My baby Oliver or Ollie as he is affectionately known, turned one at the beginning of the month. I wanted something natural to celebrate his earthy nature and it seemed only natural to choose the theme I had created his nursery in – a mix of teepees and tribal elements. February is usually so warm and humid (here in South Africa) so I set the table up outside next to our old reclaimed window shutters where there is the most beautiful gentle breeze that comes up from the hill below.

Friends asked me if I made these dreamcatchers. I wish! I got them from Typo and plan to put them up in Ollie’s room once I’ve moved some furniture around. The whole set-up was quite symmetrical so I put hay bails either side of the table and put blankets/quilts on them for some comfy seating. We made tribal bunting to adorn the front of the table and placed a large wooden stump underneath. The gorgeous crocheted tablecloth was lent to me by my friend’s mom – thanks Norma! I just turned the tablecloth so that the corner draped over the front so you could still see most of the table front.

 

Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

Close-ups of my almost naked Carrot Cake. Oooh it was delicious.

Tribal Teepee First Birthday carrot cake

I also made these chocolate cupcakes just in case the bigger kids preferred chocolate over carrots (as in the carrot cake 🙂 which I guess was a no brainer, right? Chocolate vs Carrots? Topped with “arrow” toppers!

Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

I aptly called these macaroons “Stones” and they were a light yet delicious chocolate flavor!

These choc chip cookies were made by my party pal, Catherine. And how cute do they look in these little canoes???!

A bit of tribal vanilla fudge…

I have been wanting to experiment setting up parties with smaller tables. Usually we use a rather large trestle table and it means we have to fill it up with loads of food/sweets or decor and it can either look too cluttered or a little sad with gaps everywhere. I picked this little wooden table up at a second hand store and plan to use it a lot more for party set-ups. The backdrop was a team effort of cutting, placing and sewing and I think it turned out really well and was a refreshing change from a full fabric backdrop.Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

Say hello to my little boy Oliver. Ogha man don’t you just want to eat him up?! I do! We made this rustic teepee with an old A-frame kiddies tent I had in the garage. We used 3 of the wooden rods and weaved rope through the already pre-cut holes in the top to keep the pieces altogether, my hubby sharpened the ends and we poked them into the ground to give it stability and then draped it with some muslin-type cloth I found at the seconds fabric shop. We tied a sprig of lavender from my garden to the inside of the tent and lay out a blanhttps://blog.sunshineparties.comwp-admin/post.php?post=233&action=editket and some cushions.

Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

I had a lot of fun with creating the adult savory food table. I wanted something rustic and natural, in line with the theme so I made what some people call a Crostini bar although I just think of it as a colorful, healthy lunch table. Kind of bohemian in nature. I made potato wedges and some dips – roasted red pepper and macadamia nut, spring onion and creme fraiche and hummus. You’ll see I added cheeses and fruit to the table as well as grilled pita breads, bruschettas (crostinis), gherkins, peppadews, nuts, dried fruit and basil pesto.

I added some greenery from my garden….ah the scent of Lavender and Rosemary! As well as some local store-bought flowers.

Served with my vintage cutlery and ceramic spoon collection of course….for a rustic feel! 🙂

I had a complete fail moment when I cut fabric for the first backdrop by making the pieces too short ,so I just made a mini version and hung it above the drinks table! Solutions!! #neverthrowawayfabric. And we made a different tribal garland for the front of this table too! Talk about getting our craft on!!

Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

It says “Adventure!” #justincaseyoumissedit

Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

The pink lemonade called for a special name – summer mountain dew!

Just another snap of this photo…just because….it makes me happy!

Tribal Birthday Party Theme First

And there you have it, my Ollie’s first birthday party! I hope you got some ideas? If you like this party idea, you can buy the printable set from our right here .

The full printable party pack includes the following: 1. Themed Party Invitation (5.2″ x 7.0″) (Print two invitations per page) 2. 2″ Cupcake Toppers (make tags and labels with these too) 3. 3” Arrow Toppers 4. Decorative Food Labels (3.7″ x 4.7″) 5. Teepee/Triangle Food Labels (2.3″ x 2″) 4. Favor/Thank-you Tags (2″ x 4″) 6. ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ Banner (Each letter panel is 5.3″ x 6.2″ – All text is editable) 7. Arrow Garland 8. Triangle Garland 8. Mini Straw Flags 9. Water Bottle Labels (2”x7”) 10. 7” Cake Topper (Text is editable) 11. 5” 3D Teepee Cake Topper 12. Includes the matching back design (8.5”x11”) (For printing on the reverse of the invitation or crafting) 13. 3.5” Feathers for crafting 14. 3D Canoe Design Snack Holder.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE FULL PARTY SET