Bring A Book Baby Shower

 Happy Monday! Today we bring you a very special Baby Shower. Now, we had nothing to do with the creation of these wonderful ideas except for the Diaper Cake. The Mom-to-Be's Mother In Law did it all! We simply took the photos and enjoyed the party!

 A nod to the digital age, the E-vite went out to all guests. A printed copy was on display when you entered the shower space.

 The theme for this shower was Baby Books! Each table was decorated in the theme. This was the Disney Princess Table and the "placemats" (sewn by the Gramma-to-be) are actually burp cloths! SO cute!

There were also Maternity Photos all over the space. This was one the happy couple used to announce their pregnancy. It was placed on the Dr. Seuss Table.

 Tory added her Peter Rabbit Book to the Beatrix Potter Table. Of course, we just had to sit there, being such huge Potter fans. (yes, the Gramma-to-be also made the soft Peter Rabbit book too!)

 Hanging like a banner over the food service area were these adorable baby outfits for the baby. They are big San Francisco Giants fans so this outfit is perfect!

 Sweet little girl clothes hung on each side of the food service area and vintage clothing that the Mom-to-Be and her sister wore hung from each table umbrella.

Framed Nursery Rhymes dotted each table as well as lots of different types of books brought by each guest.

 Even the drink area, serving Pink Lemonade and Arnold Palmer's, had a Nursery Rhyme displayed in a pretty frame.

There was also plenty of ice cold water for all of the guests. Northern California is experiencing quite the heatwave and so, instead of the very nice outdoor shower weather that was expected, we ended up with the heatwave instead. Fortunately the space had lots of shade trees, umbrellas and a light breeze to keep us all cool along with the ice cold drinks.

The Mom-to-be found all sorts of surprises on each table, including this bouquet of baby sock roses!

 Appetizers were set out for us all to snack on while waiting for the Mom-to-Be to arrive.

 Chips and Salsa were placed on each table as well...a hint at what our main meal would be!

 We snacked on veggies and ranch dip along with the chips and salsa...perfect light food for a hot day! 

 Then it was time to play some games! For this one we had a few moments to fill out answers on the page...based on a letter picked by the Mom-to-be. In our case it was the letter K and the letter R. NOT easy but definitely fun.

 After that was a familiar game we have played before. Unfortunately we didn't have the edge and didn't win!  Basically you pick out average baby items and you have your guests guess how much it costs to buy the items at their local store. Whoever comes closest to the actual price wins a prize.

 After games came the food! The shredded chicken and beef was so good I think most of us went back for seconds!

 There were home cooked beans and...

 seasoned rice for our sides.

 And lots of things to pile on top including lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese and sour cream as well as the amazing home made guacamole!

 There was even shrimp cerviche to really spoil us! 

With all there was to offer, there was plenty to make up full, colorful and yummy plates of food!

While eating we played a game just for the fun of it, not for prizes. Turned out to be THE game of the afternoon. Famous Babies were written onto labels and then stuck on the guests foreheads, necks or backs (anywhere they couldn't see the sticker) and they had to ask questions about the baby...is the baby animated or real, are the parents famous, is the baby a boy or a girl...etc. and guess the name of the baby on the sticker. It was seriously tons of fun...so much fun that many of us asked for another name so we could play again!

 Then it was time for gifts. This sweetly modified nursery rhyme decorated that table.

Here is the Diaper Cake we created for the shower on the gift table along with framed photos of the Mom and Dad-to-be!

YUM! Time for dessert. The pastries were all made by a family friend and ranged from mini cupcakes...

to full sized cupcakes with adorable little decorative picks tucked into them or fondant and candy insects tucked into cream cheese frosting on top.

 My favorites were the Winnie The Pooh cupcake decorations because they used paper straws as a way to present hand stamped Winnie The Poohs on the cupcakes. SO cute! 

Along with the cupcakes there was also carrot cake...very, very yummy!

For those wanting a lighter, healthier fare there was a fruit filled baby carriage that had been carved from a watermelon!

 

Fruit skewers were also available. I have to admit, we just made a dessert plate for us to share so we could try everything on the dessert table!

 Finally, there were favors. Presented on their own table with a book and some of the game prizes, these little favors were simply adorable.

 They were "magic beans"...jelly bean favors based on Jack and the Beanstalk...including a quote from the book!

 There were also hand made bookmarks. When the Mom-to-be was a toddler just learning to read she would pick up a book and open it up. Sometimes it wasn't even right side up but that didn't matter to her, she just wanted to read. She would act like she was reading the book and start each one with "One Upon A Time in the 'ol Day..." What a cute baby story and an adorable quote for her book themed favors!

 Today was also the day they chose to reveal their baby's new name. The Mom-to-be created this chalkboard art for display and as a way to announce to her family and friends the perfect name for their new little girl. We all can't wait to meet you Kayley!

Our sincere thanks to the Gramma-to-Be Trish, who created such a wonderful party, to the Mom-to-Be Ashley, who made sure we were on the guest list and to the other Gramma-to-Be Tammy, who made sure we felt like family while we were there. We had one of the best times we can ever remember at a baby shower...and we have been to a LOT of them! Thank you all for letting us share in and share all the wonderful parts of this shower!

Next week is all about Cherry Blossoms! And if you have a chance, join us for our daily tips on our Facebook Fan Page. This week it's all about the 4th of July!

Cat