Let's Entertain

Sweet Pea Featured

I'm so excited! Our Sweet Pea shower is featured today on Creative Parties and Showers!  Head on over to see this shower and get many other fun ideas for showers and parties!  Thanks Shannon for the great introduction!

Not Just for the Birds

Check out this cool idea for displaying your drinks in the Summer heat!

 

Most of us already have a bird bath.  Just clean it out and cover the inside with plastic wrap.  Fill with ice and insert your punch, soft drinks, wine and water.  They also decorated this one with blooms.  This would be lovely for an outdoor reception or bridal shower.

(photo from bhg.com)

Sweet Pea Shower

Well the Sweet Pea shower was a success!  This theme was a lot of fun to work with and pretty easy too.  This shower was done on a budget and in a short amount of time but I think it turned out pretty well. The mom-to-be loved it, and that is most important :)  

The mom-to-be does not know the sex of the baby but said she loved the color green.  I wanted to go with a bright green instead of a muted green and I really found a lot more decorations in the brighter green to my delight.

Here is the dessert table with the "pea" filled baby bottle favors (everyone loved).  The petit fours have peas in a pod on them.  I found the Baby Love green bag at Hallmark and fell in love with it.  It went so well with the colors.  I used it to give the mom-to-be a few items to take home. The coordinating paper ware is from Hostess Jo.

 

I also used the bottles as part of the table decorations.

 

One of the centerpieces.  I used real peas!  The outer vase is larger than the center one.  I inserted the flowers in the smaller one then into the larger one and filled with peas. 

 

The cute circle paper is actually a gift bag I cut into squares.  I thought it was really fun and colorful.

 

 

I also scattered green glass gems on the table that I brought from home.

 

My pea in a pod creation.  I used felt and spray painted styrofoam balls.

 

The ladies munched on mini bbq sandwiches and 7 layer salad with peas.  

 

These are the candles I used on the food table.  White unscented candles surrounded by peas!

 

Even the 7 layer salad fit into the decor!

 

Hope this gives you inspiration for your next Sweet Pea shower!  This theme works great with twins or triplets too.

If you'd like to see more pics from the shower head on over to our Facebook page. 

Sneak "Pea"k

Here is a pic of the favors I'm doing for the Sweet Pea shower this weekend.  I ordered the bottles and personalized stickers from here.  I filled them with Sour Apple Jelly Bellies to look like peas.  Check back next week for more pics from the shower!

Pea Pod Shower Inspiration

I've been searching the web for "Pea in a Pod" or "Sweet Pea" baby shower decor inspiration.  I've found some really fun ideas. 

For the centerpieces I love this flower arrangement filled with "peas".  The "peas" are actually Kiwi flavored Jelly Bellies!  They look just like Edamame to me.  The orange flowers just POP against the green.

 

I am thinking of using real peas for the vase filler and filling these baby bottles with the green jelly beans for favors.

 

Here is more great Pea Pod decoration.  I wish I could use Poms like these but there is nowhere to hang them from.  Notice the Pea Pod Diaper "Cake" on the mantle.  How creative!  I'm going to try to construct some Pea Pods similar to this one to set on a couple of the tables.

 

For one of the dishes, the hostess is making this layered salad with peas!

So have you ever thrown or been to a Pea themed shower?  I'd love to hear any ideas you have!

(images:  top arrangement from Parents.com via HWTM, bottles image from babyshowerstuff.com, pea pod centerpiece image from Everyday Celebrating, layered salad image from Kraft)

Pretty in Pink

This photo caught my eye for its pretty pink color.  Then the recipe sounded just as good as it looked.  What a great punch to serve at Easter!  The recipe includes instructions for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions so you can please everyone.  This would also be great for Mother's Day and wedding and baby showers (especially if mom is having a girl!)

 

Sparkling Punch 

Yield

Makes about 9 cups

Ingredients

• 1  (12-oz.) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 4  cups  white cranberry juice cocktail
• 1  qt. club soda, chilled
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Stir together lemonade concentrate and cranberry juice cocktail in a large pitcher. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Stir in club soda just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Champagne Punch: Substitute 1 (750-milliliter) bottle extra-dry Champagne or sparkling wine and 1/4 cup orange liqueur for club soda; proceed with recipe as directed

(photo from southernliving.com)

Twisted Nests

Change is Good

 

Large peonies sit in nests instead of eggs!  I love the simplicity of the white flowers in the nests.  What a pretty table setting for Easter, Mother's Day, weddings or "Nesting" baby showers.  These open peonies are sitting in a shallow plastic bowl of water then in a basket of twisted fern vines.  If you can't find fern vines, I think you could buy two medium nests at your local craft store and set one on top of the other and blend the sides to get the same depth shown here. 

Continue the theme with miniature peony nest place card holders.  You could use a bud of the centerpiece flower or one that is more closed.  These stems sit in a water tube within each nest.  Finish the setting with large round glasses that mimic the roundness of the nests. 

Of course you can use any flower you prefer and hopefully one you have in your own backyard!

(photo from marthastewart.com)

EGGcellent!

For your Easter table centerpiece, try this twist on the traditional Easter egg tree.  Your children will love it!  Bonus:  this would also be cute for a "Mama Bird/Baby Bird" or "Nesting" baby shower.

Swinging Birdie Egg Tree

 

First find a branch in your backyard and set in sand or pebbles.  You will also need:

	Egg carton
	Hole punch
	1/4-inch-wide ribbon
	Colored tissue paper
	Pinking shears or decorative-edge craft scissors
	Blown eggs
	Glue stick
	Colored feathers
	Colored card stock
	Marker
Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

1. For each, cut a cup from the egg carton and punch 3 holes as shown.

2. Cut 3 pieces of ribbon, each about 9 inches long. Thread an end of each piece through a hole in the carton and knot it, then tie the other ends of the ribbons together.

3. Cut two 2- by 6-inch rectangles of tissue paper, one with the pinking shears. Lay the pinked rectangle on top of the other. Wrap the papers around a blown egg so that the pinked edge peeks out from behind the straight edge. Secure with the glue stick.

4. Place the wrapped egg in the cradle. Use the glue stick to attach a small tuft of feather and a card stock beak and eyes to the egg. Make pupils on the eyes with the marker.

(photo from familyfun.com)

Speaking of Cupcakes

How cute are these wrappers?!?!

 

They would go great with a rubber ducky baby shower.  I love the sugar pearls, they look just like bubbles. My friend Nicole sent me to this page at FancyFlours.com and these were so adorable I just had to show them to you. They have a great variety of cupcake wrappers and many other unique items for baking.

More Green Apple Inspiration

Be sure to check back tomorrow for all the details from the wine tasting.  It was so much fun and I'm already thinking of planning another one with white wines for Spring and Summer.

For now take a look at this fresh green inspiration board from Snippet and Ink.  I love the bright green and white used here.  I might actually make these apple centerpieces for the wedding shower instead of the others I found.  I really like how they used white instead of pink with the green apples.  My friend whose house we are having it at has an outside living area that these pillows would look fabulous in for the shower.

You could incorporate these colors and ideas for any wedding shower, baby shower or general party.  So crisp and fresh!