Tea Party Baby Shower

Yesterday we celebrated baby girl with a tea party themed shower that my sister threw me here in Seattle! It was the perfect weather and the perfect group of women to celebrate with. I left the shower feeling so filled up with love and excited to introduce my girl to this incredible group of ladies that will help raise her. Here are some pictures!

Seattle Spotlight: Yoga By The Falls

For my friend Alicia's birthday she invited us to join her for a yoga class, spa soak and lunch at Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls, about 45 minutes east of Seattle. I've stayed at the lodge before but the new yoga studio with views of the falls is a welcome addition! We had a blast at the yoga class (which even the beginners in the group enjoyed), soaking in the sea salt spa, and eating a delicious lunch in The Attic (this pregnant lady indulged in the Beecher's Grilled Cheese, TO DIE FOR). Overall, I left the day feeling refreshed and pampered, what a great way to spend a birthday. Cheers to you, Alicia!

PS. Remember these AMAZING photos Jenny and Jason took at Snoqualmie Falls?

Baby Shower in the Park

A couple weeks back I attend the cutest, laid back baby shower at Woodland Park here in Seattle. Danielle and Alicia put together the vintage travel themed decor and the casual/smart/playful vibe of the event perfectly captured my friend Calen's style.

Calen's maiden name was King and it's going to be the baby boy's middle name so they were able to capture that fun detail in the pendants. With the shower being at a park they put wine in mason jars to make it a little more discreet (and so fun!). Dinner was artisan sandwiches with mixed green salads that they boxed up and had ready to eat. Instead of cake or cupcakes there were chocolate chip cookies and Calen's favorite, Swedish Fish (plus popcorn and cherries on the blankets.)

Instead of traditional baby shower games, we played FRIENDS baby trivia (Calen's favorite show/obsession) and the prize was a gift card to her favorite restaurant. The whole party was so personalized and fun, nothing felt forced like it sometimes can at a baby shower.

We can't wait to meet Baby James King in August! Here are a few pictures of the decor. (And yes, I finally found a romper/jumpsuit at Zara!)

Twins Baby Shower!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of helping to throw a baby shower for my dear friends Brittany and Victor who are expecting a baby boy AND girl in November! I wish I would have gotten better photos but this is what I have. Our friend Danielle had the brilliant idea of bringing in the brightly colored cribs to serve as the center of the party. We tied balloons to them and filled them with all of the gifts. I can't wait to see the finished nursery, love these colors (you may recognize that poppy color from Mylo's room!). 

Congratulations Brittany and Victor! And big thanks to Danielle and Alicia of Fetes on Fetes for helping to design another beautiful party. 

Laura's Sea Themed Baby Shower (better late than never!)

In OCTOBER, we threw a little coed shower for my sister Laura and her husband in celebration of the upcoming birth of baby Rory. Danielle and Alicia coordinated the look of it and we had a lot of fun with our neutral palette and subtle sea theme. I think all our favorite decoration was the amazing bunting ceiling that Danielle dreamed up. It took a while to assemble but the effect was amazing and the pendants can be reused.

We served brunch, Mighty-O doughnuts, mimosas and Bloody Mary's. Even though it was October we made the most of the outdoor space at my house by putting the bar on the front porch with a portable heater. Congrats again Laura and Alex!

(Huge thanks to Danielle and Alicia, pictured above! They are amazing party planners)

The Baby Shower

Brittany and I co-hosted a shower for Teresa this past weekend, thankfully we had the help of our very talented party planning friends Alicia and Danielle. I overheard Danielle telling someone at the shower, "Every pregnant lady should have a blog!" And it's totally true, the theme and inspiration for this shower came from Teresa's blog post about nursery decor: neutrals, pops of colors, eclectic and animals. 

Our biggest challenge, how to fit 20+ people into my house! Our solution was one giant table. Brittany's husband Victor did an amazing job of building an additional 2 tables that matched the height and length of my dining room table exactly. 

The sheepskins thrown here and there on the backs of chairs and antlers in with the table decor definitely added to the eclectic feel. 

Alicia and Danielle bought little plastic animals and painted them bright colors. Bigger ones ran down the length of the table and  little tiny ones to decorate corks! 

Another way we added pops of color was painting the bottoms of all of the clear wine bottles. Some were filled with white wine, others were used for water. It was a inexpensive and practical way to add color since we needed drinks anyway. 

Since we lucked out with a gorgeous day and we had to put my living room furniture somewhere anyway, we set it up outside and transitioned everyone to the backyard to open gifts. To really get the feel of a living room outside, we included little touches like the lamp and hanging photos. 

Thankfully I have lots of large safari photos on hand which was an easy way to add to the decor. Most were from our trip to Kenya  shooting for Construction for Change last year. 

All in all, shower success! And now we're just waiting for this little guy to be ready to come out so we can dress him in all of his new cute clothes! 

Images by Jason & I, except the last. Belly photo by Brooke Johnson. 

Seattle Spotlight: Great Venues for Hosting a Party

Happy to share another great post from our resident party planners, Danielle and Alicia! Thanks for the great advice ladies!

Square footage is not our friend. Never has been. We lived with 18 girls in college and then outgrew our homes the day we got our keys. Good thing we’re on better terms with borrowed space. Seattle has a plethora of venues you can call your own for just a few hours. So don’t let square footage (or lack thereof) stop you from throwing a good party for family and friends. Here are a few of our favorite locales to get you started.

