The House on Ladd

A little bunny is on the way! On my last post I shared with you the master plan for my brother’s Peter Rabbit baby shower. Well, all that planning was a success if I do say so myself. Everything went so smoothly, and I am so grateful for the many hands that made it work! Now, let’s get to the good stuff!

The shower was hosted at my brother’s church. They just acquired a new building and remodeled, which made for a beautiful, clean place to host a shower. Fun fact: my husband and I met at this church while we were in college. After we got married and moved away, my brother started going to there and that’s where he met his wife! It was such a fun, full circle moment to have all the people we love in one place.

First things first, the day before the shower I asked one of our college students for some assistance in making the balloon garland. Both easier and harder than you think it’s gonna be… My living room smelled like latex for two days! I eventually shut them in a bathroom with the vent fan on in an attempt to remove the smell! I set up the backdrop on my PVC pipe stand to make sure everything fit, and did have to attach some velcro to the backdrop to attach to the stand (I have permanently attached a strip of the rough side of velcro on the stand).

Aren’t those rabbit balloons just darling!?

I also prepped the party favors, table signs, and decor. For the favors, I placed the stickers from Etsy onto small square envelopes, filled them with a carrot cake teabag, and then attached the shovel shaped teaspoon. They were a hit!

The printables I bought from Etsy made life so much easier! I printed the double sided ones onto cardstock and cut them out. Then I used little clear stands to place them on the tables. They were a little top heavy, so some were a little ornery, but most of them stood upright the entire shower.

How cute is little Peter!? Can you tell I was smitten with him the entire day? I am not ashamed. Finally, I used the other printables to make these signs in Microsoft Publisher. My favorite trick is to pick a pretty, script font for a heading, and then a regular font for the body.

That night, my husband and I loaded the truck so all we had to do was shove the balloon garland in in the morning and head to the shower! I am not a morning person, so I find that it is most helpful to do whatever I can to prep so that the morning is less stressful. Now to the good part!

Welcome to the shower! We welcomed guests with this adorable set up of fresh florals and treats. Our sign in book was a beautiful hardcover edition of a children’s book that will now be filled with notes from loved ones. We asked guests to print their addresses onto thank you card envelopes to help mommy-to-be in these last few weeks. We also placed the party favors on this table to be sure everyone got one.

Walking in to the shower, you were greeted with the smell of hydrangeas and eucalyptus, which were set in mason jars painted white with a touch of gold. Just wonderful! Our white tables were draped with dusty blue chiffon runners for an elegant look. Who says Peter Rabbit has to be completely rustic? Garden Chic is more like it.

And finally, our piece de resistance, the food table. Is it possible to be in love with a food table? I say a resounding yes! The backdrop was perfection, surrounded by the balloon garland. A small word of warning, be cautious not to place the balloons too close to a light… it will pop right in the middle of your event… All popping aside, balloon garlands are a great way to hide the edges of a backdrop. Everyone loved the carrot floral arrangement. All the florals were put together by my Aunt Kim and her daughter Angelina. What a labor of love!

If you have ever read Peter Rabbit, you know that while trying to escape from Mr. McGregor, Peter gets caught by the fence and has to shimmy out of his sweater. So we recreated that scene with the perfect picket fence and a 12-18mo sweater, attaching the sweater with thumbtacks.

The food was so good, and there was hardly a crumb left. Especially of the cake, masterfully created by my Aunt Dana, who makes all our family cakes. She made our wedding cake that is still talked about to this day. Check out those trees! They are rice crispy treats!

My cousins were so kind to follow my crazy Pinterest ideas for a carrot shaped cheese ball (I need this recipe, it was to die for!) and chicken salad stuffed cabbage! Last minute, we decided to nix hollowing out a real cabbage and use a cabbage bowl, and I think we both breathed a sigh of relief! The ladies who did the drink table went all out, using leftover carrot stems and other greenery to make a garden of tea and punch. Check out that ice ring!

It was such a beautiful day. I hope that my brother and sister-in-law know how loved and supported they are. We are ready for you, Elliott!

xo, Amanda