{diy shortcake bar + free printables}

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's, I picked up a pack of their fresh shortcakes which inspired me to create a little diy shortcake bar for a weekend brunch.  This little set up would be so perfect to add on to the buffet at a bridal or baby shower.  I chose to offer a mix of classic and fun options for the shortcake toppings including the pepper jelly and cream cheese mix to add a spicy savory option!   At the bottom of this post you can download all the printables you see used here!

{are flags necessary to hold your shortcake together?  no.  do they look cute? yes.  moving on....}

  {The toppings selection I offered included classic strawberries and cream, lemon curd with lavender, and red pepper jelly with cream cheese.   Some other great options could be be nutella and bananas or a selection of flavored jams.} 

click here to download the shortcake bar instructions sign

click here for the toppings labels

click here for the heart flag garnishes

{terra's mint+ fuchsia bridal shower invite}

Next weekend, my girlfriend Terra will be having her bridal shower in Southern California.  Her aunts graciously offered to throw her shower, but I couldn't help forcing myself into the paper goods situation by offering to do the invites.  Terra gave me the freedom to do what I wanted with the invites- her only request being that I use some pink since she wont be incorporating the color too much into their upcoming summer wedding. 

Sometimes it is much more difficult to focus in on a design when someone gives you carte blanche rather than being overly specific about they want, but luckily I stumbled upon this fabulous fuchsia zebra paper from Paper Source which served as the inspiration for the entire invite as well as the envelope lining.  

I absolutely love a double sided invite that leaves a little mystery when the guest first pulls out the invite from the envelope so I kept the front of the invite ambiguous with a simple "you're invited" placed upon a minty striped background.  Using the bright fuchsia as the color for all the text, I decided to keep the main information on the back of the invite simple with a fun mix of Luella font and Reina font on a plain white background.   I tied all the colors together by printing the guest's addresses in fuchsia and the host's return address in mint on the envelope flap. 

I am so happy with how these turned out- especially the unexpected zebra paper!  I love that they still feel girly and fun, but really capture a less traditional feel for a bridal shower invite. 

If you are looking for custom paper goods design, you can contact me through my etsy shop to get some pink zebra action for yourself!

{diy bridal shower projects + free printables}

Today I have one of the last posts about my bridal shower with a guest post from one of my best friends, Kay Lee, who envisioned the entire event and executed every last detail with perfection.  She's here today to share some great free printable downloads that can translate for any of type of party as well as some insight into a few of the diy projects she created for the shower. Take it away Kay...

Natalie is my personal sounding board for everything related to parties and design, so it was painful not being able to bounce around any of my ideas for the shower with her.  However, knowing how much we both love events and design, it was a thrill to create this feminine little shower with a touches of peach, grey, burlap and lace for one my dearest friends. 

The burlap garland was actually a last minute addition to the bridal shower. I laid out everything the night

before and felt like the mimosa table was missing something, so I whipped up this project just in case. 

I'm so glad I decided to do it because I think it created a cohesive look between the mimosa table and

the nearby burlap table runners. For a six-foot garland (as pictured above), I used one yard of burlap and 

adhered it with hot glue to a piece of ribbon. Click the following to download a template

 for the burlap banner cut-outs:

Burlap Garland Template Printable

One of the few requests that we had from Natalie was to include some sort of champagne cocktail 

at the shower, so we set up a "make-your-own" mimosa bar. If you'd like more information for

the set up of a mimosa bar, check out this great post from Camille Styles. Although the mimosa 

bar itself was pretty self-explanatory, I printed up some cute instructions on 100lb kraft paper cardstock. 

Here is a link to download the instructions:

Make You Own Mimosa Printable

Natalie's mom generously supplied bottles of champagne to give as favors for the guests. I printed "thank you" tags on 100lb kraft paper and then cut out the "tag" shapes. I punched a hole at the top of each one 

and applied reinforcement stickers then looped them around the bottles with bakers' twine. 

