Last week we shared Rebecca’s DIY garland tutorial and promised to share the adorable photos from her daughter’s first birthday party. Well here they are and they are undeniably sweet in every way.

As well as being a wedding photographer, Rebecca also owns Honeywell Bakes and so knows a thing or two about delicious treats. Her dessert bars are awesome and I would like one of everything, and possibly double helpings of ice cream.

Here are Rebecca’s tips and tricks for throwing an ice cream themed extravaganza.

Create an ice cream cone garland

I bought a honeycomb ball garland as the starting point but individual honeycomb balls would work well too. Make cones out of brown paper and stick on to the honeycomb balls using double sided tape or glue. The plastic cherries are from eBay but they look good without them as well.

Make-ahead ice cream balls

Ball ice cream the day before (or earlier) and freeze on baking trays. Freeze the baking tray first to keep the ice cream in neat balls, and don’t use soft scoop ice cream. I used Kelly’s Cornish ice cream.

Rustle up some rice crispy pops

Make a batch of marshmallow crispy cake and cut out the lolly shapes with a knife once set. Poke in lollipop sticks and dip the top in candy melts (coloured chocolate), sprinkle immediately with hundreds and thousands.

Add sparkle to straws

Using glitter tape, wrap over the straw and stick to itself. Then cut the end into a flag shape. You can also use washi tape and write messages on it for extra personalisation.

Go mini on the cake

There’s a family tradition of making tiny first birthday cakes in a sweetcorn tin! First line it with greaseproof paper and it makes a lovely mini cake.

Coat cones with chocolate

Melt chocolate in a mug in the microwave (on low/medium so it doesn’t burn). Dip the cones in the chocolate and sprinkle with hundreds and thousands, then place them in cups or shot glasses while the chocolate sets.

Rebecca got most of her party supplies from The Sweet Hostess but also visited the party aisle of both Tesco and Sainsbury’s too. Please feel free to drop a comment if you’d like to know the source of any of the party pieces and we’ll see what we can do.