Blog - Decor Fix

DIY: Painted Floral Table Cloth

Earlier this week I promised to show how I made my table cloth from the “garden party” brunch. Get this…it’s a canvas drop cloth! After seeing Jordan’s tablecloth on Oh Happy Day, my crafting juices were pumping, and I wanted to make one. I kept trying to decide if this was one of those DIY’s that would end with me in tears or fist pumping into the air with paint brush in hand. Well friends, it turned out to be a tear-free crafternoon!

Let me tell you, you don’t have to be an artist to tackle this project. Those flowers? Just swirled circles with little dots in the middle. If the flowers still intimidate you, stripes are low risk and look great by themselves. Polka dots would be super cute too.

Since I used a mixture of paints I already had on hand, the whole project cost me under $20. The drop cloth was only $13. (I’m already scheming more DIY’s with this little gem.)

Painted Floral Table Cloth
Step 1: Iron a 6 x9 drop cloth using your iron’s high setting. (I tried the dryer first, hoping I could save myself some time…It did basically nothing to the wrinkles.)
Step 2: Use painter’s tape to tape off center stripes. I used a pencil to mark a 10 inch space in the middle. I marked spots about a foot apart down the length of the drop cloth and laid tape to line up with the markings.
Step 3: Use sponge brushes to dab on paint. I applied thin coats to try and avoid bleeding. Allow to dry about 30 minutes before continuing.
Step 4: Mix other colors on a palette. I used a small tester of white interior wall paint to lighten my craft paints and make them go a little farther. Plus, it made the paint a bit thicker which I think helped it stand out more on the cloth.
Step 5: Practice swirls on paper to get a feel for your flowers. Don’t worry about each one being perfect-you’re going for an overall effect.
TIP: Vary the sizes of the flowers. Make one color your largest and pick a couple more to be medium and small flowers.
Step 6: After I painted the flowers on the drop cloth, I laid it out on the table to paint on the leaves. I ended up adding little mint polka dots to fill in more of the white space.

Not too shabby, huh? Le drop cloth, might be my new favorite DIY item. Next I’m thinking about pillows, place mats, and table runners, but there are probably 100 other good uses. I’d love to hear if you have an idea for my next drop cloth DIY.

Heads up-blogger and Lovely Cupboard contributor Tan and I are prepping for our $1 Store Craft Challenge. Check back a week from today to see what we come up with!

Indoor Garden Party Brunch

| by Heather Freeman

The irony of a self proclaimed “black thumb” throwing a garden party is not lost on me. I had originally planned to host this brunch outdoors, but 89 degree heat at 10:30am had me scrambling to rearrange furniture, and my living room acted as an air conditioned “garden”.

The guest of honor for the Indoor garden party brunch was my BFF, Tanya, who happened to have a birthday and big life change happen all at once. When Tanya moved back in town after being gone several years, we were so excited to be in the same time zone again. We even lived in duplexes 100 yards from each other. And now she is moving again…this time it’s away. Not too far, but far enough to matter. Close enough so that we tell ourselves, “It’s just three hours. We’ll totally see each other all the time. Totally.” All the while we know that our visits probably won’t be as frequent as we hope. The move is so right for her family, and I know great things are ahead for them. But I still get a knot in my stomach thinking of Gemma growing up without her “Aunt Tanya” in town.

So what do I do to hide my emotions and ignore the reality of the move? Plan a going away brunch, of course! (Then the day of the party I cried at least six times and just wanted to wear pj’s, have her all to myself, and share a stack of pancakes.)

The girls all pitched in, making their specialties. On the menu was lox bagels, spinach quiches with Gouda, and bacon wrapped dates. For sweets we had apricot scones and blueberry French toast. A slight disaster involving the wrong burner being turned on had the French toast burning when we thought it was cooling. I could out my husband right here and tell you how his one job was to make a pot of coffee and instead he narrowly avoided ruining my favorite dish. But I’m much too forgiving to do so. (A long shift on daddy duty cleared him of all wrong doing.)

I tried my hand at a painted floral table cloth (DIY coming later this week), and the lovely folks at Minted provided the rest of the decor. We ordered Gemma’s birth announcements from Minted and loved how they turned out. When they approached me about doing a post for their new line of party goods, I did a little dance of joy and spent a solid hour on their site devouring all the decor eye candy.

