The women in my family throw a mean party. When it comes to plotting out cute crafts, themed menus, and festive decorations, these ladies are the tops. Inspired by my around-the-world nursery theme, my Mom and sisters put together a great party to celebrate my impending motherhood. As always, everything was adorable, from the games to the favors, down to every last cute little detail.
The first thing I scoped out upon arrival was the decorations. All of the tables were covered in matching red and white fabric, patterned in stripes, chevrons, and polka dots. The walls were adorned with handmade paper garlands with white fluffy clouds and hot air balloons. Inside each balloon was a tiny kewpie doll poking his head out! Kewpies are my FAVORITE, so this little detail really tickled me.
Next, I peaked at the welcome table. My sisters did something super creative with the guest book. They provided little slips of paper with different national flags, and asked guests to answer three questions each. Name, farthest place traveled, and advice for new travelers. Heather is collecting all of the slips and binding them in a little book titled Babeleo’s First Passport.
Next to the the guest book was a little stack of paper onesies. Guests were asked to decorate them with crayons and markers so that I could pick my favorites. They were all pretty boss, so picking the three best wasn’t easy. Eventually I settled on unicorns, sushi, and avocados.
At the end of the welcome table sat a basket full of itty bitty kewpie dolls! I was overjoyed. Cute things become exponentially cuter when duplicated – it’s a scientific fact. These little cuties were used for another party game, “Who’s Watching the Baby?”. Everyone started with one kewpie. If you put yours down, someone else was free to scoop him up. She who holds the most kewpies at the end of the afternoon wins a prize. An added bonus to this game was how the kewpie heads resemble little nipples from the top. A number of ladies were keeping their babies stashed in their blouses. Thus, hilarity ensued.
And, of course, we also played “My Water Broke!”, a game where everyone gets an ice cube embedded baby in their cocktail glass. Whoever’s baby melts first yells out, “my water broke!” to claim a prize. My Mom has become pretty awesome at picking out prizes. Winners at the shower went home with fancy travel-themed coasters, tiny globes, and kitschy souvenier knick knacks.
Finally, I made my way over to the food table. It was a real international spread complete with Swiss fondue, Italian tapas, sushi from Roll On Sushi Diner, and plenty of other savory appetizers. The dessert table featured Guiness cupcakes, Swedish butter cookies, Dutch Stroopwafels, and Cool Haus ice cream sandwiches. I pigged the hell out.
And then there were gifts! My sisters know me well, and with my aversion to waste in mind, asked everyone to make this a “green shower”, forgoing the traditional trappings of disposable wrapping paper and gift bags. Instead, folks wrapped gifts in totes, shopping bags, crib sheets, and baskets. It was perfect! They even had a prize for the guest with the most creative wrapping job. Elizabeth, who blogs at Local Savour, nailed it. She created a scarecrow baby from a onesie and recieveing blankets. Seriously, look at this thing! She’s a genius.
My friends and family gifted us with a huge pile of cute clothes, gear, toys, and books. Scott Bobleo and I are truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful community here in Austin. We love you guys! In addition to an awesome assortment of new and recycled baby loot, we also recieved some very special handmade gifts.
My sister, Sarah (who blogs at Scissorina), sewed a huge stack of fabric baby wipes for me. These things are seriously boss. They have hemp terrycloth on one side, soft flannel on the other, and are surged around the edges, making them super sturdy.
She also made me this adorable bunny teether! It snaps open so that the ring can be changed out and the bunny can be washed. Brilliant! Next to the teether is the sweetest little jumper ever. It looked so professional that I assumed she had bought it at some fancy boutique. I was blown away when she told me that it was handmade. She also made me that ridiculously cute mixtape bandana bib. These little beauties are kind of a sneak peek into Sarah’s newest project, Bubbub. Soon she’ll be selling adorable things just like this.
Mrs. Holliday, one of our dearest family friends, made us something special too, a handmade baby wrap with “Our Babeleo” embroidered on the top! I was so touched that she picked up on our special nickname and gave us something so beautiful to remember it with. Soon Babeleo will have their Outside Baby name, and “Babeleo” will be a nickname of the past!
Each guest went home with a very Mary party favor, Dill Pickle Popcorn from Cornucopia, packaged in animal-topped mason jars. My sisters attached animals from across the globe to the jar tops, then painted them bright white. So cute!
Thank you so much to my sisters and Mom for throwing me such an amazing party! Thank you to everyone who came. I’m so grateful for your support!