My Favorite Idea from the Bridal Shower

This is it.  My last post on the bridal shower.  Really.  

(Uh oh - did you see my crossed fingers? I might be done with the shower, but I've still got to tell you about the wedding!)

So one of my favorite things we did at the shower was to come up with date ideas for K and B.  

I started off by writing instructions (it's that teacher in me - so hard to let go of that) and putting them in a white frame.  (I always have plenty of white frames because I borrow them from my gallery wall in the hallway - I don't think I've ever shown you that - I will have to do that someday)

 Baby Bee and her buddy used a punch to make all the tags out of wood printed scrapbook paper.

 Everything was set up on a sofa table I have stored in the garage and it gave the guests something to do when they first arrived.  

 I had been trying to come up with a way to string them together and on my way out the door on Friday before the party I remember my teaching buddy had a plethora of binder rings so I got a couple from her and painted them the same navy blue I painted so many things for this shower.

 I knew some people might not be able to come up with an idea right away so I printed off a bunch of ideas I found on the internet.  (Plus I figured it wouldn't hurt if it gave them a date night idea too!)

 Here is some of what they came up with.....

Don't let Hallmark see that one!

One of the reasons I really like this adaptation of this idea is that it doesn't take up a lot of room and my friend, K, can just toss it in her purse for instant inspiration.

Okay.....I haven't had too many guesses as to what my big news is....so I'm just going to tell you....on a different post! (Can you hear my evil laugh? Bah ha ha ha ha!)

Now....my question for you is....

what would you do on a date night???

Buzzingly,

P.S.  I forgot to show the original inspiration.....

A Bee-utiful Bridal Shower

My poor friend.  

You don't know how many times I've called her bridal shower a BABY shower!  I keep telling her that if she hears any rumors about her being pregnant it's all my fault.

But seriously we just had a lovely Baby Bridal Shower here at Sweet Bee Cottage.  Well, just might be a stretch because it was at the end of September and October is almost over.

Our weather in September is usually pretty nice and so it was when we had the shower - it was about 85º F
(that's about 29º C for all my friends outside the USA)
so we had it out in the backyard.  My friend and I hosted it.  She was in charge of food and I did decorations and dessert.

I wish I had taken more pictures, but you know how you just get into having fun at the party and hostessing it and I forgot.

 As the guests walked out onto our patio I had my meemaw's
(spelling? afraid she passed away before I was born so I never knew her)
gate leg table set with beverages.  We used mason jars
(that the lovely bride also used at the wedding)
and we had iced tea, iced coffee, and water.  Guests could add different sweeteners – plus I made some simple syrup – half & half, or lemon and lime wedges to their drinks.  

 I made the iced coffee recipe from Pioneer Woman and it was fantastic!  I need to make some more!!!

There's my shadow!

Of course, I had to use my beeskep drink dispenser!  The stool it's sitting on is one I just happened to have stashed in the garage and it fits on it perfectly!  Don't you just love when that happens?  Serendipity I call it! 

(I think others might call it hoarding.)

For favors Baby Bee dunked store bought biscotti 

(Hey!  I work full time and I baked a lot of other things – don't judge me – as Baby Bee tells her father and I all the time.) in yummy dark chocolate.  We put them in some adorable little bags I bought on etsy from the Party Fairy

  (great service and quick delivery and no she isn't paying for the shout out).  

Worker Bee 

(trooper that he is) 

spray painted all the clothespins navy blue the night before.  We also had more little wood "cookies" that I put labels on.

 I used an old matelasse coverlet as a tablecloth for the gift table.

 We ended up renting round tables and chairs.  The tablecloths I had from a party I threw about 15 years ago.
(It's not hoarding if you actually use them again.)
They are queen size sheets that Sewing Bee hemmed to make them square.
(Sew, -yes, pun intended - if you ever need a LOT of fabric and price is an issue - buy sheets!)
Aren't they cute?

Each table had a different set of white plates.  Most were mine, but I had to borrow a few from Sewing Bee.

Now the orange napkins you might remember me going on and on about in several posts.  I got those on clearance at World Market for $5 for a bundle of 6 napkins!  What a deal!!!

 My favorite part of the decor was the little bunting I clipped to our string lights on the patio.  I just made it out of scrapbook paper that I glued together and then clipped them to the light string with more of those clothespins Worker Bee painted.

 Did I mention he also painted the frames on my chalkboards too?  Boy am I lucky to have him around to help!  
(And don't worry, he doesn't let me forget how lucky I am!)

 I made the desserts.  We had heart shaped peanut butter cookies inspired by this pin, mini pumpkin pies inspired by this pin, and s'more cookies inspired by this pin.  Why yes, it was quite a pinterest party!

Hope you enjoyed coming along to the Baby Bridal Shower!