As soon as I saw the Guapa line, I knew it would be perfect for this brunch. It’s feminine and colorful but also has a subtle sophistication. Usually I DIY all the details of a party myself. Sometimes, however, it’s nice to have an option to throw a beautiful party without the hours of prep before hand. (As in, I have a four-month old and am barely sleeping-forget spending hours cutting paper.) Minted has several options for grown up parties like this one or this one.

I had guests write their favorite memories with Tan on the cute little hola! cards. The scalloped drink tags made sure that the champagne mimosas weren’t confused with the Perrier versions.

And then there were babies…lots of babies. Out of six of us girls from college, four had babies this year. Now we are all mommas with nine babies between us! I so vividly remember an autumn evening about 11 years ago as we walked back from an intramural football game. We came to conclusion that we were going to be each others “real grown-up friends”, the kind who are bridesmaids in your wedding and who your kids call “aunt”. Since that night we have been through graduations, weddings, death of loved ones, getting jobs, losing jobs and all the ups and downs that your 20’s bring. I guess somewhere along the way we did become “grown-ups”, but none of us remember exactly when that happened.
These girls have literally shaped who I am as a person, especially this one. This girl who can come over unannounced and I never bother to straighten up the house or put on makeup. This girl who will always share two desserts with me. This girl who will use a hair brush as a microphone when we sing old school Destiny’s Child on road trips. This girl who I have prayed and laughed and cried and gorged on ice cream with more times than anyone else. This girl who is taking a massive step of faith and seeing new doors open for her family. This girl who does not share my blood or upbringing but most definitely is my sister.

Party Goods: Minted
Photos: Lark Photography

Rustic Baby Shower

| by Heather Freeman

Have you ever heard of a sip-and-see style baby shower? I hadn’t until recently when we hosted one for some of our closest friends and their brand new baby boy, Zane. Basically, it’s a baby shower that happens after the baby is born, so friends and family can bring gifts and also sneak a peak at the new arrival. By the time baby number two or three comes around, parents don’t need too many of the big ticket items, so there’s no need to have the shower before bebe arrives.Zane’s shower felt more like a party that a traditional shower, which can be a bit awkward at times…You (the mama) are dressed up and opening all these gifts with everyone watching while you are huge and miserable and uber pregnant. You’d rather be on the couch with your gigantic feet propped up rather than try to appear semi decent for pictures. Wait, was that just me? (Disclaimer: I loved my shower, really I did.)

I wanted the decor for the sip-and-see to be “manly” and rustic. Navy, lime, and shades of orange were the chosen colors. I found the green fabric on sale at a discount store and hung it over the fence to serve as a back drop. The paper mache deer head was a $12.99 purchase from Michael’s that I spray painted white.

A friend and I cut strips of scrapbook paper and stapled to chording to make the bunting. This took a little time, but was cheap and turned out super cute. Such an easy way to incorporate colors into the decor. The letters were cut from foam, and clothes pins held them in place.

Here’s the man of the hour… Look at both of these gorgeous kids! There was never a 6 year old more excited for a baby brother as Gianna, our adorable goddaughter. It was such a special moment when our friends Meghan and Dante told us they were pregnant…We have always joked about having babies at the same time. We went out to dinner when I was six months pregnant and 24/7 heartburn was sucking the joy out of every meal. Amidst salsa that I couldn’t eat and ice cold margaritas that I couldn’t drink, we heard some of the sweetest news…

Meghan gave Gianna a little nod, and she almost exploded with, “Hey Hedder (Heather), guess what? You have a baby in your belly, and mom has one in hers too!!” Screaming, laughing, and crying followed for the next several minutes. To say we were happy is an understatement…You know when it’s snowing outside, and you’re curled up in a massive fuzzy blanket in front of a fire place? That’s the kind of warmth we feel sharing this time with our friends who are really more like family.

You can’t see, but the bags are filled with popcorn and Reece’s Pieces, my new fav snack. How much do you love the $1 bins at Michael’s? I got a “Z” stamp that I used on these bags for a buck. A buck!

The future bride and groom…wedding date TBD in the year 2035. Stu holding Gemma and Mister Zane with his grandma. These two babies have no choice but to marry…

Zane’s grandma made two versions of sangria, one white and one red, for the grown ups. We had fruity tea and strawberry basil lemonade for the kiddos. There were a couple close calls when parents caught kids helping themselves to the wrong fruity beverage on accident…We really should have labeled the drink dispensers.

