Centerpieces of roses, hydrangea, carnations, and babies breath made spring and the idea of New Life feel so tangible.

My mother-in-law found these sweet little floral totes for favors.  They're not only pretty but very practical: they're insulated for take alongs but small enough to fold up and tuck in a purse!  Hand blown glass birds dangle from a glittered tree and carved candles scattered about the tables are lit just before the guests sit down.

An assortment of family teapots, sugar bowls, creamers and honey pots were used to serve the various types of tea. (I'm in love with the white and gold polka-dot tea pot that has been in my husband's family for several generations! How fun is that?)

Savory offerings ranged from Spring Pea Phyllo Cups, Lemon-Almond Chicken Salad on tiny sweet rolls (garnished with dried cranberries - yum!), Mini Ham & Swiss Quiches and Cucumber Dill Open Face Finger Sandwiches. All of them were made by my fantastic and talented aunts and all of them were So. Incredibly. Delicious!

And then, there were the sweets... Thumbprint Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and Raspberry Cream-Filled Wafers are as pretty as they are irresistible.

After the tea was over, we moved into a room across the hall for presents, crafts and games.  Little touches everywhere you looked made it so very special: My own baby shoes displayed on the coffee table; Onesies and Headbands made by the attendees and displayed on clothesline; A bright green feathered wreath; and a frilly pink umbrella filled with forsythia and tulips.

Not all arrangements need to be in a vase.  I put this one together in a beautiful soup tureen for the coffee table.

Although I typically try to shy away from highlighting gifts (because so many people gave us so many amazing things), I absolutely had to showcase this one.  My husbands parents took his old rocking horse and gave it a complete girly makeover (he swears it wasn't pink before...).  The pink and white paint, curly yarn hair and the teeny tiny cowgirl boots they included make it so ridiculously adorable I could scream.

It is never lost on me how very blessed I am.  I have a loving family, a wonderful husband, a safe and happy home, my health...

Yet, this past month I had even more reminders of what a lucky girl I am.  Within the space of two weeks, my husband and I (and the little wiggle worm in my tummy) were the honored guests at two beautiful baby showers.  They were so gorgeous and warm and thoughtful that I wanted to share some of the details with you!

This first shower was thrown by two of my best friends (including one who flew in from Texas with her mom and beautiful daughter).  It was filled with fun, cute and creative touches that were perfect reflections of their wonderful personalities.  I'm certainly stealing some of these touches for the next shower I throw!  Enjoy!!

The Beautiful Details 
 

Two of the most beautiful details were the Wish Book and Wish Tree that greeted everyone as they entered.  Cards filled with sweet sentiments for the baby can be preserved for years to come, letting her know how very loved she is.

Who needs floral centerpieces when you can have something just as cute and way more practical?  These ingenious pots filled with diaper "flowers" were so cute, I couldn't bear to pull them apart when I got home.  They're sitting, waiting to be of service in the nursery!

Although we still received some beautiful cards, the girls requested that everyone bring their favorite children's book to start a library for the baby.  I'm an avid reader and a big literary nerd, so it means a lot to me to have a beautiful collection already started.  Several people also added sweet notes to the inside to wish the baby well!

 
 The Food

Finger foods can look so chic when served on beautiful plates and cake stands!  I probably ate my weight in these Caprese Picks (delicious AND adorable!).  The spanakopita, charcuterie and mini hot dogs were big hits as well!  And all of them were perfectly sized for the little munchkins in attendance!

And then, there were the sweets... (It's a good thing I'm pregnant.  I can blame all the weight gain on the baby!)

Another amazingly talented friend MADE this gorgeous confection.  It's prettier than my wedding cake!!  The cake itself was buttermilk and it was filled with a spicy apple compote... So Good!! I am still blown away when I look at this!

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Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade were the key drinks.  Not only was the carafe gorgeous, but how cute are the bottles and straws that everyone drank out of?

The Games 

I love games.  Knowing this, my girlfriends arranged to have several silly competitions. 1. A giant baby bottle held a mysterious number of Cadbury Mini Eggs (it held less after I finished filling it...) 2.  A silly baby-fied version of The Price is Right was played in teams 3.  The You-Can't-Say-That party game is one of my favorites.  It's played all night and people get so creative and sneaky! 3.  I love trivia!  Baby trivia is traditional and sweet with all kinds of frightening and fascinating statistics!

