Classic Picnic Baby Shower

Description

You don’t get more wholesome then checked table cloths and blueberry pie. That was the idea behind this tractor themed baby shower for soon-to-be parents Lauren and Brett. Instead of letting the weather limit the party’s decor, host Laura took the picnic and made it come alive inside her home. With a little creativity and her handy paper cutting tool, Laura turned mason jars, mini pies and paper plates into a picnic style baby shower for baby boy Nixon. Laura offers some great party planning tips along with all the details on this vintage picnic baby shower. I decided to throw an indoor picnic and tractor themed baby shower for a long-time friend (it’s far too hot in our neck of the woods this time of the year to party outside). Although she is having a boy, I wanted to steer clear of colors and motifs that were too kitschy or overdone. And, since it was a no guys party, I tried to create an environment and food that was “girly” to some degree , yet maintained a masculine feel in honor of baby Nixon. The color pallet consisted of orange, kelly green, yellow and blue jean blue. Overall I wanted guests to feel like they were at a farm or barnyard picnic with their friends.

Project Details

Utensils, plates and napkins: I didn’t think shiny plastic cutlery would go with the feel of the party, so I found everything at World Centric. Made of cornstarch , the utensils are 100% biodegradable. Mini Pie Tins: Ebay, but there are also several other resources on the web if you do some digging. The majority of the fabric was from Wal-Mart for $1.50 a yard.

Advice

1. Use what you have: I am notorious for buying party items, with absolutely nothing particular in mind when I purchase them. So, I really tried to use up my stash of items that had been sitting in my closet.
2. Borrow:I had several friends who were more than willing to lend me platters and chairs and linens that were perfect for the flavor of the party.
3. Plan ahead: When it came the the party day, almost everything had been done weeks prior.
4. Delegate: Several friends of the mom to be offered to help, so I gave them specifics assignments of items to bring.
5. Free: I went to the local liquor store and asked for a stack of their wine sized brown sacks. I was ready to pay for them, but the clerk gave them to me for free. I cut the bags down, filled them with homemade granola and sealed it with a custom sticker. Also, all the flowers came from the mountain behind my house-FREE!