Sunday, February 26, 2012

Molly's Baby Shower

I must admit that when Molly announced she was pregnant, I started a file folder for her shower. There's never too long a time to plan. Never. I took my cue for the feel of this baby shower from her nursery colors. Not knowing until the birth what the sex of the baby is, she's doing the nursery in mostly grays (and honestly, even if Molly knew what the sex of the baby was, the nursery colors would be neutral). I just knew that working with gray would be heavenly.

There's, of course, the use of live pussy willow, one of my favorite plants (and a soothing shade of gray!). Pussy willow combined with blue hydrangea, peachy pink stock, and light lavender mums added color with subtlety.

This eyelet trimmed white tin bucket from IKEA holds two varieties of pussy willow.


A vintage wall pocket parasol has gotten much use for showers I've hosted. It was a bit of a puzzle to figure out how to keep the flowers in water (seems I had trashed the floral water tubes that lived forever in a kitchen junk drawer; dang!). So I wound up wrapping sandwich bags of water around each stem, held in place with a wooden clothespin!



I bought a set of alphabet blocks and painted the alphabet sides white and then the letters and trim gray. I'll give those to Molly for her to use (not baby safe, but might be cute in the nursery, or repainted and used for an event Molly creates!)  Some of the blocks were part of the mantle display. This included a gray doily (Found at Michaels; I bought four and used them on other tables. Not too often you find a gray crocheted doily!) Doesn't my Carl Bray painting go perfectly with the color scheme?


A metal truck of mine that got some mileage at Ali's wedding (filled with flowers and used on the kids table) got a coat of gray paint and some white trim. Miniature glass vases hold flowers and make it look like a quaint florist delivery truck in the 1930s.  This arrangement was on the coffee table where I served two keepers (new recipes I've been wanting to try and will definitely make again): a cold cream cheese and shrimp dip and a hot spinach/artichoke/mozzarella and parmesan spread.



My furniture-favorite sideboard, painted ivory with white hardware, served up the main course. (I found this white ceramic basket a couple of years ago, and it's the perfect bread basket when paired with a vintage lacy linen liner.


These Dollar Tree silverware pieces are just about the prettiest I've come across, and hands-down are more unique than what I've found in the grocery store and Party City. The spoonbeds are larger, which was a plus for eating the hearty white chili.


One of my favorite decorations was the tree with a swing. I cut a flowering branch, nestled it in a glass jar using floral foam as an anchor, covered the foam with reindeer moss, and then put that jar down into a large glass storage jar. I put the painted blocks in between the two jars. The swing I made out of a piece of thick balsa wood with string. One of my favorite vignettes (thank you, Pinterest!).



The drink table in the ken wasn't complete without rubber duckies in the punch!


Thanks again to Pinterest, I used Mason jars to act as bowls for cupcakes. I made three different kinds (coconut cupcakes with white fluffy icing and fresh coconut, devil's food cupcakes with dark chocolate icing and a Ghiradelli chocolate piece, and pecan cupcakes with cream cheese icing and chopped pecan pieces.)

For each jar I used two cupcakes. Cut each into two upper and lower halves. Started with two layers of cupcake, a dollop of icing (I used my cookie press), a layer of pecans or coconut, then two more layers of cake, topped with an icing floret and either coconut, pecans or the chocolate piece.

I had spray painted the jar lids (only the rims, not the inserts; didn't use the inserts), and decorated the jar with gray velvet ribbon (found at my favorite Atlanta ribbon shop Nicholas Kniel), and a satin ribbon flower. For the lid inserts, I printed out the name of the cupcake (using the same gray font I had used on the invitations), gluing the circles of paper to the inside lip of the lid ring. Dessert took front and center stage on a thrift store baby scale. The spoons are in a vintage baby vanity jar (and on a metal doll  veranda swing to the left).




I'm not a big fan of games at showers. This girl is all about the craft. And with an office full of creative people, this shower was a goldmine of talent ready to lovingly create something for Molly's baby. I bought plain wooden blocks, painted them ivory and sanded their edges. We painted alphabet blocks! More pictures to come of these little masterpieces!




Harleigh's bathroom got a pretty floral arrangement, as did the foyer table. It was such a fun day. Even after the shower wound down, a few of us sat and painted blocks, chatting away the afternoon. Most of the pretty decor is still up; I'm not quite ready to put it away.



5 comments:

Molly Hargather said...

it was perfect! every little detail.

Kb_Mal said...

You always outdo yourself! Simply stunning. I ask yet again - WHEN IS YOUR BOOK COMING OUT? :)

Elizabeth said...

All of it is so darling! I love the little swing on the branch, genius!!!!

Ashley said...

Everything was beyond adorable! And the food was amaaaazing, still can't believe how quickly I inhaled my devil's food cupcake jar... A perfect afternoon at Chateau Gahan :-)

Empty Nest Full Life said...

As usual you have outdone yourself! Jackie

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