Owl Pillow Box

Inspired by Kerry's Paper Crafts, this project was so fun and turned out fabulous!  To start, you'll need one pillow box (any color).  We got ours from Oriental Trading Company.  Next, cut 15 small circles (feathers), one orange heart (feet), one orange triangle (beak), two ovals (wings), two larger white circles (eyes) and two small, darker circles (pupils).  Start near the bottom of the pillow box, add the feet and three layers of feathers.  Add the beak, eyes and tuck the wings behind the eyes.  Fill with a fun treat (we used trail mix) and give to a friend!

So simple, my two-year old daughter was able to help assemble these fun owls!

It's in the small things!

Inspiration Board: University of Washington

For a casual birthday dinner, a college team theme is perfect!  Inspiration comes in many ways - the inspiration for this party came from Husky tickets and yellow plates.  The hostess already had yellow plates and her husband was headed to the game the next day.  Lots of purple and gold!  

Whatever your inspiration - be creative!  And remember - it's all about the small things!

Shower Sunday: Owl Shower

This gender neutral baby shower came together with oranges and reds to balance out the blues and greens.  The inspiration for the shower theme came from the baby's nursery and bedding. Simple, classy and colorful!  And you can't go wrong with owls!  

The shower was held on a Friday evening and dessert and drinks were the big draw.  You can't go wrong with the classic combination of chocolate and fruit.  Mommy is vegan so all the food was, too!  Look at this gorgeous spread!  The reds and browns really popped!

The centerpiece cupcake tower helped tie the party together.  Guests were asked to paint ceramic owls to be used in decorating the baby's nursery.  The owls came from Oriental Trading Company and were the perfect touch.  It's all about the small things!  I spray painted the owls brown before the shower and outlined the eyes in white and painted the beak orange.  My pre-painting sample was placed atop the centerpiece for a nice, small touch of theme.

I'm not a huge fan of shower games that involve Momma and her belly.  However, I love it when guests have an opportunity to share some parenting wisdom or tips.  With a little twist to that, since Mommy and Daddy are "wise owls" already for baby #2, we asked guests to give advice to baby.  They wrote on small leaves and stuck them to a canvas with a tree painted on it.  After the shower, I modge-podged over the leaves and hung it in the nursery!  So fun, with lots of advice ranging from "Dream Big" to "Brush your teeth" - definitely a repeat for future Baby 2 showers!

The guest book was really a book!  I bought a fun book about owls (It's all about the small things!) and asked the guests to sign the book as a start to Baby's library.  Love this idea!

At the end of the night, we sent guests home with a "It's Been a Hoot!" owl treat box.  The boxes were also purchased from Oriental Trading Company and were decorated using circles, ovals and hearts!  This idea came from Pinterest and was so fun and easy, my three-year-old helped assemble.  They turned out cuter than imagined and we filled them with trail mix.

It's all about the small things!

Color Palette Inspiration

As the mornings turn crisp and the summer fades to fall, this color palette inspires creativity.  I love the blackberry and plum combination - perfect for a fall wedding or maybe a baby shower!  Yes, I think that's it.  Whatever your inspiration - be creative!

Shower Sunday: Duck Baby Shower

When Neyssa was pregnant with her first, we decided to have a duck-themed shower.  This gender neutral theme was perfect for a Mommy who was waiting to find out if Baby was a boy or girl.

 

The food was simple, but gorgeous.  The centerpiece was designed by Brianna and added such a fun touch to the party.

It's all about the small things.  Check out the duck-shaped pineapple!  Simply use a cookie cutter to cut a shape with your own theme!  We also placed rubber duckies throughout the house.

For games and activities, we didn't want to do anything that involved Mommy and her belly.  When guests arrived, we gave everyone a pacifier necklace and each time the words "baby" or "due date" were said, the necklace was stolen by the person who heard it!  It ended up being super fun and it's amazing how you can space out, forget and get caught! The guest with the most necklaces at the end of the party, got a $5 gift card.  Simple and easy for any party.

We also gave words of wisdom to first-time Mommy - with each piece of wisdom, the person added a design to the canvas.  This canvas now hangs above baby's bed!  A fun activity for everyone.

It's all about the small things!

Shower Sunday: ABC Baby Shower

]My baby shower was ABC themed!  They got the idea from the nursery bedding.  Neyssa, Amy and Brianna were the hostesses.  It's always the small things that make the shower theme shine.

The banners added a personal touch and added height to the decorations.

The favors were cookies packaged in small block abc boxes painted yellow.  Even the plates and cups had small alphabet stickers on them!  It's all about the small things!

All of the food was labeled with letters - so fun!

 

The food was delicious and perfect for a lunchtime shower.  

Games: Baby Themed Scattergories

Menu: Soup, honey ham, veggies, fruit, salad, mac 'n'cheese, cupcakes

Favors: Letter cookies presented in ABC Block boxes

Logo

Working with the logo for Circle River Creations and Circle River Parties!  It's coming together!