Shower Time

I realise this is another post about babies but being pregnant is really going around at the moment {watch out}. Not only am I expecting, but 2 of my sister-in-laws as well and you know what that means .... shower time!

Putting on a baby shower is so .... lovely and a good excuse to ooh and ahh over sweet baby things. I've done a couple in my time and they've all been a bit different, depending on the personality of the mama to be. I was too busy hosting to take any good photos dang it but here is a look anyway.

My sister-in-law Elise is gorgeous {think peaches and cream english rose, very feminine and chic} plus she was having a girl, so like her! So we had to have an english style morning tea.

Menu: Scones with jam and cream, cupcakes, finger sandwiches and chocolate strawberries.

We draped everything in white table clothes and put little milk jugs of roses everywhere. It helped that at the time I had recently discovered Rachel Ashwell {queen of shabby chic} who's book Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things was the perfect inspiration.

 

Rachel Ashwell does seriously pretty furniture too!

I did snap a picture of the nappy cake when it was done though.  You've probably seen a nappy cake before they're a popular shower centrepiece, just roll up some newborn nappies and secure with rubber bands, cover the rubber bands with ribbon and decorate as you will. The mama to be gets to keep all the nappies. 

I remember that broach was $2 and and it fitted perfectly with the pink and chocolate theme.

For my other sister-in-law Caroline we had a night time do. Caroline is also gorgeous but completely different {think vogue, blonde Italian, fashion designer for a husband and currently residing in New York}. We wanted something really chic so we played some opera lit a ton of candles and had Italian food.  

Menu: Brushetta, mozzarella risotto balls, antipasto plates and lots of yummy bread sticks and dips. 

I had seen this picture over in Martha land and loved the idea. 

So sweet right? A bit of craft wire and some stolen plants {weeds} later i had this. 

Seriously they're weeds from the roundabout down the road! The colours we did were light yellow and turquoise as she was having a boy. Naturally we had to have the word bambino and I added some sweet baby clothes to make a little washing line.  The packet of old fashioned wooden dolly pegs was $2 and I've used them a ton since. Bonus.

At each end of the table we had these terracotta pots filled with herbs. The pots were around $4 from Bunnings and I white washed them with buttermilk then left them in the sun. Next time I wouldn't bother or I'd just use paint, it took about five coats to get this mild look. I thought they needed something so I added these plant sticks I made on the computer. {If there is one place you can get away with something a bit cheesy, it's a baby shower.} 

This is a recent shower I did for my lovely friend Nina who has just had her gorgeous baby boy. Very simple just baby clothes on a washing line {fishing line and clear 3m hooks}. Easy and cute idea for over the drinks buffet {which is what this was}. 

This was just a few days after Christmas hence the tree decoration. 

But now I want to do something different for the next one {which is another baby boy}. I've got some more inspiration from Martha and now I'm thinking something more like this.

I don't even know what those round looking things are but I want them! Love the colours I'll have to get started planning, such fun!

Baby Brain

Ok I have given up trying to think of something spectacular to write about for my first 'real' post and the pressure was really taken off when i realised that nobody even knows about this blog! So moving on.

I only have 4 weeks until I am officially mama to not 3 but 4 kiddos {insert maniacal laugh here} and I am yet to finish the nursery for number 3. The catch is kiddo number 3 and current resident is a girl {Paige} and number 4 will be a boy so I need something very baby and not so gender oriented which is lucky because at the moment it's a blank slate. I also plan to leave Paige in the room for as long as possible, so no switching to a boy nursery just yet. When we were building I didn't know I was having a baby girl and planned on the nursery being a very beachy turquoise, grey, green theme. Which I am still loving. Now I am desperate to finish it off for both of them, I have lots of lovely girly things to add but it's probably too late now and I find my mind wondering over different boy finishes I should be getting ready to introduce. mmmmmm.

Here it is now completely unfinished ready to get started.

Still love this fabric from Heather Bailey that I made into a duvet cover. Never got round to the bumper though and grew to love it bare.

Still loving these colours for a boy or a girl.

 

This is the pillow that started it all. 

So much to do! I definitely need some linen and I think I want a cool mirror plus some accessories and soft colour artwork to cover those walls. Speaking of those walls the colour is Taubmans Taupe Stone, which I had in my playroom and LOVED. So I went off to Bunnings and purchased some more using a Dulux one coat paint, yep you only have to roll one coat, bonus! Or so I thought, the colour turned out ..... darker and thicker, if that makes sense and I didn't love it {although I must improve my photography skills as it looks much warmer in real life than this picture shows}. I found out later that one coat paint is actually mixed with a different colour recipe, would've been handy to know that BEFORE I spent 2 days prepping and painting.  Also as it turns out my 3M velcro picture hanging strips {which I use on everything} just DO NOT stick on this paint, so I also have to make holes in the walls if I want to hang anything, which of course I do.  Just roll it twice people. I learned that lesson for you.

So lots to do, no time, big tummy .....  enter inspiration board.

And bit of soft turquoise furniture in a retro design would be so cool.

You may have noticed I have a lamp base and no shade! I picked up an ugly lamp for $10 at the tender centre {electrics were fine} and took to it with a can of flat white spray paint. Took 10 minutes. I sanded it back in places and now I love it. The shade that came with it was old, rusted and the wrong shape. I want a modern drum shade in a graphic print, so have to sort that out.  {As a virgin blogger I have just noticed my serious lack of 'before' or even 'during' photos of any of my projects. Will have to sort that out too.}

I LOVE this gorgeous nursery by Joni at Lay Baby Lay {the look no further than this nursery blog} and plan to do a family photo collage like this, lots of inspiration over there.

And this is the nursery by Elizabeth Sullivan that inspired me to get a gorgeous mobile.

I can't take credit for this crafty creation though. You could absolutely make one up with fabric remnants and some cute ribbon. I purchased mine from here though, they are custom made so I just handed over my scrap material and they whipped it up for me. 

Lets hope I can post about stage two of baby nursery soon, better get back to work!