A Sock Monkey First Birthday: Part 1 {Prep}

Getting ready for Millie's first birthday party took a lot of time, but it was worth it. Here are some photos of the party's creation, and the instructions for her homemade sock monkey cookies!

First thing's first- a pretty pink birthday cake.
(And yes- predictably, my laptop background is a photo of Millie.)

Not too shabby for a smash cake! Now onto the cupcakes...

You'll see the finished product in the next post.

By request from my mother:
instructions for the sock monkey cookies.
I used the classic recipe from the big red Betty Crocker cookbook-
the one that our family always uses to make Christmas cookies with every year.

We used a monkey shaped cookie cutter,
mixed up the recipe as directed,
but brushed a little egg white and brown food coloring on before baking.
They ended up with a pretty brown look,
which was a perfect base to add the rest of the face in icing.
Super easy!

The finished product!

Paul Frank "I love monkey" bracelet favors from Target. Perfect!

In a recent giveaway on a blog, I won cupcake toppers from Top That!, and Jennifer custom made these sock monkey designs for Millie. Aren't they cute?

In another giveaway, I won a cupcake Scentsy warmer with the Happy Birthday scent- it smelled amazing, and went perfectly with my theme.

Cupcake favors from the Target dollar aisle. Target is the best!

Paul Frank monkey plates and napkins, again from Target.

Hat and candle for the birthday girl.

Ready for the party? Millie looks like she's waited so patiently.
I'll share the rest of the photos in the next post.