The Brave Horse Tavern: Great rustic venue in South Lake Union. They take reservations for groups or private parties for up to 75 people standing in The Tack Room. Delicious food (our favorite pretzel in Seattle!), shuffleboard, and great whisky make this the perfect spot to celebrate the men in your life or get together with girlfriends who are still willing to eat a good burger. It’s a Tom Douglas restaurant, so keep in mind it books fast!

Glassybaby: A simple floor plan with tons of Glassybaby at your disposal? Yes, please. You can rent the entire gallery or just part of it during hours when glass blowing lessons are available. There is a rental fee, but Glassybaby might be willing to waive it for negotiated product purchases (done!). Insider’s tip: Bring in your own food and drink, and then let guests sip beverages from their very own hand-blown Glassbaby drinkers. We surprised Danielle here for her bridal shower- her Glassybaby collection is still growing.

Park Public House: You’ll be misled if you read reviews, this low key neighborhood pub is a must for drop-in events or all-nighters (which we ended up doing for a recent birthday). The pub food is tasty (our group drooled over the mac-n-cheese & tater tots) and everyone found a beer they loved from their impressive rotating selection. The owner was fun to work with, cared about our event, and offers a flexible lounge style area where no minimum is required. This is a new favorite of ours, and we heard a rumor there might even be trivia!


Black Bottle: Celebrate wine lovers in this bistro-style tavern. It's easy to dress the venue’s clean, modern interior with party décor, and your guests will appreciate dishes made fresh-to-order from local and sustainable ingredients. There is a minimum if you’re renting a room or bar, but Black Bottle does a wonderful job managing open tabs for each of your guests if you’re not “hosting”. The perfect pair to your event is ‘black bottle’ wine favors, courtesy of chalkboard paint. More to come on that DIY later!

Bastille Café and Bar: Delicious French cuisine. Roof-sourced herbs and greens. A consummate restaurateur. A divine urban interior that needs little to no décor. Need more reasons why this French-meets-Northwest style café is a top choice for chic baby or bridal showers? No problem. You can host up to 100 people in the restaurant’s back bar or 60 in their beautiful (and covered) indoor/outdoor terrace. They make hosting easy by offering an amazing prefixed menu at two different price points for private parties. And we must say, they've certainly “mastered the art of French cooking.” If you're not hosting anytime soon, you still should mosey on in. You won’t be disappointed!

One of the best parts of this hobby is trying out new places, and in our very unbiased opinion, Seattle is the best! Any new suggestions we should try?

(Brave Horse, Glassy, Park, Bottle)

Birthday Bash in a Flash: Tips for a Last Minute Dinner Party

Jenny and I are thrilled to welcome our friends and aspiring party planners, Danielle and Alicia who will be writing a series of guest posts about hosting the perfect gathering this spring! The four of us lived together in college and after attending some gorgeous events hosted by these two ladies over the years we asked them if they would be willing to share some tips and DIY projects on the blog. We are excited for what they have in store, hope you enjoy!

If you’re like us, every birthday, half-birthday and holiday in between is a fitting cause to go all out and celebrate life (or at least that’s what we ever-so convincingly keep telling our husbands).  But every now and again, an event sneaks up on us between the toddler, cat, job, food and laundry. For example, we found out a good friend was coming to town for her birthday and we wanted  to do-it up right for her. The problem? It was already Wednesday and nothing was planned. We decided to dress up a local restaurant for a stress-free, eye-catching birthday bash. Here are a few tips for an easy, last minute dinner party:

Go With What You Know

When you don’t have the time or space to host at your place and have a moderate sized guest list, hosting a birthday dinner at a restaurant is an easy and festive alternative…especially when you dress it up. For this particular event we picked a restaurant that we knew and loved. Phinney Market Pub and Eatery has a beautiful, long table right in the middle of the restaurant. It’s ambiance and décor work well with our style and we knew the menu would be perfect for our guest demographic. Sticking with what you know can save you precious time otherwise spent researching the décor, cost and layout of a new space. 

Create Tabletop Drama

The table is your focal point in a restaurant, but it’s important to keep it simple. You want to excite the guests when they arrive but not compete with the food. We've found the best place to start is with a few small floral arrangements. We swear by Bellevue’s Flowers for the People for a fresh take on evening floral arrangements.  Given our birthday girl’s obsession with Glassybaby’s, we used them to add a personal touch and a punch of blue-green color.

Even in a restaurant, we think place cards are a must. They quickly add décor to a table and people love seeing their own names (Instagram favorite for the night).  A fancy pen with some glitter goes a long way. For a final blast of color, we dressed up the table by using a large hole puncher to create some metallic (gold & copper) confetti accenting our coordinating colors; peaches, teals, and eggplant.

Our new obsession: 36-inch balloons. They need little else to make a statement, but adding  tassel flair never hurts.

Leave On A Sweet Note

For last minute occasions, mini cupcakes from Cupcake Royale are a fast and inexpensive way to leave your birthday guests with a sweet treat to remember the evening. Pick out cupcakes that have frosting that coordinates with your color scheme, and then place them at each place setting. If you’re Betty Crocker and have the time, making your own works too!  We feel when hosting at a venue where guests pay their own bill it’s nice to offer something-- drinks and/or desserts are a great way to show appreciation for their presence.