When my friend J was pregnant, she and her husband delighted in planning for their baby boy’s arrival. Auntie Allison, however, was focused on the baby shower. I wanted a celebration fitting my great gal pal’s entree to motherhood. And since her style is more Tiffany’s than Toys-R-Us, I decided against a cartoon jungle and set about planning a girls night to rival happy hour at a downtown hotel lounge.
With this general idea, I started thinking of a menu and a visual theme. I sat down with my handy internet search engine, and went on a glorious websurf stemming from J’s favorite things. I remembered her favorite perfume is Fracas. Hmmm.
I stumbled on this image, a re-issue of a 1948 ad for the juice:
Oo-la-la! I knew I was on to something with this. A few search threads later, I learned the equivalent decorating style is “hollywood regency.” I used that as the basis for the rest of the planning. The fracas ad and packaging use wonderful deep, bright pinks, but I kept everything black, white and grey so that I didn’t confuse any guests over the baby’s sex.
I did an online invitation, instead of printed. Using photoshop and some digital scrapbook clips, made an image that reflected the style. I tossed in a little french in homage to Fracas creator Frenchman Robert Piguet.
We did a few games, but instead of measuring J’s belly with toilet paper measuring tape, I opted for trivia. I consulted the grandmas-to-be for silly trivia about mom and dad: their first words, ages at which they took first steps. This personal touch was a hoot for all the guests, and was a fun way to involve other family members in the planning.
For party favors, I decided on votive candles. I was close to making my own with plain, clear glass, but found a vendor online that had votives with a damask print for much less than the cost of DIY. Sold!
Through all the planning and online searching, I learned of a thing called tablescaping. I think that category of decorating is exactly what Pinterest exists for… Nonetheless, I found some great black tablecloths, and to add height to the tables I stuck boxes underneath the tablecloths. I also giftwrapped empty boxes to use as food stands for a little visual variety.
My home is definitely not in the Hollywood Regency style. We’re more the “let’s throw pretty things and old photos on the walls” haphazard eclecticism. Dimming the lights, using candles, and draping fabric, all helped to keep the theme in mind. (I confess, for a moment, I was tempted to take down the artwork, paint the walls, and get a new couch just to keep the theme consistent!)
Here’s a few snaps — all in all, mom-to-be was pleased! Baby Boy was not wanting for one cute baby thing, we had a great time with the girls, and I made her favorite stuffed mushrooms.