The “family tree”. I enlarged pics of mom, dad, and baby sis and put them in little wooden frames. Here’s the woodsy cupcake stand that I posted about making earlier this week.
This was most definitely a family event. Husbands, kids, and babies flooded our house and backyard. Oh, the babies…Have I mentioned that 2013 has been dubbed “the year of the babies” in our circle of friends? These are just four of the eight babies that will be here by year’s end. We’re realizing that when they outnumber us, we might have a problem. Until then, there will be lots of swapping clothes, toys, strollers and advice. It is so nice to be a first time mom with all of these ladies in my life to help.
Zane and his momma Meghan, Darby and Dana, Gemma and me, Winnie and Lyndsey. (Gemma decided to be a party pooper and nap through all the pics.)
…Finally, a tuckered out baby boy. A “Noble” one indeed.

Texas Caviar

| by Heather Freeman

This post sponsored by Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing.

I realize that to most people, Texans seem like a pompous breed who never shut up about the glories of their state. As a native Texan living in the Midwest for the last decade, I’m sure I have deserved the eye rolls and slightly annoyed shrugs when I rave about kolaches, REAL Tex Mex, Longhorn football, and the magical utopia of a city named Austin. However, we Texans take our chips and dip extremely seriously…and so should you. (See the cockiness coming out? Man, it just pops up out of no where and feels like a comfortable old sweater.)

Texas bean dip, or Texas caviar, can help anchor an entire meal. You can serve it with fish, on top of tacos, or even wrap it in lettuce for a vegetarian lettuce wrap. We make it for almost every party we host, and usually the bowl is ~~scraped~~ licked clean by the end of the night. A certain BFF of mine, who shall not remain nameless calls me nearly every month to get the recipe again since she loves it so much, but for some reason has never taken the time to write it down. (Tanya, this post is for you.)
Ingredients:

-1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 can black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
-1 can sweet yellow corn
-1 can white corn
-1/2 red onion
-1 red bell pepper
-fresh cilantro
-1/2 cup Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
-1/2 cup sour cream
-2 tablespoons ranch powder mix (I use Hidden Valley.)
-2 teaspoons hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
(Sometimes I’m feeling super fancy and add a diced mango in the mix. Great in the summer time.)

Instructions:

1. Open beans, peas, and corn. Drain, rinse, and drain excess water. Add to a large bowl.

2. Finely chop onion, bell pepper, and a handful of cilantro. Add to the bowl.

3. In a small bowl stir dressing, sour cream, hot sauce, and ranch powder until combined.

4. Add to veggies. Cover and chill for an hour before serving.

Anytime I make this dip Stu hangs out in the kitchen so as not to leave any lag time from when it’s finished to when he can eat. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the whole bowl will be consumed during one episode of Sports Center. (Oh, do you see that lil’ cutie just chillin’ the background? Bonus!)

As soon as I was approached with the Kraft campaign, I was excited and knew exactly what I was going to make. I buy the Zesty Italian dressing every time I make Texas caviar. Using dressings like this in dips is great because it’s a quick way to add oil, vinegar, and seasonings without measuring each out individually.

Have you seen the ad below with the oh-so-hunky man? Hah! Am I offended by their overt use of the male figure to lure females to the joys of salad dressing? No. Men have Hardee’s, Victoria Secret and a million other commercials. It’s time we had one too, ladies. Zesty!

Baby Love

| by Heather Freeman

Our lives got so much sweeter this week. After a long wait, baby Gemma finally joined our family Thursday evening. Despite a pretty terrible delivery experience with several unexpected turns, she was born completely healthy and as perfect as could be. Stu and I are so surprised how this little human who we just met has become our obsession in a matter of days. People told me I would love her more than anything, but I couldn’t really imagine it until I brought her home. Once everything has sunk in, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to share about our first days together.

It may be a bit quiet around the blog for a while…There is cuddling and cheek kissing to do, and I want to soak up every minute.

Master Bedroom in Progress

| by Heather Freeman

I’ve treated our master bedroom like the ugly step child of our house for a few years. It has been my last priority since we moved in. Design wise, I still don’t know exactly where I’m going with this room. I’ve ignored it, called it nasty names, and thrown it some hand-me-down items from other rooms when I absolutely had to. Lately, I’ve been trying to give it some much needed TLC. Since our guest room has now become a nursery (more pics of it soon!), I needed a dressing table. The only logical place for this was our bedroom. That kick started things just a bit, and the room is beginning to evolve. Slowly. Very slowly. I’m only going to show you a few glimpses and hopefully by this time next year there will be full room shots. (But don’t count on it.)

