the month of November was a super-crazy month for me.
Filled with two baby showers, hosting Thanksgiving dinner and having Ella's 2nd birthday party two days later.
I was able to post details in December of the "She's Going to POP" bubbles-themed baby shower...
So here we are...
going into the 2nd week of January...
and today...
I'm finally going to share the details from the "Love You to the Moon" baby shower...
Let me preface this by saying...
The planning and details?
They were a complete collaboration between the fabulously creative sister (Ally) of the dad-to-be and myself.
Celebration type: Boy Baby Shower
Theme: "Love You to the Moon and Back"
Inspiration: The term of endearment the couple says to one another and the dad-to-be's love of plaid
Color Palette: blue & white
Pattern: blue & white plaid
Ally came to me with the theme pretty much already chosen...
A theme based solely on the phrase the expecting couple exchange to one another on a daily basis...
"Love you to the Moon and Back".
So sweet...right!?
I absolutely LOVE personalizing events/parties by centering the theme around something specific to the guest(s) of honor... so this couldn't have been anymore perfect!!
First step for me is always creating the invitation.
We knew we wanted plaid incorporated into the design due to the dad's love of wearing plaid.
And we referenced the baby's nursery bedding which also had plaid in it.
We battled between two different designs...
with the mother-to-be finally deciding on this one: (available for purchase here)
Aside from the expecting mom (Nicole) saying she wanted her shower to be as spectacular as the one I helped host for Ally...
she wasn't privy to any of the planning and details.
Everything was going to be a surprise....
the dessert table
the hand-painted canvas I created to match the invitation (and to be used in the nursery)
the moon letters were cut from 8.5x11 sheets of coordinating plaid cardstock I designed
mini cupcakes from Cupcake Delights displayed on cake plates filled with white sugar
even the fondant moons have some "sparkle" to them
mini "MOON" pies with powdered sugar stars (recipe)
the filling was tinted light blue and the edges were rolled in white nonpareils
custom designed sugar cookies from The Flourish Sweet Shop
$8 grocery store "crater cake" decorated with
coordinating party tabs and a star
custom origami stars featuring the baby's name
from Origami Delights
moons cut from styrofoam
centerpieces created with a variety of clear glass bottles filled with white sand and glitter
party favors included these 2" glass "wishing" bottles filled with glitter
(bottles from The Glass Connection )
bad picture... but here's a large glass bottle on display with the favors...
intended to be part of the nursery decor following the shower.
YUMMY gummi-sugared star candies from Fahrenheit Goods
The mini bottles used were from The Shoppe at Somerset
and the adorable charms attached were from a variety of vendors including:
(see Vendor/Sources at bottom of post for specific details)
sugar cubes spritzed blue for use with the "lunar lemonade"
(and sliced lemons in the back...representing half-moons)
"wishing star spinach dip"
"crescent-moon" chicken salad sandwiches
I was "over the moon" with how everything turned out.
It couldn't have turned out any sweeter and I SO appreciate the help of everyone involved...
...especially Ally!!
She put up with my ongoing additions to the "to-do" lists I created...
and did all of the running around to collect and find the supplies for the shower.
And I mean EVERYTHING.
She was also the mastermind behind the centerpieces, favors, table & chair rental
and was responsible for finding the adorable personalized origami stars, star-shaped candies and coordinating mints.
And...
a huge congratulations to Mike & Nicole...
their sweet baby Maxwell arrived just a few short weeks ago.
And he. is. precious!!!
Here are even more details for those of you looking to recreate this shower:
Key Decorating Elements:
• invitation - used to create the painted canvas backdrop & the foundation for decor/details
• plaid
• moons & stars
• star dust (in the form of sugar, white sand and glitter)
• glass jars
Extra details:
• customized origami mini paper stars (with the name of the baby)
• sugar cubes for the lemonade spritzed a light blue color
• hand-painted canvas used on the backdrop for the dessert table - also doubled as wall art for the baby's nursery.
• using styrofoam to create crescent moons
• using white sugar on the serving vessels for the cupcakes and cookies.
Dessert Table "theme-appropriate" food items:
• "shooting star" sugar cookies
• mini "moon pies"
• "moonbeam" mints
• "star-dusted" donuts
• "celestial crater" cakes
• mini "cosmic" cupcakes
• "moon rock" candy
• custom made star-shaped gummi candies
Menu also included clever savory "theme-appropriate" food items
• "crescent moon" chicken salad croissants
• "wishing star" spinach salad
• "star-kissed" fruit salad
• "lunar" lemonade
Favors:
• glass bottles filled with "stardust"
• "shooting star" sugar cookies
As usual...I've got to give a shout out to the wonderful vendors who contributed significantly to the outcome of the baby shower....
