Bump Smitten

Real Baby Shower: Little Blossom is on the Way

2012-09-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

If you like pink, you're going to be head-over-heals in love with this very pink "Little Blossom is on the Way" baby shower by Vintage Pretty. Tuli Dee Design & Events not only created all the different graphics, but also photographed this very girlie baby shower. This party is filled to rim with DIY crafts and ideas. Enjoy!

From Pearl... Get ready to see a lot of PINK!

I did a DIY tutorial on my blog on how to turn a shoe bx into a gift box. Especially cute for a baby shower gift! And when she opened it there was a little suprise waiting for her to see.

The clothes hanging on a string with clothes pins. So cute!!

Hostess: Vintage Pretty / Design & Photography: Tuli Dee Design & Events

Baby Shower Idea: Little Red Riding Hood

2012-09-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

I'm head-over-heals for this red, green, white and brown combination of colors -- so rustic chic! Enjoy one stunning photo after another from the extremely talented Karen of Karen Lisa Artistic Photography. PLUS, I was super excited... and I'm sure you'll be as well... that these "Little Red Riding Hood" graphics are available for purchase from the lovely ladies at One Sweet Party. They are too cute for words!

From Johanna and Yadira... A few months ago we put together this party, somewhat inspired by the recent Little Red Riding Hood movie. We kept the woodsy feel of it but added bright colors and sweet illustrations–perfect to bring smiles to any little girl!

Karen from Karen Lisa Artistic Photography did an incredible job capturing the table display as well as the gorgeous surroundings. She successfully managed to use the environment and lighting to create just the right visual mood to complement the theme.

Mike and Desiree from The Dream Cakery crafted an elegant yet simple cake that fit in perfectly with the table décor. The delicate white details balanced out the two bright red bands at the bottom of each cake tier.

The delicious custom decorated sugar cookies were created by Anne of Flour Box Bakery. She created flower cookies, which were displayed on a tree branch beside the table, as well as the red riding hood and personalized forest cookies. These were all customized designs based on the Little Red Riding Hood Party Printables.

The rest of the desserts we made ourselves. There were dirt cups, chocolate cupcakes, mini cupcakes served in small clay pots and topped with Oreo crumbs, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, and cupcake poppers. It was so fun making all the yummy desserts! Alongside, we had bright-red fruit punch as the beverage.

Cathy from Forget Me Not Flower Shop captured the essence of the theme to create these amazing floral arrangements. The flowers not only added the perfect touch to the table but also tied everything in.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Photography: Karen Lisa Artistic Photography / Event Styling, Graphic Design & Printables: One Sweet Party / Custom Hand-iced Sugar Cookies: Flour Box Bakery / Floral Arrangements: Forget Me Not Flower Shop / Custom Cake: The Dream Cakery

Real Baby Shower: Yellow & Gray Woodland Theme

2012-09-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a yellow and gray baby shower that revealed lots of blue at the end! Love the super sweet invites by Invites by Christy as well as the matching wish cards and water bottle labels. Such an adorable design! All these pretty details were wonderfully photographed by Pennies Photography. Plus, you can find all the pretty details below from the fabulous hostess, Jennifer. I doubt she left anything out. ;)

From Jennifer... We were told via Skype, on Christmas day that my dear friend Missie and her husband of over a year were going to have a baby! Having just moved to Pittsburgh, their new blessing was all of the more sentimental and special, as we don't get to see them very often. It was announced that they would be making a visit around Easter-time and wouldn't that be the perfect occasion to throw a baby shower. Knowing that Missie only loves fabulous things, I stepped in along with her two other dear friends, Brie and Leti to help plan this shower for over 93 invitees! This included family from Florida, and close friends of the popular couple!

Missie is a vegetarian and loves organic, sustainable, and earth friendly products, along with the colors Yellow and Gray. She is caring and thoughtful and all the while fabulous and spunky. At this gender reveal shower, we decided that it would have a woodland, yet modern and fabulous feel to it. Invites were sent out the first week of March and we watched the RSVPs roll in to the tune of over 70+ guests, co-ed, including children! The invites, were gray and yellow with baby birds, owls and deer adorned across it, and a separate yellow registry card was included as well.

We rented linens, chairs, tables and a 20' x 40' tent and held the shower in our friends, the Cruz's beautiful and spacious backyard. Lanterns were hung from the tent and minimal decoration was added, with bird house centerpieces along with beautiful yellow roses in cubed vases, with gray ribbon. These yellow roses opened up beautifully throughout the day.

Well Wishes cards for Baby Weagraff were laid out and guests were asked to fill those out and place them in the large birdcage/card holder. A photo display was held inside, as guest were requested to ship their items to the couples' home in PA, and we asked that they bring a photo of their selection so they could be thanked properly.

A waffle bar, complete with other brunch foods: Bagels, danish, fruit, roasted potatoes and a Mimosa Bar completed the menu. A bright yellow candy bar entertained the children as well as cupcakes and cake pops of strawberry and lemon flavored, hand baked by Leti, one of the hostesses.

