Oh, Baby!

So last Saturday, I hosted my first baby shower.  I had such a blast decorating and making yummy cupcakes!  I think I've found another fun side job idea.  Mentally filing that away, along with "dental hygienist, actor, person who picks out music for movies (totally the official title).  Anyway, yes, I'm a bit of a dreamer.  :) 

The beautiful mommy-to-be had picked out a nursery theme of "green and aqua,"  so I decided to mold all the decorations around those colors.   That made it so easy!  I wanted to do something fun for guests as they were arriving, so I decided to set up a "photobooth" outside, complete with a vintage suitcase full of fun props.  I think we had a red feather boa, 2 cowboy hats, some funky glasses, and fake moustaches!  Thanks to my friend Mandy who headed up the pictures and forced everyone to get in on the fun!

To me, this was one of the most fun parts of the day.  To see everyone digging through a suitcase deciding who got to wear the handlebar moustache was priceless.  It was also nice because I was nowhere near done with my thick meringue topping for the yummy cupcakes I made, and it kept everyone outside just a little bit longer :)

I wish I would have gotten a few more pictures of the decorations inside, but someone has to be a Last Minute Lucy!

We made all the decorations that you see, besides the platters of course.  The  tissue paper pom-poms were super easy, and I'm thinking about posting a video tutorial very soon.  The pennant flag banners were made by my oh-so-talented friend Jennifer, you can check out her work at http://www.jennifernicolecox.com/ .  Anyways, here's some pictures of the decorations!

Gone in 60 seconds...cucumber sandwiches are my favorite.

The farmtable I bought 2 weekends ago is really getting some use!  I loved the way everything looked on it.  If I could, I'd sit at it all day and be happy with the sun streaming through the dining room window.  And then I'd sit at it at night while the ambiance of the chandelier would make it take on an entirely different look.  But not right now.  Not tonight.  You know why?  Because it is now Tuesday and I'm in total and complete DENIAL. The shower was on Saturday, and I still have not cleaned out the bowls full of leftover salad, the cups with sticky strawberry lemonade, or the trash that is sitting right in the middle of the kitchen floor.  To be quite honest, I'm a little afraid of my house right now...I wish I had a big rug to sweep it all under!!!

These little guys were too tired to play games, so we found a quiet place for them to nap.

The banner you see above their heads is actually paper on which I had everyone write a quick word of advice for Vanessa.  It turned out to be a very cute idea, and afterward, I punched a hole in it and tied a ribbon through all of the flags so she could thumb through them later.

But back to the picture journey, as I try to forget about the mess, and remember how great the day was ;)  We all enjoyed lunch, and then played a game, hurriedly named "draw a baby with the hand you don't normally write with."  Yes, in all my decorating preparation, I forgot to actually come up with a name and rules; but for a last minute game, it turned out to be hilarious.  Some babies looked unborn, some looked like blobs with eyes, some had amazingly detailed rattles in their hands, and some...well, i'm convinced they were drawn with the right hand ;)   

Here's Jenn working on her baby.  Well, I guess 2 babies since she's about 3 months along! tee hee.

I totally should have won.....look at the detail!  The baby even has buttons on its....skin?  Wow ok, I lose.

We turned to gifts after the laughter subsided, and I got some great shots of Vanessa as she was getting some fabulous gifts :)  The ladies in our church know how to shop! :)  Two that stuck out in particular to me were hats that she received.  These are no ordinary hats, these are hats that I would wear! These are hats that would make your baby more fashionable than you.  http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5190354  I suggest you hurry on over ;) 

TIME FOR CUPCAKES!

Ally and I made 2 types of cupcakes for the shower.  Mine were actually from a Trophy Cupcakes recipe, and they were almost like a s'mores cupcake.  Graham cracker crust, chocolate, and TOASTED marshmallow.  I got to use a blowtorch!  My husband's industrial strength blowtorch.  Yes, I had one cupcake casualty.  His little outer wrapper got burned and actually lit on fire without me noticing...until I smelt him.  Poor guy.  At least he got a proper burial in the trash can, underneath eggs and coffee grounds and used paper towels ;)

Ally made white cupcakes with buttercream icing tinted the perfect shade of green.  We made cute little cupcake toppers and set them out!  Without further ado, our cupcakes.  (You might want to grab a napkin before you look at these next pictures).

And here's my favorite cupcake of all, Gus.  He's a sneaky little guy, "supervising.." Uh huh, sure.  He'd supervise one right into his cute little tummy...

After gifts, after games, and after food, we gathered everyone outside for one last picture -- just for fun.  I had such a blast doing this for Vanessa and I hope to do more in the future.  I'll post up a tutorial on the tissue paper decorations and might even put up a recipe for cupcakes!  Thanks for reading!!!!

The "Lil'Hitler 'Stache  ;)

"I drink your milkshake!"