Baby Shower: Owls & Books, Part I

This was baby shower weekend and I am utterly exhausted.  It was my first experience hosting an event while working full time, having a toddler and a baby, and having my husband out of town.  Coming right off of Easter, I felt really behind going into this past week.  Thankfully I have a great family that helped with the kids so that I could get things ready.  And despite some last minute changes due to lack of time, the event really came close to reflecting what was in my mind's eye.

Given the lack of time, I did consider just doing a basic shower.  But in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it.  (1) It isn't me.  (2) I wanted this shower to be special.  This one has been a long time coming.  It was for a very special couple who has found out that they are adopting a baby very soon.  I know it is risky to have a baby shower before the adoption.  However, we decided to do one beforehand to help them get the basics for the first weeks.

The colors of the nursery are brown and green, so we went with those as the colors.  The parents are avid readers, so I chose to go with a book theme.  However, books by themselves seemed too grown-up.  We needed an animal.  Owls... they're cute, a little different, whimsical, and give the impression of being wise.  Thus, this became our "Owls and Books Baby Shower."

Since I have a ton of pictures and need some time to process everything, I'm going to break this down in a few parts.  Part 1... the Invitation.

I think Invitations set the mood for an event.  They are a great indication of things to come.  For this occasion, I designed a brown and green invitation (8 1/2" x 3 1/2").  It started with a little story:

Once upon a time… there was a couple preparing for their family to grow from two to three. So their family and friends showered them with love… and diapers, bibs, bottles, and other gear to get them ready for their new adventure

Invitees were encouraged to bring a book instead of a card.  I included in the invitations a bookplate for guests to fill out and place in the book as a lasting memory.  The invitation and bookplate both reflect the owl motif that will be seen repeatedly in the shower.

For the final touch, I lined the envelopes with a green print paper.  If you are interested in doing this, I've included a tutorial below.

Come back later this week to see the rest of the details behind the party.

ENVELOPE TUTORIAL

Supplies:

• Envelope (4 1/8" x 9 1/2")
• Printed Paper
• Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Pencil

Directions:

1. Cut the paper 1/4" less than the length (4" x 8 3/8" in this case).

2. Trace the curve of the envelope on the backside of the paper.


3. Next measure the distance between the adhesive and the envelope fold.  Fold the paper at that point (measured from the top of where you traced the envelope).

4. Cut out along the line you traced, stopping at the fold.

5. Glue the bottom of the paper insert into the envelope.

6. Glue the rest of the paper to the envelope flap.

7. Now just admire how pretty it looks.

Now I am off for a week of neighborhood walks, gardening with my daughter, picnic dinners, and storytime.  Enjoy your week.