After the guests had some time to settle in, enjoy the food and mingle, we decided to reveal the gender of Baby Weagraff. Up until this point, only the parents, their son Nate and myself knew the gender of the baby. This was such a wonderful surprise to see the baby blue balloons released into the air, alerting all of those present and the super anxious grandparents... that Baby Wea is a BOY! And will join his exceptional big brother Nate, who was not at the shower.

The planning was task in itself, from picking up the rentals, to drink selection (Champagne, beer, white wine, over 5 juices and bottled water and Starbucks coffee, Blonde Roast) to the food menu and what party favors! Etsy and many of it's talented artists contributed to everything from the candy goody bags to the birdseed onesie party favors. We wanted to select something guests could use and enjoy, as opposed to the average favor, which usually site or isn't purposeful.

Our wonderful friend, Penny Clayton of Pennies Photography, took some maternity session photos with the Parents-To-Be and then worked her way to the shower, photographing all of the little and special details of the day. With gorgeous Orlando sunshine and a slight breeze, it provided the perfect backdrop to her photography. The party/brunch began at 11:30am and carried on until well after 3pm. After a group photo was taken, and the gender reveal, the kids enjoyed themselves at the candy bar and guests began filling and sharing their "Well Wishes for Baby Cards".

Altogether, it was a perfect day full of laughter, sunshine and the celebration of life. We could not have asked for a more perfect day and all that it offered. It was a tremendous amount of work but we were all a great time and pulled off a wonderful large shower for our dear friend Missie.

Graphic design for Invitations and Well Wishes Cards: Invites by Christy / Photography: Pennies Photography / Birdseed Onesie Party Favors: Rustic Hutch / Florist: Lee Forrest Design

Baby Shower Idea: Ballerina Bakery Party

2012-09-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

As I get ready for my daughter's first ballet class (at age 3 -- should be pretty funny to watch) I couldn't resist featuring this Ballerina Bakery Party by Melissa and Kellie of Icing Designs. You know you're in for a major treat when these girls design a party! Beautifully captured by Bloom Photography by Meredith Price, this birthday party would also make the perfect theme for a baby shower. And... if you want to make it just like this one, you might want to get in touch with Potter and Butler for the mini pom poms, JP Creatibles for those super cute cookies and Dough A Deer for the yummy mini doughnuts.

From Melissa & Kellie... We are so excited to finally share some photos from our "Ballerina Bakery" birthday party with you! We created this party for my twins 4th birthday! Maia and Sophia are smitten with ballet right now, and what little girl doesn't love sweets...so we decided to combine the two and came up with a "ballerina bakery" theme! Our invitations were created especially for this party, we are really excited about them because they are great for any ballerina party and perfect for twins!

We had so much fun creating the actual party and even had my father in law build an actual bakery case for us to display the sweets in! We set it on top of a 3 foot card table covered with tulle and a sparkly pink table cloth. Above the table we hung a mixture of paper poms from Paperwhite Designs and paper lanterns from Luna Bazaar and a gorgeous pink fabric ruffle garland that our sweet friend Katie made for us. Above the case we hung a “Ballerina Bakery” hand-glittered letter garland.

We filled the case with cupcakes topped with hand-glittered “4” ruffled cupcake toppers that we made and mini pink chocolate ballet shoes, chocolate covered oreos, chocolate covered French palmiers, chocolate covered oversized marshmallows topped with the cutest “peppy toppers” from Potter and Butler, tiny tim cookies, the most beautiful ballerina cookies we have ever seen from JP Creatibles and delicious mini donuts from Dough A Deer! We also made hand-glittered scalloped food labels to go in front of each bakery item.

On top of the case we filled apothecary jars with pink, white and grey gumballs, mini marshmallow wands and pink rock candy. We made DIY tulle tutus to go around the apothecary jars and put a scalloped, glittered food label in the front of them. We also found the cutest pink eyelet bakery boxes so that they girls could fill them with extra treats to take home.

Invitations, Paper Products & Design: Icing Designs / Photography: Bloom Photography by Meredith Price / Pom Poms: Paperwhite Designs / Paper Lanterns: Luna Bazaar / Peppy Toppers: Potter and Butler / Cookies: JP Creatibles / Mini Donuts: Dough A Deer

Bump Smitten Maternity: Jessica Paxson Photography

2012-08-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here's another GORGEOUS maternity photo shoot taken by the ever-so-talented Jessica Paxson Photography! Love her back drops -- especially the weathered boat dock. Fabulous! Have a wonderful Friday and I'll see you again next week. :)

Photography: Jessica Paxson Photography

Real Baby Shower: Vintage Library Theme

2012-08-28T11:34:00.000-06:00

The quote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go," is definitely the motto for this baby shower! I'm smitten with how the mom-to-be's love for reading is brought to life through the fun decorations as well as the vintage card catalog -- such a creative way to display the table settings. From the flowers by The Secret Garden to the cake by Baked to Perfection, photographer, Brandy J Photography, did an excellent job in capturing this joyous occasion! I L.O.V.E. all the pinwheels!

