Also included in the “games” genres are those super sentimental pieces to save for baby. We opted for prayers, childhood traditions, a time capsule, and an ABC book with pictures from all the guests. We also included diaper writing to make nighttime doody duty a little less irksome.



Food

For food, we opted for a few family packs from our favorite local bbq restaurant. We double-checked with the guests who RSVP’d and there were no vegetarians in the bunch, but we did go with some pork and some brisket options to satisfy the masses. That way, we were able to feed everyone for less than $100, had no cooking and dishes to deal with, and virtually no clean up. (I did try to make things cute, prim, and proper with a selection of vintage china that I thrifted so we wouldn’t be producing waste, but my country folks opted instead for paper plates and cups.)

Cake wise, I made a small naked-ish fruit topped cake that was sugar free, and for the larger cake we went with Publix. It was inexpensive and I was able to order and customize everything online. 

 



Decor

Decor was minimal and super sweet. We were mostly limited to a dining room table and some space in the living room. We didn’t want to get cluttered and tacky, so we had some precious tidbits that really brought a lot of character to the space.

I created this super simple burlap banner using transfer paper to iron on the letters and star. It was the only decor in the living room area and was placed at the fireplace mantle right behind the mama-to-be (it now hangs in baby’s nursery). 

 

The dining room table was filled with plants and florals purchased fresh from Publix when I picked up the cake, and everything from floral to writing utensils were house in mason jars and vintage votives.

We actually used a vintage floral bedding skirt as a tablecloth, lots of milk glass details, and vintage animal knickknacks and stuffed animals. We also added some vintage frames to the games and well wishes signage, and my sister’s favorite was a rounded vintage frame with a picture of baby’s ultrasound I printed straight at home. 

Outside we kept it simple with a chalk painted easel and a single balloon, just so folks knew they were at the right place.



 



Favors

Y’all already know I’m a plant lady, so of course we went a plant route for favors - “Take a baby pothos and watch baby grow!” I didn’t have time to propagate my own pothos for this, but that would be a great idea for early planners. Instead, I bought three very full pothos for $5 a piece at Home Depot, and bought a $5 pack of seed starter pots. Carefully, I removed the dirt and separated the roots of all the plants so I could have 20 separate pothos plants as parting favors. I created the little onesies on my tablet and printed them on cardstock, then taped popsicle sticks onto the onesies. Probably my favorites favors EVER! 

 



Invitations

It felt special to send invitations by mail - I was supporting the USPS but also in the age of COVID, I was just really wanting to do something not online. Granted, there was a Facebook event too, because no one actually responds to paper RSVPs. I created the invitations on my tablet (which actually prompted creation of my small business), and printed them out on cardstock to mail to everyone. THEY WERE A HIT! And I just feel super proud of them (hit me up @kayladrawsyall if you need custom invitations created!). 

I had so much fun planning this shower, and it felt incredibly successful. Everyone had fun and had lots of nice things to say. I’ll leave you with a few happy pictures from gift-opening.