Saturday, March 24, 2012

Baby Shower - Boy or Girl?

My mother hosted a baby shower for our DIL. Baby #3--we don't know the gender--is scheduled to be in our arms in about 4 weeks!

Hydrangeas for the primary flowers, and pink and blue for the color scheme, so this was the invitation ~
Pink and blue hydrangeas.
You can read about how I changed the original to pink and blue, HERE


Welcome!  This arrangement was part of the decorations on the front porch
to welcome her guests.


The flowers in front--forget-me-nots (isn't that PERFECT?!) and tulips--
were hostess gifts from our DIL
for my mother and me (because I helped, she said :)  )


She used my favorite tablecloth--she calls it "sun and shade" because
of the alternating pieces of solid and sheer.
All hand-embroidered and lovely.
And the best part?  It came home with me!  I guess I had lusted after it long enough,
so she gave it to me!


PINK and BLUE hydrangeas, white tulips, and of course,
baby's breath--lots of it.
The ribbons in the centerpiece?  A surprise to be revealed later.


Punch was served in her crystal dispenser, on the buffet.


The first course was Italian wedding soup,
served to our guests as they mingled.
Intended as an appe-teaser, it was served in footed vintage punch cups on
lovely vintage dessert plates.
Napkins, hand-embroidered and lovely, are vintage as well, from my mother's extensive collection.



We used two of my mother's tole trays, and the blue one (bottom right),
 made with butterfly wings, to serve the soup.


This vignette, at the dessert station, has the angel I used for a Valentine's post HERE
and our son (baby's daddy) silver baby cup.
The gorgeous, taaaalllll footed cake plate was given
to my mother by my SIL.
The idea for the flower pot desserts came thanks to Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch,
but instead of cheesecake my mother made TRES LECHES,
and we topped it with crushed Oreos.
Have you ever had tres leches (translation: Three Milks)?
It's a wonderful Cuban dessert~~
the recipe will come another day.
(If you're going to use real, unglazed flower pots,
be sure to line them with foil, as I did.)



The main course was an adaptation of an open-faced turkey sandwich from The Morgan House,
a favorite shop and restaurant near our homes.
Ours was sliced, smoked turkey breast served with rounds of
fresh baguette, mixed salad greens with bleu cheese,
walnuts, and Craisins, and garnished with cranberry sauce
and a homemade cream cheese compote I made. 


Vintage bisque Kewpie doll and baby added a "sweet" touch
to the desserts.


The silver epergne in the living room, where we enjoyed dessert as
the mommy-to-be (again) opened
our gifts to their family.


And the ribbons in the centerpiece?  For an adult PINATA!
In Cuba, our pinatas aren't hit with a stick;
they have strings on the bottom.
Each child takes a ribbon and on the count of 3 they all pull--
and DIVE for the goodies that have fallen out!
So my mother, who has made pinatas for many of
 our children's and grandchildren's birthdays,
decided to do an adult version of a pinata for the shower
instead of the usual games.
On the count of 3 we pulled our strings
(which were lightly taped to the rim of the vase), and
those with knots on the
end won a prize.
(There were lots of knots, so no one went home empty-handed).
Isn't that a clever idea?!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

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I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

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Winter Blues Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/
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Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home Friday at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/


from my Chickadee Nest to yours~
    Zuni

32 comments:

  1. How lovely, Zuni! I'll bet everyone is counting down the days!

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  2. Now where do I start with this gorgeous post Zuni?
    I'll start at the most important and beginning I suppose...Firstly congratulation of your baby #3's imminent arrival. How exciting for all the family.
    What a beautiful idea having two colours of hydrangeas. They also look great as the centrepiece.
    All the tableware looks exquisite and now you have a beautful tablecloth to show them off :)
    I love the idea of the flower pots...and my favourite idea is the pinata. I've never liked the idea of the beating with a stick idea. I'm hopefully going to store these items and adapt them to another event...no bady showers on the horizon just yet...we've got the wedding to plan for next year first! :D

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  3. It all looks so lovely, Zuni! We only give baby showers for the first baby here. is it customary there to do it for each baby?
    I love hydrangeas, I cant wait for June when they bloom!
    Did you see the flower pot cake stand I made for the first Let's Dish post? It would have been perfect with those flower pots!
    Prayers for a safe delivery and healthy baby!
    See you Wed at 7! :)

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  4. Zuni, I loved reading about the baby shower and seeing all the wonderful photos. Babies are such a wonderful blessing, aren't they?? I have used flower pots, too...such fun for desserts. Your Mom has such beautiful things...I'm in love with the tole tray. My hubby and I grew up in Columbus and graduated from De Sales HS. We've lived in Texas for the past 25 years, though. It's nice to meet you. Happy weekend!!

