This AMAZING Veggie Patch Birthday Party by Belinda Ramanauskasi of Styled By Belle makes me want to get my hands dirty! Gorgeous vegetable-shaped macarons sit atop a bed of chocolate cake “dirt” in an insanely creative “garden bed” dessert station. And check out those incredible “cabbage” cake pops — so cute and lifelike! Looking at these pics brings me back to those days as a kid where we would make “mud pie” with gummy worms; so messy but sooo yummy… always a great combo in my book. ;)

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Sunny Garden Lunch Table + Plastic Terracotta Pot “Seats”
• Seed Packet Invitations and Plant Marker Food & Drink Labels
• Personalized Activity Kits filled with small tools for pint-sized gardeners
• Utensils & napkins creatively tied up to look like carrots
• Cabbage Cake Pops, Snow Pea Macarons, “Potted” Chocolate Mousse, & more creative treats!

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Belinda…

My son Aidan loves being outdoors. Every time he sees the back door unlock, he runs over and sneaks between my legs to get out there. We have a small little veggie patch that he loves digging in and watering the plants. When thinking of a theme for Aidan’s 4th party, I thought a little veggie patch would be just perfect.

The invitation was a really cute little custom design seed packet that was sent to guests with some real seedlings to plant at home.

Dessert Table

I wanted to create a garden bed effect. I used wooden planks to build up my veggie patch around a trestle table and tiered it with a little picket fence. The bottom tier of the table I covered with crumbled up chocolate cake which looked like real dirt. I then “planted” rows of desserts that looked like vegetables — cabbage cake pops; snow pea, carrot, tomato & pumpkin macarons; cupcakes with mushroom, corn, snow pea & tomato toppers; little pots of green jelly with a garden frog on top; and pots of chocolate mousse cake with a sprig of fresh mint on top.

Kid’s Table

I bought plastic terracotta pots and turned them upside down to make seats. I displayed flowers in watering cans and placed little tin buckets filled with wholesome snacks for the kids to munch on — cherry tomatoes, celery, carrot, cheese and cucumbers sticks. Lunch also included healthy food such as sushi and sandwiches. I also created a fresh juice bar where freshly squeezed fruit & vegetable juices were made for guests. So while we had lots of sweet treats on the dessert table (AKA “veggie patch”), the children also ate really well with healthy food and fresh juices.

Activities

I brought in big wooden apple crates filled with dirt that the kids could dig and plant little flower pots. Upon arrival, each guest received a little pot, an apron I had printed with their names, little garden gloves, a digging spade and a fork. I also set up a scarecrow-making craft activity and a game where kids threw balls at cans of vegetables to knock them down.

So while vegetables are not generally at the top of the list of favourite foods for kids… Styled By Belle certainly made veggies cool for a day!