Baby showers might very well be my favorite kind of party. There is so much excitement and love in the air. A baby shower has multiple (unofficial) guests of honor and there are so many opportunities to create special touches. There is always laughter, often tears and usually really great food. Plus who doesn’t love watching the mom-to-be open tiny pairs of socks!? I created this boho baby shower to give you some ideas for the next party you have to throw. I’ve also created a fun DIY for word streamers, which let you hang messages as part of your decor. And of course they involve balloons. It’s not a party until there are balloons. AND THERE’S MORE! I’m giving away a huge boho baby shower hostess prize package of all my favorite entertaining items!
A Baby Shower Playlist for Melissa!
Surprise!!! Today is a surprise online virtual baby shower for my dear friend Melissa, of Melissa Creates! She’s expecting her first sweet baby in February and I couldn’t be happier for her! She’s going to make the best mom ever and I can’t wait to see her raise this little guy (a boy!)! Carmen and I gathered some friends to help celebrate Melissa since we are spread out all over the United States and couldn’t attend her real shower. I hope you’ll hop around and check out all their fabulous posts!
Carmen and I talked a little bit about what the shower should look like. I knew that I wanted the theme to be this song lyric from Paramore, one of Melissa’s favorite bands. We quickly discussed colors and then Carmen took that information and passed it along to Sarah, of Sarah Hearts, who created what is my most favorite baby shower invitation ever which was also used at a real baby shower held in Melissa’s honor. We’re just going to ignore my remedial Photoshop job of hiding important info…
The other gals will be sharing a variety of things from gift down downloads to printable quotes to cocktail recipes. I’ll have links to each gal at the end of the post!
If I got to throw Melissa a real life shower, this is what it would look like. I took my cues from the invitation and pulled out some “boy” colors and mixed them with some brighter, spring-like colors. I’d set out an iced tea bar (full post on this coming soon to Babyshower.com – I’ll link up when it’s live) but have a special cup for the guest of honor. And while some people won’t be drinking, I’d make sure there is a little something special for the people who want to.
For the food, I’d keep it really simple. I’d serve snacky foods, because who doesn’t love snacks? Popcorn is always a hit. And my fave goat cheese appetizer never disappoints. And when you have Firefly Confections doing your favors, you better order some extra to have out on the tables. Sandy’s caramels are so stop you in your tracks delicious that EVERY single person will be talking about them. No exaggeration. And Sandy might be one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I’d round out the food with a delicious dessert and maybe a salad of some kind. Maybe. Salad just isn’t that exciting.
It’s not a party without confetti but I like to keep it a little bit more contained. Confetti is a great way to add color to a party table no matter how you use it. So I try to keep the mess down by keeping most of it in a vessel like this cup or even in small glass baby food jars. I like fun. Just controlled fun.
(confetti from The Flair Exchange)
I always do a treat favor at my parties. I’ve found guests love them especially because they know they don’t have to feel bad for throwing a tchotchke away. Most ladies will take their favor and say they are on a diet but you know they eat it the minute they get to the car. What’s even better is that these came ready to go, including gift tags so I it didn’t add to my work load. Reach out to Sandy to coordinate your next party favors. She’s amazing to work with and also a friend of Melissa’s. Favors are a great way to also play up personality traits of the guest of honor. If we had had more time, Sandy would have made butterbeer flavored caramels since Melissa is a huge Harry Potter fan. It’s all about making her feel extra special, right? And are you seeing a pattern? It would appear, from reading this post, that I’m pretty lazy about my party throwing. And that assessment wouldn’t be wrong…But trust me if I was throwing this for Melissa for real, she would feel the love. But I do not show my love through making layer cakes and scratch baked goods…Or even ironed tablecloths. :)
(Sea Salt Caramel Favors from Firefly Confections)
And because Melissa and I share a love of music, I decided that my contribution would be a baby shower playlist. To help me, I brought in another music loving friend of ours, Amy Belle Isle, to create the playlist with me. Amy and I met online when she had her own party planning blog. She has since left to work on event planning full-time for a non-profit but she has always kept in touch and supported us bloggers so I wanted to make sure she had a way to show Melissa the love also. We hope you enjoy it!
