shower obsession

i've always wanted to throw a shower where all of the little details were covered. by little details i mean all of the little crafty projects that i could possibly imagine to be needed were done. i can happily mark it off my list! while this might not be the most perfectly crafty shower to some, i thought it was just awesome. the other hostesses were so gracious to let me bombard them with all of my little projects while they took care of the food, drinks and games (the stuff that's at the bottom of my list!) needless to say, over the past few weeks any free minutes were devoted to some crafty detail that i had once read about or dreamed up and wanted to put into action. thanks to my husband for his undying support of my craftiness. i don't think all husbands would be so patient and some might dare call the details unnecessary . . . what ever would i do if i was to hear those words. luckily i married a detail guy :)

here's a great picture taken by erik to set the mood of the event.



i took a bouquet from sam's and split it up into a bunch of old jars that i washed and placed on a rectangular white platter. one of the jars was a ball glass jar. christy's husband is from indiana, and we were fortunate that his mom was able to make the journey to attend the shower. she spotted a ball jar in the collection and told us the story of the ball jar company which eventually donated land to what become known as the Ball Teacher's College. i found a better telling of the story here



since i didn't have enough wine charms for everyone i created my own. i created and assembled these last weekend. they sat on our counter for an entire week amongst our daily living, and amazingly i didn't have to replace a single one! i was so excited when the first guest picked up the marker and wrote her name on the little tag. my idea worked! i wasn't sure anyone would understand. i think it was good that the first person to visit the drink station was a teacher. they tend to understand about writing names on things.



yummy food! chicken salad sandwiches with pre-made chicken salad from costco. if you're having a party i'd say this stuff is the way to go. it was easy to assemble the sandwiches and everyone gobbled them up. kristin made a great fruit salad and a pasta salad too. interestingly her pasta salad hand itty bitty apples in it. it was delicious paired with the red onion and cilantro. very tasty. i spent the night before making some bite sized cupcakes and fending off the cupcake monsters that reside at my house. for the tables i had read about these great table toppers on one of my blogs and wanted to try them out. small decoration = big impact. i like the way the table looked with them and will try this again.



christy had a table piled high with gifts from everyone. i was happy to meet some of her friends, and i would have to say that she appreciates "real" people. everyone was very kind and just themselves. and lots of pregnant girls too! wow! how far we've come in a few short years . . . i actually knew how to use all of the gifts that she opened!



christy and her mom checking out her new gear. i bet they're having lots of fun tonight finding homes for everything and washing the baby clothes and just imagining what's to come. baby stella's going to have a great family to welcome her arrival!



all of the hostesses with christy. she brought us such a sweet thank you . . . a plant. i would've never thought to give a plant, and i just love it! i look forward to repotting it and (hopefully) putting it on my front porch. thankfully she gave us succulents so i should be able to keep this one alive!



itty bitty baby clothes. lots of pink! and at the end is the only picture of a super-cute little skirt for baby stella. christy was so excited because she raises chickens, and there was a chicken on the fabric print. when i first saw the fabric i knew it was meant for her, but apparently it was more meant for her than even i realized!



what a fun day! the morning commenced with naps for everyone and shower food for dinner. another bonus . . . we always have too much food. we must do this on purpose because it means no cooking for dinner. we should really build this into future shower planning.

thanks for your patience thru my shower obsession. i'll be back another day for an emersyn and brody post :)