Wild One is a party I knew I wanted to throw for my little Arlo’s first birthday since they day he was born. I wanted something that captured his little wild personality and I liked the idea of the theme using the word “one” so I decided on a Wild One theme early on and let the planning begin. Of course I had to DIY it to keep the cost low and the cute factor high. For this DIY Wild One First Birthday Party I created my own DIY naked cake and cupcakes with boxed cake, and made a DIY banner, cupcake toppers and cake topper with my Silhouette machine. Here’s a peek into Arlo’s Wild One First Birthday to inspire your own wild little party!

Party Prep – Making the Wild One Naked Cake

First, I prepped with some easy baking. I whipped up a batch of cupcakes with my favorite boxed cake mix.

Using my Silhouette, I designed and cut out Wild One cupcake toppers and crowns. The words were cut on black cardstock, and the crowns were cut from gold cardstock. I frosted the cupcakes with a simple round tip using cream cheese frosting.

Free Wild One Printables / Cut Files

Click here to download these freebies I made to make your own cupcake toppers with your Silhouette!

I have also linked one below you can purchase as an alternative.

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Next, using another box of my favorite cake mix, I prepped a simple naked layer cake. I have a more detailed naked cake DIY tutorial HERE.

I just love the look of a frosted naked layered cake. And you don’t have to know how to frost perfectly (which I certainly do not)!

Once the cake was frosted, I gathered some fun decorations to add on. I found these faux leaves from the craft store and cut them into small segments to place around the cake. It took a few tries to find the right placement, but I think the end result turned out great! I also enlarged one of the cupcake toppers and one of the crowns with my Silhouette to fit the size of the cake. I glued the crown to the words to create this topper. You can play around with sizing, it doesn’t need to be exact! The greens on this cake were cut from the garland I used to decorate the food table. You can purchase this garland online, linked at the end of this post.

Here’s the cake all pretty and woodsy, set up on his highchair. The backdrop is a wood-like paper roll I found on Amazon. I hung it behind his chair to hide the background of the house.

To create the WILD ONE cake topper you can use the same file as the cupcake toppers. Scale them larger and glue the crown onto the letters as I have done above. I have also linked one below you can purchase as an alternative.

Party Prep – Wild One Sugar Cookies

Of course then I baked some sugar cookies and cut crowns and the number 1. I decided not to frost them since I wanted them to coordinate with the naked woodland look I had created with the cake and cupcakes (and because I was very tired from all the other baking I had already done. It’s totally ok to use shortcuts when you can!)

And no one year-old’s party is complete without snacks and drinks for the parents. After all, we are here to party, right? A few veggies, some store bought dips and guacamole, a couple bottles of wine from Trader Joe’s – and done! These little signs are just print outs I made and printed on dark green cardstock, and then I attached some leftover gold crowns from the cupcake toppers.

Setting up the dessert table is always my favorite party prepping job. I just love seeing all the little parts come together.

Setting up the Wild One Party

All these faux leaves can be found online, I have linked them at the bottom of this post.

Another little sign I printed out.

Aren’t these cupcakes just so cute on this tiered tray? These gold cupcake wrappers matched perfectly!

This banner was super easy to make. Cut all the shapes with your Silhouette, hole punch the banner, use a bit of twine – and done!

Free Printable Wild One Party Banner

Click here to download these freebies I made to make your own DIY Wild One Banner with your Silhouette!

Wild One Monthly Photo Idea

Every month I laid Arlo down on an inexpensive IKEA white rug and took a snapshot of him in just a pair of bottoms. I wanted to see the changes over the months in his cute chubby rolls, so I didn’t want to use a shirt to cover him up. Bottoms at least cover his diaper, and showcase a little bit of his style. I printed out the photos in a square format and then cut squares in coordinating colors (green, black, and kraft paper) with my Silhouette, and clipped them to some twine. After the party the photos went straight into his memory album.

Here’s a closer look at the monthly images. I used the Baby Pics App on my iPhone to add the month, height, and weight to each photo. Don’t worry if you miss a month, just average between the months you recorded. No one will care, especially your baby!

The greenery mixed with kraft paper, natural wood tones and a hint of gold worked so nicely together.

Where the Wild Things Are Keepsake Book Idea

As a keepsake, I found a hard copy of “Where the Wild Things Are.” I had each guest write a wish or a memory for Arlo inside. I just know this book will be a cherished possession of mine.

It was such a fun party, the sad part is knowing I won’t be having another little turning one. But at least I have the photos and memories of his birthday to cherish!

Wild One Cake Smash

And no first birthday is complete without a cake smash. The ONE balloon set was just the right size for the indoor photo shoot. This is how I set up the smash for his birthday, we used one of the cupcakes for the indoor photos and below is what I photographed outside with his big cake!

He smashed his cake outside where I snapped these adorable photos!

I hope you find inspiration for your little’s first birthday from this post. Remember, a party can be inexpensive and fun with just a little DIY magic and of course, your cute little baby!

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