From Mommy-to-be Ashley... My shower was hosted by my creative & sweet cousins & mother: Brandy J Rammel, Kelsey Kiehl, Gretchen Kiehl, & Gloria Baxter. They planned for a vintage library theme featuring the colors ecrue & vintage book red. The inspiration came from my love of reading. Guests were asked to bring a book for baby boy (his name was unknown at the time of the shower) in lieu of a card to help build his library. Auggie certainly has a wonderful library in his nursery now & he enjoys a good bedtime story. We played 2 trivia games: name the book title that belongs to the line from the book & True or False: Is this a real book title? My super crafty cousin, Brandy, created the moon, stars, & books banner, along with the book covers to mark each table. She also printed library cards & used a vintage card catalog to help guide each guest to their assigned table. Vintage books provided by my grandmother, mother, & cousin also helped to decorate the board room at the country club. Each guest was given a thank you gift of a tea bag & custom made book mark with the Dr. Seuss quote “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

Location: Willow Bend Country Club / Photographer: Brandy J Photography / Flowers: The Secret Garden / Print Work: Sophie, A Design Boutique / Cake: Baked to Perfection

Real Baby Shower: Alice in Wonderland

2012-07-26T13:03:00.001-06:00

Smitten with this bright and whimsical Alice in Wonderland baby shower from the FABULOUS Ebony Sparkes of Sparkling Events & Designs, LLC.! The decorations and favors were naturally inspired by the story's tea party, rabbit and Alice’s blue dress. I especially LOVE the "Eat Me" and "Clock" cupcake toppers from Cakes and Kids. Perfection!

From Ebony Sparkes... When the hostess of this baby shower contacted us, she said that the guest of honor was in love with the traditional Alice in Wonderland movie. She loved the tea party, rabbit and of course Alice’s blue dress. We used this as inspiration in designing and planning this beautiful baby shower. The Alice inspired invitations were designed with hints of lace and a blue frame to represent the blue from Alice’s dress. The dessert table is very simple and it sits on top of a blue dresser!

When shopping for this shower, we went to all types of thrift stores looking for mix matched china pieces. I wanted to bring a vintage feel to the shower and use real crystal I found some amazing pieces for pennies! In addition, I found this wonderful dresser. It was pretty banged up but I new immediately how to give it a little love and care. I bought it for an AMAZING $15 dollars and spent another $20 to refinish. So I refinished it and painted it an aqua blue color. I placed some beautiful Chantilly lace purchased from JoAnn’s fabric over top to give a vintage feel. The desserts topped the dresser included a topsy-turvy cake, strawberry whoppie pies and chocolate dipped pretzels on top and place a wall of paper pom poms behind it. We wanted to keep it simple and stunning. It turned out amazing.

The welcome table consisted of a large K made out of crepe paper rosettes, the frame invitation, pregnant wire dress form, and baby wishes signs for guest to sign. Another thrift store find was this beautiful baby carriage. I found it for $4 at the Goodwill and knew it would be the perfect prop for our favors. A bottle of white spray paint spruced it right up! The favors were cupcakes baked by Carpe Cupcake, topped with beautiful fondant toppers from Cakes and Kids! We made the pink cupcake wrappers, with the pink doilies and Alice silhouette to complete the look. Throughout the room we created these little vignettes with stacked tea cups and beautiful pink gerber daisies.
The mommy to be was so excited and loved all of the thought and care we put into making this shower simply stunning.

Invitations, Planning, & Photography: Sparkling Events & Designs, LLC. / Cupcake Toppers: Cakes and Kids / Cupcakes: Carpe Cupcake

Real Baby Shower: Vintage Pickles & Ice Cream

2012-06-27T13:20:00.002-06:00

Smitten with this romantic twins baby shower designed by Patricia of Karma Flowers. They were not only the party stylists, but also the fabulous florists. I especially L.O.V.E. the raw floral cotton centerpieces -- simply breathtaking!

From Patricia... To begin, we knew we needed a shower concept {the word "theme" makes me itch} that had two components because our family is welcoming twins. Pickles and Ice Cream just seemed too cute of an cliche to pass up, and it was an idea we knew we could put our vintage spin on, especially in the venue we had booked. We chose The Harvest Moon Inn because of it's quaint and homey feel and more importantly, because of its delicious menu. Lunch included an heirloom salad, a hearty soup, and a scrumptious main dish.

Being that we specialize in flowers, we knew we wanted to incorporate a variety of stems in the table and room decor. There were blush peonies and ivory roses, as well as, some good 'ol carnations and button mums, which provided just enough visual interest and texture. But the real show stopper was the raw floral cotton we placed in the center of the four tables in vintage loom needles and vases. The structure of the dome cotton arrangements was perfectly complemented by the looseness of the various other arrangements placed on the window sills and ledges throughout the room. Vintage ice cream churners and pickle jars were also scattered about. With the lace curtains pulled tight so that the light had to fight hard to cast the perfect glow, and the fireplace lit, the feeling in the room was, in a sense, nostalgic and romantic.

The menus at each place setting were adorned with a funny little conversation starter. Referencing pickles and ice cream, we reminded everyone that the best things in life come in pairs {touche!} and that John and Luna would be no different! We then went on to list some other interesting, tried, tested and true food pairings {some popular, others not so much}. And just in case anyone wanted to give them a whirl, we provided the real recipes for three of them on the back {Pizza Deviled Eggs, Beer Pancakes, and Black Bean Brownies.} Yum.

