Baby Shower Brunch

A few months ago, I hosted a small baby shower for my college roommate, Zenia. We roomed together at Emory when I was a junior and she was a senior. We have been through a lot together through the many years of our friendship and I’m so thankful for such a Godly sister and friend in my life. She has two young boys and was delightfully surprised to discover that she was having a baby girl this time around. Having a baby is a big enough reason to celebrate but we were so excited she was having a daughter! There were about 10 of us which I think is a great number for an intimate gathering. When I host gatherings that have around this number or less, I love creating tablescapes and adding details to the occasion. 

Months ago, I saw these huge paper flowers at Michaels. Each came with a long stem but I removed them. They were in the $2 grab bag section. Originally, these are $29 each but I bought 8 or 9 of them for $6 total! I bought them to eventually put up in Emmy’s room but I loved decorating with them for the baby shower. They give off an Alice in Wonderland vibe, don’t ya think?

I put two tables together and used a pair of gingham Pottery Barn curtains as the table covers. You know how much I love using things for different purposes. I added the old vintage lace passed down to me from my grandmother to add a layer of texture and feminine detail. 

My husband bought these blue and white Currier and Ives dishes for me at an antique store for Christmas when we went on a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach. Oh, I love them! When you don’t own enough of the same dishes, mix and match!

The blue dishes help to break up all that pink. I used mason jars for drinking glasses and set all the dishes on top of gold chargers. I love mixing casual and formal elements together. 

One of my most shared DIY projects is this lace wrapped mason jar. Baby’s breath make a simple, yet beautiful impact on the table. I also added small vases of rosemary from my SIL’s backyard. 

My friend recently gave me a huge basket of muslin fabric. This fabric is typically used as pattern material for sewing. I used a rotary shear and cut a bunch to use as napkins. Using a pinking shear prevents the cut edges from fraying. I washed and left them a little crinkled to add a more casual feel. Well, that and because I hate ironing! 

I made a pretty crudite platter I learned from the design guru, Eddie Ross and a cranberry upside down cake. You can find the post on the crudite platter here. 

One of the desserts I served were these apple spiced cupcakes with salted caramel frosting! I still need to share this recipe. It includes my homemade salted caramel and it’s one of my favorite frostings. 

I kept the menu relatively simple with quiche, stone ground grits, and Belgian waffles with fresh whipped cream. Everything can be made ahead of time and reheated so that you can enjoy the party too. Since I make these recipes all the time, I can whip them up fairly quickly without any stress. 

Zenia’s sister brought a fruit platter. Fruit can make a beautiful display!

We had a great time and I’m happy to say Zenia had a beautiful, healthy baby girl! I love intimate gatherings like this where we can really enjoy the food and each other’s company. If you’re planning on throwing a party in the near future, my biggest advice is to make food that you’re comfortable making or just buy it. Don’t try a new complicated recipe right before the party. Keep it stress free so you can evoke a heart of hospitality. 

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

<><yuni

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31