by Heather Mattos of Cookie Mondays

Last weekend my mom and her best friend, Audrey (both San Diego designers) threw me the most amazing baby shower luncheon. No detail was overlooked! We’re expecting a little boy, but don’t expect to see baby blue or cliché, cutesie boy themes here! The rustic, shabby chic feel with creamy whites and sunny yellows are perfect for a gender-neutral party.

Handmade Details:

• Scalloped border invites and custom 2.5″ x 3.75″ stickers for coordinating water bottle labels by sarah + abraham.
• Wooden frames from Ikea (with bright paper inserted) and paper take-out boxes served as plates and salad containers. We used scalloping shears to trim the top edges of the boxes.
• Simple arrangements of white hydrangeas & ranunculus, and yellow pom poms in vintage glass bottles were gorgeous atop a brown parchment table liner. Single heads of cauliflower between the bottles added an organic touch.
• Bales of hay flanking the tables, topped with natural burlap made a fun alternative to chairs, and vintage, tattered lampshades replaced the ever-popular paper lantern or tissue pom-pom!
• Old-fashioned typewriter style menus, custom designed by MKL designs, were clipped onto old book covers.
• For favors, I made Ruffled Sunglasses Cases with name tags tied on, which completed each place setting.
• Cupcakes homemade using Sprinkles mix and a basic vanilla bean buttercream sweetened the deal. Forget the gifts… what preggo mama doesn’t appreciate a good cupcake?!

Photography by Melissa Larson

by Heather Mattos of Cookie Mondays

Choosing a Wizard of Oz theme was a no-brainer when it came time to plan my Dorothy-obsessed daughter, Camden’s third birthday party.  I decided to focus on blue gingham, red sparkles, and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a few simple handmade elements to pull it all together.

First stop: sarah + abraham for adorable invites.  I can’t get enough of the olliegraphic customizable children, so I aimed for a Dorothy-ized Camden (braids, blue dress, red shoes).

They were perfect as is, but just for fun I attached a tiny scrap of blue gingham fabric to the dress (double stick tape and a few stitches) and red glitter to the shoes (glitter glue with a tiny paint brush).

For her actual party outfit, we wanted something beyond the basic Dorothy dress that she pulls out of the dress-up box every single day!  I made a ruffley skirt, similar to this one, complete with blue tulle and rainbow ribbon, and a coordinating ‘3’ tee and hair bow.

All the little girls arrived in ruby slippers!

Bright yellow chalk transformed our front path into the yellow brick road.  Dozens of colorful floating balloons made the ceiling a rainbow.  I sewed tablecloths and basket liners out of more gingham fabric (which is very inexpensive at Joann Fabric).

Favors were ‘Toto baskets’, including stickers and coloring books from the dollar bin at Michaels , rainbow Skittles and crayons, and a shiny red apple (remember the talking apple trees scene?!)

But I think the highlight of the party may very well have been the cake.  Red and sparkly on the outside… rainbow on the inside.  We used this super easy technique.

Balloons, and cake, and friends, OH MY!  What could be more fun?  {Wicked witches not included.}

* Ruby slippers and favors photos by Melissa Larson.