Ski into Three: Mia's Après Ski Birthday Party

I started with a design mood board, just like I used to do with all my invitation clients, so I could set the tone for everything and pull from a cohesive color palette. It's really all about creating a "vibe" more than copying-and-pasting ideas.

I didn’t want to go full rustic lodge—as cozy as plaid and pinecones are, I was looking for something lighter, more colorful, and unexpected. Instead of the usual woodsy aesthetic, I drew inspiration from alpenglow—that dreamy, purple-reddish hue the mountains reflect at sunset. That became the foundation for the color palette, blending purples and oranges with pops of retro ski magic to create an Après Three party that felt fresh and totally Mia.Thanks to an Elsa obsession, she loves snowflakes so I wanted to incorporate those, and of course, lots of sparkle. 

You know me—I’ll take any excuse to send out old-school, hold-it-in-your-hands paper invites! For Mia’s Après Three bash, I painted a little ski scene for the main invitation, and if you’re a real one, you might recognize the ski lodge from the North Pole map. (Yes, I recycled my own artwork, and yes, I am proud of it.) It was also inspired by Molly Green’s at Brighton, so it felt like a full-circle moment to use that illustration for this party.

For the backer, I created a made-up logo for Brighton Ski Resort—the fictional/non-fictional resort this party was based on—and let’s just say, it quickly became the unofficial branding of the entire event. (We love a good branding moment.) Then, for the envelope liner, I went with a little snow flurry pattern and took it up a notch by adding actual snowflake confetti inside, so when guests opened their invites, it would literally start snowing. I did this for our Christmas cards one year, and, let’s just say not everyone appreciated an unexpected glitter bomb. But you know what, that’s just not my problem because it’s a VIBE, okay? (Email me if you want to be on my Christmas mailing list…who knows what I’ll send next!)

Ahem, anyway, so to top it all off, I included the most darling little lift tickets—one per guest—because what’s a ski party without lift tickets?! When these came together, I nearly passed out from excitement. LIFT TICKETS!! FOR A SKI PARTY!! I was screaming. (Still am, honestly.)

The screaming continued with my next idea: turning my hutch into a “window.” (Because what’s an après ski lodge without a dreamy mountain view, right?) I wanted it to feel like we were all cozied up inside, sipping cocoa, looking out at the slopes. So, I took the artwork from the invitation and had it printed in four sections that I then “expertly installed” (read: aggressively taped up with painter’s tape). Sidenote: This party was unofficially sponsored by painter’s tape. And thumbtacks. Lots of thumbtacks. But hey, it worked, and honestly, it turned out SO good that I might just leave it up all year.

For the cake table, I was totally stumped on what to do for the wall that didn’t compete with the hutch artwork or felt too piece-y. And then, in the middle of my design dilemma, I literally turned my head and spotted the perfect solution staring at me from Mia’s play area. This gorgeous Lindsay Letters painting! My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas one year, and it’s one of my absolute favorite pieces because I just love snowy trees. It was perfect. I strung up several strands of my go-to tinsel fringe garland behind it to amp up the party vibes and mimic the shape of mountains. I also hung up scarves, gloves and goggles to make it feel like a real lodge and bring in some of the cozy knit texture.

I had a lot of fun designing the trail maps signs too. Each trail run name was a nod to a Mia story, which made for a great conversation starter! I really love making things as personal as possible, and of course no ski lodge is complete without an abundance of trail run signage.

To keep things feeling wintery without accidentally slipping into Christmas territory, I scattered bottlebrush trees and sparkly white and silver trees throughout the party space.( I basically just tried to avoid ornaments, stars, and classic green Christmas trees.) For the final touch, I put on some classic ski films on our TV.

Oh, the tablescape—the pièce de résistance of any party, in my opinion! I had these wildly ambitious plans to hand-paint a brand-new table runner AND custom trail map placemats. But, in classic Cami fashion, I was completely delulu thinking I could pull that off during the chaos of the holidays. Between the nonstop shop shipping, decking the halls, and making our own family memories, I always forget that Mia’s January birthday sneaks up real darn fast. (If only birthdays happened on the same day every year and I planned ahead. What a concept!)

So, I pivoted and ended up using my Lilac Stripe Table Runner, which funnily enough, I originally designed for her first birthday party. I paired it with my Snowy Trees Placemats (because, again, I am nothing if not consistent in my love of snowy trees), and the combo turned out to be chef’s kiss perfect for the color palette.

