Tea Party Baby Shower

This past weekend we attended a second birthday party for the sweet little girl of my good friend.  Seeing how she has grown got me reminiscing about the baby shower I co-hosted for her mama a few years ago.  It should come as no surprise to my regular guests that this shower was a tea party, sweet and feminine with a vintage touch, perfect for welcoming a baby girl into the world!

A friend of mine from work hosted the party with me and was so gracious to offer her home for the celebration (at the time we were redoing our floors and I didn't think guests would care for sand or wood glue in their tea party delights.).

The entry table was set up to welcome guests with a bit of tea party and nostalgia.  The tea set was a gift for the baby, arranged on a sweet blanket my mother-in-law loaned to me which was made by her mother 30+ years ago.  Her mother embroidered this blanket in hopes of a granddaughter, but she was blessed with boys so this blanket is still pristine.

The baby shoes and little knitted baby accessories also came from my MIL and are over 30 years old as well.  We used a frame to display the shower invitation and send home as a keepsake for the mama.  The baby book on display belongs to my co-host and has been lovingly stored for over 50 years.

We had a small candy station for guests to fill up gift bags and take home as favors.  I made the candy pops from a cute baby bottle mold purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Instead of the traditional diaper cake, I created a diaper wreath to be used as part of the centerpiece on the tea party table.

Using a styrofoam wreath base, you wrap diapers (stick with size 1 or 2) around the wreath and secure with a rubber band.  Then fan out the diapers to give it a fuller look.  Accent the wreath with pretty ribbon and coordinating baby accessories.  I used pink teething rings, baby socks, pacifiers, little pink hairbows and washcloth roses.

For many years my hands have created quilts with delicate hand quilting, stitched lovely intricate designs and most recently knitted blankets and scarves.  My hands have played instruments and soothed my babies; however, my hands have met their match.  These clumsy hands can NOT make washcloth roses!  No matter how many Youtube videos I watched or how many little washcloths I tried, I just could not create those pesky little roses.

Fortunately, my husband's strong and manly hands could!  Isn't that true love?  He lovingly rolled these little pink roses out of baby washcloths when my hands failed me and my frustration had reached its highest point!  What a man!

We finished the centerpiece out with a hurricane lamp filled with pink M&M's, a few flowers, a candle and pink tulle around the wreath.  Easy, cute and the honored guest got to take home a decoration which could eventually be decorated by the baby.

Cupcakes came from Gigi's and my dear friend hand dipped all the strawberries.

Another sweet husband helped with this design.  My friend pulled out some of her baby dresses which have been stored for over 50 years and her husband displayed them along with vintage baby dishes and utensils on top of a pink tablecloth inside their glass-topped coffee table.

He also strung up a clothesline all along the dining room so we could use tiny pink clothespins to hang baby clothes.  This sweet little dress belonged to my husband's cousin and is over 40 years old!

Fruit tortilla roll-ups and Cream cheese, date, honey and walnut sandwiches.  I'll be sharing these recipes soon.  They are perfect for showers, ladies' luncheons or any time you want a light and tasty appetizer.

We served chai tea along with several flavors of traditional tea in an eclectic collection of teacups, many of which came from my great-grandmother.  

This shower was a small and intimate gathering and a wonderful celebration of our friend's sweet daughter.  After all, you can never start a girl too early with tea parties!

What's your favorite way to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a little one?

Partying with:

Time for You Tuesday @ Clippie Dips
You're Gonna Love It! @ Kathe With An E
Tuesday To Do Party @ The Blackberry Vine
TableTop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
What I Learned Wednesday @ We Like to Learn As We Go
The Fun in Functional @ Practically Functional
Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Show and Tell Saturday @ Sassy Little Lady
Your Great Idea @ Or So She Says