Inspired by a big oval wooden mirror + her son Logan’s love for reading, Melissa dreamed up this charming Vintage Storybook Birthday Party for his 3rd birthday! Crafty lime & navy decorations, clever themed desserts, and a whimsical photo booth made for one seriously cute “storybook” of a party in the park! There’s great inspiration for a storybook or “once upon a time” themed baby shower here too. :)

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• “Once Upon a Time…” stamped wooden utensils
• Goldilocks inspired oatmeal porridge cookies in mason jars with chalkboard labels
• DIY vintage scrap fabric bunting banner
• Little Golden Books as party favors, packaged in kraft bags with mini buntings

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Melissa…

Logan’s third birthday party was inspired by a combination of his love of reading and my obsession with our vintage wooden mirror. I wanted to use lime and navy as the color palette because of how sweet Logan looks wearing his lime and navy houndstooth bowtie. One of Logan’s favorite books is “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” so the party was held outdoors at his favorite park.

Dessert Table

I tied bunting made from scraps of lime, navy and storybook fabrics across the mirror, and used 2 three-foot lime balloons on each end. Logan LOVES rainbow cakes, so I made one with 6 different shades of blue and green. I topped it with a beautiful filigree number 3 pear-flavored lollipop from Vintage Confections. I wanted all of the food to fit into the storybook theme, so I made desserts like “Little Boy Blueberry and Lemon Tarts,” “The Three Chocolate Bears,” “Goldilocks’s Oatmeal Porridge Cookies,” and “Little Red Riding Hood’s Basket of Goodies.” I also baked banana caramel cupcakes and displayed them on navy mini cupcake stands from The Papered Nest. I used their Lime and Navy Treat Sticks to display my gingerbread men as well.

Photo Booth

The photo booth was created by tying bunting, that I made out of ribbon and fabric, around of beautiful tree and adding a white picture frame so guests could use it in their photos. I also made paper props like mustaches and hair bows in different colors and shapes for guests to create their own special photos with. Lynn from It Just Clicks Photography took beautiful photos of all of our guests. My favorite is the one of Logan holding a paper mustache over his lip!

Invitations & Favors

I wanted to create an original invitation, so I bought some vintage flash cards from Pretty Little Studio and printed the party information on the back with my printer. The party favors were Little Golden Books that I packaged in oversized favor bags from the Papered Nest and tied them with mini bunting that I made out of twine, fabric and wooden letters.

Food & Drinks

I served mini sandwiches inspired by “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic Book” and an appetizer called “Three Little Pigs in a Blanket.” I used large mason jars from Pottery Barn to serve iced tea and lemonade and small mason jars with pewter lids from The Papered Nest that I decorated with twine, paper straw, and drink tags. I order custom wooden cutlery from The Papered Nest that they stamped with “Once Upon a Time…” which looked incredible next to the rainbow cake!