This celebration honored my brother and sister-in-law, Taylor and Ashley, who are anxiously awaiting their very first baby. I worked with my mom and my sister-in-law, Angela, to plan the shower. Since it took place in October, the theme was, “A little pumpkin is on her way!” White, blush, and gold were the colors with a few pops of burgundy and greenery running throughout. It was such a pleasure to work with my mom and Angela on this.
My main contribution to the party was the favors. I made these felted pumpkins for guests to take home. I used wool roving that my mom had left over from a project she had done a few years ago. I actually started with a wool dryer ball for the base and felted right over the top of that. The stems were made from sticks from my backyard. It was a therapeutic experience making a few each night in the week or so leading up to the party. My mom, Angela, and I plan on having a little Crafternoon sometime soon so that we can make more!
My other responsibility was sending out the invitations. I bought a digital invitation on Etsy. Using Evite or Paperless Post is very convenient for tracking RSVPs and communicating easily with guests, but I couldn’t find a design that I wanted on either of those sites so instead I sent out an email with the image in the body. It took a little more work to send out details and an RSVP reminder and keep my own list of attendees, but it was worth it to have the look that I wanted.
For my part of the food, I brought several bottles of wine as well as nuts and Chex mix. I was able to buy the nuts in bulk to avoid packaging. However, I ran out of time to make the Chex mix and bought it premade in a bag. This was by no means a zero-waste party, but some steps are being made in our family parties to reduce waste. This is ok with me. I am a strong believer in the phrase “progress over perfection.”
Another example of how we reduced waste was by using real plates. A few of my mom’s friends own sets of clear glass plates that they pool together and pass around for different parties. Since they are clear, they go with any décor. I love this idea and hope to recreate it with my friends as well. We also used real silverware. The party was at Angela’s house but I brought silverware from home to supplement hers so that we wouldn’t run out. For drinks, we used my late grandmother’s beautiful green glassware which my brother Taylor loves. There were quite a few dishes to do at the end, but we all worked together to get them done and it was not a big deal at all. Call me crazy, but I think doing dishes together can actually be fun!
We used decorations from nature – from the white pumpkins everywhere, to the flowers, to the sticks on the felted pumpkins. We used decorations that we had, such as lanterns, votive candle holders, and vases from my wedding.
For my gift, I got Taylor and Ashley an organic cotton bassinet sheet off of Etsy, and a board book (both from their registry). I really prefer to stick to the registry as much as possible because I feel that it is a way to avoid buying things that someone may not use. I did, however, also include some of our most loved baby clothes that my three children wore. We have been so blessed by family and friends to have received heaps and heaps of pre-loved clothing over the years. We feel so grateful for this and hope to pay it forward. I made a card out of watercolor paper and included the stories behind each piece of clothing. In my stash of wrapping supplies – mostly leftover from gifts we’ve received – I found a blush pink bag with little white triangles that matched the décor perfectly and was just the right size. Sometimes I feel like sustainability can mean compromising on aesthetics, but sometimes they can work in harmony, and when this happens, it feels so good!
We had such a great time planning this gathering and I just hope that Taylor and Ashley feel supported. Their little one is so loved already. I can’t wait to meet her!
