Vintage Woodland Baby Shower

I'm not saying, I'm just saying...the photos don't do the event justice. I had a local florist create a flower arrangement accented with lace and twine, placed on a nice hardwood table with a lace burlap runner...but I forgot to take a photo!

Anyway, last month I put together a baby shower. And now the little bundle of love has arrived! Baby boy is a much loved young man. And so is his mother. And that is the point...don't overlook the mother when planning a baby shower! We greeted her with a custom handmade felt corsage (courtesy of Grandma-to-be) made to look like her favorite flower, Camellia.




Guests were welcomed with a walkway of "frozen balloons".

http://queenvannacreations.com/blog//2012/02/01/ice-ballons/

Believe it or not, I didn't go with blue simply because the baby was going to be a boy. I chose the blue color (which is a bit turquoise actually) because it is the mother's favorite color & it was going to be the paint color in the nursery.

Once inside everyone "signed the guest book" by placing a finger print (leaf) on the family tree (this was a family event) and signing their name on that leaf. The painting was also custom, done on canvas by another Grandmother-to-be. Aren't I a lucky gal to have such talented family?!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17170042303674454/

Guests were invited to partake in a mimosa bar (including a non-alcoholic version for the mother-to-be & anyone else who'd prefer it). They chose from OJ, Mango OJ, Pineapple OJ, and a California Sparkling White Wine as well as one from Spain, and sparkling cider. Garnished with a skewer of fresh blackberries & raspberries.

Part way through the day I noticed that not much of the juice was gone, and I thought that was odd being nearly everyone had a glass & some had more than one. Then it hit me, the champagne bottles were much less full!



My favorite decor item was the scrabble style baby blocks I had made on Etsy. They spelled out BABY BOY, but also when you turn them around they spell out the baby's last name! That way the baby can use them/have them up in his room as he gets older too.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/17170042303674420/

Why scrabble? Scrabble is a bit of a family tradition, including being used creatively when the parents-to-be got engaged & when they announced they were pregnant!

We enjoyed a nice brunch including two types of mini quiche! And of course some sweets. I was lucky enough to have some experienced bakers in the family that helped make my ideas a reality!

The cookies are Sand Dollars, and that is relevant because the parents-to-be used to live in South Carolina and walk the beaches there collecting sand dollars. The balls are Buckeyes which is significant because the dad-to-be's family is from Ohio and that is the "Buckeye State". Plus they're simply delicious (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate)! Like I stated earlier, make it about the mother-to-be. Special touches make it...special.

We played a couple silly games, but my favorites were the quiz style questionnaires. I did a little research by asking each parent-to-be a few questions like their favorite colors, ideal vacation, how many kids they wanted to have etc. I also asked the grandmothers-to-be to provide little known memories about the parents-to-be. Like things they were caught doing as toddlers, and at what age they reached milestones as babies etc. It was fun.

Then we hit up the mimosa bar & dessert tray before opening gifts. I happened to know that the parents-to-be were pretty much set as far as baby gear and clothes, so I thought books would be the next best thing for them to stock up on. On the invite I asked guests to consider purchasing a book instead of a greeting card, writing a neat note inside the book which would be seen each time the book was read as the child grew up.

Note the Darth Vader And Son book...I added a teeny bow tie as a gift to daddy-to-be who is a big Star Wars fan.

I also came across a cute print, done by a local illustrator, of animals marching along with books. I thought it could be hung in the nursery near the bookshelf.

-side note- The mother-to-be actually called me about a week before the shower and mentioned that they had most-everything they felt they needed and would love books if anyone was looking for gift ideas.

Now time for cake! I bet you're wondering where the woodland part of the theme is and perhaps why it's relevant. I didn't want to over do it with matchy-matchy store-bought cardboard garland with printed animals on it etc, so I took a more subtle approach with the stuffed owl next to the baby blocks, the family tree painting, the book print, and...the cake!

Is this not the most adorable baby shower cake? I like to call it a "Parents-to-be Cake". I was inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest of a similar cake that is called an Easter Cake. But instead that cake had one large nest hole in the middle and is filled with tons of tiny Robins Egg candies, and there are no birds on top.

No, I did not decorate nor bake this beauty. I'm more an idea gal. Once again, I'm lucky enough to have super talented people in my life. In this case, my neighbor. I told her what I wanted and showed her the birds & egg, and she knocked it out of the park! It was a delicious 3 layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. HOMEMADE cake & frosting! The mother-to-be is all about chocolate, and so were the guests (who isn't).

All in all, it was a good time had by all!