WARNING: This post is picture-heavy. It may take a few moments for your browser to load all the pictures.
I'll be the first to admit it: I'm not an easy person to work with. I am the girl who, two weeks before my wedding, {then one week before my wedding, then three days before my wedding} sent not one, not two, but THREE separate spreadsheets to all involved with the occasion -- contact sheets, itineraries, job assignments. Wanting to reassure that I did not leave a stone unturned, not one item uncovered, I swallowed any pride I had and sent them to our {not surprisingly} shocked wedding party and vendors. My husband's groomsmen, in particular, upon receipt of said spreadsheets I'm sure had looks on their faces that all resembled three letters: W. T. F. -- all with the same pausing, dramatic shock. In the end, however, I did get my way -- everyone was aware of their duties on the big day, and {I'm guessing, probably in fear of a Bridezilla blowup} ensured that their duties were met. In short, our day went without a hitch. Best party ever, we were told several times. Trust, people. Trust.
Suffice it to say, it was difficult for me to be uninvolved with my baby shower. Headed by my dear friend Amy, I tried my best to stay away from the general planning and decision making, although I did my part in crafting various items used in the party itself. I did, however, help my mom with the menu {Mom was in charge of the food}, but stayed away from any games planned by my friends, Molly & Kristen. On the day itself, I was not allowed to come to the venue until the actual time stated on the invitation. When you see these Pinterest-worthy pictures, you will see the moral of this story: as much as it is rewarding to be a control freak, there is a much bigger reward in also letting people do things for you. Although I knew much of how things were being put together, the little elements of surprise and the details of how it was all put together took my breath away.
Before anything else, I should admit it: Okay, okay, I did do a lot of crafting for the shower. In fact, our living room looked like a baby shower warehouse before the party, as the items I made accumulated in one corner. In my defense, I have to say that I did it all because {a} Amy works full time and has a 5 year old daughter and I am home all day with a lot of time on my hands and {b} we all know how obsessed with crafting I am.
I told you it was jam packed! I'm sure, though, that although the hostesses did not want me to help out, they knew that allowing me to craft my little heart away would get me out of the way enough for the real planning to be left to them. Tip #1: Find ways to distract Mom-zilla. -- It worked.
Amy ran the invitations by me before she ordered them. She did so because the nest on the front had 3 eggs in it -- she wanted to incorporate our Aubrey & Finley in a subtle way with their sister's baby shower. Throughout the bird nest themed shower, she incorporated three eggs in the nests to bring in Camden's two sisters whose shower never came. It was a sweet and touching tribute to them. I loved the subtlety of it all -- like a wink in the eye -- a secret we all knew and smiled silently about.
The details:
The favors: Pink vanilla-infused sugar
To welcome the guests to our bird nest theme baby shower, Amy surprised me with an oil painting of a bird nest with the three eggs {ordered from Etsy} to display at the entrance to the clubhouse. This painting is HUGE and we are planning on putting it outside our house on the day that we go to the hospital, as a way to announce that our little egg is about to hatch.
Shortbread cookies with chocolate-coconut nests and chocolate eggs on top. I made these mini pedestals / cupcake stands last year for what would have been Aubrey & Finley's shower and J painted them white to use for Camden's.
The setup: Six tables of seven to eight seats each to accommodate approximately 45 guests. Each table was draped with a white tablecloth with burlap table runners that I made. They also hung white paper lanterns from the existing chandeliers in the clubhouse.
Another surprise from Amy: She had each guest fill out these wish cards for Cam. It was wonderful, sweet, and funny to be able to read them with J at the end of the day.
We chose pink and gray for our birdhouses and bird nests to reflect Camden's pink and gray nursery. They also used a vintage window given to me by a friend and I used my Silhouette Cameo machine to make the doily banners, which were used in various areas throughout the space. The rest of the backdrops are foam core boards covered in muslin linen to create a neutral backdrop. Amy also bought and sprayed vintage picture frames to add more touches of pink and gray to the spread.
The coffee station was Olivia's {Amy's daughter's} bookshelf from her bedroom. I ordered the coffee cups and sleeves online and used baker's twine to put on the bird nest stamped labels onto the sleeves. I also made the flags for the coffee stirrers that said Camden's Cafe.
The beverage station: Four beverages were lemon water, peach iced tea, strawberry basil lemonade, and "Hope Floats" -- a play on Camden's middle name -- which was a raspberry sorbet float. I was later told that the strawberry lemonade was the biggest seller. Ice cubes for the beverages were made in muffin tins days before the shower so that they were bigger and we were able to put either slices of lemon {for the water} or slices of strawberry and basil leaves {for the lemonade} and the ice lasted longer. The drinking glasses were not-exactly-mason jars that J ordered from a glass bottle company in LA. We affixed a cotton lace sleeve on each with a bird tag cut from my Silhouette. Gray and white paper straws were ordered and added for extra effect.
The centerpieces were simply 5 mason jars filled with white flowers that my mom purchased. It was simple, rustic, and sweet, while still making a beautiful statement at each table.
The food:
Everything was mini and adorable! Each food item was renamed with a bird theme. Mini muffins were called Puffin Muffins, Caprese sandwiches were Nestled Sandwiches, mini cinnamon rolls were Honey Nests, mini croissants were Perch Treats, mini apple and cherry pies were called Songbird Pies, mini macarons were A Bird in the Hand, and chicken salad sandwiches were called Chicken Little Sandwiches. The only thing that was different was the berry cups, in which we played on Camden's middle name again and called them Berry "Hope"fuls.
Everyone had such a wonderful time and needless to say, Cam is a very, very spoiled girl.
Again, please let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who worked so hard in making this baby shower a success and for those who made their way to attend and share in celebrating our little girl. We can't wait for her to get here and share her with everyone!
