Baby Shower: How To-ing

So, I got a few questions about some of the DIY stuff I did for my sister's baby shower, so thought I'd show you how I did everything/where I found the directions/etc.

Mason Jars
So, while the mason jars did take some time, they were really easy and made such an awesome addition to the shower. Plus, I still have the jars so can re-use/re-purpose for any other showers/parties/get-togethers.

What you need:
Mason Jars (we bought two dozen - approx $22, but you can surely find them cheaper)
Ribbon (we really wanted stripes and they need to be 7/8 inches, so we ordered ours)
Hot Glue Gun
Super-cute paper-straws (totally optional, but totally worth it)

First - cut ribbon in three different sizes. You'll need the first length to wrap all the way around the jar, the second link to make a loop the size of your bow and the third length to wrap your bow. 

Now simply wrap the ribbon around the mason jar and affix it with a dab of hot glue (trust me on the "dab," it's much easier to scrape off). 

Now make your bow "loop" and glue to close the loop.

  Now take your shortest ribbon, loop it around to make a bow and add a bit of hot glue.

Now, glue the bow to the jar, add a cute straw and VOILA:

Now, repeat 23 more times. See what I mean? Not hard at all, doesn't take that long to do one. Just really repetitive.

Tissue Poufs
Let's face it - tutorials are not my strong suit. I followed these directions and, let's face it, I actually bought a kit to do the teal ones because 1. I couldn't find tissue paper that color and 2. I'm lazy.

Tie Wreath 
My original inspiration came from this Father's Day tie wreath I found on Pinny. It was very easy, too. (See a trend, here?)

What you Need:
Men's White Collared Shirt (Go to a thrift store - approx $4)
Men's Tie (Thrift store - approx $2)
Wreath (styrofoam or otherwise - approx $4)
Yarn (approx $3)
Wooden letter ( approx $2)
Spray paint (already owned)

First, wrap the yarn around the wreath like you would for any yarn wreath.Then, take your collared shirt (ensure it's buttoned) and cut down the button line and around the collar and back down. Then, take your tie and have your husband or whatever man in your life tie the tie for you. (Or bonus points if you actually know how to tie a tie yourself!) Wrap the tie around the collar and then I just used straight pens to attach the top of the collar and the bottom to the wreath.


I got a little lazy with the yarn in the back, as you can see...

But overall, it turned out well and the whole thing only cost me about $15. Can I get a "holler"?

So, that's how I knocked out some of the fun decor for the baby shower. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Books, Bow Ties & Baby Showers

This past weekend, the day we've been planning for months was finally here: my sister's baby shower and it could not have gone better! As I've mentioned, we had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted to do - no "theme" per se, but for our sweet little Eli, we asked everyone to bring a book in the place of a card to help build his library. So with that in mind, we wanted to decorate with books and bow ties and we followed the color scheme of the invitation: teal and orange with gray and navy accents. You can see my baby shower inspiration board on Pinterest here.

Here's  how everything looked:

Baby pics of the mom and dad-to-be mixed with some of Heather's favorite books from when she was little. :-)

Me and the Momma-to-be

We decorated with all of our old Dr Seuss/children's books that my Mom dug out of storage. Such a cute, easy and no-cost way to decorate and got me feeling so nostalgic. Pretty sure Greg and I had to read a Berenstein Bears book or two when we were unpacking the books...

 

DIY'd tie wreath

This DIY tie wreath, which I originally saw on Pinterest, was actually quite easy to do. I got the collared shirt and the J Crew tie from a thrift store for less than $6. I had some assistance from the hubby as I have no clue how to tie a tie. Love, love this simple look for a baby boy. It can be re-purposed for the door of the baby's room and/or the hospital door (apparently decorating hospital doors is a big thing...)
 
For the "clothespin game," we hot-glued little bow ties on some of the clothespins. (You'll notice bow tie "pins" they are wearing below!) My mom is a super-crafty bitch and sewed all the bow ties herself; while I'm giving shout-outs, she also made that super-cute chevron table runner!

Now, we just have to wait for little Baby Eli to get here - and we're just a little over 8 weeks away!

Baby Shower Inspiration

As I previously shouted from the rooftops, happy-tearfully announced mentioned, my sister is having a baby. This is the first baby in our family and I will be an aunt for the first time. And I get to help plan my sister's baby shower! My mom and I are hosting the shindig at my casa this Spring.

Of course ever since the hubby learned of the baby shower planning, he's been finding every possible chance to say "We hav-een a bebe showuh!" circa Franck Eggelhoffer from Father of the Bride Part 2. (Best movie ever.)

As soon as we found out the sex of the baby, we've gone into baby shower planning mode. (It won't take long for you to see below whether I'll be getting a niece or nephew...)

Here is the mood board I created to help guide the baby shower "theme." (P.S. I know I'm a little late to the party, but can we talk about how amazing Olioboard is?!)

And we can't wait for Eli Christopher to get here in July!

Isn't he the most handsome thing you've ever seen? ;-)