My Best Friend’s Baby Shower

Hello everyone!!  I’m sorry for not returning on Friday (as I had promised) with that shower-planning post.  Unfortunately a family emergency prevented me from doing much of anything on Friday but I am glad to report that things are normalizing now and I will still make good on that promise!  But before I do, I have something even better: EYE CANDY from the actual shower!  All of the stunning images below are from Trista Lerit, the third member of our “hapa trio.”  I know Krissy is so grateful for such gorgeous photos from the baby shower ~ thank you soooo much, Trista!!

In my planning post, I plan to spend a bit more time outlining the process + inspiration behind the shower.  Today I’ll just give you my design summary and the best part: a look at the product itself.  🙂  Enjoy!

Who & What: A shower in honor of Kristin and her baby girl on the way, Siena Marie! Guests included friends from all parts of her life — childhood, family, high school, college, church, and the wedding industry!

When: December 11 ~ a perfect Saturday afternoon in soCal

Where: Kristin’s home in south Orange County, California

How: Since Krissy is sort of a new-school hippie (LOL) and would even call herself a bit “granola,” I wanted to run with a sort of “earth mama” theme.  For those of you who don’t know Kris, she is known to love raw (unpasteruized) milk (she sort of turned me on to it, too…DELICIOUS), go organic & green whenever possible, and is planning to give birth to Siena right in her living room… with the help of hynobirthing. 🙂  My design summary: woodsy, organic, natural, kraft paper brown, mossy green, pops of fuschia (her favorite color) as an accent.

clockwise from top right: glass domes encased my personal collection of ann wood birds + old glass bottles (i collect) held vibrant peonies, tulips and craspedia; i displayed vintage children’s books that i picked up from an antique store for $1 each!!; krissy’s living room was transformed by the gorgeous furniture {found} brought in; i made a simple “siena” banner to hang over the mantle.

the guest sign-in had guests take an Instax Mini photo with the mommy-to-be, and then pen a note to sweet Siena!  i hope she will read them one day and know how loved she was before she even made her earthly debut.  ❤

me in the foreground, snapping a pic of kris + her HS friend rachel of heart of light.  if you don’t read rachel’s blog already, you need to.  i have been obsessed for a looong time.  🙂

more ann wood birds, the handmade invitation, some gorgeous flowers + forelle pears.  i used crabapples and forelle pears on tabletops for a little homey accent.

gifts were placed in this chippy bassinet, also from {found}.  i made the simple sign using a white pen and some blank biz card paper.

a closer look at some of the florals.  i’m no florist, but i really enjoy putting small (simple!!) arrangements together for personal events.  the entire process, from the early a.m. at the flower mart to the dirtying of hands while processing the flowers, is really relaxing for me.

kristin’s sister, jennylyn, put together the most incredible spread of mostly organic, completely healthy foods.  the menu was definitely mediterranean leaning, which was especially perfect for showering siena, who will be part Italian.  🙂  i made the little signs and the tulip + peony arrangement on the top left.  the rose + baby’s breath bouquet was on kristin’s counter in the kitchen so we just moved it over!

because the weather was dreamy (and completely unlike the torrential rain-of-the-decade we are currently experiencing), we did gift-opening outside.  i love these chairs from {found}, and the ridiculously beautiful fallen leaves littered on the lawn.  kris said she had *almost* made joe rake up the yard before the shower, but he’d run out of time.  serendipity??

melody from sweet and saucy created this perfect cake!  it was covered in chocolate brown fondant pressed with a faux bois pattern to look like wood.  she added a subtle shimmer to the fondant to really bring out the texture.  the crowning glory was the fuschia sugar (!!) gloriosa lily they crafted.  kris LOVES gloriosa lillies and carried them on her wedding day.

the wooden ironing boards were suggested to me by allison @ {found}.  the second she pointed them out to me, i knew they’d be perfect for displaying dessert.  it was a bit of a precarious task (the ironing boards were a little rickety) but i loved how it turned out.  i ordered mostly rich, chocolatey desserts in honor of kristin’s sweet tooth.  she loves a decadent dessert, while i always prefer something tart/fruity.  the display included mini pumpkin cheesecakes, nutella cupcakes, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes topped with a caramelized banana slice (yum!!) and sugar cookies made to look like sliced tree stumps with an “S” carved in them.  as my own indulgence for the type of dessert i prefer, i had melody make the cake her vanilla cake with lemon cream and fresh raspberries.  delicious!  the mason jars filled with the same layered cake served as favors; melody did the jars and we added little squares of mismatched fabric.

one of kristin’s HS friends (and one of my former clients!!), mercy faith, brought her beautiful daughter to the shower.  isn’t she darling??

time to open presents!

being the dutiful gift secretary 🙂  dvf blouse, anthropologie shorts, f21 leggings, jeffrey campbell boots (my current favorites).

this utterly adorable dress was from trista — impeccable taste, as always.  every guest let out a collective squeal + “awwww” when kris brought this out!

my gifts for siena included this fuschia cropped sweater top that bears a striking resemblance to the mustard-colored one krissy wore in her maternity photos.  🙂  i also got a sparkly black tulle skirt and tee (with a cartoon angel on it, of course) to get her funky from a young age.  LOL

in lieu of any shower games (which kris isn’t particularly fond of — who is?), chie created a craft station where guests could create a onesie or bib for little siena.  it was a HUGE hit and i was wowed by all the creativity.  chie made sure to get onesies in a variety of sizes so siena would be able to wear them throughout her first year.

the hapa trio!

wedding industry ladies!  left to right: christina from simply modern weddings, trista lerit photography, kristin from petal and thorn, courtney from joyful weddings and events (also expecting!!), me + anna from events of love and splendor.

I hope you all enjoyed a little look at this very special shower.  🙂  Many thanks to the following incredible people who were a part of putting the day together:

planning: angel swanson with jennylyn + chie

styling, florals, stationery + signage: angel swanson

photography: trista lerit

tables, chairs and various décor rentals: {found} vintage rentals

cake, desserts & favors: sweet and saucy

food: homemade by kristin’s sister, jennylyn!

Enjoy your Monday, loves!  Will be back again soon~  Today I have a relaxed afternoon of cleaning + Christmas shopping.  My last wedding of the year was on Saturday (and it was INCREDIBLE), so I’m excited for a little “time off” before Christmas celebrations.

xoxo, Angel