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The Dangerous Book For Boys Inspired Baby Shower

Heather Johnston

When my sister Heidi found out she was pregnant with her third child, I was ecstatic - this meant I would get to plan another baby shower for her - and we both already have boys within a year of each other, and now she was about to have a third child that would be close in age to my second son, Oliver!

When she found out they were having another BOY, my mind immediately envisioned her two boys, along with my two boys playing outside together, building forts, searching for wildlife, catching frogs, and running barefoot through the mud - similar to how Heidi and I grew up!

What came to my mind next was The Dangerous Book for Boys. If you have never read the book, it offers a great wealth of knowledge on essential boyhood skills like: how to throw an axe, the five knots every boy should know, how to shoot a slingshot, and learning navigation. This seemed like the perfect theme for Heidi’s shower, and was all the inspiration I needed.

The first baby shower I styled for Heidi had a similar concept - Little Adventurer - which you can see here. Heidi is such a lover of the outdoors and an avid hiker, who hikes many, many trails to the tops of high, high mountains - even during both pregnancies! She’s pretty much a bad ass in my book! So although this theme was similar to her first shower, it was very fitting to who my sister is and what she loves!

With the theme set, I found the most gorgeous invitations through my “go-to”, Minted. I picked a simple, clean design with various types of greenery that I envisioned Heidi taking in all their beauty while out on a hike in the woods. To personalize it, I added an image of Heidi on the backside of the invites when she was out on a hike while pregnant with Nolan. Fun fact - Heidi has this same photo, in the same exact spot when she was pregnant with her first sone Emmitt - again, total bad ass! ;)

One of my favorite things about Minted is the variety of options they offer in their invitation suite! I just loved their fun camping themed postage stamps that tied in perfectly with our theme for the shower, their adorable favor tags, and the fun “It’s a boy” sticker set, that I turned into festive drink flags!

With the theme and the invites now set, I reached out to my lovely cousin Samantha, from Lost Found Design to photograph the celebration! I was excited to get the chance to work together again, as it had been a while since we last collaborated, and boy is her work amazing!! Her images are gorgeous, and she captured the day perfectly - also she’s phenomenal at styling flatlays!

Next I reached out to my favorite chalk artist, Chalk Chic Mama to design some signs for the shower! Upon arrival, guests were welcomed by her beautiful sign where she matched the font perfectly with the font on The Dangerous Book for Boys cover! To me, these small touches make the biggest impact - how everything just ties in so nicely together.

Next to the wonderful welcome sign, I placed fun elements that tied in with the book: a small children’s tent & sleeping bag, a compass, binoculars, a slingshot, a water bottle, a cute vintage flashlight, and a star gazer map. The perfect setup for any little boy who was ready to take on the great outdoors - within close proximity and under the watchful eye of his parents of course!

I setup Heidi’s baby shower in our backyard in Leavenworth, Washington - which thankfully provided enough shade, on a hot July day - and it was the perfect woodsy setting. I used my favorite tableware company L’entramise for their modern flatware, and I paired their soft gray recyclable plates with white scalloped plates I had at home. Josie of Chalk Chic Mama wrote each guest’s name on different shaped rocks, and I displayed lush greenery and flowers tying in with the invitations, along with lanterns and a large wood round down the center of the table, giving off a classy, yet outdoorsy feel. I made a pinecone swag to highlight Heidi’s seat at the table, and placed on each guest’s plate were Eucalyptus & Peppermint Sea Mineral Foot Soak Favors from Formulary55 - Heidi’s favorite way to end the day, whether hiking in the mountains, just being pregnant, or after having a busy day running errands this is perfect for tired feet!

One of the first things guests got to do once they arrived, was order an espresso drink from Lookout Coffee Roasters! How fun is their mobile coffee cart?! I want every event I do from now on to have them! Their rustic cart and incredible coffee was a definite hit with all of the guests!

They really couldn’t have tied in more perfectly with our theme. Their love for both rugged country and exceptional coffee fits my sister to a “T”, and we love that they are local to Leavenworth!

I don’t think I will ever get over just how darling this coffee menu sign is that Chalk Chic Mama designed!

Simply perfection!

And also, how cute is my sister?!

Seriously the most gorgeous pregnant mama ever!

The aforementioned sticker pack from Minted that I turned into drink flags might be a favorite element of mine from this baby shower! A simple project that adds a sweet touch. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like festive drink flags - have you?!

When we decided on an afternoon celebration, I knew coffee and desserts would be the perfect choice - two of Heidi’s favorites!

My homemade pies are always a hit with my sister, so I decided to make three different kinds - all utilizing crops from our garden - and bake them in cast iron skillets - to tie in nicely with our theme and because it’s the ideal cooking utensil when out in the wilderness.

Cherry pie with a crumble top was my first choice, as it is an all time favorite with Heidi, and we have an abundance of pie cherries from the pie cherry tree in our yard. Strawberry rhubarb with a lattice top was my next choice because of an insane amount of rhubarb we harvest, and lastly, I made peach raspberry with a classic double piecrust, because of our plentiful raspberry crop.

Again, Chalk Chic Mama knocking it out of the park with her impressive talent on the dessert chalkboard.

Just the cutest!

Heidi had recently found a love of axe throwing at six months pregnant - so of course my husband and I custom built an axe throwing target for her & turned it into the activity for the shower!

Guests were excited when they learned about the activity, and were not at all surprised, because it was totally something Heidi would do!

No “belly measuring” here - we made up our own unique activity and I loved it! You don’t have to do all of the “typical” baby shower stuff - make it personal and special - that’s my M.O.!

Did you notice the adorable “Axe throwing” sign? Yup, Chalk Chic Mama just KILLING it!

OH BOY!

Another fun feature at the shower was the photo wall backdrop we made! Guests could have their photo taken with the Mom-to-be and it was the perfect woodsy focal point behind the guest table.

It was the perfect summer celebration, honoring my beautiful sister and my soon to be nephew, Nolan. I’m excited to watch all four of our boys grow up together and find a love and great appreciation for the outdoors!

All of the wonderful vendors involved: