House of Hydrangeas

Last month I helped throw my best friend (we met in 9th grade speech class :)) Lauren's baby shower for her soon-to-arrive baby boy, Gunner.  The shower had a "Southern gentleman" theme complete with bow ties, silhouettes and gingham print.  Personal touches and family items were used throughout, including baby Gunner's dad's bow ties :) Gunner's daddy's "going home" outfit greeted guests at the sign in table, along with a framed "Southern gentleman in the making" print. A variety of centerpieces graced the tables with groupings of baby mementos, flowers and photos. An antique baby basket helped house the gifts. The drink menu consisted of milk, apple juice (one of Lauren's cravings), fruit-infused water and coffee. The menu was made of a variety of brunch goodies including fruit, doughnuts, muffins, shrimp and grits, breakfast casserole and a waffle bar.  And of course no shower is comp...

Some of our sweet friends and family helped host a baby shower brunch for me and our little girl last weekend in Birmingham.  It was absolutely beautiful and a day I will always cherish.  Sweet, feminine and full of breakfast food--it couldn't have been more up my alley. :) The booties on the sign-in table were my mom's when she was an infant and the sweater and cap were also made for me and my sister when we babies. A 'wisdom tree' was also placed on the entry table for guests to leave their words of advice. Black and white stripes and touches of pink and green were used throughout.  My friend and hostess, Bekah, created this beauty after some Pinterest inspiration.  If you can believe it, it tasted even better than it looked! The menu was all about breakfast and included items such as pancakes, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, donut holes, breakfast casserole muffins and grits.  Delish! How cute are these mini pancakes?...

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas! It went by in a flash for us! Perhaps it's because there is so much else going on...with a new baby in the family and a wedding coming up, there's a lot on the mind. And for me, a lot of shower ideas floating around in this head of mine. Here is my latest compilation of a shower idea (baby or wedding). If I have a baby girl one day, my one shower request will be to steer clear of a lot of pink. I've always been a purple girl ever since I was little.  I've also always been a big lover of breakfast food.  Both of those loves yielded this shower idea board.  I think it's simple, sweet and full of ageless charm.  I hope you like it too! I'll be bringing you a real-life party I helped on very soon (as soon as I narrow down which pictures to use!)  Have a blessed Monday!

The long-awaited day finally arrived on Saturday!  I would like to say that Meredith's vintage-inspired baby shower "went off without a hitch," but that would be a lie.  We had to make a few adjustments and forgo a few ideas planned, but all things considered, I'd still deem it a success!  So let's take a tour of the shower through my camera lens...     The menu, which you'll learn below, was altered en route to the shower.  In the end, it consisted of chips and dip, fruit skewers, pasta salad, chocolate dipped pretzels, chicken salad sandwiches, ham and cheese rolls, whoopie pies and cake (made by your's truly and my mom-from scratch!). The cake decoration didn't turn out quite as planned due to some time issues that arose after the tomato basil soup that was also supposed to be on the menu spilled ALL over the car via transport to the shower.  And the icing coloring we bought was a little brighter green than advertised, but we rolled wi...