Vendors/Sources:
Pen N' Paperflowers - invitation, mini cake bunting, table labels, dessert table design, hand-painted canvas, mini moon pies, event planning, cake toppers, photography
The Shoppe at Somerset - mini glass bottles
Cupcake Delights - mini cupcakes
Flourish Sweet Shop - custom sugar cookies
Fahrenheit Goods - star gummi candies
The Glass Connection - 2" glass bottles for favors
Origami Delights - custom mini paper origami stars
I Like Pie - wish charms (rectangle and small star)
Gathering Splendor - wish charms (oval style)
Island Sunset Jewelry - large star charms used on 2" bottles
JoAnn's - the PERFECTLY matching plaid fabric used throughout the decor
Orlando Party Rentals - table and chair rentals (407-601-5924)
KEEPING IT REAL
The adorable canvas used on the backdrop....
I got up at 3a.m. the morning of the shower to paint/create it.
And those table labels....
Did you notice the extra space at the top of each card?
I left space to accommodate a coordinating ribbon...but ran out of time for assembling them. *wink*
Side note:
Clara was without a fever all day yesterday. (after almost 6 days of up and down temperatures).
I'm happy to report she was up at 5 a.m. this morning and is officially off to school.
Here's to what I'm hoping will be my first "normal" week of 2011...*wink*
24 comments:
oh my gosh! this is the sweetest baby shower i have ever seen!! i love the theme & the way it was carried out through the stationery, decor and sweets!
Beautiful as always. I love and wait for you to post new parties!!! They are always amazing! By the way, I adore your "keeping it real" comments!
Just gorgeous, in every detail! Love those colored sugar cubes.
What a sweet baby shower, I love it! Beautiful work!
Absolutely amazing! All the creativity, thoughtfulness and sweet details make this such a fabulous shower! My favorite detail is the handpainted canvas! You have amazing talent! Have you thought of adding hand painted canvases to your shop to coordinate with your invites? :)
I love this baby shower! So cute!! Thanks so much for sharing. It's so inspiring. I'm linking this post to my blog so I can remember this one.
little-inspirations.blogspot.com
One of the most special custom designs I've had the pleasure of creating. Not only was the theme special on a personal level, but the colors and the designs were truly inspirational to me! Thanks and congratulations!
it's all so gorgeous!!
Wow! Love all the details from those moon pies and the star dust centerpieces to the blue tinted sugar cubes. You guys did an amazing job!
It all turned out perfect! You did an awesome job with the invites and all of the printed labels. i love the soft subtle colors of everything and that you made things that could be used in the babies room afterward! Awesome job!
I adore each one of you...thank you so much for all of the positive feedback, uplifting comments and super sweet sentiments.
Tera...thanks for the suggestion about adding hand-painted canvases to the shoppe. That was a HUGE compliment...and a suggestion I'll seriously consider.
Oh Jess! This is so very beautiful. What a perfect job done by all. My absolute favorite is the painting above the table and that it will be in the nursery. {gushing}
Everything is so beautiful...I don't know what I like best! The little details and embellishments always make things so much better!
So precious! I really love the "to the moon and back" canvas that will go in the nursery :)
Wow, everything is absolutely beautiful! Love all the detail and the personalization...so precious! :)
How beautiful! I loved the clean lines and your color choices. Really elegant.
This party has so many thoughtful details! I loved looking at each any every photo. Thanks for sharing!!!
The pictures are gorgeous. You and Ally did amazing work - the baby shower was beyond fantastic. Thank you both for your hard work, creativity and time! I know there were some very late nights spent working on all of the coordinating elements.
I love the hand painted cavas and would LOVE to get one made in different color scheme for a girl. If you're willing to do this please email me ASAP shannoneangelgmail.com
Anonymous (Shannon) - I'd love to create a hand-painted canvas for you - I've already emailed you.
Let me know if you didn't receive the email:
pnpflowers@live.com
I absolutely adore this entire shower! The theme, the food, the details... EVERYTHING! I am interested in throwing a shower like this for my little sister who is having her second baby boy. I see that you sell the template for the invitations, but do you also sell the templates for all of the food labels? And can I get the details of the products you used and where you got them for the sign you made? I would normally have you made the sign for us, but I live in WA state and my sister lives in CA, so I think I'm going to have my cousin try and recreate what you did, but the details of how you made it would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you so much!
Hi Alison...thank you so much for the sweet comments. I just sent you two separate emails...I look forward to working with you and will talk to you soon!
The wishing bottles are too cute! I love this idea. I used to tell my niece I love you to the moon and back.
Thank you so much Cheryl - I appreciate your comment! The bottles were one of my favorite little details. *wink*
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