Bow Birthday Party

Betsy’s Bow Birthday!

This summer, Betsy turned one, and we had a LoveShackFancy-inspired bow birthday party! I’ve been dying to share all the details with you, so let’s get into it!

It wouldn’t be a bow birthday party without a giant, Grandmillennial style bow! I made this bow for a backdrop for the cake smash and family photos, and I used keepsakes from her nursery for most of the other decor! Overall it was a really easy party to decorate for, and the bow wasn’t too hard to make! In this blog, I’ll share all the details of the party and how to make the giant bow!

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Bow Decorations

Decorating the High Chair

One of my favorite custom keepsake makers is Little Happies. She made this darling monogrammed sign for Betsy’s bassinet, for when she came home from the hospital. I reused it to decorate the high chair. Little Happies also created a party hat and cake topper to match it!

The high chair was a Facebook marketplace find! It’s always so sweet to have a vintage or antique high chair for moments like these!

Bow Backdrop, Cakes and Centerpieces

Of course the party had to have a big bow as a focal point, but I also used bow details in the flower arrangements, milestone banner, and on the cakes!

On the big birthday cake, I used Betsy’s full monogram, and on her smash cake, I used just her single initial B.

Little Happies made these bow sticks for the floral centerpieces, but you can also make them on the Cricut. I’ve made many on the Cricut over the years, but this time I just wanted them done for me so it was easier!

The milestone banner I made on my Cricut also had bow details on each side. I also used a Betsy banner that was used on Betsy’s crib when she got home from the hospital, to decorate the cake area. The cake set up is just where my range is in my kitchen, and I draped fabric over it to make it prettier.

How to Make a Giant Bow

The giant bow was easier to make that you’d think. I used a tutorial from @MegLuxe here, but I missed a step, the fusible interfacing, which makes the fabric stiff, so my bow isn’t as 3D as I wanted it to be. I also had to modify the measurements some to get a bigger bow. But I thought it turned out really pretty anyway!

Here’s the fabric I bought. I also sourced some premade bows below, if you’re not into DIY! I hung ecru fabric over the window to have a clean backdrop, and I attached the bow to it. I used fabric pins to arrange the bow how I wanted it. The heaviest part is the top knot, and I used a command hooks and safety pins to hook the top of the bow to the wall.

Using Keepsakes as Decor

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It was super easy to pull the keepsake’s from Betsy’s room for the party decor. I used her Petite Keep Trunk to display a lot of her baby items. I pulled her foot print canvas, baby bonnet, homecoming gown, baby quilt, chinoiserie swaddle, and other mementoes to display and celebrate her big day.

I also framed some of her newborn baby pictures and displayed them on the food bar and around the house. It was so fun remembering how little she was!

The centerpiece was super easy to make. I dropped orchids in a large bowl and filled around them with moss. For the party food, I kept it simple and kid-friendly. The neighborhood kids had a great time playing all around the house and outside while the parents mingled. It ended up being a great first birthday for Betsy! She loved it!