Real Party: Crafty Cute as a Button Baby Shower

My friend Lindsay and I recently threw a baby shower for our friend Janelle.  We were so pleased with how everything turned out.  This was an extra special party because the mom-to-be and several of the guests came from different states.  A plain-old baby shower turned into a girls' weekend! Hard to top that!

The shower was held in my backyard.  Lindsay made a little sign by putting some burlap into one of my barn wood frames to point guests in the right direction. 

The look we were going for was what we called homespun crafty.  We decided to do the classic Cute As A Button theme as soon as we learned Janelle was expecting.  We wanted to incorporate buttons, spools of thread, and yarn into the decor.  This wasn't only because we like the way they look, but also because Janelle is a crafter, just like Lindsay and I, and we thought it was a fun way to honor her.  

{Janelle used to give me sewing lessons when we shared a little apartment together post-college!}

 Lindsay and I made several yarn-wrapped vases for the the tables. We literally cleaned out our refrigerators to find glass jars that we could use. (I'll share a tutorial on this later!)

I made pink runners and we sprinkled buttons as confetti on every surface.  We bundled the flatware and tied the bundles with raffia and a button. 

Among the buttons we scattered some yarn balls.  And we had menus lined up down the table in the popular {$.99!} Ikea double-sided frames. 

Lastly, a take out box for the dessert bar {which I will share later this week} sat on each plate.  The label read "Sweet Baby Girl". 

We strung garland over and around the tables.

 I have been planning to do a doily garland for quite some time, and was so pleased with how it turned out. We could only find heart shaped doilies in pink, but I think the off-center half-circles actually looked quite nice when strung together. 

When guests arrived, we had some light appetizers and drinks out. 

 We served fruit skewers, and hummus and spinach dip with veggies and crostinis. 

A large ice bucket held assorted soft drinks, lemonade, and white wine.  Guests helped themselves, using mason jars as glasses.  Is there anything cuter than a mason jar with a striped paper straw?  I'm doubtful...

The way some people were raving about their lunch, you would have thought we'd done something more complicated. 

We had two kinds of sandwiches: turkey club & roasted veggie.  They were wrapped in parchment and pink & white twine.  

On the side we had potato chips.  We bought small white bags and fancied them up a bit with a label and some rafia. 

We also had 2 salads: Caesar & spinach.  Yum!

We had guests write advice or wishes for Janelle and put them in a little scrapbook.  I also couldn't resist having people sign the inside of a kid's book {if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know how much I love this!}.  We choose Corduroy, one of my favorites, about a bear searching for a missing button. 

One thing is for sure...this baby girl is going to have lots of great shoes! 

Just like her Mama! ;)

Come back tomorrow to see the dessert bar! It'll be worth the trip, I promise!

Now is when I say a serious round of thank you's. All my girls that flew in for the occasion were such a HUGE help with set-up and clean-up: Linnea, Megan, Marci, & Morgan.  And Deb & Drea showed up early and got right to work too.  THANK YOU to all of you! This would not have come together without all of your help!