I jumped at the chance to host a baby shower for one of my best friends and decided to celebrate her and her soon-to-be-son with a watercolor themed shower.

Invitations:

It all begins with the invitation. The invite sets the tone for your entire event so it is so important to be thoughtful in its planning. I started this shower’s theme (and ultimately the invitation) with a watercolor for the baby’s nursery. From this watercolor, I scanned in the whale illustration and designed the invite around it. Before printing all the invitations, I hand painted a light wash over each piece of paper and each envelope.

Decorations:

The key to decorating for any party is to make it personal and cohesive. I really cut costs by using things that I already had (blue mason jars, cake stands, plates) and made the rest out of cheap materials—the banners were made from left over invitations paper, I hand dipped white streamers in paint to tie to the balloons, tie-died a cheap white tablecloth and napkins and sewed together circle punched paper for ombre banners. I also picked up one of my party favorites—3 ft. white balloons from Party City for the table and the mailbox.

Food:

I scheduled the shower to be at 10:30 because who doesn't love brunch?! Pancakes, waffles and donuts oh my. And all in miniature to boot!

Let Them Eat Cake!

I had so much fun making this ombre tiered cake. I dyed each layer darker and my sister helped make the whale topper out of fondant. I also gave pistachio macaroons from The Painted Cupcake  as favors, which they personalized with a blue and green swirl.