After months of searching for a vanity that would fit in the small space and serve double duty as a night stand, I ended up with a computer table from Target. (Yep, high class.) I tried to make my nook feel more feminine with a scalloped mirror from Lowe’s and the little white stool I got from Overstock. It’s a bit more cramped that my last vanity, but it’s serving its purpose for now.
Also, we refinished the original hard wood floors that had been buried under very worn out carpet. We loved the look of our 1940’s floors after they had been rejuvenated, but needed a throw rug to warm things up just a bit. I am SO STINKIN’ PICKY ON RUGS that I dread even having to look for one. I decided I wasn’t going to search extensively for specific colors, since I don’t even have a color scheme for the room yet. I was just going to find one the right size that was around $100. This was a liberating experience. Seriously. LIBERATING. Not being confined to a specific color scheme let me just find a rug with a vibe I liked. Sound a bit bohemian and free-spirited? That’s what it felt like.

I found this indigo rug with lime tassels from Urban Outfitters for $79, a great buy. So, apparently these are the colors I’m going to work with. Luckily the hand-me-down lamp shades from the guest room just happened to have similar colors in them, so they get to stay. (I swear I didn’t plan that.) I still have no clue what I’m going to do for bedding, drapes, or a headboard.
Ok, now let’s chat about this gorgeous piece of art. Remember that darling girl and newest contributor, Lindsay? Well, her shop is launching a new set of canvases. This is just one of the many beautiful new pieces of work in her shop, Lindsay Letters. Obviously it’s striking to look at, but it also has so many nuggets of inspiration. These are great phrases to wake up to each morning. I’m going to be honest…Our bedroom is not the only neglected room in our house. The upstairs guest bedroom is a catch-all space for anything and everything (including items going to the garage sale this summer). Our laundry room is so disorganized that it’s barely functional. We still have Stu’s college couch with a Wal-Mart slipcover in our formal living room. After three years in this house, I assumed that I’d have all the rooms finished by now. HA! The joke’s on me. It can be frustrating, but I have to remind myself that designing your home is a process…a long, drawn out, and sometimes painful process. At some point during this process you may even realize that you already want to change up some rooms you redecorated a couple years ago. (Oops. Is my husband reading this?)

I know we all have spaces like this. Usually there are obstacles that keep us from doing what we want to them. For me it’s usually lack of money or lack of inspiration. I know for others it’s simply a time factor.

Q: If you had an unlimited budget, a week off of work, and a whole Pinterest board full of inspiration, which room in your house would you tackle?

**BABY UPDATE*** No baby yet…I did end up in Labor & Delivery last night becasue the left side of my face went numb and tingly. Apparently I’m in the beginning stages of Bell’s Palsy that causes partial facial paralysis. This can happen in pregnancy sometimes. Most of the time you regain feeling and muscle control in weeks or months after delivery. So just when I’m feeling UBER attractive with my 70 pound weight gain, newly formed stretch marks, and swollen everything-HALF OF MY FACE IS DROOPY. I swear…I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror. One day I’m going to write a detailed post on all the weird ails of pregnancy I’ve had just so someone like me, who had friends with “perfect pregnancies” and was completely unassuming, might at least be aware of all the crap that could happen. Ugg…this kid better be really cute.

Mini Lemon Berry Cakes

| by Heather Freeman

I wish I had confetti and streamers that would erupt when you clicked on this post. I am beyond excited to share today’s recipe for mini lemon berry cakes. It comes with a gorgeous gift…an illustrated recipe card by the very talented Lindsay of Lindsay Letters! (More about Ms. Lindsay below.)

The dessert is a lemon cake with fresh raspberries that’s married to a rich white chocolate icing and raspberry jam thrown in the mix. Best part? They’re personal sized. A perfect little dessert for a special meal with your Valentine. (I hesitated to even say that. Frankly, I’ve never needed anyone else to enjoy making and indulging in desserts of any shape or size.)

Click HERE to download the recipe card.

This was the first time I’ve tried using cookie cutters to make cake rounds. It’s a method I plan on using in the future. Next time I might ice the whole thing, sides and all. But it looks so fancy to see the layers, doesn’t it?

If you’re wondering what happened to the extra cake (that was not eaten during the process), I crumbled it up and saved it with the intention of making cake pops. About a week later, Stu found the cake crumbs on top of the fridge thinking they were cornbread. Oops.

OK, now for an exciting announcement… Lindsay is the creative force behind some of the most gorgeous lettering you’ve ever seen. Her work has been all over the web. We share a mutual friend and have admired each other from afar for a while.

