from tipping over. 

Nursery Necessities 

A must for any baby nursery is a sound machine. We selected the HoMedics MyBaby Portable Sound Machine in white. With 6 different baby sounds, volume control, and a timer, this is perfect for any room or situation. It doesn’t take up a lot of space in the nursery and is so easy to move from room to room or for travel. It is also a really great price! 

I’ll be honest. Jack did not sleep in his nursery until he outgrew his bassinet in our room. I loved having him right there next to me where I could see him and put my hand on his chest to feel him breathing in the middle of the night. I know all of you mommas can relate. When he was too big for his bassinet, I was so anxious about having him in his nursery. Deep down I knew he was totally safe, but I was still nervous.

Safari Themed Nursery

We received the Owlet Smart Cam Baby Monitor as a baby gift and heard wonderful things about it. I researched SO many monitors and decided this was the best choice for us. I can not rave about it enough! The design keeps it from being a total eyesoar in the nursery and they provide covers for the wire going down the wall. This is specifically a safety feature to keep baby from being able to pull on the wire but as a bonus, it helps it blend into the wall more and not have an ugly wire hanging down!

I love having the app on my phone and the sound and camera quality is amazing! I LOVE the zoom feature and that I can do other things on my phone while still hearing it in the background. You can also purchase the smart sock with the camera to track baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels. 

Nursery Baby Rocking Chair and Ottoman

Every nursery needs a comfy rocking chair and ottoman to prop your feet on while nursing and rocking baby to sleep. I wanted something comfy and pretty. This Harper Nursery Glider swivel Rocker Chair and Ottoman in flax is perfect. It is so comfortable and looks so great in the nursery. I have spent many days and nights snuggling my sweet guy in this chair.

Nursery Decor

Plush Jumbo Giraffe Safari Themed Nursery

Y’all. How much do you love this Melissa and Doug plush giraffe?! My parents bought this to have at our front door when we brought Jack home from the hospital. Her name is Sally and Jack absolutely loves her! We like to pet her and have little chats. This giraffe brings so much fun and whimsy to the room. 

Elephant Play Mat Safari Themed Boys Nursery

The second I saw this elephant play mat I knew I had to have it. It is so soft and now that Jack is older, he loves playing with the elephant while getting in his tummy time. It is also really easy to clean which is always a plus. 

Pottery Barn Elephant Rocker Safari Themed Nursery

Pottery Barn Elephant Rocker

Jack LOVES this elephant rocker from Pottery Barn. My parents bought this for him for Christmas and it is just so cute! It has also been a great way to let him practice balancing. He loves to rock on his Ellie! 

Blue and Gray Boy's Nursery Decor

As I was selecting decor for the nursery, I knew I wanted a focal point with Jack’s name. I found this stunning wooden baby name sign on Etsy and instantly fell in love! This particular shop is no longer on Etsy, but I would encourage you to look around and find something custom to fit your design! 

Baby Nursery Newborn Photos

Personalizing your nursery is a MUST! If you are currently pregnant, I highly recommend scheduling a newborn  photography session! For all of my DFW friends, Kelsey Ray Photography is AMAZING! We were in awe watching her during our session and I could not be happier with our photos. Our canvas newborn wall hangings are my favorite things in our nursery. 

Safari Animal Prints Boy's Nursery Decor

I love clean and sophisticated. I would show my husband all of my ideas and while he loved it, he would keep reminding me that this is a nursery. It needs some fun and whimsy. It isn’t an adult bedroom. I knew I wanted it to be whimsical, but not juvenile. I found these ADORABLE animal prints on Etsy from Prostoroom and fell in love! I loved that the color fit my design palette and had that whimsical bubble in Navy. I had these printed at a local print shop and put them in frames from Target. I had a specific look in mind and couldn’t find the right frames for the right price. Target had these frames with a different print for a really great price! So we took out the original print, painted the frames, and put in our adorable animal prints! 

Boy's Nursery Wall Decor

I absolutely love our frame wall! This wall started the week we announced we were pregnant. My sweet mother-in-law bought the Hello Little Love and For This Child I Have Prayed wall hangings from Hobby Lobby. At the time, we didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl, but she thought they were pretty gender neutral and would be perfect. She was SO RIGHT! We absolutely love them. The animal photos on the right are photos from Jeremy’s (my hunky husband) Mimi and were hanging in his bathroom when he was a little boy. 

I had SO much fun designing this nursery and it brings me so much joy every single day. I hope it brought some inspiration to you for your future little! I would love to see your nursery reveals! Leave me a link in the comments below!

 

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