Showered

My dear friend Erin is getting married this summer. I am so excited for her because it is a perfect match, and also she is awesome and I love weddings. So when I took Tuesday to the carousel and noticed a little bee/honeycomb dish set in their gift shop (Erin is an amateur bee keeper) I had to pick up a few pieces for her shower. The next time I talked to her I asked her who was going to throw her shower and volunteered myself. She said she wasn’t thinking she would have one. Ok, I live for stuff like this so I was shocked! Who would pass up the opportunity to have a party thrown in their honor?!?! Eventually I wore her down (and I found out her BFF was working on her too) and was able to throw her a shower this last weekend.
I wish I had a picture of everything all set up, I am getting a little better about coordinating everything so it is ready when guests come, but I didn’t have a chance to snap photos before hand. I did run to get my camera when we started playing games because they were so funny.

For this one they had books on their heads and had a minute and a half to draw Erin on her wedding day.
We did another drawing game. I got a big pad of paper on an easel and had each woman draw a card that had a wedding word on it with a point value. The person who got people to guess the most cards (points) was the winnerβ€”like wedding Pictionary. The game before that was one where we stood in a circle and I said a rhyme while a gift was passed around. The last one was the most fun. It was called purse game when I found it online. Basically you have each woman sit with their purse and read a list of things that might be in there, along with a point value. So lipgloss 1 point, Target gift card 7 points:

This lady was awesome. She had everything, except for the condom which I valued at 20 points, and if anyone had one they were not owning up to it! πŸ™‚
We had some yummy food. Erin’s best friend suggested the menu and it turned out great. A curry chicken salad (made from a beer can chicken of Bj’s, so yum!), and a spinach strawberry salad with vinaigrette. I added some fava greens which we got in our CSA box and I actually ate a bunch and liked it (huge for me as I’m not usually a fan of vinaigrette).
Edited to add the recipe:

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar (did you know you can get a huge bag of organic sugar for $7 at Costco now?)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach
1 quart strawberries cleaned hulled and sliced.
1/4 cup almonds blanched or slivered.
In medium bowl whisk together (we used an immersion blender) sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, oil, vinegar, paprika, worcestershire and onion cover and chill for at least one hour.
Toss dressing with salad ingredients just before serving. Enjoy!
And the curry chicken salad:
Chicken (we used a beer can chicken that had been shredded, you could just use chicken breast if you wanted)
1 stalk celery, chopped
green onions, chopped
small apple, peeled & chopped
handful of dried cranberries
seedless grapes, halved
ground black pepper
teaspoon of curry powder…. actually I think I used more, I really like curry.
mayo
Mix it up and adjust as needed! easy! You can also add pecans.

Bj is killing me with all these cake pops! I helped decorate them, and just did a rainbow of sprinkles. These were the left overs.

Tuesday wasn’t invited (well she would have been welcome but I thought it would be easier to focus on the bride this way), but here she is after her nap scrounging on the left overs while I was cleaning up. The big poofs were from the tea party (and have already been loaned out once). They are holding up pretty well. The garland is from her first birthday party and I use it for every event, I love having it. I even put some on the porch this time:

So fun. I want to make a forth of July garland. My mom made one and her packs of ribbon and jars are on sale so I just might have to get on that! I’ve got a week right?
So yes, fabulous shower for a fabulous friend. I am happy to throw one anytime. Ah babies and brides… the good things in life!

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14 Comments

  1. You throw the best parties! Your place looks fabulous and I want to just come and hang out. I’m sure you can get the garland done by the 4th of July, I’ve seen what you can get done in a day and besides it was super easy and fun to make!

  2. It looks like such a fun shower! I love that garland. I want to make another one that is more all purpose- colorful. The halloween one hasn’t even come out yet, since I didn’t get it finished in time for halloween last year….. Also from the dining room shot it looks like you painted your table and chairs black! Nice! You really get those projects knocked out!

  3. Looks like everyone had a good time!
    I love that dot garland. And the link to the 4th of July one is great–And wouldn’t be that hard to do an all purpose one of a similar style (I’m not fast enough on decor to change it between holiday’s. It takes a back seat πŸ˜‰

  4. you throw such fun parties… looks like this one was lovely! i have so many banners i want to make. maybe we need a banner crafting party? πŸ˜‰

  5. Thanks for reminding me about garland…I just hung ours up on the porch. It’s our one and only 4th of July deco. Those are really easy to make, and I often see versions at Target (a lemonade sign, recently). I think you could crank one out quickly. I’ve never heard of the purse game before; I’m curious about what else was on your list. If you don’t mind, I’m going to share your shower game idea with friends, as we’re celebrating together soon.

  6. What a lovely shower! Looks like everyone had a great time. Your house looks so pretty and I love the hanging flower baskets on the porch. Tuesday looks so precious in her sweet dress and pigtails.

  7. Carmen,
    I wish, those are the same black chairs, and the table is just hidden. No luck on getting it painted yet, the weather is not cooperating!

  8. Here is the list I made, you can include funny things like underwear and things too. My husband had fun coming up with the point values.
    picture of significant other 5
    pepper spray 8
    toothbrush 10
    $5 2
    cell phone 1
    ponytail holder 5
    feminine product 3
    American Express 3
    mirror 2
    31 cents 7
    condom 20 (big laughs)
    hand lotion 5
    giftcard to Target 7
    driers license 1
    nail clippers 4
    nail file 4
    black/blue pen 3
    pen of another color 5
    alcoholic beverage 20
    sunglasses 2
    reading classes 5
    kleenex 2
    hankie 10
    hand sanitizer 4
    hunting/fishing license 9
    camera 5
    receipt 1
    receipt for shoes 10
    q-tip 3
    lip gloss 2

  9. Thanks so much Julia. I bought the dress last year at our Saturday market and it’s made from old pillowcases (and some new fabric). I’m so glad she fits into it now!

  10. Just got online and saw this! I had a fantastic time, wonderful food, wonderful friends and family, thank you for wearing me down πŸ™‚ I love your new table, it’s fantastic and your backyard was the perfect setting.

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