Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Nate's Birthday Decor & Cake

We tried to keep things simple for Nate's birthday!!! We all wanted to just enjoy the moments and so we didn't try to do too much. So on Saturday night we had a simple meal, only a few friends, playtime, and some cake!!

And I think it went well. I mean having 8 adults and 9 kids, 6 and under, 3 of those were new walkers... it was busy!! A little crazy. But we we're thankful for our little party and the extra hands;)

I am an anti-decorator. I really don't decorate well, wished I did better. But I found some basic colored and coordinated napkins, balloons, plates, and cups. I picked up a few matching tablecloths and plastic-ware and we were good to go:) All at the Dollar Tree and less than $20!!


I also made linked chains and a little banner with Nate's name on it out of construction paper, to make our carport a little more inviting... LOL!! But I was soo thankful how simple the decor was and how nicely it came together:)


The one thing I did work hard on was the cake!!!

I've been wanting to make a Rainbow Cake for years but all the kids get to choose their favorite dessert for their birthday. And no one would choose that one;) Until Nate.... he didn't know any better;)

Late into the night I worked baking 6 8-inch cakes after dying them into different colors;) I did put them in the fridge overnight to help with icing them the next day. Had I not been afraid of them tasting like "frozen cake", I would have put them in the freezer to make them even easier to ice;)


On Saturday, I iced them and stacked them!! And DON'T count the layers... just don't:)

While icing with Anna I realized the challenge of the cake is really icing it. It was tough to ice all the layers around the edge. I definitely recommend some sprinkles if you are lacking talent, like me;) And I was ever soo thankful for my big helper;)


After icing it I left it out until it was ready to be served. Cutting into a "white" cake and having the "bold" layers peak out was soo much fun. It really was a pretty cake!


And I thought it was funny how well all the colors were coordinated... all the way down to the colored layers of the cake, yes, all 5 of them:) And the crumbs were really pretty, too!!



For those interested about making cakes like this with our food allergies.... I used cake mix, icing and sprinkles that were dairy and egg-free. The food coloring was just a generic brand, no worries there. And the ingredients in the cake were the 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cans of Sprite. Mixed with a mixer until mixed and fluffy:)

After the cake, the kids played more, blew some bubbles and then Lydia and Chris "helped" Nate open his gifts:)




And having the party outside with the yard for the kids to play in and the carport for us to eat worked perfectly!!! The weather was great (minus the mosquitoes at dusk) and the housework was minimal which means more time for Momma to enjoy the moment!!

***Nate's Cake Smash Pics with video is coming tomorrow... very cute and messy:)***


Photobucket




You can find some more Wordless Wednesday at
5 Minutes for Mom,
Go Graham Go,

To Be Thode
and any other linkys I find !!!

14 comments:

Heather said...

Awesome party! The cake looks super yummy and I love the colors. We're going to combine Carissa and Tabitha's birthday "party" this year. Martie's dealing with end of the year papers and exams. (I sure you remember) :)Happy 1st birthday Nate!

Aliesha Caldwell | Feathers in Our Nest said...

Aw! Happy birthday, Nate! Kelly - that cake is GORGEOUS! Great job!

Drea said...

we had a great time and the cake was so fun!! it was good too, i loved the icing and im not an icing type of girl :) - it was lighter than most ive tried.

I thought everything went very well!! Our kids play great together and always have such fun.

Nate, Owen and Hannah were so cute walking around all the bikes and big kids.

Brimful Curiosities said...

What a fancy cake! Looks like a splendid 1st b-day! You're lucky you could hold it outside.

grandma said...

I'm really impressed with that cake! You did a fantastic job---it looks so good. Nate looks like one of the big kids now :)

Jenny said...

Fun cake! It looks like the party was perfect!

Alana Jo said...

Looks like a really great party. I love the cake. So cool!

McKt said...

Love the one with his tiny foot in the midst of brightly colored crumbs! What a fun party.

Jen said...

That cake looks amazing!

Laura said...

Love the cake! We did rainbow cupcakes for my daughter's birthday - aren't they so fun?

Bitterroot Mama said...

Adorable cake. I want to make one now!

Bunch of Barrons said...

Love that cake! I tried to make one like that once, and only got about 3 layers done. ;) Can't wait to see the pics!

Sarah said...

Such a fun cake! Looks like a great party.

Regina Lynn said...

SO much fun! I've been eyeing that Rainbow Cake too, but never seem to find the right occasion to make the effort worthwhile. Although, maybe just cutting into and seeing the colors make it worthwhile? Looks like maybe it was!