We were lucky in that Pickles and Ice Cream themselves {hand puppets can be quite busy} made an appearance and posed for pictures long enough for guests to create an "Adventures of Pickles and Ice Cream" storybook made from random craft materials and a little ingenuity. In all seriousness, while I purchased the socks and decorations that would become these two adorable characters, it was my large, blurry stepfather that would sit on his dining room table floor with a hot glue gun to bring them to life {true story}. The storybook table was not without at least one visitor throughout the entire shower and my sister and her husband have a storybook comprised of twenty-odd individual adventures, created and autographed by the friends and family anxiously waiting for these bundle of joys to arrive.

As a partying gift, every guest received delightful recipe cards so they can continue to capture their favorite food pairings, stuffed in vintage ice cream and pickle favor bags. The favors were loaded into an old tin bucket where they were displayed until they were passed out at the end of the lunch.

You know, we do plenty of events throughout, but there is always something to be said for designing an event that you have a real, true, personal connection to. My sister, her husband, and the guests all seemed to really enjoy themselves and so the pleasure, really, was all mine.

Floral and Event Decor: Karma Flowers Lebanon, NJ / Photography: Ash Mari Photography, Pennsylvania / Raw Cotton: Floral Cotton Waldorf, MD / Banner: Moving Beauty, http://www.etsy.com/shop/movingbeauty / Venue: The Harvest Moon Inn, Ringoes, NJ

Real Baby Shower: Preppy Whales

2012-05-31T14:56:00.000-06:00

You see lots of cute elephants, owls and giraffes, but not very often do you come across such an adorable whale-themed baby shower like this one. I think whales might become the newest trend... Completely preppy with the bright green and navy colors beautifully captured by Aimee Renee Photography! I was also totally flattered to see my water bottle labels used alongside the fabulous printables and stickers from The Paper Blossom Shop and Little Pig Press.

From Syeeda... I was thrilled when I got the news that my baby sister Najma was having her first baby and couldn’t wait to plan the shower. The logistics were a bit tricky as I live in Dallas and she lives in Boston. We decided to hold the shower in Columbus, Ohio, where we grew up and where my parents still live. Luckily, one of Najma’s best friends from childhood, Heather, graciously agreed to host the shower at her house. She was my party-planning partner in crime, and together we put the whole thing together long distance.

I got the inspiration for our color scheme from the invitations I picked out from Paper Source in Midnight, Peacock, and Clover. We knew Najma was having a boy, and wanted to incorporate that into the shower. When I found an “Ahoy It’s a Boy” custom printable party pack from the Paper Blossom Shop on Etsy, I knew it was perfect! It picked up the Midnight/Navy Blue and Clover/Green on the invitations, and the whales, anchors, and boats were absolutely adorable without being too precious or dainty. Now that we had our colors and theme, we just ran with it! We found some nautical-inspired whale napkins, plates, and cupcake toppers online, and with the help of the Little Pig Press Shop on Etsy, designed a preppy blue whale custom sticker with the phrase “Baby Mehter Will Be Making a Splash” to use as a seal on the invitations as well as for the favors.

Heather worked overtime putting together the chocolate bar favors, and even incorporated the colors and theme into the shower games and gifts. We had a fun dessert table featuring our whale-topped cupcakes, jell-o shots inspired by a post right here on Bump Smitten, and Heather’s pistachio trifle. We had simple but delicious appetizers followed by lunch catered from a family friend. Najma had a blast catching up with friends and family she hadn’t seen in years, and I couldn’t be happier to share in her special day.

Photographer: Aimee Renee Photography / Invitations: Paper Source / Custom Printable Party Pack (Banner, Party Wheels, Labels): The Paper Blossom Shop on Etsy / Custom Whale Sticker Labels: Little Pig Press on Etsy / Preppy Whale Theme Napkins/Plates/Cupcake toppers: Party Pail / Anchor and Stripe Water Bottle Labels: Bump Smitten

Real Baby Shower: Hooray for Babies!

2012-05-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! A big cheer goes out to this DARLING "Hooray for Babies" shower from the VERY talented Becca of CAKE. {Inspiring Details for Happy Occasions}. I'm SMITTEN with the colors, a wonderful mix of yellow and aqua, which is also a nice alternative from the usual yellow and gray. Thankfully, Becca has added this printable invitation to her oh-so-lovely etsy shop. Now you too can host this adorable baby shower for your next friend, family member, neighbor, co-worker, etc.

From Becca... Last month I put together a baby shower to celebrate three dear friends who all happen to be pregnant at the same time. The 'Hooray for Babies!' theme started oddly enough as the subject line of an e-mail I sent wishing them congratulations. The more I thought on it, the more it felt like the perfect concept for a shower. Because two of the moms-to-be opted not to find out what they're having, I choose a gender neutral palette of yellow and mint green. I've always loved these colors for spring, and they worked especially well for an outdoor brunch. I wanted to keep things simple and budget friendly so I put together a simple menu and a few DiY projects to make the morning special.

The little floral arrangements were created from baby food jars that I partially dipped in mint green paint. I wasn't sure how it would work out, but the effect was charming and allowed me the opportunity to send one home with each guest.

