Shabby Chic {part 2}

It was hard not to resist blessing my sister-in-law and soon-to-be-born niece "Ella." We had a blast throwing the party and putting our creative heads together (Caitlin Zick, Yolie Orozco, Kellie Vandermark, Paige Ellis). I think our mothers have all passed down the joy of throwing parties to us, or we just fell in love with the idea somewhere along the way. I guess I just like reading blogs about parties and then I think to myself, "I could do that"...so we make it work...

Here are a few snapshots:
Mel (Baby Ella), Caitlin and Myself...the reason the shower happened...

I had purchased this old antique chalkboard for $15 from an antique store in Old Fair Oaks for Judah's birthday. Since then, it's been used at birthday parties and showers galore. A great purchase! If you are ever bored and like to rummage through antique stores, there is a row of them in Fair Oaks Village. Amazing finds! Caitlin had purchased the birdhouses from Michaels during a good sale and we had to hang them on my tree with torn ribbon from Joanne's. The gift table features just a few of the pom poms that were hung...Purchase "clear thread" from Joanne's and hang them with a staple into the ceiling. Another great trick we learned from our good friend Aubrey Stewart.


Even though we had nothing to do with the Cake design, I had to feature it here because it was AMAZING! Paula Ellis (Paige's mother-in-law) did this amazing design for us and went above-and-beyond! If you are looking for a baker...I'll give you her contact info! She was amazing! Not only did it look beautiful, it tasted wonderful too!

Paige Ellis made this amazing Blueberry French Toast (Perfect for any shower)...I'll have to post the recipe! Also, the tags for the food and our party favors were done with the "Silhouette." Have you ever heard of a Cicket before? This is much more fun because it's like itunes for party designs! It can cut vinyl, banners, stencils, glass etching, and more! Aubrey purchased it with a friend when it was on sale, or you can try to win it off blogs...they are doing giveaways often! I think I'm requesting one for my birthday. They make any party stand out in detail...and it's great for home decor too! We made all the food dishes per Mel's request (Can't say no to a pregnant woman!)Looking for any good brunch ideas, just ask- I'll email you the recipes!

Last but not least our the tables. The colors we went with were pink and gold. Caitlin and I scowled antique stores, shabby chic stores, but most importantly the Goodwill for vases and random artifacts that represented the "shabby chic" look. The Goodwill happened to prove to be a success with each trip. We found vases from $1-$2. It was amazing. We hot glued left over fabric and rosettes to the front entry chairs (the hot glue peels right off).

I was in love with the way some of the Shabby Chic stores had pairs of books wrapped together in twine. They weren't for sell, so I decided to replicate on my own. I again purchased some hardcover books (each for $1 at Goodwill) had some twine from Walmart's craft section and made it work. Funny thing is we have moved them to our mantle and they are still up in my home.

I still have a few secrets to share, but I don't have GREAT photos on hand (maybe somebody else captured them). For the party favors, I had seen at anthropolgie a super pretty glass teacup with melted candles in them. I ran out of time to melt the candles but found amazing deals at the Goodwill for glass cups. I ended up at 3 different Goodwill stores and purchased punch bowl sets. Did you know they sell glass punch bowl sets with 12 cups for only $5.99. I even found an identical punch bowl to my mother's expensive set for only $7.50 (which i ended up keeping for myself). Ever in need of glassware...that's a great start for a cheap price! We had our guests use their favors for coffee during the shower and gave them bags to take them home.


Also, I have to give credit here to Caitlin Zick. She is in love with this blog "Save on Crafts" We were able to purchase 3 birdcage sets (for a great deal). We hung them with fabric from a vent above the food table, and then Cait gave them to Mel for her nursery. If you are looking for cheap decor, whether getting married, having a baby, etc. This is the first place you should look.

Well...I wish I had taken some video of the decor. Once we took everything down, I realized my flip camera hadn't been utilized. I was so bummed...but hopefully you'll get the gist and be able to use some links above or ideas for something in your near future!