Monthly Archives: April 2009

Jessica Davis has some awesome tips for shooting outdoor group photographs. Most important, she says, is to find a large, open shady spot. This will avoid squinty eyes (and will keep everyone cool). The more people you have the harder it is to make a photo look casual. She suggests using chairs to break up the group into different tiers. In addition to the large group shot, try breaking the group up into two or three smaller groups for more intimate photographs.

Okay, so I promised I’d tell you the best part of the Little Lamb Baby Shower Extravaganza. Did you guess what it is? The macarons? The cupcakes? The pomegranate vinaigrette? The Shower Shine punch? Are you ready? Well …

… the best part of the shower was none of those things I just mentioned. It’s the friendships forged, and that little peanut in Carrie’s belly, whom we cannot wait to meet!

All photos by Jessica Davis Photography. Missing, and sorely missed, from photos is baker extraordinairre, Alex. We missed you!

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photographs by Jessica Davis Photography

Remember when I suggested shopping your (and your friends’) house before buying a thing? The little lamb was borrowed from Carrie’s mom; the vine sugar bowl/flower pot is my mom’s; the yellow bowls are my mom’s; the clear glass vase is from our garage; the adorable birdie salt/pepper shakers are mine (from Target); the flowers are from the Carlsbad Flower Fields (and some from Costco, too); and the lemons in the floral arrangement are from our back yard lemon grove.

Carrie loves balloons, and I do love how they look in photos, so we tied a bunch to the back of her chair, at a height where they would show up as a lovely backdrop in most photos taken of her. She’s holding a painting that my mom made for her.

photographs by Jessica Davis Photography

Most of these candies are from the Dollar Store. The puffy meringues are from Trader Joe’s. I picked up delicious Belgium (where Carrie has been living for the past year) chocolate from Trader Joe’s. Then I had to go back because I immediately ate a bar and so did my husband, and I had to replenish! I re-wrapped the chocolate bars in paper printed to match the shower. (“Ike” is the in-utero nickname she and her husband call the baby, in case you were wondering.)

In the next (part five-and-final) post in this series I’ll share the very best part of the shower. Can you guess what it is?

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A little trick I learned from my parents, the ultimate hosts, is to set the table the day before. So you’ll remember the next day (and to make it easy for friends to help out), use sticky notes on plates to indicate where perishables should go. The green and white patterned plates shown above are from Target. I looked online, but I don’t see them anymore. You may be able to find them on sale in the store.

The evening before the party my co-hosts and I got together at my house to bake the quiche and the cupcakes. It was a lot of fun. Quiche, salad, bread and cheese are a great menu for a party like this. We served the quiche room temperature, so we didn’t have to worry about keeping on a strict schedule (which turned out very well, since the guest of honor was nearly an hour late). Don’t be surprised if some of the guests (especially the young ones) skip the savories and head straight for the dessert table!

photo: jessica davis photography

Most of the goodies on the dessert table came from (shhhh….) the Dollar Store! Seriously. I found some great candies in bulk online, and was prepared to order them, but thought I’d try the Dollar Store first and am so glad I did. I found giant bags of lemon heads, sour straws (Carrie’s favorite), green m&m’s and spearmint leaves. Mmmm. The splurge on this table was the macarons (lemon and pistachio, from Paulette).

photos: jessica davis photography

Next time (part four) I’ll share some details from the dessert table, and in part five I’ll share the best part about the entire little lamb baby shower extravaganza!

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Planning even a “small” party for fewer than 20 people involves a lot of preparation. Plan ahead to prevent a lot of stress right before the event! I started with a sketch book, as always. I pulled images from magazines and the web as inspiration and established the color scheme (green, lime, citron, and yellow, paired with dusty greyish-brown) and the theme (little lamb). {Many of the fab. party photos shown above are from Amy Atlas Events}. I sketched out ideas for the look & feel of the event, the dessert table layout, and the dining area table tops. I even planned which dishes to use and where they would go on the tables.

Most of the details I sketched made it to the final event (including macarons from Paulette, home-made drink flags & cupcake toppers, and a scrapbook binder with letters from guests to the baby).

photo: jessica davis photography

You may download a printable PDF here to make these cupcake toppers and straw flags for your own party. Just print out on full sheet label paper, trim and stick : ) I also have a sweet one-page questionairre that you can print out, distribute to guests, and then assemble in a binder for the mommy-to-be. You can download the “Dear Little Lamb” PDF here.

Coming in part three: tips on setting up.

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