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  5. Oh Zuni, I loved all you shared about the wonderful Baby Shower your sweet mother hosted! I so love and make Tres Leches, yummy!! I love all the treasures your mom has, I'm so glad for you she gave you the gorgeous tablecloth...I don't blame you for loving it! Have a lovely week sweet Zuni and bienvenida, so glad you're back in the blog scene. Loved your post. Hugs,
    FABBY

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  6. Many blessings for the parents of a new baby. Here in Ecuador we make baby showers for every child a girl is going to have, so each baby feels they had a special welcomed as well. Love,
    FABBY

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  7. Congrats on the new baby! This is a fabulous shower indeed. The adult pinata is a blast and I think I'll be using this idea soon. for something! Lucky you, that is one beautiful tablecloth! So glad you shared this.. looks wonderful.. xo marlis

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  8. Congratulations on the new grand. The party looks like a beautiful celebration.
    Thanks for sharing this joy. ~ Sarah

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  9. Hi lovely lady.
    It looks gorgeous, and the menu sounds divine! Congrats on the new baby I know she must be so happy!! Zuni your hard work and creativity really shine. Thanks so much for sharing this happy day with us.
    XXOO Diane

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  10. Such wonderful ideas here, Zuni...I'm bookmarking this & taking notes for the future!
    I can see where you got your wonderful sense of style & love of dishes! Your mother's home is beautiful & I'm totally in love with her epergne & tea set.

    I know we're going to see lots of that gorgeous lace tablecloth in future posts.

    Hugs,
    Rett

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  11. What exciting times, a brand new baby! Your mother's house is beautiful. Lovely post. Following you my friend. Diane

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  12. Your table is so beautiful. What a lovely way to celebrate a baby shower.

    Jocelyn @
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com

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  13. First off, congrats on the upcoming arrival in your family. I know you can't wait to meet your new grandchild. I love the arrangement on the door and all the pretty decorations in your tablescape. I espcially liked the decorated cake stand. Looks like this was a fun party and a good time was had by all, which is what celebrating special times with loved ones is all about. Thanks for stopping by my party and please drop in again next week.

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  14. Lovely! Thanks for sharing your beautiful home Joann

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  15. Hi Zuni,
    your Baby shower has so many nice inspirations for me. The decorations are lovely and the food was superyummy. I wish all the best for the baby and the whole family. I hope, you will show us, when the baby is born.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  16. Hi Zuni,

    What a lovely baby shower for your DIL! Everything was gorgeous; your mom certainly has some beautiful china, crystal, and silver! All your photos are great -- the table, the decorations, and the food all look wonderful. Congratulations on your upcoming new family member. I think it's so neat that they don't know the gender. I chose to be surprised, too, when our son was born. I just think that makes it even more special (I think I'm in the minority here, but that's me.) :)

    I'm now following on your blog. You have some beautiful things and I look forward to your future posts.

    Denise at Forest Manor

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  17. Oh what a lovely party! Every attential to detail is here - just beautiful!

    I also see you are in Columbus? Neat, so am I!

    What a small world.

    Well done shower, best wishes in the coming weeks that all goes well with the birth of a new bundle of joy and love for you all.

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  18. What a lovely party. Where to start the front porch is just too cute. The centerpiece on the table was beautiful as well as the invitation. I love the idea of the hydrengas in the small pots. Just gorgeous!!

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  19. I SO did not know about the ribbon pinatas! What a fabulous idea for children OR adults!!! I love that!!! I am going to certainly borrow that idea in the future! The stick thing is fun and everything, but I have seen WAY too many people get hurt like that. Pulling the string just seems a bit more dignified for adults, too. Everything is set up so nicely!!! I HAVE had Tres Leches, and it is SO rich!!! I love the way you displayed it in the little flower pots! What a beautiful tall cake stand, too! Wow...I've never seen one quite that tall before! It's lovely!!! REALLY cool idea to serve the Italian wedding soup in the punch cups!!! A lot of great ideas here, and the party looks to have been a total success!! I know you're all ready to see if it is in fact a boy or a girl!!!

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  20. What a charming baby shower. I love the use of the pink and blue hydrangeas!Gorgeous! So much fun and lovely food.

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  21. What a wonderful baby shower, Zuni...love all the hydrangeas. How fun to have an adult piñata!

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  22. Zuni, as always, you have shown your exquisite taste! Those vintage dessert plates had me drooling. What a lovely baby shower! Living in Chicago, I also had to learn how to make Cuban piñatas when my boys were little! I had never heard of your adult piñata but I love the idea! I'll have to try it one of these days.

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  23. What a cute post! Adorable.
    The decor is perfect for spring.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)
    Have a nice day.

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  24. Everything id so ready and so sweet for the new arrival of the baby...love all the decorations...

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  25. This looks so pretty. I am looking forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas. Visiting you from Wow Us Wednesday.

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  26. Zuni, The shower is simply beautiful! Love it all. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  27. Looks as if a good time was had by all, what with all that good food, prizes, and gifts to the baby! Are you talking about a tres leches cake? Because that is a favorite of mine! The decorating for the shower was very sweet, Zuni. You should all be commended for your creativity. hugs, Sue

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  28. So many neat ideas. My daughter is expecting her first baby in September. I can hardly wait! Thanks for inviting us for a peak. Cherry Kay

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  29. What a celebration! So great to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays. Hope you'll join me this week too.

    - The Tablescaper

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  30. Such attention to detail! It was a delightful affair. Give the baby an extra hug for me once that bundle arrives.

    Debra

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  31. OMG! Every detail is beautiful! I love it all. I would have loved to been a guest at this party! Thank you for joining TTF this week. And have a great day!

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  32. Thanks so much for linking and sharing this special event with us. Everything is just gorgeous and so well thought out. My favorite is the wreathon the door!
    Big hugs,
    Patti

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