Giveaway!

I received lots of positive feedback on the custom cookie toppers I used as party favors for a recent baby shower. 

They were adorable, easy to use, and best of all: customizable to any color or party theme. 

I'm so excited that Sweet'n Treats has agreed to do a giveaway for a reader of Oh Baby! Shower Decor...the blog!  

One lucky reader will win a $25 credit to their store. 

First, let me show you some of the great stuff they have. 

The toppers like the ones I used can be placed on a cupcake or a cookie.  She also makes cake-sized toppers.

How perfect these would have been for this shower! Click here to see all the animal prints, perfect for baby showers or kid's birthdays.  There's a huge variety of prints and colors available.  

And if you can't find the perfect one, Bonnie will create something for you.  Customizable with names...

...or even a picture that you upload to the site.  The possibilities are seriously endless! 

To enter this giveaway, you must go to Sweet'n Treats website. 

There's a special page dedicated to this giveaway, and you can find it here. 

Click on over and enter! Good luck!

(The winner will chosen by random.org after Tuesday September 6th at midnight.)

I am Loving: Glass Ikea Plates

 Oppen Plate

I have to thank my friend Megan and her family for this fabulous idea. 

These glass plates from Ikea are my newest must-have item for hosting parties.

Megan and several members of her family each have a set of these plates, so whenever one of them is hosting a large gathering they pool their resources. 

Some of my other friends and I have decided to copy this idea. We each purchased 20 of these plates each and now loan them to each other.  Genius!  They match any color scheme and are cheaper than renting plates. And at $.99 each, if one breaks -- who cares?! 

Hurry up and grab some yourself!

See how great they looked at my most recent shower?

Sweet Sponsor: Sweet'n Treats

I mentioned this sponsor yesterday when I shared Lindsay's baby shower with you.  

Bonnie, of Sweet'n Treats, is the sweetest. (Pun intended!)  She whipped up an adorable cherry blossom graphic for me when I told her the theme of the shower. 

I used some of her custom cookie toppers as party favors.  (They can also be used on cupcakes). The toppers were so easy to use! I have to admit that I was a little nervous since I had never used anything like these before, but Bonnie gave simple instructions to follow. 

My friend Megan and I made sugar cookies and frosted them with Megan's standard butter cream frosting.  (Bonnie recommends royal icing, but we tried butter cream since we like the taste better.) 

You just peel the backing off the toppers.  

And press them gently onto the frosting. 

Easy-Peasy!

We let them sit out for awhile to allow the buttercream frosting to firm up, and then popped them into cellophane bags.  I can't wait to use these again! 

Real Party: Japanese Cherry Blossom Baby Shower

This past weekend was my friend Lindsay's baby shower. 

We did a Japanese Cherry Blossom theme in pink and gray.  Her nursery is  going to be pink and gray cherry blossoms, and we added some Japanese touches as a nod to her culture. I was so happy with how everything turned out! I think she was too. 

I used this invitation from Ink Obsession Designs.  The designer, Erin, was fabulous to work with. She reworked the invite for a baby shower and got it to me very quickly when I found myself running out of time. 

A sign welcomed guests to my backyard.  

Konnichiwa means Good Afternoon or Hello in Japanese. 

My friend Drea made several pink party poms and then painted cherry blossoms onto white lanterns.  It made a beautiful display. 

When guests arrived we had appetizers and drinks out. 

Itadakimasu means something close to Let's Eat in Japanese.

Appetizers were potstickers (with little flags inspired by this wedding), spam and vegetable musubi (which Lindsay loves), and Japanese rice crackers (served in doily cones made by Katie). 

All the food labels had both the Japanese and English names for the foods on them. 

I made a sparkling pink lemonade and had several kinds of white and sparkling wine. 

Guests found their seats at one of three tables around the backyard.

I made runners for the tables. 

Drea, Deb, Christina, and I made tissue cherry blossom branches centerpieces. These were based off this tutorial on Hostess with the Mostess.  They were fairly easy, but time consuming.  But it paid off. I loved the low centerpieces on each table.  

 We also used some of the branches to make a tree for guests to hang advice from. 

Katie made napkin rings out of Japanese paper from Paper Source.

We had the favors at each place setting.  We had Pocky sticks, which came in the cutest pink and silver packaging, and sugar cookies with custom cherry blossom toppers. 

The toppers were from Sweet'n Treats, who is a sponsor of this blog. They were adorable.

This picture is so washed out that it doesn't do the topper justice. Check back tomorrow and I'll have more pictures and tell you all about how I used these toppers. 

Lunch was Hawaiian plate lunch foods (Lindsay's favorite!).  We had green salad, sticky rice, mac salad, teriyaki chicken, and kalua pork with cabbage.  It was delicious. The meats were from Takahashi Market. 

After a leisurely lunch, it was time for dessert.

