How I Made My Kid’s First Birthday Plate (And Almost Lost My Mind in the Process)

For my little one’s first birthday, we had a cake smash planned, and naturally, I thought, “Why not make a plate for it too?” I pinned ideas for weeks on my Pinterest board—birthday shenanigans galore—and tried to assess my own artistic ability… which, let’s be honest, is low. Like, stick-figure-with-a-twist kind of low. My usual go-to is anything stencil-based or super easy.

So for this project, I relied on tape. Yes, tape. The unsung hero of DIY projects everywhere.

I headed to my favorite shop to pick out a plate and my paint colors. Green was the obvious choice since he has a green-themed room—and full disclosure, it’s my favorite color too. That decided, I got to work. Side note: this was back when Taylor Swift was in Europe on her Eras Tour, so naturally, I watched a livestream while painting. Multitasking, anyone?

Not gonna lie, I was terrified of ruining the plate. My first real step was using tape to make straight lines, which helped guide my admittedly shaky hands. Impatience quickly set in when it came to waiting for the paint to dry between coats—but I soldiered on. After tackling the candles, I filled in the cake a bit and added a border with alternating greens.

Here’s my biggest tip: just go for it. It doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact, the imperfections are kind of part of the charm. The best part? This plate was made entirely from love… and a little bit of panic.

When I finally finished, I stepped back, smiled, and realized that maybe my artistic skills weren’t as important as the memory I’d just made. And that’s what really matters.

Watch my process!