Little Gentelman "Rat Pack" Birthday Party

This party was thrown for my little guy, Grayson. We thought it would be fun to take a sophisticated 1960's Rat Pack gentleman theme and give it whimsical features fit for a first birthday. 

The bubble pipe we used through out the party was a perfect example of this! For the dessert table we created a tufted leather backdrop to fit over the TV space in our entertainment center. (A DIY tutorial can be found oun our blog for making this backdrop http://honeycomb-events.blogspot.com/2012/01/diy-tufted-leather-board.html). The patterns, houndstooth and plaid, were carried throughout including the cupcake wrappers, decorated cookies, adorable printables and custom made bow ties.

Upon arrival the little guests went to the "grooming station" and were fitted with a bow tie. Then they grabbed a sign with "Rules of a Gentelman" and acted them out while posing for the camera. It was great to see how boys and girls alike loved dressing up in bow ties and acting sophisticated! We also created a drinks station where guests were encouraged to mix up fun concoctions like Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers. Kids and adults alike had a great time sipping drinks out of brandy glasses and paper straws, feeling very dapper! We also wrapped vintage soda bottles with custom labels, paper straws, and a party label.  

The dessert table was fashioned after a gentlemen's conservatory, with built in bookshelves and leather tufted backdrop. We hand painted the beautiful sign too. We topped off each candle holder with a bow tie and a scrumptious cupcake. Guests helped themselves to spectacularly detailed bow tie and bubble pipe cookies. We wrapped brownies in craft paper and twine for an old-fashioned feel. And of course cake pops, can't forget these treats striped in chocolate plaids. Did you notice that the tablecloth is a pipe pattern? No detail is overlooked.

The favors had customized labels sewn onto muslin bags and included a bubble pipe and vintage candies. We had a fantastic time throwing this party and hope you will enjoy it also!

Check out our printables for this party on Etsy, and you too can have a little gentleman birthday bash!

DIY: Tufted Leather Board

Jennifer's little boy is turning 1 this week. In preparation for his little gentlemen's birthday party, we created this tufted backdrop for the dessert table. This can easily translate into a very inexpensive headboard. We went with leather, but if you go with more inexpensive fabric, you can create this same look for under $50.

The raw materials you'll need. Use any 1/4" plywood, you'll cover it up, so what does it matter if it's pine or not. This is when you can go cheap and save some money.

2. Mark where your holes for each button will go, and choose the pattern. Generally speaking, the bigger the buttons, the bigger the space you'll need between them, so the less you'll need.

3. Drilling takes the least amount of time in this entire process.

4. Cut the 1 inch foam to lay over the plywood, edge to edge.

5. I didn't glue or attach the foam to the board. I simply flipped the board and foam over onto the back side of the fabric.

6. Flap over one side of the fabric and staple every six inches.

7. Continue with the opposite side by pulling the fabric over very tightly and staple. Tighter than you think, especially with fabrics that stretch. Continue with the two other sides. 

8. Poke a hole through the fabric and feed the threaded ribbon through the fabric, foam and board.

9. Staple down one half of the ribbon, then pull the other half of the ribbon taught, even pushing in the button on the opposite side to create a tight hold, then staple down the other half of the ribbon. 

10. Repeat for all buttons.

You'll see the rest when we share Grayson's Gentleman Party pics.