Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE hosting parties and showers?! Well, I do! So you can imagine my excitement when my sister had her first baby and my aunts and I could start planning a shower!
My sister Arica is very eco-minded and I had great ideas for her shower based on that 'theme'. I wanted the decor to be very natural and earthy, so I began with a limited color palette (brown, white, and green, plus some subtle blue accents).
I created large and small paper pinwheels, as well as double-sided circular cutouts that spelled "DANE". I knew my sister would love that her decor could either be reused or recycled, rather than thrown in the trash. ((In fact, she did take it home after the party and put it up in Dane's nursery!))
Rather than playing the typical (read: wasteful) shower games like "Guess what kind of melted candy bar is in this diaper" (yuck!), we opted to do more sentimental, lasting activities.
We bought this plant, a green charger, silver Sharpies, and black river stones. Each guest was asked to share advice or a prayer that would help Arica navigate her journey through motherhood. Then, they wrote a one word summary on the rock and placed it in the dish around the plant. It was so neat to see the variety of advice: humor, joy, patience, perspective, wonder, wisdom, etc.
Everybody knows that the FOOD TABLE is a big draw for a lot of shower guests. :) And, since that happens to be one of my favorite parts, I planned out things that not only fit the theme, but thrilled my sister as well. We had a variety of healthy snacks as well as sweet treats. Could fruits and veggies be more "earthy"?! :)
Despite loving healthy snacks, I also love SUGAR! :) And...sugar happens to be one of my favorite media for designing. The following cookies were probably my favorite detail from the shower.
I got this baby bottle drying rack at my own baby shower last summer and thought it would fit perfectly with our theme. I also had some lollipop sticks and wired silk leaves from a past project, so all I needed to do was bake and decorate the cookies!
This particular design was my favorite:
Though this one was pretty neat, too. It was fun coming up with all the different color combos and details for them.
Marigold, perhaps?
In addition to the cookie lollies, I also made some bagged cookies that guests could take home as favors.
Arica: So excited to watch you develop as a mom. It's been a wild year for the two of us hasn't it?! Beau is so lucky to have a cousin like Dane, and I am lucky to have a sister like you! Thanks for letting me plan your special day! Love you!