Baby Shower Playlist for your ear holes:
Small Bump by Ed Sheeran
Now is the Start by A Fine Frenzy
Blood by Osca
Holding On by Fyfe
Happy by Never Shout Never
Crazy by Daniela Andrade
Stolen Dance by Milky Chance
Sweet Pea by Amos Lee
Touch by Troye Sivan
Ain’t it Fun by Paramore
Beggin’ for Thread by Banks
Don’t Swallow the Cap by The National
I Do Adore by Mindy Gledhill
Hold On, We’re Going Home by Drake
Stay Up Late by Talking Heads
Head to Melissa’s site to see why we love her!
Attend the whole online shower!
The Flair Exchange // A Fabulous Fete
Aimee Broussard // Brave Creative Design
Casa de Crews // Giggles Galore
Kori Clark Designs // Live the Fancy Life
Sarah Hearts // Thoughtfully Simple
Visit Firefly Confections for all your caramel needs!
Operation Shower with Heidi Klum and Babies R Us
Early last week I was very luck to be able to spend a few days up at Universal Studios volunteering for Operation Shower. If you are not familiar with this fantastic organization, they travel the country and throw baby showers for military moms-to-be. They shower them with love and gifts and give them the most amazing memories. This was the largest shower they have thrown to date thanks to the generous support of Babies R Us and Heidi Klum. We spent one whole day on set up – crafting and decorating under the direction of Jenn from Hostess with the Mostess (sweetest, most talented party gal ever). And day two found us welcoming the moms and their guests and helping with whatever they needed.
Post by Operation Shower.
I am so grateful that I could be apart of this amazing experience. Amy and the rest of the gals that work tirelessly to put on these events always do a remarkable job. These ladies are only able to do what they do because of donations. You may remember I mentioned Amazon Smile around the holidays. By selecting Operation Shower as your charity of choice, a percentage of your eligible purchases gets donated back to them. And it is super easy to set up. Just search and select “Operation Shower” (NOT Operation Shower of Appreciation – no idea what that is).
This shower was designed by Jenn with a fabulous dessert area created by the adorable Marie of Sweets Indeed. It was so much fun to get to spend some time with the other fantastic volunteers but I especially love watching the moms-to-be get spoiled.
You can see more about my last Operation Shower experience here.
Above photo by Maria Healey Photography. See the rest of the event photos on the Operation Shower Facebook page.
I’m not sure who did the video but will update as soon as I find out.
Party Details:
Graphic Design, Paper Party Details, and Printing: Hostess INK
Photography: Nicole Benitez and Maria Healey
Photography: Nicole Benitez and Maria Healey
Linens: Wildflower Linen
Floral Design: Empty Vase
Candy: Candy Galaxy
Helium: Balloon Time
Sweets Station: Sweets Indeed
Sweet! Austin Sugarworks
I was just cleaning up my desk top and found these photos that I never posted! It was hard for me to meet everyone who attended the Dreamers In To Doers event in New York earlier this year, so it was as I was going through the gift bag where I really saw who was there with me. I was in love with Austin Sugarworks the minute I laid eyes on the adorable sculpted sugar rose!
I checked out the rest of the site and was so excited about these adorable sugars. I have not had a chance to order any yet but the top of my wish list is the ginger flavored lion head sugars! Head to the site to check out all the fun sugars. How cute would these be for a coffee or champagne cocktail bar at a special event!
Like Austin Sugarworks on Facebook
Operation Shower – A Recap. Finally.
I am so grateful and lucky to have been apart of the Operation Shower that took place back in January during the PGA tour stop at Torrey Pines. I have been wanting to work with Operation Shower for a while and when this opportunity came up I jumped at the chance. The cool part about this particular event was that each table was to be designed by a different party designer or blogger. How fun is that!?! The other extra special exciting part was that Pottery Barn Kids had just released a new line of decor and we got to see it before it got released to the public and use it in our table decor!