The People

It wasn't a huge shower - almost entirely family - but it was completely overflowing with love and laughter.

One of my dearest friends (D) just had a gorgeous baby girl and tomorrow is the shower for her newly-hatched munchkin.   Months ago D made an off hand comment about diapers being the best thing you could get a new mother as the need for them is quite high, so, when baby Stevie arrived, I figured I'd go with a gift that's high on practicality. 

Instead of just wrapping up a box of nappies and handing them over however, I wanted to create something a little special and a little silly.  It's a celebration, after all!

I've seen diaper cakes quite a bit, and though they're cute, I wanted something a little more creative.  Diaper Tricycles are freaking adorable, but I thought I might save that diaper creation for a baby boy.  Instead, I settled on creating an over-the-top Diaper Castle.  What little girl DOESN'T want a castle?!

I had a general idea as to what I wanted it to look like (Turrets, flags, ribbons, glitter: basically, the girlier, the better!), but the actual construction was a process of trial and error.  It's possible some adult language was used. I have conveniently edited it out, but feel free to get creative. :-)

The final (ridiculous) result was worth it.  A Pretty Palace of Pink and Purple Paper, Pennants and Pampers is standing ready for tomorrow's party (Alliteration is my jam).  Below is the whole Peppy Process (What? P's are fun!).

Supplies:
1 large piece of cardboard (for the structure to rest on)
Wrapping Paper
1 Box of Diapers, 120 count
2 Packages of Wipes (optional)
Wooden Skewers
Tape, Glue
8 Straws
Ribbon and Rick Rack
Scrapbook Paper/Cardstock
Gifting Shreds (those tinsel-like things you stick in gift bags)
Additional crafting supplies (glitter, fancy scissors, etc)

Okay, Let's Do This

Basic Structure:
1.  Cover your cardboard with wrapping paper and secure with tape or spray adhesive. 

2.  Once the adhesive is dry, place two rows of 30 diapers each back to back - 60 diapers total (this
will be your base). They WILL want to fall down.  You can use rubber bands to hold them in place, but I didn't care for the dent they made in the "walls".  Instead, I used a bit of tape on each corner to hold in place while I tied a ribbon around. Insert a package of wipes under the ribbon on either side of the bottom layer.
3.  Create a second layer of 30 diapers. 

4.  Starting with a folded diaper, roll into a tube shape, and secure with a piece of tape. Repeat with the next 8 (9 total).  Gather them in a round and tie.

5.  For the top layer, create one large round by rolling 5 diapers together.  Fasten with a ribbon. 

6.  Working carefully, insert skewers between each layer to anchor.





Turrets: 

1.  There should be sixteen diapers left to work with.  Working with two, tightly roll and secure with tape.  Repeat with remaining diapers to create 8 total cylinders.  Wrap with ribbon(s).
2.  Working with your scrapbook paper or cardstock, create 8 cones wide enough to fit snugly over the top of each cylinder.  Leave a small hole in the top of each cone, for a straw to slip into. 
3.  Create one large cylinder to attach to the top tower of the castle (the roll of 5 diapers). 

3.  Fit a straw into the center of each diaper roll (turret).  Slide the cone onto the top of the straw, leaving some straw exposed at the top (this will be our flag pole!)

4. In the center of the bottom of your turret, insert half of a skewer partway.  Use the remaining part to secure to the top of your first layer. 

5. Loop string through the ribbon on your turret and the ribbon on your second story structure, pull tight, and tie.  This should affix one to the other and give you a more stable construction for transport.  Repeat with all corners of the second and third story.

Structure Complete! Now on to the fun stuff!

Decorate!
This is the fun part.  Using scraps of colorful paper, stickers, stamps, or glitter, create flags for your straw flag poles, doors and windows, tags, crowns... whatever!!

Attach ribbons and streamers to the top turret, add bows, add sparkly plastic buckles (I found adorable little girls "bracelets" that I used on the turrets.  I thought my friend's older daughter could play with them when the whole mess is disassembled!)

The final step was to add the gifting shreds to the bottom of each layer. The iridescence is so fun and pretty!

I'm hoping that my friend will get a kick out of the silly structure.   My next project is to create a Big-Sister's Gift for her older daughter.  I'll share some pics if I manage to get it done in time!!