Party: Modern Farm Birthday for Scarlett

We celebrated Scarlett's second birthday with a "Modern Farm" party--a cleaner, updated take on the farm theme with a little of the apple harvest season mixed in. Scarlett, not uniquely, made all the barnyard animal noises before she started articulating words, and "Big Red Barn" is her favorite bedtime read, so if she could have named the theme for her second birthday party I think "farm" really would have been it.

  

I always think of the invitations as the beginning of the party. They set expectations. I love good old-fashioned paper and ink, as opposed to more modern forms, and I really enjoy making my own. So for Scarlett's I designed these Modern Farm invites:

 

The animal silhouettes became the motif I repeated to tie it all together. It was just too much fun thinking of things to do with them! Such as the tablecloth for the serving table...

...and the buttonhole napkin ties.

When menu planning I couldn't come up with the right sort of dinner for my farm themed child's party so I opted for brunch instead. Why not?! It lent itself more easily I thought. So we served scrambled eggs, muffins, bacon, sausage, apple juice, orange juice, milk, and as "birthday cake," cinnamon rolls.  

  

It was the kind of meal the adults and the kids could enjoy equally. That's the thing about the first two birthday parties, they really seem to end up being more for the adults (mom especially!), so it was fun to try and have something here for everyone.

 

That said, I think the kids table was the focus, and certainly the most fun for me in the making!

 

  

I used the same toweling fabric I used for the napkins to make the gingham table runners and dotted them with bushels of apples (some from the store and some from our trees) and white vases of sunflowers.

 

The table was set with child-sized bamboo plates, individual bottles of milk (repurposed Frappuccino bottles inspired by this tutorial) with Modern Farm labels (see below), and favor baskets at each place.

I used wood pint-sized baskets (what happened to these? they are so great!) and filled them with a plastic farm animal, an old-fashioned lollipop in green apple or cherry, and an apple tagged with a thank you card (see below for printables).

  

 

After eating brunch, the lollipops and farm animals provided the entertainment for Scarlett's cousins until the adults were finished and ready to open presents. It was such perfect weather we were in no rush.  It has been warmer than usual this Fall but the slanted light meant plenty of shade in which to relax.

 

I think Scarlett genuinely had a great time! She looked darling in her birthday dress (thanks for all the votes to go without the bow!)...

...she loved the apples..

   

...and of course tore into the presents with squeals and smiles!

They were stowed in a large wooden crate as our family arrived, which made it easy and fun to unpack and open. 

Audrey got something new to wear too: a Modern Farm t-shirt. She picked "goat-y" in brown because it looks like her favorite animal at a nearby farm we visit.    

And I wasn't totally exhausted when the party was over thanks to my husband who nearly single handedly prepared the food! He is much better than I at breakfast!  

A happy, happy birthday for Scarlett!

  

For a summary of free printables, tutorials, and resources click below to read more.

--Modern Farm Invites (with link to free printable download)
--Tutorial to make a banded tablecloth (and link to Modern Farm templates in my shop)
--Tutorial to make buttonhole napkin ties (and link to Modern Farm pattern in my shop)
--Free download for individual Modern Farm milk bottle labels here (print and cut out)

--Free download for Modern Farm thank you tags here (print on card stock, cut out, and hole punch)

--Bamboo plates
--Half peck "bushel" baskets
--Wooden pint baskets
--Plastic farm animals
--Gingham toweling fabric 
--Scarlett's dress

P.S.  This party would be so darling in black, white and red too using that version of the invite, red and white gingham fabric, and black animal silhouette appliques!