Friday, April 27, 2012

"Perfect Timing" Baby Shower

I am not a fan of "typical" baby showers- which goes to show you that when I am pregnant myself, that my brain does not operate normally. My dear sister threw me a shower when I was expecting Josie and I started crying when she showed me the chic black, purple and green theme she had been thinking of. I wanted "Winnie the Pooh", to match my nursery, of course! Ugh! My taste has changed dramatically since then.

I can't picture myself planning a Pooh shower (sorry, Robyn!) now. I love doing things that are not quite as expected, and the only reason I would ever do a "typical" pink or blue shower if that is what the mother wanted! This shower, the sweet mommy-to-be was so easy to please-she had no demands at all.

The pregnancy was unexpected, and the parents have significantly older children. So as I was mulling over ideas in my mind, the concept of timing kept coming up. How this baby was coming in God's perfect timing. Watches and clocks! I called up my party planning pal, Sarah, and we went with it!

I knew one of the first things that I wanted to do was to make a yarn pom pom garland. The inspiration came from one that I saw on Pinterest, but mine turned out looking quite different. Pom poms are pretty time consuming! I also wanted to incorporate these great "pocket watches" that I found at Hobby Lobby. They were actually scrapbook embellishments- I just covered the stickers on the back with paper so that there weren't big ugly white dots on the backs of all of them. I staggered them in between the pom poms.

The dear hostess, Brooke, Sarah and me! I think this is the first time that Sarah and I have decorated and actually gotten a photo of the two of us. We choose colors that coordinated with the nursery but felt fresh. We used a rusty orange and sage green. It was very calming and they actually turned out to be very easy to work with.

I forgot my camera! That is what happened when you try to fit in too many things! I used my new Iphone to take some pictures, but I am not very good with it yet. All the blurry photos are mine, all the good ones are courtesy of Brooke!:)

Sarah suggested the floating candles in the mason jars (another Pinterest idea) and they added just the right touch. I love water elements, and candles for a late afternoon shower were great.
The lunch box is mine, it belonged to my grandfather. He used it as a little boy during the Great Depression! It was a great color. I also picked up the chipboard "T" - the initial of the family's last name- baby boy doesn't have a name yet, at Hobby Lobby for about $1. I used the same variegated yarn on it that I used in the pom poms. I love how it turned out perfectly striped. It was super easy- I taped the end of the yarn on the back, and wrapped it around. It took me about 5 minutes and made a nice keepsake for the mom.
Staggering anything is more complicated than it seems. It is an art that I haven't mastered, but using clothespins (the same ones I use on my laundry at home-I am so cheap!) made it easier to adjust the garland pieces.
Here is a close up of the garland. I used dark brown speckled yarn, rusty orange and the green variegated. I used the yarn to hang the pom poms and then I put the watches on ribbon. I like to mix up textures, even little touches make it more interesting.

Brooke made the delicious cupcakes, and Sarah provided the stand. I made the "toppers"- a one inch round punch on clock face scrapbook paper with a toothpick sandwiched in between. That is definitely a trick I will be using again!  A little dab of hot glue held them together.


May I profess yet again my undying love for for scrapbook paper?! We used the different pieces to make a runner down the center of the bar. Laying the pieces on the diagonal adds a nice touch, as well as using 8x8 pieces on top of the traditional 12x12 ones.
A pennant banner! LOVE. Bakers twine, and I cut the paper while folded in half so I simply had to dab hot glue on the pieces to keep them on the string. Sarah graciously provided her giant clock and it made a beautiful focal point. I free handed the flags, and it was really easy. I made two sizes. Another tip: always lay any type of "pattern" out in advance- then you don't have to try to unglue things later!
The buffet. It doesn't matter how beautiful the decorations are if the food isn't plentiful and tasty. We had no problems in that area! Yummy salad, fruit, meatballs, wraps... I am drooling just thinking about it.
 Some things are easier said than done. I suggested the ribbon topiary, and Sarah bravely volunteered to make it. It turned out adorably (the mom was so excited to take it home and use it in the nursery) but Sarah said it was pretty pesky to make- and expensive!

I made the framed scripture- Dollar Store frame, with some round punch pieces and one of the watches. Of course, it is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8! I highlighted all the good words, like "dance" and "love" and "embrace" by enlarging the font, bolding it, and adding color. It was one of the best ones I have done.

A shot of the clock on the wall. It matched Brooke's decor so well I am guessing a few people didn't realize it was Sarah's! 

The orange vase is mine from Hobby Lobby. It is a worthwhile space investment to me to keep around different things like this. These are so cheap and the colors make so much more of a statement than plain clear glass. A couple of the tulips were broken, so it made it easy to pop them into these little bud vases.


Thanks, Mom, for the black crock! I tied some ribbon around it and literally threw the tulips in. You can't beat fresh flowers and tulips are always appropriate. Thanks Walmart for having them for $5! I printed off the chorus to a hymn and did the same font coloring. I backed it with scrapbook paper and added ribbon and dots to it.

It turned out beautifully and I am glad that I finally made the time to post the pictures! No pun intended. Well, maybe a little...:)

1 comment:

  1. Adorable pom-pom decos! They look exactly like the ones we had when we hosted a baby shower at my house recently. Great minds must Pinterest alike. ;) (lol)

    ~ Jen

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