One of my best, closest, oldest friends Jennie recently gave birth to her second child, a boy they named Colin Donovan. I helped her two sisters to plan her first baby shower 5 years ago when she became a mom for the first time with the birth of her daughter Joy, and really enjoyed it. I convinced her to let me throw her a baby “sprinkle” this time around. Something smaller, more like a big picnic in her honor. Ha… I should have known I don’t do anything half-ass! This will be the first in a series about all the various facets of a baby sprinkle that really turned into a full-fledged rubber ducky baby shower!
I guess I decided it was time I got my $300 worth out of this Cricut Explore that had been sitting here for a year. So I did a lot of research on Pinterest, keeping my board with ideas secret from Jennie so that everything would be a surprise. We booked picnic tables at one of my favorite local parks for kids, Kennedy Park in Hayward, CA, and we had a date. And that gave me about a month to get everything together for this rubber ducky baby shower (er, sprinkle!). We set it up for the Sunday after Jennie went on official maternity leave, a day she usually works and could fully enjoy. Our deal was that she just wanted to show up and enjoy and not do anything.
The Concept
I asked Jennie if they had any themes in mind for Colin’s room. They did not. So I was left to pick a theme on my own. I looked for various ideas, from jungle & zoo to generic blue, and ultimately decided on a Rubber Ducky theme. It was simple and adorable. Ah, where would we be without Pinterest? At first, I was pinning everything that was remotely related to the theme for a party of any kind, planning to narrow it down to what I actually wanted later.
Eventually, I weeded out any items that were too expensive (I had gotten myself into this and was paying for everything, so no room for $10 favors).We had already decided that, since the baby sprinkle would be at the park, there would be minimal decor and no games. I mentioned Kennedy Park earlier, and if you’re not from the East Bay Area or are new, here’s why it’s the best small kids park: it has a petting zoo, carousel, bounce house, a train, and a big play area, of course, so we had a feeling that a lot of attendees may be all over the park with their kids and games might be a bit unruly to manage. So all I’d need to do was invitations, table decor, and favors. Sounds simple, right?
Famous last words before diving into a month of all-consuming coordination and crafting!
So much was customized and done for this that it’s a little insane how many times I hear that day “you did this?”. YES, I did! And had little help, but credit where it’s due, shout out to my friend Lorenza for helping with the favor concept and assembly, and her and Rachel for helping assemble the napkins (which you’ll see in a few days why I needed help!). It was quite the undertaking but all worth it in the end (despite a lack of RSVPs or attendees… BUT I’M NOT MAD 😉
The Components
This will be updated as they’re posted!
Photo Gallery
Sponsors
No Comments
Join the conversation and post a comment.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks