Last year, I had so much fun planning Miss H’s rainbow first birthday party! Of course I spent far too much time with planning, crafting décor, making the cakes, etc. It was worth every single minute, but wow I was wiped out at the end of it all!

This year, we’re going for a bit of a more laid back approach. Partly because I just don’t have the energy to go all out. And partly because I know that I don’t need to go wild and crazy each year for her to have a fun, wonderful celebration. She’s just so excited about the day: she talks about her “happy birthday,” sings her own version of the happy birthday song to everyone, and is looking forward to having balloons at her party! So I know I won’t have to work very hard to give Miss H a day she will enjoy and remember.

Because April is still a bit chilly in Chicago, we are opting for an “indoor picnic party.” I like the idea of a casual, fun picnic for Miss H, just set inside our home!

To set the tone, I found these fabulous invites from Etsy seller Boo and Lou Design. We modified the language a bit on ours to reflect that the “picnic” will be inside.

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Once the theme was settled upon and we’d found our invite, I of course hit upon the most fantastic cake via The Partiologist!

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Now, I can’t guarantee that my cake will be as perfect as the one pictured, but I’m pretty excited to make it! I made Miss H’s cake and smash cake last year, so I feel like I’m up for the challenge.

I’m also hoping to carry on the picnic theme with other delicious food: some mini pies, pulled pork (or some other sandwich), fruit skewers, guacamole, pasta salad, etc.

Searching high and low for some red and white checkered material that I could use as a “picnic blanket,” but not wanting to spend a fortune, I was thrilled when I found an inexpensive tablecloth on Amazon that was made of fabric (instead of plastic or vinyl).

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For $15 I assumed the worst, but ordered two anyway. I was pleasantly surprised when the fabric was soft, the stitching was perfect, and the color was great! For the size, it was much cheaper to purchase these than buy fabric by the yard. I plan on covering up the rug in our living room with one (assuming I can tuck the ends under well enough to ensure it’s not a tripping hazard) and then use the other on our dining room table.

For the kids at the party, I’m putting together fun little treat baskets filled with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and play dough. I thought it would be super cute to put everything in little picnic baskets, but that was far to expensive! Instead I found some awesome berry baskets from Etsy sellers the Berry Girls!

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Everything else is going to be laid back, fun, and simple. And I know Miss H is going to love it! I can’t wait to share party pictures after the big day.

Since we’re still fine-tuning our menu, what is your favorite picnic food?