Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Baby Shower Fashion

My sister, Gail, and I recently threw a baby shower for our little sister, Laura, who is expecting her first child -- a boy! -- this March. My nephew, Reid Payne, is due to enter the world on March 17th, and my family is so very excited about the new addition to our family.

Me (left) posing with my pregnant sister, Laura
My mom was integral to the planning of the shower. With work being so crazy lately, and Gail doing what she could from Nashville, I think the baby shower was such a success because of her dedication and arts and crafts savvy. (I wish I could be more like that... but I'm terrible with crafts and any kind of homemade project.)

Highlights from the baby shower include:

Food
  • Zaxby's food! Laura had a craving for Zaxby's chicken fingers, so we served them, along with Zax Sauce, and a selection of chicken sandwiches and salads.
  • Blue frosted vanilla cupcakes courtesy of my favorite cupcake place, CamiCakes.
  • A beautiful chocolate jungle-themed cake with koala cake topper to match the shower invitation and nursery theme from KT Kakes (and my best friend since 1994, Katie K.). Katie has her own blog, and writes about the experience of creating this cake here.

Decorations
  • Tables: We decided to use stuffed animals as table decorations so that Laura could keep them for the nursery after the shower was over. We included a pug -- Laura has two of her own -- along with a giraffe, elephant and monkey.
  • Diaper Cake: My mom created a beautiful diaper cake with a koala on top that matched the real cake. Laura's nursery is koala themed, so we wanted to included koalas in some of the shower decorations. It's also great because Laura gets to keep all the diapers!
  • Party Plates: We also found plates and napkins with a cute jungle theme print to match the decor... at The Dollar Tree! (I couldn't find the exact ones online, but they are included in the picture above and feature an elephant, lion and other animals.)
  • Baby Clothes: My mom found some clothes that Laura wore as a baby, and strung them on a clothesline along with some new clothes for Reid.
Entry way featuring the Diaper Cake

Games

We had a few fun games that we played during the shower:
  • Trivia: I had fun creating the entertainment, history and baby themed questions for the trivia game. Do you know what 1988 movie starred Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern as a couple trying to have a baby? Could you pinpoint the year that Mother's Day became a national holiday? Do you know where Katherine Heigl worked in Knocked Up? Could you name the original Gerber baby? If so, you may have done well during the game.
  • Guessing Game: Guests saw a jar of animal crackers when they came into the venue. They had to guess how many were in the jar! 
  • Onesies! To make the present opening time a little more fun for guests, we had them each guess how many onesies Laura would receive as presents.
  • Belly Measuring: Guests had to take a gander at the measurement of Laura's pregnant belly. This picture is probably my favorite shot from the day:
Measuring Laura's belly
We think Laura's guests had a great time!

As for the fashion, Gail and I decided that we both would wear shades of blue in honor of the baby boy shower. I chose my new Nanette Lepore Local Vine Dress in Teal, which I am completely in love with. For some reason, the bodice started rippling, and I'm wondering if it may need some boning to keep the shape. Perhaps that is something I will attempt to add one day! You can still buy the dress on NanetteLepore.com. It was originally $378, but it's available for $151.20. I fortunately got it on sale with my Christmas money! The dress also comes in black and raspberry, as well as a dark gray.

This dress would work on a variety of different body types due it's A-line design. The belt helps showcase a tiny waist, and the cap sleeves help slim the arm. The teal and raspberry are my favorite colors... I love bright colors because they can work on so many different skin tones.

The dress is exceptionally well made, too, and definitely worth the sale price. You can find so many great deals on Nanette Lepore's dress sale page. Happy shopping!

Posing with my mom and sisters