Jenifer of Hello Love Designs went wild with this “Up & Away” Sock Monkey First Birthday for her nephew Kason’s first Birthday! I’m totally bananas over the hot air balloon twist on this party classic. I mean, just look at those little monkeys- they are in for quite a ride!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• “Little Monkey” Birthday hat with monkey ears + yarn pom topper
• Sock monkey plushies riding in adorable home-made hot air balloons
• Patterned banners with yarn pom dividers and a cute fabric monkey welcome wreath
• Sock Monkey & hot air balloon cookies from Icings by Ang and Mini Banana Pudding Parfaits (+ Recipe!)

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Jenifer…

I had the very sweet and special opportunity to design and style my nephew’s first birthday party, and let me tell you, it was a sweet one for sure. Jennifer of Jennifer Schattle Photography did an amazing job making sure every party detail was captured perfectly! Kason’s mom wanted to carry his sock monkey nursery theme into the very first party her “little monkey” would have. I also wanted to use the idea of the first year “taking off,” so I used sock monkeys riding in hot air balloons to create the Up & Away Sock Monkey First birthday theme. Immediately, we decided the colors and patterns that would be used for the printables. We kept them simple and clean – polka dots, stripes, and sock monkeys. We also enlisted her very talented cousin, Cole, to make the sock monkey wreath. All I can say is, “Wow!” It was truly amazing. We used the wreath to hang on the front door and welcome guests.

Some fun little details you’ll see through the party are the sock monkeys riding in hot air balloons, the “Tree Top Treats Shoppe” candy bar, and the red lantern “cage” centerpiece on the food table displayed a sock monkey and sign that read “Please feed the monkeys.” I also love the yarn pom poms used between the banner pennants. They gave the party just the right amount of warm fuzziness!

The sweet and amazing cookie artist, Icings by Ang, created the most adorable and yummy sock monkey cookies that matched our theme perfectly. The children got to choose their favorite cookie to take home in their favor bags along with the treat shoppe goodies. Kason’s smash cake was lovingly made by his uncle and my husband. The guests also enjoyed Banana Pudding Parfaits served in mini pedestal cups with miniature wooden spoons.

Kason’s guest of honor was his best friend, Elvis, his dog.  Of course, he made sure Elvis did not miss out on one lick of treats! It was a special celebration for all!

BANANA PUDDING PARFAITS RECIPE

by Hello Love Designs
Makes 20-24, 4-5 oz. cups

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 – 3.4 oz. packages instant banana pudding
• 1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 – 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 – 16 oz. container non-dairy whipped topping (Cool Whip)
• 1-2 packages vanilla wafer cookies, crumbled
• fresh bananas, sliced

Step By Step Instructions:

For the filling:
1. Whisk the milk and instant pudding together in a large bowl until smooth. Let stand five minutes.
2. In another large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth, then add pudding and beat until smooth.  Fold in the non-dairy whipped topping.

Assembly:
1. Crumble the vanilla wafer cookies. Fill the parfait cup about 1/3 full of the crumbled cookies.
2.Place sliced bananas to cover the cookies.
3. Fill a piping bag or a quart sized storage bag (corner cut) with the filling. Pipe the filling in a circular motion on top. I suggest piping the filling in because it is an easy and clean method compared to spooning the filling into the cups.
4. Serve in mini parfait cups (I use 5 oz. pedestal cups). Garnish as you please. Serve with a petite spoon.