We decided to join forces to bring you recipes and lovely lettering like this on a regular basis. Ms. Lindsay is the newest seasonal contributor to The Lovely Cupboard, and I couldn’t be more excited!! (Yes, two exclamation points.) If you head to her shop, you’ll most likely be there a while, so plan accordingly.

Source: Lindsay Letters Photos by: Lark Photography

CHEESE ALERT…It’s so rare to find someone that you would gladly and blindly trust anything they put their hand to creatively; that is Lindsay for me. Everything she does is just beautiful, feminine, and whimsical. I’m tickled pink she’s on board and can’t wait to see what the future has for our little collaborations. Hand on chin, sigh.

Q: Do you have a friend whose taste you completely trust?

Sanity-Saving To Do List

| by Heather Freeman

I am not a creature of habit, as much as I’d like to be sometimes. The one exception to this is a daily list…my sanity-saving to do list.I know some people find them a bit too bossy. They feel like they can manage all the ideas running through their head just fine without a piece of paper taunting them and telling them what to do.I cannot. I need that paper. I need that taunting.

I like writing down everything I need to take care of, even if I know it won’t get done that day. Just the action of writing it down makes me feel like I’m at least addressing whatever the task is. I get strange pleasure from crossing things off of my to-do list (even if I add things I’ve already done just to see them crossed off on my list. C’mon…I know some of you must do that too.)
I came up with s this idea several years back during my first year of teaching as a means of survival. I had never been a list-maker prior to this. I found myself getting so overwhelmed and dropping the ball at work. When I started making a list, it was so long that each day I felt like a failure for not even making a dent in it. I really struggled with prioritizing tasks. Hence, the daily, weekly, monthly lists were born.

I realize this is not a novel idea. However, the daily sticky note comes off of the clipboard each night while the weekly and monthly “stick around” a bit longer”. This system has literally SAVED me at work. I use one at home as well. (I’ve also made a few as gifts for friends who are planning a wedding. It’s perfect for brides who need to prioritize things running through their heads.)

1. Trace clip board onto scrap paper. Cut a slightly smaller version of what you traced and then cut into the top accounting for the metal clip.
2. I used a permanent adhesive tape roller to attach the paper to the clip board, but you could use Mod Podge or even a heavy duty glue stick.
3. Use assorted sizes of stick notes (about 15 per stack) to create your sections.
4. Use stickers, stamps, or a good ole’ Sharpie to add labels above the stick note sections that work for you.

The “Remember” stick note is a big one for me. I try to put a quote, verse, or saying that I know I need to be focusing on at the time. This one will probably be there for a while…

“Comparison is the thief of joy”.

Man, I need to hear this hourly. Thoughts that regularly run through my head go something like this…

Why am I having such a difficult pregnancy when so-and-so isn’t?

I wish I had started a business when she did. Why can’t I be doing what I really love?

Why can’t I have a family support system like theirs?

I wish I could just be a stay-at-home mom.

I wish my house was furnished like that one.

Why did I gain 60 pounds being pregnant instead of 35 like everyone else?!

It’s a treadmill of comparison and self-pity. I need to be thinking things like…

I am so blessed to be growing a life inside me, regardless of how crappy I feel or look.

I have the best friends anyone could even dream of. They are priceless.

I am so glad we have a home to bring our baby.

My husband is the love of my life and is aging like a fine wine…in every way. (And when he reads this, he will grin and chuckle and beam with pride in the most adorable way a grown man can.)

Anyone else struggle with their inner dialogue?
This is something I’d like to change…If only it was as simple as adding it to a to-do list. “Change thought patterns. Now.”I know this is something I will wrestle with for a long time. Hopefully I’ll look back in a few years and see that my little spurts of motivation over the course of time actually made at least a slight impact.

Wire Basket Shelves

| by Heather Freeman

These vintage wire baskets shelves are one of my all time favorite flea market finds. I first used them in the guest room to hold my scarves, hats, and purses. Now that the guest room is a (nearly completed) nursery, I decided to repurpose the repurposed baskets. From accessory bins to”book shelves”.

So many of the children’s books we’ve collected are adorable, and I wanted to show them off. They add color and texture to the room and become functional decor. It seems surreal that I’ll actually be reading them to a very little person in the coming months!

I just loved this little ABC chart ordered from Etsy. I think it’s just the perfect thing to hang above books. We really had to think hard about some of the creatures depicted. A newt, jaipur, and yak are some of the odd little critters used on this print.

