It's a...

I was one of those people who totally mocked the idea of a gender reveal party. I mean, come on, now you have to attend a party to find out the baby’s gender?! SO cheesy. It probably didn't help that I felt like everyone around me was having babies and it wasn't happening for me.

So, fast forward, and here we are: 20 week ultrasound ahead and what do I insist on having? Why, a gender reveal party, of course!

I am so glad that we went through with the party, though, as it was the highlight of our pregnancy so far.  I wanted to enjoy the fun and creative details, and of course, I had a grand vision. I tried to keep it simple, but I did create ties and tutu clips with my brand new Silhouette Cameo (thank you Tom!) for everyone to wear based on their guess. I bought some poufs off Amazon that I fluffed up, and we had a casual and fun BBQ one Saturday in April to announce the big news. Tom and I found out ahead of time, as it is pretty easy for OBGYNs to read ultrasounds. It was actually very special for us to find out together and have those moments together, then share that with family.

I really wanted to do something creative, and I had seen on a blog—but never heard of anyone doing it in real life—a question mark piñata filled with pink or blue confetti. Being who I am, I thought, I can make that! :) Well, about two weeks beforehand, I realized I had NO time to be making my own piñata, and had a bit of a meltdown. Thankfully I have the best parents in the world who said they would attempt it. And it turned out great! They created the shell and I spray painted and decorated it. I thought, wouldn’t it be cute to do little poufs of tissue all over? And 7 hours later, it was done {how do I always do that to myself!?}!

It was such a joy to have our closest friends and family around us as we announced our little one’s gender. And, we have it all on video, too! We are so thankful to be at this point and overjoyed about our bundle of…

BOY!!

ThrowWAYback Thursday: Simple Wedding Shower

I have hosted my fair share of showers--wedding and baby--over the years. I thought I would "capture" my brief moments of creativity and cooking ability (aka my Mom's amazing acts of kindness in helping me out) and share my ideas to make a simple shower very special.

This is my dear friend Heather's bridal shower back in 2011. I told you we were going way back!

Decor:
Simple blue patterned fabric, cut into triangles and hot glued onto light roping was the simple, summer, country inspired decor theme I went with. I think it is important to have some detail on the mailbox, so guests are sure to know where to go. This shower had many friends and family who had not yet been to our home, so I wanted to make sure they knew the correct house! I carried the same theme inside with a larger banner for the mantle and mini banners throughout.I set up tables in the kitchen and our entry room/office space with vases of floating candles and flower petals (extras I never used from my wedding!).

Food:
 I love to do brunch showers, because I feel brunch is so much easier to cook. And Mimosas!! Need I say more?? We did a tried a true breakfast casserole, granola parfaits, fruit, and breads and muffins.  Then for dessert my [fabulous] mom made her special mini Black Bottom Cupcakes to top it all off. Since it was morning, I decided a heavy dessert wasn't needed. We made enough for every guest to have a couple, because you can never have just one!

Oops! Didn't take the picture BEFORE guests ate up!

Games and Favors:

I'm not a big game person, but we did do a Marriage Advice book and my favorite--How They Met Mad Libs! Many brides have online wedding websites these days, so I didn't even have to bother the bride-to-be on this one (of course, I pretty much knew all of the details!). I simply copied the "How We Met" section on their website into Word, and took out some crucial words. Then, I added what types of words were needed--adjectives, nouns, etc. and printed copies. It was fun for all ages...the serious players, and the silly!

And the favor? Heather's favorite recipe on a cute recipe card for everyone to add to their own recipe book!

It was simple but successful, and of course, so much fun to celebrate the THEN bride to be!

Graduation Party Ideas

Tom graduated Medical School, so clearly we needed to celebrate BIG TIME! I also finished my Masters degree this past year, so we opted for a double graduation party. I really wanted to enjoy the opportunity to be creative and make it special. I love being crafty, but often lack the time. So...I was ultra-prepared. The party was earlier in June, but I started crafting in February, so I wasn't stressed at the last minute, well, at least with the stuff that could be done in advance! :)

Here are a few ways I included both a Medical School Graduation theme and a Reading Specialist Masters degree [say that five times!] theme into one {fabulous} party:

Welcome to the Party!

Wreath with graduation pictures

                                 [yarn wrapped wreath + cardstock + pictures + scrapbooking letters]

Mantel filled with Graduation Memories and Banner

Pinterest-inspired quotes and inspirational sayings banner

Pencil and alphabet vase 

 [2 boxes of pencils + actual teacher alphabet desk strips + washed out veggie can + lots of hot glue]

A dressed up card box

                                             [I had an "extra" mailbox. I may be a *bit* of a hoarder.]

Special drink coozies for the grads

                                     [Dollar bin at Jo Ann Fabric + scrapbooking letters]

Scrub shirt cookies for dessert

Large and small versions

     [Recipe for the cookie found here: Authentic Suburban Gourmet; Recipe for the icing found here: AllRecipes; "Gourmet Writer" edible marker bought at Hobby Lobby; cookie cutters found locally]

Alphabet and school supply cupcakes

My amazing mom made this great teacher themed table runner...

and tablecloth for the drink table!

And you can't leave without a party favor!

A prescription from the Dr.!

[purchased empty pill bottles + Avery labels from Wal-Mart + a color printer + a little creativity

 + lots of different "prescription-y fonts]

We had a wonderful turn out and a fabulous time celebrating with friends and family. It was a treat to have everyone who supported us through the past years in one place to celebrate. I'm so glad I did all the detail work ahead of time, because cleaning our house and setting up was enough work the week of! And, making those cookies!! [Seriously, it took 2 days, or the equivalent of watching 5 seasons of the Office.]