Drea's cherry blossom cake was one of the highlights of the shower. It was just as tasty as it was beautiful.  We also served strawberry mochi ice cream on the side. 

How beautiful is this cake? 

Lindsay will have one well dressed little girl. :) 

Congratulations Linds, can't waaaaaait to meet her!! 

Thanks so much to everyone who helped with the shower! Some I mentioned already, but I'll do it again: Drea, Deb, Leslie, Katie, Christina, Jeani, Megan, and even Janelle (from afar!)

Vendors: 

Linens: Danny Thomas Party Rentals

Catering: Takahashi Market

Cookie Toppers: Sweet'n Treats

Invitations: Ink Obsession Designs

On another note...Look at these preggo friends I have!

I told you there were going to be lots and lots of baby showers coming up! :)

Real Party: Ranch Wedding

I've mentioned my friends Jason &Jen here before.  

Last weekend we finally celebrated at their long-awaited wedding and I cannot wait to share all the fun details!  It was such a beautiful day.  The couple had truly thought of everything. 

The venue was a gorgeous ranch outside of Seattle, complete with green fields & a barn. 

Pine River Ranch

The ceremony took place outside, looking over a meadow with mountain peaks in the distance. Gorgeous! 

The colors were coral & gray.  I loved the bridesmaid dresses and coral shoes. (Speaking of shoes - wait until you see the bride's!)

Jason & Jen were married by a high school friend of Jason's.  

They look so happy!

Directly after the ceremony we walked over to an outdoor cocktail hour.  An adorable sign made by the best man led the way. It pointed out locations for the night's events and displayed distances to meaningful places to the couple (who've done an enviable amount of traveling). 

 Isn't it adorable? 

(We traveled here with Jason &; Jen!)

We enjoyed the views and had appetizers and cocktails (virgin for me!).

How cute are those stir sticks? And the twine-wrapped vases? I died. 

Dinner & dancing were in the barn. 

I can't even explain how much I love white lights. They make a rustic space seem so elegant. 

The bar in the reception was definitely not forgotten.  I loved the gray straws and lace wrapped J&J.  A frame displayed drink choices. 

The gorgeous centerpieces were put together by a friend of the bride.  Vases of different blooms were cluster on a stump over a burlap runner.  More burlap, fabric, and lace were tied to the vases. 

Since Jen loves brownies, and Jason made them for her on one of their first dates...it was only fitting that instead of traditional cake they served brownies.  

Touching toasts, silly photo booth pictures, and fun dancing finished off the night! 

Luckiest guy in the world: It's true. :) 

Congratulations Jason & Jen!

I almost forgot her shoes! 

Aren't they perfect?

Summer Parties, An Easy Party Menu, and Creative Place Cards!

It's been awhile since I shared what I've been up to over at Tablespoon.  

I have several fun articles packed with useful ideas for you to check out. 

Let me know if you stopped by: "like" it, share it, or comment on it! 

Thanks, as always. :) 

Click here for summer block party ideas. 

image via Tablespoon

Click here for a ridiculously easy party menu. 

image via Tablespoon

Click here for creative place card ideas. 

Real Party: Apple Green & Fuschia Wedding Reception -- updated!

**Update: half of this post was erased somehow. (ugh!) Please read again, all the information is now updated and included!**

Last week I finally got around to sharing some pictures of my wedding from several years ago.  

Today I've got the rest of the pictures for you from our reception. 

We had a little table with our guest book and some photos of our parents at their own weddings near the entrance to the reception.

The centerpieces were one of my favorite things about the wedding. 

Apples were a nod to my home state -- Washington -- and I love the color.  We used floral picks to attach apples, and then my florist went through and added some flowers and ribbon flags.  

I was thrilled with how they turned out.  

 Green apples also decorated the buffet table. 

My husband is an avid snowboarder, and I like to ski.  We decided to name our tables after ski resorts that we have been to.  We sat people at tables that were somehow related to them, for example we sat people at resorts near where they live, or that we had vacationed to with them.  Everyone noticed this touch and really enjoyed it.  My Grandma made pink fabric squares to place under the centerpieces to give the tables a pop of color. 

My Grandma also wrapped chocolates for us and we had them sprinkled among all the tables throughout the reception. 

We saved a lot of money on the cake by ordering a plain white layer cake.  The baker just added some of the coordinating ribbon which we pulled off before serving.  

Our florist added some flowers.  

Our party favors were individually wrapped Tom's Cookies, a famous cookie shop in San Francisco (which I think has now closed -- sad!)  My wonderful friend and bridesmaid Janelle baked them all for me in the days before the wedding. 

After dinner there were sweet & funny toasts. 

And then we danced the night away! 

What a fun night!! I wouldn't have changed a thing!

Vendors: 

Photography: Krystal Preciado

Cake: Sweet Dreams Cakery

Venue: Pines Resort

Flowers: Kathy Campisi