I had so much fun getting ready for it and trying to take care of all the details.  Have you noticed I'm a wee bit of a detail person

(and control freak - but that's for another day)?

Thanks so much for buzzing along with me!

And no one has quite guessed my big news yet - although knowing about the Herdmans was quite close.

Here's another hint.....

It will all be happening in this brand new building in my little town!

Buzzingly,

Linking up with Tweak it Tuesday
with
Brenda
from
Cozy Little House

The Big County Fair and a Bridal Shower - What Do They Have in Common?

Well, you know I'm going to tell you what they have in common.....but.....not yet!  You must know that's how I roll - I'm a huge tease.

A lovely friend of mine is getting married in October and we are having her bridal shower at my house.

Why didn't they have Pinterest and the internet around when I was getting married?  Can you imagine how many ideas and projects I would have done?  One thing I did love at our wedding was that the favors were heart shaped chocolate chip cookies.  We made pan after pan of chocolate chip bar cookies and then used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them out and then packaged them in a clear bag with blue and white ribbon.  I was very obsessed with blue and white when we got married.  Bridesmaids had blue and white striped dresses and Worker Bee even vowed to love the colors blue and white in our wedding vows.  Whoa!  Brakes!  I really digressed there, now didn't I?

So....in an effort to kill two birds with one stone - one of the tables the More Creative Bee and I are doing for the Big County Fair is.....a.....you're never going to guess......

A Bridal Shower Table!

The colors for the shower are navy and orange.  My friend is also having wood(s) be a part of her wedding so I jumped in with that too.

So yesterday, Baby Bee and I went to World Market (I know, I know – I'm obsessed) because I knew they had orange buffet napkins at a very reasonable price.  We got there – and – they were gone.  Now I had just looked at them online a few days ago so I was shocked.  I sat down right in the store and got on their website to find out what was going on.  Imagine my excitement when they were on clearance for $5 for a set of 6!  So I thought I'll just order them then.  Now imagine how uber excited I got when sitting way down on the bottom shelf were these napkins!  

Yes, 12 year old Baby Bee was slightly embarrassed (but I think she might be that way constantly anyway, so who cares) when I started throwing napkins in the cart.  So the spiced orange napkins will be used for both the shower and the fair table. And! For less than $1 per napkin!  Very autumnal (one of my all time favorite words) too!

Then I've been eyeing this stand for quite a while at World Market (yes, obsessed, we know) so I bought it too (used the last of my gift card) for part of the centerpiece for the fair table.  'Fraid I won't be able to use it for the shower because the shower is during the time our tables are set up at the fair. 

But maybe my friend would like to use it as part of her wedding reception.

For the shower I have these navy and white gingham tablecloths I had the Sewing Bee make for me about 10 years ago.  But for the fair I wanted to make it a little more fresh and modern – see my friend getting married is only in her 20s (and I'm not) – but now I'm having a hard time finding fabric for the tablecloth.  

I checked out Joann's and Home Fabrics without a lot of luck.  

Found these online, but not sure about them.  Although the chevron is growing on me.

Found this one on etsy

I still have a few other places to check out - going to torture Baby Bee by taking her shopping on Thursday (that girl does not like to shop - too much like her dad!) and I'll check it out in the other big city (the one with a Hobby Lobby) near us.  I also picked up these initials and faux sunflowers that will probably also be part of the centerpiece.  

I'm not sure how it will all go together though yet.  Lots of ideas are bouncing around in my head.  

I have these vintage jelly jars that I might use for the flowers.   Found some great resources on etsy too for the shower.

Now, I really need to get to work.  Went out an bought paint last night to paint furniture and I better get started!  School starts in just 18 days!

Thanks for buzzing along with me.  Can't wait for it all to come together.  Okay, in all honesty I can wait because then it means my summer vacation is over!

Another Bee Family Wedding...

and this one had me buzzing!

We were just down in Del Mar, California (near San Diego) for Worker Bee's nephew's wedding.

What a beautiful setting! (And it was 108º at home and 68º there so we loved the weather too.)

The wedding was on a balcony looking right out at the beach and then that area was quickly converted into the wedding dinner venue.

The tables were just spectacular!  Aren't those rosy textured tablecloths beautiful?  

The bride's aunt did all the flowers.  Aren't they gorgeous?

And my favorite thing about the wedding?  It had a BEE theme!

Worker Bee told me his brother offered me his bee pin and I didn't hear him!  An opportunity missed!

I snuck home our place card for the reception.  Sneaky, hunh? 

Okay, truth be told, it was not my favorite thing but I sure did love it!

 Happy Wedding Mr. and Mrs. Bee Family!

What are you buzzing about?

We're buzzing about the extreme heat we're having!  114º on Monday!