a baby shower.

This last weekend I threw a baby shower for my good friend, Whitney. I am so happy for her and excited to meet little baby Baker! This girl deserves the absolute best. She is the most down-to-earth, positive person I have ever met. When I asked her who she wanted to invite, she sent me a list, and then insisted, "Even if it is just you and me and Eliza hanging out, I will still be happy!" 

Although, I have to admit- maybe half the reason I called dibs on her shower was so that I could get a little crafty. I have been craving a creative outlet lately, and was more than happy to have a reason to make something with my hands!

This was a fun project for me, because I had plenty of time to let it grow in my head. I had been "planning" it for a couple of months, and found myself spending early mornings after a nursing session scrolling through Pinterest like a giddy school girl. I put together this board, and started whittling this mess of ideas into something manageable. I wanted it to be a stress-free and fun project that wouldn't cost much, and so I made it a point not to go "too far." I feel like the result was minimal and sweet. 

Indulge me, by letting me break it down for you:

I had Whitney's husband design the invitation. He has a great style, and I felt like it would be the perfect base for the shower. I gave him a few ideas of where I was going, and I LOVED the way it turned out! This guy has talent. These two are so fun and adventurous, and I love that the design reflected that. 

I blew up baby photos of Bret and Whitney to hang over the buffet- like this shower my friend did, at The Alison Show. I thought it was such a fun idea. Then I made a few quick garlands with paper I already had laying around the house. I also added a few vases of flowers around, as well.

I found this huge stick on a walk out with Eliza one day, and painted a stripe with some Martha Stewart's Metallic Gold Paint that I had leftover from a past project, and some white paint that we used to paint our walls. Then I hung it from the mantle, and draped a few shorter paper garlands over it. Whitney's family has a tradition of giving a bird name as a middle name. (Her middle name is Jay.) So, they plan on giving this little babe the middle name of Swift. Isn't that cute? The framed bird on the mantle is actually a vintage engraving copy of a Swift Bird that I found online.

I made a simple, thin brown paper table runner, by sewing overlapping triangles together, and placed a potted succulent in the middle--  because I didn't think the table needed much. And, I because I was so excited about the food! One of Whitney's friend's organized the food, and we had so many people volunteer to bring things. And, let me tell you, when people in the Bay Area bring food- it's gonna be good. We even had a quiche from Tartine, for goodness sake!

We mostly just sat and chatted while we ate, because I feel like a get together doesn't necessarily need to be super structured. And, I just loved watching Whitney happily flit from group to group, joining in on conversations. But, I did create a little advice book for people to write in throughout the party, that she could take home at the end. (I bought a brown paper Moleskin with lined pages, and stamped the outside with a huge dollar store rubber eraser- kind of like this, except that mine was huge and blue and said "My Bad!") I know that every mom needs advice- but they don't want to feel like it's being thrown in their face. So, a book is a great way to have people jot down advice and recommendations all in one place- to be used more as a reference. I numbered the pages, and divided the book up into useful sections, such as "Nursing" or "Sleeping" or "Taking Care of Yourself." 

The salted caramel apples were my favorite part! I searched far and wide for affordable favors, and then decided that most favors probably get thrown away or something. The best favors can be eaten! So, I settled on caramel apples because they fit the color scheme, the season, and they are tasty. I collected small sticks over a couple of days worth of walks with Eliza. (No worries, I didn't look crazy. I live in Berkeley!) Then, I painted the tips with the same metallic gold as the mantle piece. I wasn't planning on doing that, but I got really paint happy with that gold and I loved how it turned out. Now, I have the urge to gold dip everything in my house!

This was my first caramel apple endeavor, so I was kind of nervous. But, I had a few girl friends over to show me the ropes and they came out so great. If I had done them myself, I'm sure they would have been a hot mess. We used the Kraft caramel bits (because I wasn't quite ready to delve into candy making) and sprinkled some Kosher salt along the top rim of the apples. Holy cow, they tasted so good! I couldn't decide on a favor bag or anything, so I ended up making them. It was easier then I expected, though- just folded a piece of parchment paper in half and stitched up each side. Then, I could get the size and look that I wanted- because apparently I get obsessive about the weirdest details. But, then each of her guests could grab an apple on their way out, and carry it home in a little parchment bag.

Well, I got my crafty, craft fix, as well as my baby fix. I loved watching Whitney open all of her gifts- nothin' better than baby goods. Thank you for letting me celebrate your baby with you, Whitney! We can't wait to meet the cute thing!