Tiiiimmbeeeerrrr!! Look out everyone, Brooke Meyenberg of Little Retreats did some serious work on this Woodsy Lumberjack First Birthday for her son Dashiel, or as she calls him, her little “Chipmunk”. ;) The combination of the iconic red buffalo plaid and natural wood grains really sets off the whole theme! There are so many clever details to admire here – from insanely creative 3D invitations (pictured below) to framed vintage lumberjack photos, which gave the party a very authentic touch. Even though we’re not having much of a winter here in San Diego right now, this party makes me feel all cozy & warm inside!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• DIY birch bark garland accented with flannel + wooden utensils embellished with woodgrain washi tape
• Hand-sewn plush wooden log for a log throw game + a clever ‘Axe throwing’ competition
• Super cute birch party straws with flannel paper flags + birch bark vases
• Bushy bear photo booth props, oak round cake stands + a party hat wearing moose!
• Red Cedar sapling party favors so guests can bring home and grow their own piece of the woods! ;)

PARTY DETAILS as told by Brooke…

I refer to our three-year-old son, Hudson, affectionately as “Squirrel.” Shortly after we brought our youngest son, Dashiel, home, I made the slip and called him “My Little Squirrel” by accident. Hudson overheard this and immediately corrected me and declared that Dash should instead be nicknamed “Chipmunk.”

From that day on “Chipmunk” or “Chippy,” as Hudson refers to him, has stuck. When playing around with themes for Dashiel’s first birthday, I kept coming back to the fall season, outdoors, and our little “Chipmunk.”

From that, a Lumberjack-themed birthday party seemed perfectly fitting. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised how budget friendly and easy this party was to put together.

Invitations

Each special invitation was mailed in its own 5” x 7” kraft box. Birch bark sheets were cut securely fit into the box. The party details were printed on cream muslin fabric and affixed directly to the bark. I also included RSVP cards and fun party details in the mix
which were also printed and cut from the fabric. It ended up being a SUPER easy DIY with awesome ‘wow’ appeal.

All the invite elements rested on a nest of wood-excelsior shred and were securely wrapped with a strip of lumberjack-patterned fabric. I also printed the address and return address labels in the same cream muslin to keep it consistent. The final decorative element was a touch of wood grain washi-tape.

Diy Decor

• Wooden utensils decorated with wood grain washi-tape
• Aspen paper straws with lumberjack flags
• Leftover invite bark pieces turned into garlands
• More leftover wood scraps burned and turned into cake toppers
• Vintage lumberjack photos found on the internet and enlarged into posters then framed.
• Sewn log pillow for a log throw game and photo booth prop
• Custom party hats and garlands

And lots and lots of wood grain contact paper crafted into: Custom birthday signage for the mirrors, a wood slice decorated with a ‘1’ for high chair decor & forest trees decorations to affix to doors

Party Favors

To thank guests for coming and celebrating our son’s birthday, I purchased forty 8-inch live red cedar sapling trees and decorated each to match the theme. Not only did they act as party favors, they were also a great addition to the party decor.

Activities

Rollin’ with the autumnal theme for the little ones, I purchased mini-pumpkins, foam stickers, pens, googly eyes, printed lumberjack coloring sheets, and more. The kiddos had their own section of the house with tables covered in rolls of painters kraft sheets to
decorate their pumpkins and do other fun activities.

No lumberjack party would be complete without an axe-throwing competition (a modified version of pin the tail on the donkey.) I created a 36” x 40” poster with different targets. The little ones used 2” red circles to mark their ‘throw.’

Photo Booth

I own and operate Little Retreats, a photo prop shop on Etsy.com. So no party at our house is complete without prop or two. To add to the fun, I designed and printed a 36” x 40” chalkboard inspired sign — a wonderfully SUPER-inexpensive addition with BIG impact. Most office supply stores will print black for less than $4.

Donut-On-A-String Game

What fall party would be complete without it?! I was a little gun shy and kept this one as a ‘maybe’ in fear guest s might think I was nuts. However, when the party was in full swing, I went for it and it turned out to be one of the highlights! Both the adults and kids got into it and we had multiple rounds of doughnuts on a string.

Miscellaneous Decor

• Using every little bit of leftover birch and fabric, I went wild with the scraps.
• I crafted buntings out of both to hang over the dessert table, kids’ table and photo booth.
• I created custom cake and dessert toppers with my trusty wood burning tool, a highchair garland,
  and napkin rings.