Rustic Chic Baby Shower Decor

Last month I had the honor of hosting my sister-in-laws baby shower!  You may have seen several teaser shots on Instagram because I started planning it months in advance.  #compulsiveoverplanner

The guest list was relatively small and my 'vision' for the shower was going to most easily created if I could start putting things together over the course of a few weeks.  So the decision to host the shower at our house was made relatively quickly!  Thankfully, we have the extra space and we borrowed the tables and chairs from Matt's office.

Jennifer and I spent several hours on the phone talking about what she didn't want for the shower (hot pink, lambs or shower games) and things she did (ice cream, rustic/vintage and not too much of a fuss... Ya, that didn't happen!).  Armed with that knowledge and what I had in my party planning/catering stash, I settled on  subtle feminine touches with lots of burlap, barn wood and pastels.  Rustic Chic, if you will!

The first thing I started obsessing over on was the invitation and book request cards!  Thank goodness for free graphics and PicMonkey.

Once I was satisfied with the invites, all my attention was turned towards decorations!  Using some leftover vintage fabric, I sewed napkins.

I made pink tulle pom poms, burlap pennants and paper fans to hang as the backdrop for the food table.  The straps of fabric I tied in little bows around jute.  The white curtains?  Plastic tablecloths hung with fishing line!  Thank you, Husband!  Matt also cut and built the barnwood 'canvas' that I painted to say "You're our greatest adventure!!". 

I also came across some really cute clothespins at TJ Maxx and figured out a way to incorporate them as well with some paper doilies!

All of the linens were freebie fabric that I was given by a friend and the burlap runners were leftovers from our wedding decorations!  I don't save everything, but what I do I know I'll use again.

For the table decorations, I borrowed wood slices to set burlap wrapped cans, wine bottles wrapped in jute and old hinge topped Ball jars.

By the grace of God, I was able to track down peonies and force bloom them just in time for the shower!  The pops of pink and green from the store bought flowers coordinated nicely with the pink center in the peony!

 

Let's talk table service, shall we?  I decided early on that I wanted to use 'real' plates, so I hit up The Dollar Tree for plates and bowls for a $1.00 each.  Since the shower, we retired our existing plateware and are using these!  I pretty much dig 'em. 

 

When the new purple Ball Heritage Collection came out late this winter, I had already decided that I needed a pack.  You know, just because.  The shower gave me a perfect excuse to buy three boxes!  I tied some jute in a bow around the neck and popped in a paper straw.  Done!  And cute to boot.

To finish off the tables, I used Marisa's amazing recipes for Blueberry Butter and Orange Rhubarb Butter to give everyone as a favor for attending.  After scouring Pinterest high and low, I found the perfect printable to accessorize each little jar!

I {big puffy heart} love how it all turned out!  More importantly, Jennifer loved it too!!!

A post fully dedicated to food and drink will be next!  Come back, you'll be glad you did.

Force Blooming Peonies

For my sister-in-law's baby shower I knew that I wanted to have fresh flowers on the table and thought the timing would be just about right to use the pink peonies from our yard.  I was wrong. 

In the days leading up to the shower, I was diligently checking the blooms and about 3 days before I knew having my peonies wasn't going to be a reality.  So I started scouring the countryside looking for homes with blooming peonies and without risking being arrested for trespassing or vandalism or both, I knew I had to go another route!

My next thought was to issue a plea via facebook to see if anyone local had peonies that I could cut?  Initially, I was having no luck.  Everyone was in the same boat I was; their plants were loaded with blooms, but none had started to break open!  Then my friend Tracey posted a picture that gave me hope...

Thursday night I stopped at Tracey's and cut bunch of the most far along blooms with hopes of 'force blooming' them in time for the shower on Saturday!  And it totally worked!!

If you need peonies now, like I did, follow these steps to force bloom your flowers:

Cut blooms from your peony bush that have already "broken" or give to pressure when you pinch the bud between your fingers.  Be sure to cut, at a 45 degree angle, stems longer than you think you need!  

Check over all the buds, leaves and stems for critters that you don't want to bring inside your house.  Peonies are notorious for having lots of ants climbing in and around them.

Fill a vase full of very warm water and set aside.  

Run warm water in your sink and once it's pretty full you'll cut the stems, again at a 45 degree angle, under water using a pair of scissors or kitchen shears.

Place each flower in the vase of very warm water and set in a warm place.  The first night I set mine in Matt's bathroom.  Friday morning we were blessed with sun and warm temps so I put the vase outside on our porch.  Friday night they slept on top of the stove.

Change the water two or three times/day, because you want to keep them in warm-ish water, until they bloom!

Saturday morning I had six blooms open and ready to be put in the arrangements for the baby shower.  The exact number I needed for table decorations!  And this morning, they're still looking and smelling fantastic!

 

 

I Could Use Another Day

I don't know about you folks, but I would have been totally open to an extra day sandwiched between Saturday and Sunday!  All in favor of instituting mandatory three day weekends, raise your right hand.  Opposed... your vote doesn't count.

Friday afternoon I go off work and headed home to start prepping for the graduation party I was asked to cater.  But as I was pulling in the drive I did get sidetracked because my peonies FINALLY bloomed! 

Aren't they lovely?!?!

Okay, back to the task at hand. Food and decorations for the party. 

This is just the stuff that didn't have to go in the refrigerator.  I didn't get a pic of everything crammed in there, but it was chalk full too!

Friday night I made a double batch of my So So Good Chex Mix and finished up all the paper decorations for the party.  I also loaded up all the serving dishes, utensils and drink dispensers so I wouldn't have to do that Saturday. 

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to bake chocolate cupcakes, cut fruit and veggies, make dips and BLT bites.  Thankfully the family I was doing all this for have an extra fridge and I was able to run everything down Saturday afternoon and make room for what I had to prepare on Sunday!  I spent the rest of Saturday decorating the chocolate cupcakes! 

Tutorial coming soon to a blog near you...

After getting the cupcakes done, I was happy to relax with some wine (and food I didn't have to make) at a friends cookout!  Burgers and brats on the grill, pasta salad and a baby announcement to top off the evening! 

Sunday I was up and at 'em early again.  With Matt's help, I finished up meatballs, baked ham and cheese sandwiches and black bean and cilantro salsa.  After loading up the last of the food, I headed to Wilkin's for the party.  From this point, everything becomes a whirlwind of hanging decorations, icing beverages, displaying and refilling food and because I pulled it off, LOTS of smiling!

Linking up with B Loved Boston and Champagne and Suburbs.