I spent 45% of my weekend on the phone with Apple Care, trying to figure out why my computer will not stop giving me the rainbow wheel of death (the answer is that it’s officially time for a new one, which is obviously fabulous news), and 45% trying to restore our yard to something resembling its pre-bombogenesis condition (including the construction of a new fence and the removal of many, many sad-looking plants), but I did manage to escape for a minute to head over to my friend Brianna’s baby shower, which was so lovely and adorable that I thought I’d share some shots here (with her permission, of course), plus a few more oceanside-inspired party ideas.
My friend Erin – Brianna’s sister-in-law – made these cupcake toppers out of fondant and swears they’re totally do-able. I think “totally doable” is probably a relative term here, but still: they’re so cute they’re worth the effort.
Easy and adorable: Sand dollar cookies. (A recipe is here, but really you can just add slivered almonds to a standard sugar cookie recipe.)
Crab sandwiches. Hee.
A straightforward and chic decor solution from HotRef: rope-wrapped mason jars holding hydrangeas and a simple white and blue palette.
Messages in a bottle for the baby! Dying over how sweet this Kate Aspen idea is.
To make an “Ocean Water” cocktail, you can get fancy with coconut-infused vodka and actual recipes…or you can just mix together some processo and blue raspberry fruit punch.
Edible decor makes me happy, and so these little lollipops in blue jars from Kara’s Party Ideas make me ecstatic. (And if you don’t have any blue jars handy, I made a DIY video on this ages ago and it remains one of my all-time favorite projects.)
Based on my Google results, it appears that you are contractually obligated to have “Ahoy It’s A Boy” be the party theme if you’re going nautical (and presumably expecting a boy).
If the actual messages-in-a-bottle pictured above are too fussy for you, this is a super-sweet alternative (and I love the idea of giving your guests some inspiration for what to write).
A bunch of quick DIY ideas for adding some oceanside to your tablescape from Hostess With The Mostess.
And finally, here’s my beautiful friend looking beautiful. So excited for you, Brianna!