Here is a download to make your own:

Thank You Tag Printable

I knew I wanted the placecards to match the invitations for the shower, so I used the same

 banner design and just printed them on tented cards. Here is a template download for the place cards:

Banner Place Card Printable

These are the invitations I designed for the bridal shower, which served as a jumping off point 

for the rest of the decor. They are available for purchase here.

You can see additional photos from the shower here & here.

{bridal shower floral guide}

 
As promised in the recap from my bridal shower, Heather from Bourbon & Bleu is back today to guest blog with a little bit more information about the beautiful floral arrangements she put together for the event. Take it away Heather.... 

 Making the floral arrangements for Natalie's bridal shower was such a blast!  I met with Kay a few weeks before to discuss the look she was going for - feminine and organic arrangements in pink, white and peach colors.  Based on the table set-up, we decided on 4 main arrangements (1 for each table's centerpiece) and a large floral piece for the mimosa table.  Kay had also been saving up beer bottles and mason jars to add to the centerpieces.  I put single long stems of white and pink ranunculus in the beer bottles and mason jars. I knew that the dessert table would already have a lot going on with Kay's amazing chevron paper background and the various desserts, so I went simple. I purchased two bunches of ivory hydrangea and placed them in white ceramic vases.

{image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 

 

For the table arrangements, I headed down to the LA Flower Mart and picked up the following:

• 2 dozen ivory roses
• 2 dozen peach roses
• 3 bunches white stock
• 2 bunches peach stock
• 1 bunch wax flowers
• 1 bunch sweet william
• 1 bunch flowering spurge

I used green floral foam in the base of the arrangements so that I could more easily structure the arrangements.  I started with the roses - as they were the main focus of the arrangements - and placed about 4 white and 4 peach roses in each arrangements.  Next I added in about 2 white and and 2 peach stems of stock. After this I just added in the remaining wild flowers at different locations and heights to give it an organic look. 

 

 {image via Sarah Roach Photography}

  {image via Sarah Roach Photography}

  {image via Sarah Roach Photography}

Later this week, I'll be back with Kay guest blogging in more detail about some of the DIY projects she created for the bridal shower including some free printable downloads!

{my bridal shower}

 
This past weekend, my bridesmaids and mother-in-law threw me the most amazing bridal shower I could have ever asked for.  The only things I requested up front were that the theme be girly (since we arent going very girly with the wedding decor) and that champagne cocktails be present.  I got exactly what I asked for multiplied by about a million.

I cannot take even one ounce of credit for any of this beautiful event; the overall theme and all of the beautiful DIY decorations including the tablescapes, garlands and dessert table was created by my very talented bridesmaid, Kay Lee.  While the various desserts, florals and mimosa bar was done by Heather of Bourbon & Bleu.  My mother in law, Maria, hosted the shower in their wonderful back yard and provided the delicious brunch spread.

Today, I just have a ton of lovely images from the entire shower and next week I will have Heather and Kay guest blogging in more detail about the diy decorations, paper goods, florals and desserts so be sure to check back!

 {mimosa bar}

{image via Sarah Roach Photography}

{image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 {braided garland}

{image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 {placecards}

 {brunch spread, image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 {festive balloon}

 {dessert table, image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 {opening gifts, image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 {trophy "bowl" I registered for from Z Gallerie, image via Sarah Roach Photography}

 {my beautiful mother}

 {thank you favors provided by my mother.  Bottles of Rose Sparkling Wine from Kenwood Winery. This is the same sparkling wine we will be toasting with at the wedding next month}

{my bridesmaids that made the whole thing possible}

{bridal shower sneak peek}

Sorry for my complete absence on the blog last week!  We have been overwhelmed with completing some DIY projects for the wedding (including this & this) and tying up some loose ends with all the little details that go along with wedding vendors.  Yesterday, my bridesmaids (below) and future mother in law threw me the most amazing bridal shower I could have ever imagined- the photo above is a small sneak peek.  Later this week, I will have some guest blogging from one of my bridesmaids about the different diy elements they put together for the shower.