My favorite project to make was actually the tassel poms, a new take on the popular tassel garlands. I created the tassels from this tutorial, and fixed them to wooden dowels with a bit of hot glue. They looked great as a centerpiece on the brunch table and held up well when waved around as pom-poms. (Okay sure, the shower was for grown ups, but these would be a great activity to make with your kids). I even used the extra tissue to make my own bits of confetti and tossed it along the table. Hooray indeed.

For dessert, Michele of Cakewalk Baking served as my partner in crime once again and baked up the most moist & delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting... and as an special treat she brought over some incredible homemade macarons. Just for fun, I designed a set of hooray bunting flags and strung them across the cake between paper straws. I also ordered custom megaphone cookies from Auntie Bea's Bakery with a script hooray to coordinate with the invitation- they were a huge hit!

The favors were ribbon trimmed burp cloths that I made with Michele's help (because I can't sew to save my life), to which I attached custom 'hooray for mamas!' pennant flags. The sticks are actually just wooden rock candy sticks, ordered from Confetti Sunshine.

I have Sherry Heck to thank for all the beautiful photos of the shower details. As special treat for the moms though, I offered up a little maternity photo shoot for each of them after brunch. I never had maternity photos taken while I was pregnant with my daughter and I regret not having made it a priority... so I thought it would make a nice keepsake whether or not they were professionally done.

Brunch Menu (see below for recipes with *): Zucchini Tart w/ Smoked Gouda and Tomato*, Chicken Apple Sausage, Mixed Berries with Greek Yogurt and Pecan Granola, 'Baby' Lemon Muffins with Cream Cheese*. To Drink: Lemonade, Grapefruit Spritzers (2/3 grapefruit juice and 1/3 sparkling water with lime).

Graphic Design & Party Styling: CAKE. / Cake & Macarons: Cakewalk Baking / Cookies: Auntie Bea's Bakery / Rock Candy Sticks, Paper Straws, Cupcake Liners: Confetti Sunshine / Party Photography: Sherry Heck

Real Baby Shower: Ready to Pop!

2012-05-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a very bright and vibrant PINK baby shower designed and also gorgeously photographed by Katie Day Photography! Love all her craftiness seen throughout these photos -- the paint swatch banner, the popcorn and pom pom centerpieces and all of the matching cupcake flags, water bottles, banners and diaper cake. I'm also in L.O.V.E. with the retro popcorn bag inspired invitations. What a fabulous design, also seen in the popcorn and food labels as well as the Mad Libs game. Simply ADORABLE!

From Katie... I had the privilege of throwing my Bestie a baby shower. I have a confession. I. Love. parties. I love them. And I love even more throwing them for my dear friends. Allison will be the BEST mom. She already loves my Callie as if she were her own daughter and I can’t wait to do the same for her sweet Elsie. Also, the only thing Allison loves more than babies and hair-bows is popcorn. So please enjoy her perfectly-themed party. (I mean she REALLY loves popcorn. It’s ridiculous.)

Design & Photography: Katie Day Photography

Bump Smitten Giveaway: Lisa Leonard Jewelry

2012-05-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

To celebrate the end of the week, I'm going to be giving away TWO $50 gift certificates for some fabulous jewelry from the extremely talented Lisa Leonard Designs! All you have to do is head on over to Lisa's website and sign up for her newsletter which ALSO allows you to get 15% off your next purchase (in case you are not one of the two lucky winners). She has a wide array of handmade silver and pewter jewelry and accessories -- necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, keychains, baby spoons, bubble wands, star wands and wall hangings. Lisa even has galvanized magnetic pinwheel place cards... I'm smitten with all her designs and I'm sure you will be as well!

From Lisa's Website... i have been making jewelry since high school but i decided to get serious after my first son, david, was born. i wanted to start a small business that would enable me to quit my job and stay home with my boys. at the time, i had never taken any formal classes or received special training in jewelry making. i just went for it! i am kind of the "jump in and learn as you go" type.

my desire is to create simple, lovely pieces that can be worn with jeans or your little black dress. i want each piece to be meaningful. our custom jewelry is hand-stamped with your kids' names or a special phrase or verse. i love to touch my necklace throughout the day and reflect on my husband and my sweet boys.

each piece we create is a work of art—hand cut;hammered, polished, drilled and assembled with care. i am inspired by other artists—painters, scrapbookers, clothing designers and poets. i also love to soak up nature-the sky, the sea, the green hills. i let all these ideas and images swirl around in my mind and then i create. when an idea hits me i sketch it out and play until the perfect design comes together.

lisa leonard designs exists because moms, grandmas and friends have shared our designs with each other while waiting in line at the grocery store or sipping coffee with a friend. most of our customers find us through word of mouth. we know that you'll find the perfect piece.

Journey with me on my blog {lisaleonardonline.com/blog} / Visit my little shop! {lisaleonardonline.com} / Facebook {facebook.com/lisaleonarddesigns}

Reminder: Sign up for Lisa Leonard's Newsletter to be entered into the Giveaway!!

Real Baby Shower: Owl Love You Collection

2012-05-16T09:22:00.000-06:00

Whenever I get a submission from Stefanie Richter of anna and blue paperie, I always know its going to be feature worthy. Her designs and printables are super cute and I love her use of color! So refreshing... especially this Owl Love You collection. Love the invitations, table cards, banner, water bottle labels, etc. LOVE IT ALL!!

