Martha Stewart....eat your heart out!

Okay, it has only been approximately three weeks since the "Shower Extraordinaire" and since the baby (guest of honor) is due on Tuesday, I thought I had better blog about it! Well, for those of you who were unable to attend I must say it was, shall we say....To DIE For! For years now I have been hoarding only the best of the best baby shower goodies in hopes of throwing a huge extravaganza for a dear friend or better yet, for myself! Along the way I have somewhat pimped out some of the props to various friends and customers to help them celebrate their own little bundles of joy but now finally the entire culmination of props and ideas were able to take center stage! Who better to showcase it all for than my dear friend Tiffany.



Here, I did get the idea from one of Martha Stewart's Wedding magazines and decided to cut hearts welcoming guests up the walkway. I think I found the cute saying on one of the invites I had perused on the net. How precious did they turn out!

Of course the front door would not have been complete without an Elizabelle's signature bow.

Next to the door we floated an assortment of rubber duckies I have been collecting for years.

Hello, if you have never met my beautiful stork here he is in all his glory, adorned with a pink silk top hat and gingham silk tails! I love, love, love him! Next to him in the entryway is an old vintage baby scale, which might I add has a stork on the face of the dial. On the scale we stacked all the parting gifts for guest. Inside were XL sweetie cookies I had attempted to make the night before. I have never made them so large, nor have I ever dyed them blue. I will have to follow up that adventure with another blog.

If you can zoom in close, on the table is Tiffany's corsage. I wish I had taken a closer photo of it, but I made it from a bright blue linen fabric and used the same pattern I had to make a yellow corsage in one of my previous posts. But one thing, I printed a small banner and sewed it to the flower saying "Mother-to-Bee" and added an image of a bumble bee!

Each of the cookies was inserted into wax paper baggies (complements of The Paper Place here in Goldsboro) and then sealed with a vintage image of a chick with an umbrella, which read "Thank You for Showering Us with Your Love!" How cute!

This is Barbara's breathtakingly beautiful dining room. I could not conceive of a more perfect or picturesque place to have as a backdrop for this party! The home is not only stunningly beautiful but it is so welcoming and comfortable.

We decided to serve the food buffet style. So, to make it a little easier for guest to move through the line, I sewed white paper sacks in half, then stuffed them with a napkin and utensils. This way you could just grab it and go!

This too is my new favorite thing, making these larger than life cupcakes! In the past I have made them for birthdays, but what better to decorate the mantle, especially since the invitations had the very same cupcakes!

Compliments of Barbara and her impeccable taste, she had these totally fabulous stuffed animals in here granddaughter's room. How majestic are these I ask you? Referring to them as "stuffed animals" does not quite do them justice. Oh, and what party would not be complete without a party hat? The kangaroo's had has a banner flying from the top that says "Baby Warner". With the help of my favorite medium, papier-mache, I was able to make this baby block riser for the kangaroo, as well as two more for the dining room table.

Now for Part I of the food served: This cake and its many little mini cupcakes below, was not only precious to look at, but was delicious as well! All of the credit goes to the cutest little girl in Rosewood, Amanda Merrit #583-9748 I cannot say enough positive things about this lady, easy to work with, crazy reasonably priced and imaginative. Please contact her for all your cake needs! p.s. her home is so clean I would eat off the floor!

The mini cupcakes that Amanda suggested were a tremendous hit! They were just bite size, perfect and no mess! Everyone ate one...or two.....or three. At the end of the evening Tif and Vic took the top cake tier with them!

Part II of the food served: ....Sorry, I did not take photos of all the heavenly food! I guess I was so hungry and threw the camera down to eat, or maybe it was that everything was so scrumptious it was devoured in the blink of an eye. You can thank Chef Barbara for the delectable dinner! I think Barbara should have a part time job catering on the side or at least publish a cook book. Everyone was dieing to know the recipe for the chicken casserole, rice (unlike any rice I have ever consumed), dinner rolls, etc. Fabulous to say the least!

Do you not LOVE the lemonade decanter/ apothecary jar!! I have had it for a couple of years now and it finally got to make its debut. After all, might as well get one good show in if by some chance it does not make the big move to Arizona! Hey Lisa, I see you trying to steal that puppy away from me. Don't think I will not know were to begin looking for it if it goes missing.

Another added touch, we floated rubber duckies in the top of the lemonade.

I have always had on my radar a mossy covered swan ever since I saw one in a wedding magazine about ten years ago. Still to this day I have yet to discover one..........until NOW! Well, I had to have some sort of live floral arrangement and I desperately need a cute container to show it off, so I was determined to make my own swan. It took some experimentation, trial and error, and viola! All in all, it was not too difficult to make, but look for another post titled "Swan Tutorial" and I will tell you all you need to know so you can have one of your very own!

What good swan would not be complete without being adorned with a party hat? A mother goose party hat no less.

Barbara pins the mother-to-be Tiffany with her corsage. The other good thing about making the corsage is that it can be saved as a keep sake or you could sport it again on a cardigan.

Oh my goodness, I cannot get enough of Tif! How precious is she? Beautiful, kind, sweet, giving...I know she will make the ultimate mommy.

Love, love, love these two very special gal pals. If you do not already recognize her, that is the famous artist Lisa Jordan on the far right. She drove all the way from Greenville to join in our celebration!

Barbara and Tif take a quick pose before we commence the opening of gifts.

Wanda, Wanda, probably the most photogenic person I know! Truly a beautiful woman on the outside, but I think it is her inner spirit that shines through in her photos.

Finally, Tif sits down and begins the process of unwrapping her wonderful gifts.

Wow, someone has impecable tast! I think everyone swooned over this package. How cute? Baby blue tulle and vintage children spoon and fork, knotted with a hint of chocolate brown and blue ribbon? LOVE it!

Tiffany is already practicing her peek-aboos over the top of this present. Guess who that gift is from? Miss Lisa. I know the heart attack that awaits her on the inside of that thin little package. Just wait and see......

Yep, it is none other than a Lisa Jordan original painting! and it is the one Tif has been coveting to finish the baby's nursery. Her reaction is priceless!

Finally, what made probably one of the biggest hits at the party was a gift from the Vanns. Leave it to them to think of everything! Simultaneous, gut busting laughter filled the room when Tif revealed what was hiding inside the box. A little my first lawn mower! (If you do not know Vic, the baby's daddy, mows lawns, as well as holds a full time job)

Vroom, Vroom! Dwanda and Adaline you have outdone yourselves once again!

Like I said before, a joyouse occasion with friends, family, and friends that are family! Truely memorable!