The last time I hung the baskets I just used nails. They weren’t really a good option because the baskets would fall off the nails pretty easily if bumped. For the book shelves, we used these little plastic brackets and screwed them into the wall with screw anchors. Much sturdier option here.

To save me from the dreaded fumes, Stu spray painted them while I was at work. This was his first experience with spray paint…I special ordered Coral Isle Krylon paint that cost me $16, a splurge I was justifying since I’d planned to use it several items for the nursery. I won’t mention that my very sweet, non-DIYer husband somehow managed to use the entire can on these little baskets.

He felt terrible when he realized his rookie mistake. This is when I played it cool and decided to tone down my reaction in hopes that I wouldn’t squelch any satisfaction he might have gotten from this little project. “No, no. It’s totally fine, babe. I’m sure you needed the whole can. Looks great!” (Award-winning acting performance and silent crying on the inside for my would-be coral painted nic-naks.)

I wish I had baskets like this in every room in my house. I swear I could use them for anything: linens in the kitchen, magazines in the den, even towels in the bathroom. I keep trying to find more at flea markets but haven’t had any luck. In case you’re interested, here are a couple options for new baskets that work in the same fashion. (option 1, option 2)

Bump Pics and My Baby Shower

| by Heather Freeman

Happy 2013! This week all the cool blogs are posting New Year’s resolutions or round ups of their best posts of 2012. I’m sorry…I just couldn’t muster the energy it would take to do either of those. (I’m resolving to do my “resoluting” this weekend.) Instead I’ve got a post about what’s happening in our lives recently. I must admit this feels like a good way to kick off the blogging year.

Excitement mixed with misery is the only way I can describe my pregnancy. I severely underestimated the amount of discomfort and issues I’d have during this time. I won’t bore you with details, but the pictures sure don’t reflect how I feel 95% of the time. (The night before we took these pics, I had about 4 hours sleep and woke up choking several times, so my under eye concealer was pretty much spackled on.) Then waves of pure awe and anticipation hit me, and I’m so grateful that my body even has the ability to grow a life. These 8 months have been such a mixed bag of hormone swings, physical pain, and surreal joy.
Stu and I get a little nervous anytime we have to take pictures together. We don’t always have the best chemistry on camera. Let’s just say that our wedding photographer told Stu that he had a “Chandler smile”. (Yes- the terribly fake, all teeth, awkward grin that looks like you are being poked in the rear with a cattle prod.) When we saw some cute bump pics, we attributed it to the fact that a third “person” shook up the mix enough to give us some more photo mojo.

(All photos by Delve Photography.)

My BF and shower hostess Tanya and I loved this pic from Pinterest and wanted to recreate the “shower” theme with umbrellas. After ordering adorable parasols from Amazon that never arrived (still trying to get a refund), we panicked. We ended up finding vintage umbrellas at some of our favorite local places. Tanya strung clear ornaments from the umbrellas to look like rain drops.

The shower was held at “The Boat House” overlooking Lake Springfield. It was a cold, windy December day on the lake, but inside the room was full of huge windows and wood everywhere that warmed things up.

In lieu of cupcakes, my friend Anna made mini bundt cakes. Listen to these flavors…pecan praline, spice cake with cream cheese icing, and pineapple with citrus glaze. They were insanely festive and delicious. Another friend, Jeannie, made shortbread cookies with lemon curd and raspberry jam drizzled in white chocolate. Heavenly.

The little fabric wrapped boxes were filled with salted caramels that Molly made as favors for guests. Baby pics of Stu and me were scattered on the tables in between cute place mats that Molly found. They were paper but looked so fancy on the tables.

There were plenty of savory treats as well. I think had three plates of food, and I felt no guilt whatsoever.

Tanya is explaining the “make a baby” activity. Tables had magazines and scrapbook paper for guests to cut out and create what they thought our baby would look like.

The lovely hosts…They both worked so hard (even being mamas to little ones) to pull off a beautiful shower. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was throwing Tanya’s shower for her little man who is now a toddler. Molly’s precious baby is the one smiling in the pic above. I’ve mentioned before on the blog how much these two mean to me, but I just can’t say it enough. These girls are family. Period.

One of my favorite gifts was a pre-made phtoto scrapbook. My friend Rebecca put together pages for the baby’s first year, so all I have to do is print off the pics and pop them in.

I’m so blessed to have all of these wonderful ladies in my life…I’m sure there will be plenty of freak out moments on my part in the coming months. At least I can space out the calls, so that no one gets overwhelmed by my cries for help. Most importantly, I know baby girl has an amazing community to support and love her when she finally arrives.