From Stefanie... My sweet neighbor Mary asked if I could help put together a baby shower for her friend incorporating the mommy to be's Owl themed nursery layette from Kids Line Dena Happi. I of course was happy to assist. I used the nursery decor as my inspiration pulling colors of pink, orange, green, blue, brown and yellow to create the collection's color palette. I also used my daughter's Oopsie Daisy Owl art print I purchased at Target as inspiration when putting the printable designs together.

Design & Photography: Stefanie Richter of anna and blue paperie / Cupcakes: Sweet Treets Bakery / Sugar Cookie: Charlies Cakes and Cookies / Printables: anna and blue paperie

Bump Smitten DIY Tutorials: Baby Zone Features

2012-05-14T07:33:00.000-06:00

I'm so so so EXCITED to see the first two of my DIY tutorials featured on Baby Zone (with MORE to come)! It was a lot of fun coming up with creative projects that would be very useful for your next baby shower. Hope you agree! Head on over to Baby Zone for step-by-step instructions + photos. :)

Click here to go directly to the Baby Shower Favors: Paper Cones and Display Stand

Click here to go directly to the Baby Shower Activity: DIY Wish Tree

Real Baby Shower: Baby Kingston

2012-05-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

Three by The Quill Pen is a fabulous shop that has most of what you would need for an event -- graphic design, photography and custom signs. SWEET! I especially love their paper and design work. And, not sure if you've remembered, but I've featured their work in a previous baby shower (seen here) and now again for this king themed bash. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

From Aubrey... This baby shower was one we threw for a really good friend of ours, Jihan Mitchell. Jihan and her husband, Jeremy, were unbelievably excited first time parents (at the time). The Mom to be is from Jamaica, and so that is where baby Kingston's name came from. The name inspired the king theme for the shower! Jihan had asked that people bring their favorite book as a gift for her future son, so we made the party favors resemble library cards.

Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy!

Design, Invitation & Photography: Three by The Quill Pen

Bump Smitten FREE Download: Mason Jar Labels

2012-05-10T09:24:00.000-06:00

I had a request for red labels from my DIY tutorial + FREE download for Mason Jar Cookies and thought I'd share with all of my smitten readers as well. Find a fun fabric and head on over to my tutorial for the step-by-step instructions. These would be a good mother's day gift too...

Download here: Red Cookie Labels and matching Red Recipe Labels

For more instructions, please watch The One Charming Party Show. Find even more yummy cookie recipes like this chocolate chip cookie recipe at Kicked Up Cookie Recipes. They have a huge collection!

Bump Smitten Newborn: Baby Harper Jane

2012-05-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

The last one for the day... clicks photography, llc captures a variety of newborn portraits of this adorable baby girl, Harper Jane. Love all the different backdrops and props, especially the little doll bead. But... I think the first image is my favorite -- simple and completely heart-melting.

From clicks photography: Harper Jane (named for her great grandmothers) was born on Easter Sunday to her parents and big brother. She was the absolute best thing the Easter Bunny could have brought this family, for sure.

From the Website: more than 15 years ago i got my very first SLR camera from my grandfather. he was an avid amateur photographer with a complete darkroom setup in his basement, and it was with him that i learned my love of photography. many hours were spent in near darkness discussing photos over the distinct smell of developer and from that point on i was in love. although he has long passed, my love of photography continues with his spirit and my business and future career is devoted to him and his love of the camera. today i enjoy a career of capturing unique, fun, and fresh images of families, babies and couples and sharing in the romance of weddings. i'm extremely thankful to be able to doing what i love as a career, and express the utmost gratitude to my family, friends, and clients for making this whole dream possible. thank you.

Photography: clicks photography, llc

Bump Smitten Newborn: Baby Leighton

2012-05-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

Four... I think this pink tutu speaks for itself in these great photos taken by Amber S. Wallace Photography. Isn't is absolutely precious! Love the layers and layers of pink tulle!

From Amber: I was so excited to connect with some extended family in the foothills of North Carolina when she found my photography Facebook page. Ashleigh was looking for Maternity photos before she and her husband, Jason, was to expect their first child- a girl! Little Leighton was born and boy, was she a cutie!! So, when she came home from the hospital, I couldn't wait to take her first photo shoot.

I went to Ashleigh and Jason's home located in the small town of Taylorsville, North Carolina. Leighton's nursery was decked out in all pink and had beautiful high ceilings with a touch of white in the baby furniture. When Ashleigh brought out her little pink tutu, I immediately looked for a spot to shoot with great light. I wanted it to look very magical and angelic. Leighton was perfect laying there looking like the perfect baby ballerina.

We finished up the session in her Nursery with her proud and loving mom and dad. And, with Ashleigh's mom Cathy on hand as well, the shoot went effortlessly. It's really important during these early photos to have someone like the Grandmother there that can help change the baby and help with bottles, passy's, clothes, etc that is already comfortable with the baby. This will put the parents at ease and the baby and will help the shoot to flow smoothly especially with a mom that is still recovering. I am so excited to have them in my family and I am looking forward to many more photo shoots with this lovely family!

