Have a Sparkles and Bling 1st Birthday!

If that little girl loves the bling at such an early age, why not celebrate that with a Sparkles and Bling birthday? It's an unusual theme for a one-year old's birthday party, but that's all the more reason to love it!

Start out by giving your invitations tons of bling! Use a glitter pen, tack on the rhinestones, and up the shine with a metallic ribbon bow. Be sure to keep all the décor within two colors only, or it could start to look tacky. For example, a pink and bling party would use hot pink card with the lettering and border printed out in black and touches added with pink and white rhinestones, the capital letters colored in with the glitter pen, and the invitation banded with a silver bow. If you like, add a pinch of glitter to the envelope before sealing it so they have some bling already.

Stick to one or two colors when bringing on the bling; hot pink is great here and chocolate brown or cream may be great accompaniments. Purchase cream and hot pink balloons and add metallic dots with the glitter ink, or with dots of Elmer's glue drenched in copper brown glitter. Use a mix of floral tissue pompoms and Chinese paper lanterns in pink and cream on the ceiling. Group them together to create a statement. Tack metallic ribbon onto the ceiling and use them to suspend chandelier crystals dangling through the poms and lanterns.

Decorate the table with a hot pink cloth. In the center, have three acrylic containers filled with kiddie bling – metallic and sparkling bouncing balls. Don't put any other bling on the tables; kids are very attracted to the sparkly stuff and can swallow them without your knowing it! Set the tables with gold-colored plates and cutlery. Tie up the napkin with a sparkly ribbon, too.

Cover the cake table in a metallic gold or bronze colored cloth. Set a cake stand on top of that and all around set little cupcakes that have been dusted with luster dust and topped with a hot pink rose. The cake itself should be a small one for your child to blow the candle from. Have the cake covered with cream fondant and then have designs painted on with luster dust and lemon juice. Put on perfect sugar rose at the center of the cake. Have a gold candle set to the side of the cake.

Keep the food simple, though. It should be what kids like to eat, so a cheese and fruit platter is just right, accompanied by treats like pigs in blankets, macaroni and cheese, and mini cookies. The grown-ups can get a more sophisticated meal of salad and pasta. Accompany the food with sparkling apple cider or ginger ale. Sparkling white grape juice is good, too.

For the favors, anything sparkly is good! Fill a metallic mesh bag with glow in the dark bracelets, light sticks, and pop rings for favors. A good option would be those glow in the dark straws paired with lighted glasses. Fun, unusual, and practical.