For the plates, I went full-on layering mode—because if there’s one party styling trick I swear by, it’s stacking different-sized plates. Not only does it make your table look effortlessly chic, but also, bonus: extra plates lying around when someone inevitably wants seconds (or thirds). I stacked iridescent snowflake plates on top of poppy coral plates, with purple checker plates as chargers. The mix of colors and patterns brought that retro ski lodge feel I was going for.

Then, the details—because the details are where the magic happens! My Ski Bunny Stir Sticks were the perfect little nod to the theme, bringing a bit of après-ski flair to the drinks. For the centerpiece, I got creative and used a thrifted vintage fondue pot to hold fresh flowers. Now, let’s talk about that fondue pot. Originally, I had this grand vision of serving actual fondue because, obviously, nothing screams après-ski quite like a steaming pot of melty cheese. But then, the tiny ding ding ding of logic set in, and I realized that maybe—just maybe—piping hot pots of cheese weren’t the best idea for a toddler birthday party. (I mean, I love a party theme, but I draw the line at potential third-degree burns.) I went with flowers instead. #momoftheyear

I also mixed in our Pink Striped Pitcher and some of my favorite thrifted mugs. And let’s talk one of my fun finds—these ceramic snow boots I found at Goodwill. They were probably supposed to be rain boots, but to me, they looked like the cutest little winter boots. So naturally, they became my utensil holders.

To really drive home the ski theme, I sprinkled in tiny ski figurines all over the table and added chair lift ornaments that I snagged for cheap.(Never underestimate the power of a post-holiday sale!) I did have grander plans of constructing some sort of elaborate chair lift installation, but let’s be real—I ran out of time. So these mini lifts were the next best thing. Party planning for me basically turns into an episode of a cooking show where I’m frantically throwing ingredients together until someone yells, “YOUR TIME IS UP!” aka when the first guest rings the doorbell. It’s a blessing and a curse.

For Mia’s birthday cake, I had one goal: a snow-covered mountain masterpiece. At first, I figured I’d just order one from a local bakery, but then I made the mistake of scrolling through Pinterest and convinced myself, I can totally do this. Plus I really do love any excuse to bake and cover my kitchen in powdered sugar.

I went with this sturdy chocolate cake recipe because my biggest concern was ending up with a lopsided hill instead of a proper mountain. I baked three layers, but then I randomly wandered into Michaels for last-minute party browsing and found a half-sphere cake mold that was perfect for creating a mountain top! I feel like I’ll get a lot of use out of this actually…highly recommend having one in your kitchen!

The real challenge? Frosting. My first attempt was quite sad (turns out, under-whipped butter makes for some truly glue-like icing), but ironically, it helped hold the layers together and tasted delish, so I just rolled with it. I did a crumb coat, popped the whole thing in the freezer overnight, and hoped for the best.

The next day, I called in backup—aka Papa G.—because I was too scared to carve the cake, and he also moonlights as a wood carver so this was right up his alley. (Also, remind me to show y’all the possum cake he made for a church potluck once. It’s a long story.) Pop had done a quick little sketch of the mountain shape for our cake, and I think carving the cake will be one of my favorite memories!! It worked perfectly!

For the final layer of frosting, I tried a trick I saw on TikTok: whipping the butter for 20 minutes to get it extra white and fluffy. It actually worked! Once the cake was covered, I dusted it with powdered sugar and shimmer sugar for that fresh-snow look and added the mini skiers and trees. And just like that, we had a ski mountain cake. One final touch, a Brighton Ski resort sign and a 3 candle.

Our party guests kept asking where I got it, and I loved being able to say, “Oh, Papa G. and I made it.” Definitely one of my favorite details of the whole party—and I have to say, it was darn delicious too.

For cookies, I gave Royally Iced a moodboard to run with, and OMG, I just love everything she came up with! Honestly half the cookies disappeared before I even got a photo, which is my bad for being a bad party paparazzi. Let's just say they were a hit. And of course, Papa G. made his signature bear cookies, with a special pink bear just for the party girl.

The decor needed to have skis—non-negotiable. We have plenty of snowboards in this house, but they just didn’t fit the vision. So, naturally, I started stalking Facebook Marketplace because, of course, I was going to buy used skis purely for aesthetic purposes. But after way too much scrolling, I had a realization: it would actually be easier (and way cheaper) to just make them instead of driving halfway across the county and dropping $$$ on real ones. (Why am I like this?)

And you know what’s even easier than me making them? Pop making them. So yes, Papa G to the rescue again! (Bless him, truly.)

Now, here’s the best part—you will not believe what we made them from or how cheap it was. Each ski? About 50 cents. We used those tri-fold cardboard science fair boards, and each one made 12 skis (or 6 sets). Pop and I painted them all, and they turned out so cute—the perfect touch for our little ski lodge setup and the “ski rack” on the hot cocoa bar.