Photography: Amber S. Wallace Photography

Bump Smitten Baby: London is 1!

2012-05-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

Third... a garden setting for this precious little one-year old, London. Loving all the different props from Maggie Winters Photography -- the white chair, bubbles, umbrella and paint. And... how cute is baby London while playing pick-a-boo with the camera?!?! Darling.

From Maggie's Website: I love // shooting people // my partner Steven // our lovely/evil kitten Lucyfur
// mismatched socks // expressive typography

Photography: Maggie Winters Photography / Submitted from Two Bright Lights

Bump Smitten Newborn: Baby Charlie

2012-05-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

Second... this cutie patootie photographed by Robinson Portraits at Ashton Park in Sacramento, California. Love those big blue eyes!

From Robinson Portraits: I love it when babies just smile and enjoy themselves. It makes my job so much easier when they just light up when they see a dog or feel the grass for the first time or see their favorite person in the entire world. Today was that special day and I got to spend it with Charlie and his mom Kym.

From the Website: We are a couple of amazing photographers who enjoy having fun while we work. =) We love creating moments. We love intimate sessions. We love french fries. We love weddings. We love to work with you.

Photography: Robinson Portraits / Submission from Two Bright Lights

Bump Smitten Newborn: Baby Lillian

2012-05-09T08:56:00.001-06:00

Last week I celebrated the bump and this week and thought it would be just as nice to celebrate the precious baby! Enjoy all this cuteness throughout the day and I'll see you back on Friday with another fabulous baby shower. ...first up is from the very talented Morgan Marie Photography.

From Morgan Marie Photography: Amazing newborn session -- love the hair and natural light!

From the Website: Loves: My super awesome husband, Andrew. Vintage, flea markets, yard sales. People that are not afraid to show their LOVE. My doggie named Sallie. Music you don’t hear on the radio. Non-traditional weddings that show personality. Parents that don’t say “cheese”

Photography: Morgan Marie Photography / Submission from Two Bright Lights

Real Baby Shower: In Our Forest

2012-05-07T08:40:00.000-06:00

Here's a vintage, backyard baby shower straight from Wellington, New Zealand. I love all the tiny details that Unna of The Emerald Roost assembled for this special occasion -- the pastel pom pom vines, little ceramic animals with mini gold party hats and the hand cut strung words. Unna put a lot of heart into setting up this backyard picnic and it surely does show!

From Unna... We live in a forest in Wellington, New Zealand. Its the beginning of Autumn and we were blessed to have a perfect summer like day for our baby shower. We had set out picnic rugs, ate delicious food and celebrated the coming of our new son. Our back yard, amongst the native trees and birds was the perfect setting.

I had organised and made everything myself, from foraging for flowers for the arrangements, making the food, hand squeezing lemons for the lemonade, crafting all the decorations and designing the invitations. We even used lots of herbs and veges from our garden as well as honey from our own bee hive to make the food on the day. Some may call me crazy (my husband especially) but there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing all the ones you love enjoying every detail you’ve created.

I didn’t really have a theme but i wanted to use lots of my second hand finds i have around my house (radios, chairs etc) + i love pastels. Also my husband and son wanted to be a part of the celebration so we decided against tradition, and invited guys too.

Here are details about what was made/done:

Photography:
Our friend Gareth White took most of the photos – some were also taken on a disposable camera.

Invitations:
My husband and i designed these in Photoshop, and had them printed. I used bakers twine and made little flags stamped with the date of the shower to secure them. I hand wrote each envelopes address, which took a few nights in front of the telly, but so worth it.

The Food/dessert + drink:
Fried Chicken / Whole BBQ salmon cooked on the charcoal BBQ / Bread from our local Italian bakery / Corn on the Cob / Potato salad with a home-made lemon and herb mayo / Black quinoa and roasted pumpkin vegan salad with sunflower seeds and fresh herbs with a olive oil and raspberry vinegar dressing / Chickpea, black eye bean, butter bean, tomato and feta salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing / Floriditas Chocolate and Raspberry Vegan cake / Floriditas Orange and Ricotta Cake / with Greek honey yoghurt + cream / Homemade lemonade

Setting:
We had lots of blankets set out in areas on the lawn with cushions and picnic table trays that my husband made - for people to rest their drinks. He made 4 all together for our wedding and i re-used them for the shower. When i explained what i wanted him to make, i had said a square, white wooden breakfast tray with fold out legs but for the lawn. He did and amazing job. We also had our retro plastic loungers + tables and chairs so people could choose how they wanted to hang out.

