One thing I have noticed this Spring and Summer, is that when Showroom Reps come to show us the new fabric lines one colour stands out as very popular…. PURPLE. Call it what you want: Purple, Lavender, Amethyst, Lilac, Mulberry, Violet, Plum, Eggplant, Orchid, Black Currant, Royal... It has been one of my very favourite colours for a LONG time.
In fact, when I was trying to decide what to choose for colours when we did our company logo, Lilac and Grey were the two I chose. I feel like these two colors are both neutrals, and how could they not look gorgeous together?
So when I was co-hosting a baby shower, it seemed only fitting that this stylish mom-to-be chose lavender as the accent colour for her baby and it's nursery. She was not going to find out the sex of the child before birth, and she wanted something neutral but different than yellow or green. So violet I mean voilá! Lilac & Grey it was! (Great minds think alike ☺ )
So, with the help and ideas of her friends and family who were the co-hosts alike, we came up with these ideas. I have to say her dear friend Melanie was the one who really dove right in and dedicated herself to this shower with passion and vigor. I had it easy, just clean + embellish. For instance...
So, with the help and ideas of her friends and family who were the co-hosts alike, we came up with these ideas. I have to say her dear friend Melanie was the one who really dove right in and dedicated herself to this shower with passion and vigor. I had it easy, just clean + embellish. For instance...
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I found this greeting card at a stationary store and placed it in a lucite frame I had and it was a fun, light-hearted addition to the decor and set the tone for the party.
On the entry table in the foyer, we placed a framed invitation and a picture of the sonogram. A co-host had given me the purple paper, which I placed in a frame that I found in a drawer. It already had the white matte in the frame, so I think that worked out perfectly. Again, I used some of my inexpensive lucite block frames (available here) for the sonogram. I printed it off an email the mother-to-be had sent me.
The theme was Sweet Dreams (which Melanie so cleverly came up with), so obviously this was going to be a table full of desserts. We didn't want to bend-over-backwards making stuff from scratch, so we purchased store bought goodies and embellished them.
For the brownie bites, I sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar on the tops.
Melanie had taken purple paper-flowers and glued them on toothpicks. We put them on the brownies and it made them look very special.
Chocolate covered strawberries are the perfect companion to champagne, and it is much cheaper to make them yourself than purchase them.
Purchase good quality chocolate, I used semi-sweet. Break them up and put them in a double-broiler, until melted.
Make sure you keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn, like mine did. Which is why I microwave my chocolate now! Guaranteed results. Dip and rest on wax paper and put in the fridge to harden.
White chocolate is also a good alternative, but again, I burned mine on the double broiler. Should of microwaved this first!
I used a Depression era pressed-glass sandwich plate to put the strawberries on. I love these vintage glass plates. They can be easily passed around. Don't overlook these when you are at an antique mall or shop. They are affordable and if you entertain a lot, you will use them more often than you can imagine. (There some for sale on Ruby Lane here, here and here AND on eBay here, here and here.)
I pulled out an old 1990's Silver-plate Punch Bowl purchased at Foley's when I was single and in my early twenties. My former roommate and I used to throw GREAT Christmas parties, and we served this 'Sneaky Rum Punch'. We borrowed her mothers punch bowl for years, and it was then I decided I need my own.
Since I've been married I've hardly touched the thing, so I am trying to remember to use things that I have and I pulled this out from it's box and got it ready. (If you like this idea, I found some beautiful punch-bowl sets on eBay here, here and here.) It comes with matching silver cups that are supposed to be placed around the bowl on the matching tray, but I thought that was too "matchy" and quite boring actually. So I used low-ball crystal glasses instead, and placed the punch bowl to the side on the tray and surrounded them with these crystal Whisky glasses instead. Who says you can't drink Champagne punch out of Whiskey glasses? It kept the party casual.
But because we were a group that obviously liked our Champagne, we ran out and I had to invariably pull out the flutes instead.
No worries, I some some silk ribbon in a knot around the stem and now they are festive and casual as well.
And speaking of dressing up your dishes, at the last minute I decided to grab an antique linen hankie that I had in my drawer. It is one of those drawers that are full of antique linens that were handed down to me through the family through the years, and with these too I have decided to come up with uses for them. Who can enjoy things when they stay hidden in drawers?
So on a whim, I just tied one in a knot on the handle of this silver water pitcher. I have to say, I quite liked it. It looked pretty, softened up all the metallic edges and also absorbed some of the water from condensation and kept my hands dry. (This could be a great hostess gift for a party and we have lots of antique hankies in our store, like the ones here and here).
I had purchased some of these lilac coloured roses at the Grocer's and all we needed was just little bouquets around the space. This is my milk creamer that I keep by my coffee pot and since I needed a small container, I used this instead of a conventional glass vase. Some of the same silk ribbon used on the champagne flutes tied around the neck make it even more special.
These roses were still closed so I helped 'force them open' a bit by peeling back each petal, starting with the outside, until they looked bigger. Not every rose will let you do this, some petals are very flexible and some are not. But I do suggest you try it one day.
I like to tie my bouquets together before putting them in a container. Either with a rubber-band, string, floral tape, or ribbon. It just keeps them arranged how you want it when you move it into a container.
And here is the table, once we set it. Melanie made the pom-poms out of tissue paper, and used scrap-booking paper as liners for the plates.
Store-bought cookies can also look elegant when placed creatively on plates. Not piling them on a plate but rather laying them out sparsely makes them appear more special. These particular sugar cookies are from Whole Foods and they are vegan and DELICIOUS. That is one of my favourite sources for pretty cookies and yummy treats.
More store-bought cookies - rolled in powder sugar - get dressed up with toothpicks and toppers. You can purchase scrap-booking die-cut embellishments and glue them onto toothpicks for an instant decoration on bite-sized foods. Or use them on cupcakes for birthday parties.
Well, the party is done and the baby is born. And guess what they had?
... a little girl ♥
I have more entertaining galleries on our website here. But it's too hot in Texas right now to do any partying. The only entertainment I want is the sound of an oscillating fan and an Arnold Palmer being poured in a cold glass.
