This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting my sister, Elisa’s, baby shower. First off, it was a blast! I was so proud to be able to plan a celebration honoring my big sister and my first nephew.
It was held at Elisa’s house- much easier for decorating and getting everything prepped, especially since I live out of state, and it was low-stress for her. She also has a GREAT house for hosting- her upstairs is completely open-concept so there was plenty of space for the food and the guests.
When Elisa first told me she was pregnant, I almost immediately asked if I could host her baby shower and of course she said yes, but under one condition- it had to be button-themed. I thought, “ok, that shouldn’t be a problem” and I ran with the idea. There are so many great ideas out there- it was hard to narrow it down! I of course asked Rachel, our incredibly talented, graphic design sister, to create the invitations and they turned out amazing (as always)!
I also got to put my circuit to work with cutting out simple button shapes to create garlands and a banner. I also used it to create my food labels.
Speaking of food- I kept it simple. I asked Elisa if there was anything she HAD to have and her only request was apple cider. Again, I thought “ok, I can work with this”. I have always wanted to host a party with a hot chocolate bar, so I decided to do a hot chocolate and hot cider bar- it was a hit! I had caramel, crushed peppermint, mini chocolate chips, and of course marshmallows for the toppings.
I also wanted to keep the food tasty, but simple, and decided to go with different dips (pumpkin and monster cookie dough) and a fruit tray- which yes, is shaped like an owl! It turned out super cute thanks to help from my mom. (The nursery is owl-themed, so the owl fruit tray was especially fitting ☺).
The guest book was a canvas with the letter “S” made out in buttons (since Elisa and Jake aren’t sharing the name until he is born)- and the guests left a sweet message for little baby Bean (which is my special nickname for my nephew).
We played a couple simple games- guess the number of buttons in the baby bottle and baby bingo- which if you are hosting a baby shower, I definitely recommend! It is a fun, easy way for guests to get involved with the gift opening without having them stare at the mama-to-be the whole time. We got prizes from Bath and Body Works and overall the games were a hit!
It was a simple, yet sweet baby shower and I am so happy that Elisa agreed to let me be the host. Now the final countdown is on until we get to meet Baby Bean- and I couldn’t be more excited!!
(doesn't she look fabulous??)
(gift opening!)
(the River Road Sisters- Elisa, Jessica, and Rachel)
(ALL of the River Road Sisters- Jessica, Elisa, Rachel, and Maria)