Golden Book Baby Shower

You know what is hard for a party planner? Having someone else plan a party for you. Handing over the reigns can be very challenging, but so rewarding.  When I was pregnant with Little B I had already thrown 2 beautiful baby showers for my best friend.  I was tickled pink that she wanted to return the favor.  Because the gender of Little B was a surprise a gender neutral shower was a little more challenging. I gave her a few links to ideas that I liked and then stepped back and was surprised when I walked in that afternoon.

I am pleased to present my Golden Books Gender Neutral Baby Shower!!


          
 

Inspiration and printed party supplies from Aesthetic Nest

Shabby Chic Tea Baby Shower

I was honored to be able to plan and host a baby shower for my very best friend.  She is expecting her second little boy, so early in the planning we decided it would be a small intimate affair at a local garden restaurant. 

As guests sat down they were greeted with a packet. I found an adorable poem:

Inside the packet was a few games for the guests to play while we waited for lunch to arrive.  There was a celebrity baby matching game and a fill in the blank “mother” game.  Since we were not playing for prizes I included the answers at the back of the packet. The best part of the packet was the labor story mad lib game that I found.  The mom-to-be actually collected the stories at the end because they were so funny.

I knew that the tables would be small, so I made a small topiary for each table and limited the “extras” to a water bottle and favor.  We did bring our own tablecloths.  The ones at the restaurant are a fruit pattern that didn’t match my color scheme.

The water bottle labels were very simple and only said “Welcome Baby Ben”

The favors were little boxes that I cut out of kraft paper with my Cricut.  I attached a teacup to each favor and instructed guests to write their name on them to be used during the drawing for door prizes. The candy inside was a miniature Take 5 bar – the Mom-to-be’s favorite candy bar.

     

The shower was exactly what I had hoped for, a small quite affair that honored the Mom-to-be.  The best part was that there was very little clean up!  That is always my least favorite part of any shower.

Very Adorable Baby Shower

This Saturday afternoon I attended a baby shower for a friend at church.  The ladies that put the shower together did a GREAT job putting together a “Very Hungry Caterpillar” baby shower for the mom to be.  I don’t have any pictures from the actual party, so I decided to put together an inspiration board based on the ideas the ladies used at the event and some extras I thought would be fun to incorporate.
 
sources:
Food Display Signs
Table Decorations/Centerpieces
Lollipop Favor
caterpillar quilt
Fruit and Cheese Snack
Spinach Dip
Mini Cherry Cheesecake Tarts
Cake
Lantern Caterpillar
Diaper Cake

DIY: Record Bowls

These were so simple to make and I really had to control myself to not make more then I needed. I took some pictures of the process and put together a quick tutorial.

First preheat the oven to 200.
Place an oven safe bowl (I used a metal bowl) upside down on top of a cookie sheet.


Place the record on top of the bowl and put in the oven. It doesn't take long for the record to heat up and begin to droop.

At this point it is a matter of preference and how you want your bowl to look. You can pull it out, shape, put it back in and shape some more. I used an oven mitt to create my folds. If you don't like how it is forming, just stick it back in the oven and let it heat up again. You can make your changes over and over till you are happy with the shape. It cools rather quickly once removed from the oven.

I liked how my scalloped edges came out and it wasn't hard to make at all. Give it a try!

Over the next few weeks I will be making more for a special ladies 25th Birthday concert at our house. I think they will fit the scene perfectly and will hold some snacks for the occasion.

DIY: Tissue Paper Pom-Poms

We've all seen these cute little balls floating above party tables.

So I found a tutorial by Martha Stewart and began making some.
First, fold your tissue.

I used 8 sheets for the large one, 6 sheets for the smaller ones. For the large ones fold full size sheets. For the medium size I cut the full size sheets in half and for the smaller ones I cut the half sheets in half again. Once you have your fans folded cut wire to wrap at the center of your fan.

Once secure, cut your ends. Some cut points and others round the ends. I chose to round mine. With 8 sheets it is rather thick so I made my cuts by taking a few folds at a time. Once done I was able to trim so they were all even. The medium and smaller ones weren't so bad to cut.

With that done, you are ready to fluff. Be careful as the tissue tears easily. Start with one side and make your center. Pull it up and out carefully. The next layers fan around the center. Turn it over and do the other side the same way. I learned that by how you placed your wire determined how they hang. I like the wire coming out the center of one side. If you place it on the side, your pom-pom will look like the one on the left of our beverage table. I guess it's a matter of preference, so play around with it.

I used two mediums and 2 small to transform our chandelier over the table.

I added raffia to cover the wire and pink daisy's to accent. It still needed something else so I took some ribbon, tied it to a rubber band stretched between the chair.

Once I had them tied on I bunched them up.

I then tied the two ends of the rubber band around the top of the chandelier and let the ribbons drape down.

It really created a very beautiful table.

Rock Baby, BaBy-Q Shower

This shower was a challenge. Our son didn't want us to go all out, but my daughter and I just can't seem to do anything simple. You may remember that we started collection our inspiration and planning out the party. This week you have also seen some of the DIY projects we worked on before the shower. Here is your first look at how everything came together.

The Candy Buffet was my favorite as it was with all the kids in attendance. The kids were all really good about not putting their fingers in the candy jars. I can't say the same thing for my sons! As we started setting up where the candy buffet would be set up I thought I was running out of table space. Then I remember this 2 tiered corner table my husband made me. It fits perfectly under the three windows in the corner of my dining room. It was originally made for my Christmas village, but it is the perfect table for our candy buffet.
For the back drop behind the table I used the comforter from the nursery bedding's the mom to be had picked out. I also used dollar store table covers to drape the table. (Goal-to someday make covers for this table that can be used over and over again)

We started prepping the candy jars and the treats between other family events during the 3 days before the baby shower. I love how the chocolate marshmallow's came out.

Amber made all the candy labels that coordinated perfectly with the invitation she designed.

I also love the record bowls that held the pop rocks.

One thing I would have changed is the size of my table. We had it extended prior for all the family dinners. I think if we had taken out the leaf, the table would have looked a bit better.

I love how the diaper cake came together and was the perfect centerpiece on the sweets table.

I can't say I am in love with our outside table. I love the album place mats. Amber made both the record labels and water bottle labels (she is so talented). I had planned to add raffia, rolled utensils and a few other embellishments but the wind was not working with us. Plus, for the first time in all my party planning, I didn't create a centerpiece. How did that happen?

I loved how the beverage table turned out though. This arch has been used for Amber's wedding, our 1st annual Halloween Boo Bash and now the baby shower. It is so simple to change out the flowers for any occasions. Something we will be using again this Halloween and for a friends 25th Birthday a few week before.