When I first found out that my sister Heidi was expecting her second child, I was overjoyed! Our little Avery was going to grow up with a built-in little buddy - new cousin Emmitt. I was also ecstatic, because that meant I got to throw her a fabulous summertime Baby Shower!
My sister and I grew up in Leavenworth, Washington and have a great love for the outdoors - how can you not, when you are surrounded by such awe-inspiring mountains. Heidi is an avid hiker, and so I knew I wanted to incorporate that into the shower - and what better theme than "Little Adventurer" - because I am certain that Emmitt will love the mountains and the outdoors - just like his Mama!
Heidi loved the idea of the theme, and so I went with it, and did not share any other details with her about the shower - I wanted it all to be a surprise the day of.
The extraordinary map print above is from A Gier Design and it was the perfect focal point on the brunch table and such a special keepsake.
I found the most beautiful invitations from Tiny Prints that set the tone of the shower. The lovely foliage design fit in nicely with the outdoorsy theme, and added a touch of elegance. The coordinating envelope liners were so darling, and a personal favorite of mine.
On the day of the shower, arriving guests were greeted with mimosas and the most adorable Welcome Sign - complete with a unique crest - from Josie at Chalk Chic Mama. Accompanying the welcome sign were the most precious mountain moccasins I found from Starry Knight Design. They sure melted everyone's heart as they walked into the shower.
Tennielle, from Modern Pod Floristry did such a remarkable job with all of the floral accents. Inspired by the invitations, she used soft hues throughout, adding touches of alluring woodsy elements.
For the place settings, my husband cut some wood "mountain peaks", that I then stained and painted snow caps on. Josie from Chalk Chic Mama gorgeously wrote out each guest's name on their own mountain. Keeping with the "little adventurer" theme, I made place mats from trail maps that show some of Heidi's favorite hikes.
The beautiful X-back Vineyard chairs from Lake Chelan Wedding Rentals certainly enhanced the elegance of the shower, and were another favorite item of mine - thinking I need them in my dining room!
Each guest received a custom made notepad from Tiny Prints with an image from one of Heidi's all-time favorite hikes: Colchuck Lake, located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area just outside of Leavenworth.
I thought it would be fun to incorporate certain cravings that Heidi has had during this pregnancy. One of those cravings was pancakes. Chocolate Chip, Banana, and Blueberry Pancakes were the main course for brunch with a side of sausage and bacon. Sweets have been another craving of hers, so I included sweet breakfast treats such as mini cinnamon rolls, a variety of donuts, and scones.
Another craving Heidi was having was coffee - which brings us to the coffee bar! Heidi loves coffee, and has continued to drink it within moderation during her pregnancy and of course with her Dr.'s approval, and when you brunch, there certainly must be coffee!
I knew right away the coffee I wanted to serve - Woods Coffee from Lynden, Washington. Years ago Heidi and I lived in Bellingham and loved their coffee, so it was such a special treat to have it for her shower! Their cold brew is hands down the most delicious iced coffee I've ever tasted. The Woods Blend Medium Roast & the Brown Bear Dark Roast were both divine! If you are ever North of Mount Vernon, stopping by Woods Coffee is definitely a must! Be sure to check out one of their 18 stores in Whatcom & Skagit Counties - and even one in British Columbia.
Going on a little detour here - My darling and ever-so-talented husband built the beautiful wood backdrop for the coffee bar! I'm sure he would hate that I'm even writing this about him on my blog, but I can't help it! He is just so gifted - in addition to building the wood backdrop, he handcrafted all of the chalkboards we used for the shower, designed the mountain cupcake stand, cut all of the wood rounds/rectangles for me, and even helped with setup and clean up! I feel so blessed to have such a loving and supportive husband!
This is probably one of my most favorite designs to date!
Check out that Coffee Bar sign! Josie is so talented and incredible. She went with our woodsy/outdoorsy theme and created this beautiful coffee bar sign. Her work never ceases to amaze me!
The sweet "Mama Bear" Mug for Heidi came from Bella Max Designs.
For the after-meal activity, Heidi did not want to play any games, and wanted to do something different. I knew she was still in the process of decorating Emmitt's nursery and had mentioned needing more decor for the walls, so I had each guest paint an endearing message or cute picture on a piece rustic wood. These enchanting little pieces will fit quite nicely in little Emmitt's new room.
I added an additional personal touch to the decorations by using a recent picture of Heidi while out on an adventurous hike. I had it printed on a custom made metal wall print through Tiny Prints with a quote at the bottom that read "Adventure Awaits Little One". Such a sweet picture of Heidi looking down at her precious baby bump while out exploring.
I found these darling temporary tattoos from Oh Yay Party that integrated perfectly with the theme and the guests had so much fun with them!
To go along with the sweets from Heidi's pregnancy cravings, I went to my favorite bakery, Cupcake Blues for some delicious desserts: Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, a Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream Filling, and Sugar Cookies with fondant toppers that said "Emmitt" & "Little Adventurer" and trail map cookies. I found the sweetest woodgrain card stock paper to make the cupcake wrappers. I also found the most adorable
woodland themed onesies from Urban Earth Co and darling mountain cake topper from Fancy Face Studio.
FarmhouseB's precious mountain silhouette & "Little Adventurer" pillows adorned the couches as we all gathered around as Heidi opened and received, the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts - including a pair of little baby hiking boots.
It was such a special day filled with lots of love, and sweet anticipation for the arrival of little Emmitt. I am so honored that I got to throw my sister a sweet little baby shower!
An enormous, heartfelt thank you to all of the wonderful vendors involved!!
Vendors:
- Photography Nicole Conner Photography
- Floral Design Modern Pod Floristry
- Chalk Art, Calligraphy on Envelope & Chalk Chic Mama
Mountain Place Settings,
Food Descriptions on wood rectangles - "Little Adventurer" Pillow FarmhouseB
Mountain Silhouette Pillow - X-Back Vineyard Chairs Lake Chelan Wedding Rentals
- Cake Topper Fancy Face Studio
- Coffee, Cold Brew Singles & Growler Woods Coffee
- Cake, Cookies, & Cupcakes Cupcake Blues
- "The Adventure Begins" Onesie Urban Earth Co
"B is for Bear" Onesie
Explore/Trees Onesie
"Be a Little Wild" Bear Onesie - Map Print "New Little Adventurer is on his way" A Gier Design
- Temporary Tattoos: Mama, Papa, & Baby Bear Oh Yay Party
- Mountain Moccasins Starry Knight Design
- "Mama Bear" Mug Bella Max Designs
- Invitations, "E" Pillow, "Reach for the Heights" Canvas Tiny Prints
"Adventure Awaits" Notepads, Custom Metal Print - Styling & Design HRJ Events & Vintage Rentals