MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING SHOWER

My dear friends Reagan and Brandon got married two years ago today, and to celebrate, I wanted to share some photos of the super-fun shower we threw for them a month before their nuptials. It's one of my all-time favorites. Instead of a traditionally stuffy affair, we had a fabulous couples shower with a chic fiesta theme.
















Please excuse this picture-heavy post! I just loved so many details of the shower, many of which Bella and other wonderful people helped make possible. From the personalized hand-cut Papel Picado banners to the scrumptiously fresh food, from the cheesy good piñata to the hilarious participation of our friends and Reagan's parents in the Newlywed-style game--everything was just relaxed and fun.



Happy Anniversary, my loves. Your joy is as contagious now as it was that day.

START 'EM YOUNG

I'm surrounded by gorgeous pregnant friends and beautiful new babies these days.

My dear friend/sister/neighbor, Bella, is due in August.



Yes, she is, indeed, the most adorable pregnant lady you have ever seen.

The amazing streamer installation in the photo was created for Bella's baby shower, which I might feature in a future post. Bella's best friend and my dear friend, Kelly, planned a colorful, creative, A-B-C shower--which was perfectly representative of our Bella and was a fitting way to share in the anticipation of and preparation for her first baby.

In keeping with the shower theme, I found a couple of books that I just had to include as a gift...and that I just had to share with you!



I am in love with this happy board book Pantone: Colors by Pantone and illustrated by Helen Dardik. The book introduces your child to 9 basic colors, with 20 shades of each.

I can just imagine the conversation between Bella and her little girl.
Bella: What color are the leaves in the tress, little one?
Baby B: Green!
Bella: That's right, sweetie, they're green!
Baby B: Well, actually they're more of a pistachio green, or maybe even a moss green.
Bella: !!!



Then there's Paul Thurlby's Alphabet by Paul Thurlby, which has a stylized, retro feel, but is very surprising and refreshing at the same time. E is for embrace and U is for underground?! Love it.


Everything in life should be wrapped in this awesome amphibian paper...



I hope Baby Girl enjoys these books as much as Adult Me does!



Throw a little pantone and some hipster illustrations into your child's daily reading, and you're bound to get a little artist. Gotta foster those creative genes early!

TIME FLIES

It has been four years of blessings and bliss since this happened:



Each year has been better than the last.




In celebration, here are a few of my favorite DIY projects from that lovely day.

Hand-painted direction signs on reclaimed barn wood

Gold spray-painted IKEA votive lanterns, carried by my little "lantern girls"

My adorable "lantern girls"

Grocery store bridal bouquet

Monogram wreaths made with artificial flowers

Monogram wreaths - one of my favorite projects...Tutorial to come!

Ceremony programs

Cute sign to welcome you to the candy buffet favors

Favor boxes for candy buffet with personalized monogrammed tags

Gorgeous monogram decoration on my delicious cake

The wonderful thing about a cheap wedding is that all of your friends' talents shine bright like a diamond. Like an engagement ring diamond.

My friend Aaron went so far as to knock on the doors of people with old barns to ask them for old wood, and those old barn people weren't that nice. So four years later, I still want to thank my talented and creative friends and family for their help in making that day so happy.

A great introduction to a happy marriage.

*All photos courtesy of our wonderful friends at DSW Photography.

PRETTY IN PINK

My friends Shannon and Berend just had a beautiful baby girl named Amelia. I had the joyful pleasure of planning the baby shower a couple months ago.

THEMES: To match Shannon's ideas for the nursery, I focused on pinks and grays, elephants, and storybooks, oh my!

THE INSPIRATION:

L-to-R:
Little Peanut Baby Shower from karaspartyideas.com
A Book-Themed Baby Shower from marthastewart.com
Once Upon A Time Baby Shower from on ontobaby.com

THE PARTY:

The shower had so many handmade touches like adorable pink and gray bunting and fabric-strip garlands, freshly picked flowers from the hostess' garden, framed quotes from beloved children's books, homemade iced cookies on sticks, and pink lemonade served with striped paper straws.

In lieu of cards, each guest brought a favorite children's book with a personal note inscribed on the inside cover. Now baby Amelia has a fully-stocked personal library! For favors, the Mommy-to-be made bookmarks using the artwork from the invitations.

Instead of baby shower games, we made onesies using cute iron-on appliques. So easy and so sweet.

Many thanks to my crazy party-planning machine friends who made the day so lovely. =)