Decorations:
· pom pom vines which i found how to make on oncewed.com
· strung hand cut words that said ‘welcome baby Leo’, and words from my favourite kids book, Where the Wild Things are - ‘i’ll eat you up i love you so’ and ‘let the wild rumpus start’
· I wrote all the signs for the food + lemonade + little thanks for coming signs i popped into my flower arrangements. I chose pastel blue and grey card for these.
· I made a pastel coloured garland and a friend had sewn cushion covers for all the cushions on the picnic rugs in matching colours. I also tied left over fabric around the paper straws.
· A stamp was made for the brown paper bags which had a fork drawing and the words ‘ill eat you up i love you so’. Each bag had inside an eco friendly plate, knife, fork and napkin for the meal. Everyone asked us where we got the baskets from which they sat in. They were from my sister in-laws parent’s fish and chip shop, now closed down, we somehow inherited these. And love them. One usually holds all my crafting bits and bobs and the other my stationary.
· I used my ceramic animals, my favourite Basset Hound and White Rabbit-which is actually a lamp as decorations + extra plastic ones which i primed and painted white + gave them party hats (party animals!) Made from gold card, crêpe paper tassels.
· We also used our retro radio collection as decorations on the picnic trays. I especially love our pastelly mint and blue coloured ones

Flowers
· The flowers i used were mainly wild, native or growing in my garden, apart from the lotus pods and stock which i brought. I put these into jars and old tins i had.
· One of the best things i used (because of the texture) was the dark brown flax pods – which i foraged for up in the forest around our house. I got the idea from a friend who is a florist.
· The signs i had hand written for the arrangements said ‘hey! Thanks for coming’, i had glued these onto bamboo sticks and also glued a little yellow wooden bead onto the tips.

Photography: Gareth White / Design: Unna of The Emerald Roost / Cakes: Floriditas / Whole salmon, paper straws, eco plates, eco cutlery, brown paper bags + napkins: Moore Wilsons / Jars: Arthur Holmes / Bread: Pandoro Panetteria / Printing (for invitations): The Big Picture / Envelopes: kikki.K, Queensgate Mall / Bakers twine: The Twinery / Crêpe paper for pom poms: 2 Cheap, Manners Street (only $1, most places are $2) / Fabric for garland, cushions and all table cloths: Fabric Warehouse

Real Baby Shower: Fiesta Shower

2012-05-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

Let's celebrate tomorrow's Cinco de Mayo with this bright and lively Fiesta Shower from the very talented Stephanie Lyles. Love her designs -- seen in the invitations and all paper goods -- PLUS her photography. Sooo multi-talented. Enjoy the mouth-watering food and vibrant decor and hopefully this will get in you mood for your own fiesta this weekend.

From Stephanie... Since Courtney is waiting to be surprised, I had to throw a gender-neutral shower. So I went with a red and seafoam-y color palette with other colorful mexican-inspired details thrown in. I designed the invitation to resemble a Mexican picado flag and had them screen printed. Courtney has a love-affair with all things paper so she loved the heavy invitation and saturated ink. Instead of a guest book, people took a polaroid photo with their "baby predictions" and signed the picture for a fun addition to Courtney's baby book. We even had a sombrero for the baby (belly)! The party took place outside by the pool where I decorated with papel picado bunting, cacti in glass hurricanes with dried beans, and, of course, a pinata. I have always loved the fringe garland from Confetti System, so I did a DIY fabric version to hang over the drink table (tutorial). I also made several of the ever-popular tissue paper flowers to hang from trees all over the yard.

My husband and I made all the food ourselves, a true labor of love. Our guests sipped on Strawberry Basil Margaritas (recipe), white sangria, and mojito spa water from mason jars. We also had a non-alcoholic Cranberry Margarita Tea for the mommy-to-be (she LOVED it). For appetizers we had a salsa bar with 4 different salsas: white corn and black bean, peach mango, green olive cilantro, and classic mild tomato. There was also queso, guacamole, and chicken taquitos. For dinner, we served pulled pork carnitas with chipotle mayo and citrus jicama slaw (recipe) and a side of corn, tomato, red onion, and avocado salad. My husband smoked the pork butt for 10 hours. It was so delicious, we didn't have any leftovers! The meal was finished with chocolate cake pops, apple empanadas, and the most amazing tres leche for dessert.

Courtney and Michael left with full bellies, a full car trunk, and full hearts...and that's what it's all about! Can't wait to meet my little niece or nephew!

Invitations, Design & Photography: Stephanie Lyles

Bump Smitten Maternity: Jessica Paxson Photography

2012-05-02T14:30:00.000-06:00

Ending this marathon day of maternity photography with some more fabulousness from Jessica Paxson Photography. I was honored to feature her work before and am always excited to share more. Jessica starts off with some pretty funny images by the pool and then ends with some absolutely gorgeous photos in the outdoors. Love it all!

Photography: Jessica Paxson Photography

Bump Smitten Maternity: Christi Falls Photography

2012-05-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

Hope your enjoying all these fabulous maternity photos! Well... let's move on to yet another amazing photo shoot; but this time by the extremely talented Christi Falls Photography. I'm head-over-heals in love with all these breathtaking photos. The adorable couple. The beautiful setting of the North Carolina mountains. Truely perfection! So, I think I have time for one more... stay tuned. :)

From Christi... Tonya and her husband Matthew are expecting their first sweet little baby girl this February, and I was SO delighted when Tonya asked me to capture this moment in her pregnancy for them. Tonya is one half of the dynamic duo heading up the fabulous Blush Weddings wedding and event coordination team; who I first had the pleasure of working with just this past year for Ligia and Michael’s oh-so-fun wedding at the Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, NC.

Photography: Christi Falls Photography / Submission from Two Bright Lights