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whitneyirene

Mama To Little Man Tate, Wifey, Social Media Manager & Co-Founder of Shiki ( Hand crafted party decor, event planning, and custom moo moos!)

AZ resident enjoying life with my hubby, son, and furr babies!

Tatum’s TeePee: Tribal Inspired Nursery

Inspired by my American Indian heritage I knew when we found out our little blessing was a boy that I wanted to create “Tatum’s Tee Pee.” Our goal was to create a space our son could enjoy for years to come, and incorporate meaningful touches through heirlooms, and DIY projects. Adding personal touches, and hand crafted elements was a must because I am the owner of a small business dedicated to handmade details. The color scheme was pulled from the aztec bedding and coordinating changing pad cover: Navy, Mustard, Mint, White, & Grey. The Aztec bedding complimented the custom quilt my mom ordered from BB Sprouts on Etsy which became the focal point of Tatum’s Nursery.
Highlights:
Rustic Wood Wall: We used pre-distressed planks from Home Depot and a nail gun. Big shout out to my hubby and my best friends Husband for knocking out this project and making my vision come to life!
Restored Dresser/ Changing Table:
Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and some knobs from Hobby lobby we restored a dresser left behind from a former roommate. We love it because the drawers are handy for organizing lots of little items, and it’s the perfect height to be used as a changing table. My husband created a frame for the changing pad that can be removed once he’s out of diapers.
Galvanized Pipe Shelves:
My husband stained and distressed the wood for the shelves and used piping as the brackets for a more rustic feel!
A few fun items adorning the shelves are a wooden canoe from our baby shower, toy moose painted white for a more modern feel, and moccasins given to Tatum by his Grandma.
The wooden elephant rocker was made by my great grandparents and given to my mom as a baby gift for me. I look forward to the days when my son can enjoy rocking on it as much as I did!
 
Photos by:
Madison Leigh Photography
Cacie Carroll Photography 

Welcome To The Tribe Baby Shower

 

This May I’m expecting my first born and have been feeling the love from near and far both from family/friends and from our Shiki community! Being an AZ resident but a CA native I was thrilled when my Little (Alpha Chi Omega sorority little sister) Ashley offered to host a shower at her Huntington Beach home so I could celebrate our little guy with my family and friends back home!
Being a creative entrepreneur I instantly started dreaming up shower ideas the moment I found out we were expecting. I have to say all of my late night pinning didn’t prepare me for the insanely thoughtful and over-the-top cute shower Ashley and my lovely mama Kala threw for baby Tatum and I!
Staying true to my American Indian heritage the party was themed “Welcome To The Tribe” and was absolutely flawless from start to finish. I’ll blame my pregnancy hormones for the fact that I cried when opening the individually made invitations, come on check these out, she made each one of these on her Cricut and assembled each one by hand…if that isnt a labor of love I don’t know what is!

Now onto the details from the party!
Party Theme and Inspiration:
This Powwow party was inspired by my native heritage along with the adorable tribal motifs that have been trending recently.
Colors: Black, White, Neutrals with pops of yellows, reds, and oranges
Activities:
– Guests were welcomed by a stunning photo-booth set up, along with custom made props and a Polaroid Camera. Each person took a photo with the mama to be ( me!) and added their picture to the photo board which was used as a guest book!

 
– Upon arrival everyone grabbed a balloon and a thumb tack to kick the party off with a “POW” and a “WOW” we all popped the balloons in sync and whoever had the paper proclaiming them the winner received a prize. The prizes were leather detailed bracelets adorned with beads and charms.

 
– Another party hit was the baby play-dough game where everyone had 5 min to craft a baby out of play-dough. Each submission was assigned a number and we all took a vote for the best baby figurine. 99% of them were quite frightening, but oh-so hilarious! Much love to sculptures, clearly its not easy!

– All of the ladies had a chance to use stencils and puffy paint to make onesies for baby Tatum and string them on the clothes line! I loved these because they will make great keepsakes!

 
– The favors included mesh bags of Cedar shreds ( a smell that instantly reminds me of our tribal powwow, and my grandparents) Such a nostalgic touch! Along with delicate feather charms (So Shiki!)
Food/ Drinks/ Dessert:
Holy moly was there a spread! The finger foods alone would have been enough to fill everyone but like I said this shower was above and beyond! After indulging in adorably-tasty appetizers we piled our plated with tacos, and I went back for seconds ( possibly 3rds…for the baby of course) is was so delicious!
True to Ashley’s hostess nature every drink, and food item had coordinating signs complimenting the shower theme! Here are just a few of the delectable treats this mama-to-be enjoyed:
Taco bar
Popcorn & pretzels
Cucumber and cream cheese teepee sandwiches
Fruit arrows
Mini bluberry pies
Smores station

Decor:
Here is one of the many reasons Ashley and I were a Big & Little match made in heaven…. our love for crafting is serious! Her eye for style is uncanny and while many would mistake her beautiful Huntington Beach home for a staged Pottery Barn home its really just that she just has a knack for style and decorates everything herself ( and she’s a savvy bargain shopper which you’ve got to love!) Okay, back to the shower decor! WOW…. I have no words. So many hand crafted components, so I will just highlight a few and let the photos speak for themselves. From the handmade teepee, to delicate arrow garland, and “advice for mama” cards at every perfect place setting there wasn’t a detail forgotten! Many of the props she found a Hobby Lobby and Homegoods, and everything else you see pictured was hand crafted

Bun In The Oven & Burgers On The Grill: Co-Ed Baby Shower

Shower Host: Liz Meyers ( Mom To Be’s long time best friend )
Mom & Dad To Be: Whitney & Taylor Ford
Theme: All American BBQ: Built Ford Tough
When it came to planning this shower we knew we wanted to incorporate the Ford last name into the theme. Spring in Arizona is our most beautiful time of year so it lent  itself perfectly to a backyard BBQ, ideal for a co-ed celebration of baby boy Ford! Not only is “Ford” an all American brand, the Fords are undoubtedly two of the most patriotic people ever, which inspired a color pallet of Red, White, & Blue with pops of Yellow and Mint!
Guests enjoyed playing corn-hole on a custom bags set built by Taylor Ford & and buddy of his, along with creating collages predicting which features baby Ford would have out of mom & dads faces. Each guest received a mason jar filled with strawberry & blueberry infused water adorned with a Ford emblem.
Food:
We fired up the grill and cooked up burgers and bratwurst, served in red baskets with checked liners accompanied by various chips, fresh watermelon, and strawberries. Desserts created by Grandma Dixie Ford included sugar cookies, red velvet cupcakes, and peanut butter chocolate bars!
Drinks:
Ice Cold beer, Sweet Sangria, and Infused water kept party goers cool as they mixed and mingled in celebration of the baby on the way!
Decor Highlights:
Custom party decor all created by Shiki came together to set the scene for the ultimate BBQ! Letters spelling “FORD” and oversized pinwheels staked in the lawn helped guide guests into the backyard of the Meyers home, and chalk art of a Model T welcomed guests to the shower as they arrived. Giant prints of the honorees from childhood on added a personal touch that everyone truly enjoyed! Custom a custom laser cut Model T silhouette mounted on a square of wood made for a darling guest sign-in and keepsake!
Patterned paper flag bunting blew in the wind and coordinating rosettes and pinwheels lined the fences and wood wall backdrop. Giant Tassel garland, paper-chains and fabric bunting added pops of color to dessert and food tables.
Overall the shower was the ideal combo of a causal BBQ and adorably themed celebration of baby Ford that encompassed the couples personal style to a tee.
Photos by Cacie Carroll Photography http://www.caciecarrollphotography.com/