Margot's Second Backyard Birthday Party

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My baby is two! Time’s flying… we wish we could slow down these years… I can’t believe she’s two… and all those other cliché (but true!) things to say. We celebrated her second trip around the sun in our backyard with a small gathering of friends.

We recreated most of the same festivities from her first party, but left out the sweet instant photos and cupcake toppers. I shared her first birthday here and backyard renovations details are here.

I reused all the same decor from last year, plus added a new tablecloth and Ross’ childhood bedsheet as a tablecloth, and updated her custom crown for year 2. The felt pennants from last year were so sweet that I wanted to keep them up all year long - so it was a no brainer to use them again.

All sources will be linked at the end of the post.

We don’t do gifts for adults in our family, and we asked for no gifts for Margot, but I did get her a couple of things. I want to gift her things that would (hopefully!) become heirlooms for her - something she can say “my mom got me this for my second birthday” when she’s an adult. So, instead of a toy she’ll age out of, I got her a custom piece of art and a vintage scarf - things she’ll hopefully grow into instead of grow out of.

She’s currently really into tea towels and likes draping them on her shoulders, using them like mini blankets, wrapping stuffed animals in them, and putting them on her head. Instead of having her take the damp kitchen towel off the handle every morning, I got her a vintage scarf featuring a few things she currently loves: flowers, bees, and ladybugs. I hope one day she’ll wear it with an outfit as an adult, or use it to wrap up some other sentimental items she collects. In the meantime, I think she’s going to get oodles of use out of it like the popular play silks offer.

The artwork is a custom oil painting by artist Bella Wattles. I gave her a list of Margot’s favorite things: ladybugs, crayons, cats, books, and a picture of our new tablecloth (look at how they blend in!), and she created this beautiful piece that kids and adults can adore! I want to make a tradition of getting Margot a piece of art every year for her birthday - I can’t wait to see how her collection grows!

We, of course, got her another custom birthday crown with a number 2, strawberries, flowers, ladybugs, a cat, and bees - some of her (more picturesque) favorite things. I want to hand make her crowns, but each year I realize I’m too late/busy/unskilled, so I end up custom ordering it from a crafty person on Etsy and I have no regrets. Margot’s year one crown was from the same person - quality and price is unmatched!

For snacks I made sourdough with an “M” monogram, cut up some fruit, tossed together a pasta salad, and served ice cream cones for dessert. I lined a muffin tin with cupcake liners and pre-scooped the ice cream and popped it back in the freezer. Serving was a breeze to just plop a cone on top, lift and peel off the liner, and add sprinkles. Of course, I learned this party hack on Instagram.