Then, in a classic me move, I had the best/worst idea the day before the party: What if the kids could decorate their own skis at a ‘Ski Tune-Up Shop’? Poor Pop had to cut out 12 more sets of skis. We ended up making 24 sets total. We really are a dangerous duo. Meanwhile, my mom and Nana just sat back and watched us lose our minds running a full-blown ski shop in the playroom, and Mia thought the party had already started. I absolutely loved how they turned out!! They really made the party in my opinion.

Once the party got going, I made Alex get on the roof and set up a snow machine because OF COURSE, I needed snow for this party. It was a HIT, and everyone loved the surprise!! My only regret is not getting a photo of all the kids pretending to ski on their creations in the snow, but with all the excitement, it was too hard to coordinate. I mean, it got crazy there for a minute....we even had a little party guest fall in the pool. That's how you know it was a rager. 

It’s not apres without a hot chocolate bar, so I made a self-serve station with all the toppings (including snowflake marshmallows) for guests to enjoy. I printed an actual trail map of the real Brighton (I added some pink stars to it to make it feel more girly) and designed a “Tips Up” sign to replace the hanging artwork on the wall. And of course, I added a Hot Cocoa Party Pennant, just with a slight color adjustment because I didn’t want the red since again, CHRISTMAS.

I really wanted to serve pizza and French fries (get it??) but the party was at 10 a.m. so we had a light brunch spread instead with croissants (Mia’s fave), quiche, etc. I honestly kept the food super simple since it was earlier in the day. I also added the Snow Report sign here with the base being Mia’s height. I thought that was a super cute detail! 

I kept the party favors simple but totally on theme—because let’s be honest, kids mostly just care about grabbing the first shiny thing they see. I started with simple iridescent gift bags and dressed them up with custom wax seals from Sia and Capri, each one different for a fun elevated touch. A little white sparkle tissue paper for that fresh snow look, and boom—chic ski swag bags.

Inside, I went for a mix of fun and functional (aka things that wouldn’t immediately disappear under the couch). Light-up snowballs were a must—they were a hit in the shop this year, and the kids went nuts for them. I love that they look and feel like real snowballs with texture! I also added tiny acrylic ski keychains and snowflake rings, per my accessory queen's request.

were a must—they were a hit in the shop this year, and the kids went nuts for them. I also added tiny acrylic ski keychains for a little keepsake moment and snowflake rings, because Mia and her tiny guests love a little sparkle.

Mia had about eight outfit changes for her party because, you know, she's a three-year-old fashion icon. The original vision was full-on apres-ski vibes—cozy sweaters, furry boots, the whole winter chic moment. I found the cutest pink Nordic-style sweater with a little ski-inspired pattern (you know, the ones that make you look like you belong in Aspen). I paired it with shiny silver leggings that I 100% wished came in my size but also knew would only look adorable on a toddler. And the final touch—fluffy white snow boots with little bow accents. I mean, come on. (Hats were involved but didn’t survive the party.)

Then, of course, Papa G had to outdo me. He hand-painted a custom ski scene sweatshirt for Mia, featuring her skiing at Brighton Resort, complete with a little “3” for her age and an 240’ elevation sign, which is a little inside joke because when we play store with Mia, her prices are always “$2.40” for everything. Oh, and he hid her name and an extra “3” in the snow shadows. Casual. Just a priceless, custom-painted heirloom sweater. The usual. (We are building an entire closet of hand-painted Papa G. shirts that I will treasure forever.)

And mom gets her moment too, don’t worry. I thrifted a cool purple/turquoise snowflake sweater but decided my pink moon boot dupes (aka the Target versions because the real ones cost, like, $300) needed a top that matched better so I found this SKI one instead. You guys roasted me for these boots on Instagram until you saw the party mood board, and then realized you could never doubt me again. The pink sweater is a Show Me Your Mumu dupe (which I totally would have bought if they had my size) that I found on Amazon at the last-minute. Oh, and I got Mia a little fuzzy snowflake purse to match her boots too.

I love dressing to match the party theme because it's just an extra layer of fun! If you don’t have the occasion, make the occasion—so you can dress for it.

I hope you enjoyed this little recap of this Mia's Aprés Three ski birthday party! Here's to another year of celebrating our sweetest girl! God has truly blessed us, and we are so thankful for all He has given our family. 

Here is the list of where you can grab all the fun stuff I used for her party! Almost everything is from right here in the shop! I truly love and use all of the products I bring in from other small makers...I hope you find something you love too!