a summer shower

I was glad to be a part of this baby shower given for some good friends last summer.  The color palette consisted of warm reds and oranges, partly because the shower was for a girl and partly because those colors seemed to evoke summer.  A summer sunset, perhaps?  The shower was a great team effort and much attention and care went into the planning.  Most of the foods served were also red and orange, which added to the summer sensibilities and feel of the gathering.  The favors were candy-filled cherries made from tissue paper, floral wire and floral tape.  The paper used to make the pennants and lanterns was from Paper Source.  This was a great example of how color can inform and inspire all aspects of a party, including food!

nate's second birthday

Different sources served as inspiration for the colors of Nate's party: a post from Scouts Honor Co., Dwell Studio's beautiful color stories and some napkins we found at IKEA.  (Sometimes inspiration comes in little packages.)  The pennants were crafted using blue and white twine and Paper Source paper.  The paper used to wrap the gifts was also from Paper Source.  I wanted the party to reflect Nate's world as a two-year-old: his toys, playthings and favorite treats.  Nate's name was spelled out using Land of Nod's whimsical Nod Blocks.  The party nosh included animal cookies, chocolate-covered Cheerios and chocolate-dipped Speculoos cookies. Nate's Kid O Stack and Nest cups held some of his favorite snacks.  There were also miniature vanilla cupcakes with lemon frosting (delivered in Nate's Kid O Tip Truck) and a whoopie pie from Susiecakes.  The favors were vending machine capsules from Shop Sweet Lulu and contained little things for Nate to shake, explore and examine: bits of ribbon, big buttons, finger puppets, wooden toys and a rubber duck, to name a few.  The huge "2" balloon was from a local Party City.  Later, Avery galloped around on the balloon like a horse, which was a riot!  It was a fun afternoon of opening gifts, nibbling on snacks, studying and shaking the different capsule favors, bobbing the huge balloon up and down and general merrymaking.  Happy birthday, Nate!  We thank God for the joy and blessing you are.

boat-themed baby shower

These photos were from a baby shower given for a good friend a while ago. There were many loving hands that prepared a delicious menu, folded a fleet of paper boats, hung up decorations, etc., in order to set the stage for a fun afternoon. The colors and nautical theme were inspired by posts by Scouts Honor Co., Dozi Design and Once Wed. The spread include egg salad sandwiches, fruit salad, mini spinach and mushroom quiche, crostini with sundried tomato jam, Asian noodle salad, blueberry mochi mini cakes and panini, buttered and filled with provolone, prosciutto and arugula. The striped navy flags atop the egg salad sandwiches were courtesy of Hank and Hunt. The favors were sugar cookies with swirled royal icing designs packaged in little blue chevron bags. It was a wonderful time and lovely way to welcome a little one into the world!

avery's 4th birthday

Avery's 4th birthday was so fun to plan! It centered around a round orange stuffed cat from IKEA known in our household as "catball." Since she was one, Avery has had a brood of catballs that she plays with, sleeps with, etc. Basically, they're her favorite creatures in her entire menagerie of stuffed animals. The party colors were mostly oranges with various shades of blue worked in here and there. On the menu were mini vanilla cupcakes from Susiecakes, mini orange-glazed donuts from a local shop called Fill in the Hole Donuts and lollies with kettle-cooked jellies from Trader Joe's (these were a clear winner at Avery's 2nd birthday party).

The orange circle garland is from one of our favorite children's retailers, Land of Nod. It's made of felt and can definitely be used over and over again. Avery's beloved catballs are wearing party hats made with Paper Source prints using an easy template thanks to Lavender's Blue. Avery also has a deep love of balloons, so I ordered a 36" round citrus orange balloon from Shop Sweet Lulu and had it blown up at our local Party City. We had a candy necklace-making station with gummy Lifesavers and Cheerios, inspired by an idea in this book.

Last but not least, little pom poms were tucked away in tiny orange chevron little bitty bags, made by Whisker Graphics and purchased from Shop Sweet Lulu. Avery is really into pom poms and little things that she can collect and carry around at the moment. It was a wonderful celebration that marked an important birthday. I still can't believe Avery's 4-years-old! We love you Avery, and thank God for you. :)

avery's 3rd birthday

Avery's third birthday was last year and as with Nate's, I never got a chance to post photos from it.  Her celebration included cupcakes from Susiecakes and bunting and favor bags from Acme Party Box.  The favor bags ended up serving as gift wrap for some of Avery's presents.  I like Acme's ecoparty concept and how well-constructed their supplies are.  We can reuse their things in imaginative play, to decorate a room in the house or in other parties in the years to come!