"Little Birdies" Baby Shower

I'm excited to finally share the baby shower I designed for the Richmond “Dream Baby Shower” contest winner. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may have already seen this on How Does She? or Bird's Party.  If not, I hope you enjoy all the details here!

This is a locally sponsored contest (with $1500 worth of prizes) that is presented by RichmondMom.com and introduces expecting mothers (nominated by friends & family) to readers, who then vote for a deserving recipient. The winner of the contest is expecting twin boys and chose an invitation from By Invitation Only, with a lovely birds-in-a-tree motif. This turned out to be the inspiration for my design.

We set the scene with 4 different, but coordinating tabletop designs using burlap runners as base for all the tables.  With 2 tables featuring birdcages and rustic accessories, the other 2 featured branches with rustic bird houses. Florals were done in shades of green and white, and small button flowers were attached to the Manzanita branches to add color and detail. The button flowers are very hardy and hold up without being in water, so I cut the heads off the stems, hot glued it to a piece of yarn, and tied it onto the branches. 

Place settings were a combination of white and clear plates with lace and twine embellished canning jars used for drinks. Each guest received a tiny chocolate birds nest favor with Jordan almonds (eggs) inside. To make these I melted dark chocolate and mixed in crushed shredded wheat cereal and crunchy chow mein noodles. I then created a “nest” by filling the bottom of a muffin tin with a bit of the mixture. Place the “eggs” (Jordan almonds) inside the nest while the chocolate is still soft and warm so they will stick to the nest as it hardens, without falling out. Let it set up in the refrigerator.

The dessert table is a lovely focal point with tasty cupcakes from Two Sweet bakery dressed up with toppers from Bird’s Party designs. The backdrop is a painter’s canvas wrapped with fabric from JoAnn's. I made a “BABY” banner by draping lace across the front and attaching painted wooden letters with a clothes pin covered by ribbon. Bird’s Party also created the “baby shower” sign which instructed the guests to write a few words of wisdom for mom, and place it in the bird cage.

The final element to this party was the delicious menu provided by Green Monkey catering, a company specializing in natural and organic food. Thanks to the vendors and sponsors this turned out to be beautiful event!