Scattered Showers

Wild about Riley: A co-ed baby shower

2008-09-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I hosted my first co-ed baby shower. I've hosted co-ed parties before, but this one was tricky since guys don't exactly jump at the chance to guess the circumference of the mother-to-be with ribbon while drinking sherbet punch!

Selecting a theme that wasn't too frilly was key. I found hot pink and lime green invitations, with a zebra print, at Joyful Heart Designs and ran with the theme "We're Wild About Riley!"

Elements of a traditional baby shower were incorporated, but with louder colors and zebra print fabrics. The diaper cake was 4 tiers and topped with a zebra stuffed animal. The flower arrangements were hot pink and lime green -- some incorporated wire forms of a pregnant lady with ribbon. The menu included pulled pork sandwiches (compliments of my mother-in-law, Grace), fruit kabobs, smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres, brownies topped with icing and raspberries, chicken salad sandwiches on mini-croissants, bite sized spinach and cheese quiches, strawberry and spinach salad, and vegetables for dipping in ranch dressing.

Being a co-ed affair, beer and wine were served, along with lemonade and an assortment of other non-alcoholic beverages. At the request of the mother-to-be, her friend Wendy made lime green sherbet punch, which was suprisingly a hit with the guys!

Instead of playing orchistrated games, I set up a table where people could liesurely taste different flavors of baby food and guess the number of gumballs in a large baby bottle. Guests wrote their answers in pencils that were custom made with the theme "Wild about Riley," then submitted their answers in a decorated photo box with a slit in the top. By the time the parents-to-be were finished opening presents, almost everyone had voluntarily played the games and we announced the winners. Suprisingly, more guys tasted the baby food than girls!

Strawberries dipped in white chocolate and then decorated with dark chocolate stripes (similar to zebra stripes) were handed out as favors. On the back of each strawberry was a lime green sticker with Riley's expected due date.

All-in-all, the event was a success. There was one small tragedy however -- the cake was supposed to be three tiers, but a bumpy ride back from the bakery caused the top tier to come loose and slide off!! Luckily, the bottom two tiers and the fondant bow at the top of the cake were salvageable and the cake still looked great...just a little smaller than before! I suppose every event has its share of small "party fouls," but this one literally "took the cake!" No worries though...sometimes you just need to laugh about those kinds of things. Parties are really all about fun, right? Enjoy the pictures!

Welcome Little Miss Hadley!

2008-08-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Jackie lives in Germany, but when she came back to the United States when she was 4 months pregnant to visit her friends and family. I was fortunate enough to work with some of Jackie's friends to throw a baby shower for her at our friend Alecia's house. It was a great event!

Mudbugs in Love - Co-ed crawfish boil bridal shower

2008-08-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring, my college girlfriends and I threw a co-ed bridal shower for our friend Sarah. The party was a crawfish boil, with the theme "Mudbugs in Love." The backyard of my friend Missi's house was decorated with white lights and crawfish balloons. Zydeco music played all night as guests ate crawfish, corn and potatoes outside.

Brady's 1st Birthday -- Safari Style

2008-08-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

My nephew's first birthday was earlier this summer. My sister (one of the most creative people I know) let me help her plan this special party and it was so much fun! The party had a safari theme and tiny details around the living room and kitchen made it fun for guests to walk from one part of the house to another. For instance, in the kitchen, she had the cutest cake ever! In the dining room -- hanging above her spread of kabobs, rice, fruit, veggies and desserts -- were pictures of my nephew throughout the first year of his life. Children left the party with gift bags filled with safari themed items and adults left cookies from The Cookie Bouquet.

Welcome Baby Tabb!

2008-08-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month, my friend Alecia gave birth to an adorable little boy, David Kane Tabb. Before Alecia's "little miracle" entered the world, I helped some of her friends throw a baby shower honoring the mother-to-be. Here are some of the pictures.