Welcome Lil' Critter

Two and a half years ago, my husband and I helped start a new campus for our church.  These people have become a family.  How wonderful it is to be able to throw a baby shower for Melody, celebrate her expanding family as well as our expanding church family. 

It was a "woodsy" theme.  This is very fitting for Melody, as their entire marriage has been one adventure after another.  She grew up in Colorado and Kyle in Alaska, so they love the outdoors and enjoy camping, hiking, etc.

Entrance:

We had guests write a note to Caleb in "Where the Wild Things Are?"

Prayer is so powerful! Each guest received a prayer card to put on their fridge.

We gave roasted pumpkin seeds as favors. 

Highly recommend having people address their own thank you envelopes. We used them for a raffle. 

Devotional:

Trudi Berding gave Melody and all of us some great and godly advice about being a mom using her cute props. 

Gifts: 

We had the guests fill out the bingo cards.  I didn't get a picture but the prizes were water bottles filled with trail mix. 

Everybody loves Melody and Baby Caleb:

Food:

We had a soup and salad bar which was FABULOUS! Unfortunately our crisp fall day was in the upper 80s.  But luckily soup is ALWAYS good and we had some fantastic cooks!

Drinks:

We had apple cider in mason jars, wrapped with burlap and twine with the awesome striped straws. 

Dessert:

You may see a theme when you look through my different parties.  This was not my idea, but I was happy to help put it together. 

The Team:

One of the unwritten benefits of throwing a shower is getting to spend time with these wonderful ladies.  I by no means did this alone. Thank you to each person who added their special touch. 

I hope this helps you show someone some love!

Garden S'mores Bar

I know you must be thinking..."another party? Didn't she just do one?" Yep! But I love it! This party was for my mother-in-law, Lynette's 50th birthday! She is so fun to love on with this party.  Ever since Nate and I started dating, I have been not only accepted but welcomed into the family.

INVITATION:

Music is an essential party of Lynette's life. She grew up playing various instruments and singing, and still does.  So that was part of our theme. I designed the invitation on Adobe Illustrator but ran out of room for my RSVP. So I used bakers twine and a tag. I think it turned out great!

ENTRANCE:

The other part of our theme was kind of "garden party style."  My father-in-law and sons worked really hard fixing up the yard for her special night.  We hung lights all around.  If you saw a previous post, you know I am obsessed with backyard canopy lights.

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION:

Lynette is very similar to me in that she feels very loved by words of affirmation. I made a frame that said "Write your favorite thing about Lynette."  We had people use clothes pins to hang them on the lattice. Oh...and her favorite color is purple, so of course we used purple pens.

We also had a few people share a favorite memory with Lynette.  I think she felt very loved.

 S'MORES BAR:

The s'mores bar was a hit. So many people said "I don't remember the last time I had a s'more."

My wonderfully creative sister-in-law, Jenalyn, made the cutest pennants out of sheet music, 

as well as the tassel garland to add color to the tables. 

I created a S'mores instructions frame for those who had forgotten. 

I wrapped candles in music paper to decorate the table.  

We had honey, chocolate, and cinnamon graham crackers, PLUS striped cookies.

I made a s'mores menu to encourage people to try different combinations. 

For candy, we had Hershey's Milk Chocolate, Hershey's with Almonds, Reese's, and Kit Kat.

We also had toppings: multi-colored sprinkles, coconut and banana.

We had three different types of marshmallows: chocolate, original, and mint.

I really loved hearing all the different combinations people came up with. 

Some were even making up names for them...smurnutter?

DECOR:

My sister-in-law made some awesome banners to hang along the fence with doilies along with lights

People roasted their marshmallows AT THEIR TABLES! We used Terra Cotta pots, filled with a little sand, and cans of Sterno Chafing Fuel. We used wood skewers

In between the pots we put mason jars filled with babies breath. I wrapped them in music papers and tied twine around it.

FRIENDS:

This party was the perfect atmosphere for people to just relax and chat. 

We did have a "Name that Tune" game with some of Lynette's favorite songs.  

 

We put a candle in a marshmallow on top of a striped cookie!  One of the things I loved most about this party was how perfect it was for Lynette. It was fun coming up with ways to love her on her birthday!

BIG thank you to the whole family! It was an awesome team effort and I couldn't have done it without you. God blessed me with incredible in-laws!