Set up day was absolutely miserable. It was super windy and rainy and as you can tell from our table placement, we were pretty much getting soaked and had to keep setting up the table after the wind continually blew it over. We finally had to store it all under the table and reset it the morning of the event. It was super fun to have Dez and Tam there taking pictures of all the set up and getting acquainted of new and old friends. 
So in carting all of this stuff down to San Diego from Orange County, I forgot to bring my camera along! I used my iphone and borrowed Tori’s camera to get detail pics of our table. Thanks, Tori!!! We were all given the theme for the shower and given custom party printables created by Paper and Cake for the event. From there it was up to us to decide what the table looked like. Lauren and I set out to keep the table pretty neutral with pops of fun colors. I love how our table turned out. There were tons of diy elements to it but I think the overall look was still really classy.
We used tons of painted safari animals throughout our design. We knew it had been done elsewhere but gosh dang is it SO fun to do! Lauren made this insanely ridiculous cake cake-type stands with them. I would have drilled a hole through my hand if I had tried.
We used a pattern that Abigail had created for the event and made it in to a placemat that my pal, Ryan printed on foam core for me.
Here are some of the other fun ways we used the Paper and Cake safari set. The set is now available for purchase in her shop!
A favor was not mandatory, but we wanted to do one. We decided a First Birthday Party kit would be super cute. The wooden spindle held a cute tiny little triangle flag banner that would be just enough to fit around a high chair. I am really fond of how they turned out.
I am sparing you tons of pictures of myself with all the fantastic ladies that were there. I’m not sure why I don’t just take a picture of them and always end up in it! Amy, from Operation Shower, is with me in the picture on the left. This whole event goes off without a hitch because of her amazing planning and people skills. She never shows stress, has a fantastic sense of humor and handled an event with major sponsors and a ton of scatter brained (mostly me) designers with absolute ease. On the right I am with Jenn of Hostess with the Mostess. I finally got to meet her in person and am even more fond of her than previously. She is a true talent and an all around good person. I think I want her to run for president.
This is the adorable and talented Jackie Culmer of Jackie Culmer Photography. She, along with Nicole Benitez, photographed the day of the event. You simply HAVE to see all her amazing photos!
Here are just a few of hers of things I forgot to take photos of. :) That giraffe in the bell jar delighted me all day and was styled by Tori of Thoughtfully Simple. My pal, Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop supplied her delicious Push Cakes which were displayed on the dessert buffet by Sweets Indeed. Marie not only styles and designs in such a fun way, but she also sources the most delicious, unique treats to serve. I found out about Firefly Confections from her once I tasted their Salted Caramels. Mind blowingly good. And it is always fun to see the amazing designs of The Marshmallow Studio!!! And I have a total couple crush on Marie and her husband. I want them to be my neighbors.
Please go check out all the recaps!
My post on CBS LA about Operation Shower in general and how you can get involved.
Like Operation Shower on Facebook and check out all the galleries!
Wrap ups by:
Bel Bambini Grand Opening Event
If you are in Southern California you won’t want to miss this awesome Grand Opening event at Bel Bambini Kid’s Boutique in Newport Beach this weekend. I recently attended a special event there where I got to see the store in person and check out their newly opened second level, home to the most amazing in kid’s fashions. This store is 10,000 square feet of rad kid’s products and is a one stop shop for everything from creating a nursery to picking out the best baby shower gift. You will be in for a really fun shopping experience during the grand opening event with music, hourly raffles, sweets and treats, and SO much more! Word on the street is there will be celebrities in the house to mix and mingle with. So if you are in the market for the best kid’s items, head to Bel Bambini this weekend.
Located at the corner of Newport Blvd. and 18th St. in Newport Beach, the store is freeway close and there is plenty of parking in the lot behind this group of shops as well as street parking. Bel Bambini also wants to do some good at this event and are asking you to bring a gently used or new item to donate for www.Baby2Baby.org. You’ll receive a gift with purchase as a thank you.
Click this link above to see a video and learn more about the store and see the adorable way they have set it up.
I have several baby gifts to purchase so maybe I’ll see you there!!