Gramma Sally's "Baby Joy" Shower

Dress Forms Decorated and Displayed

Mine on the right and
my daughter-in-law's mother's in purple

After we learned that my son and daughter-in-law where going to have another baby and it was a girl, I inquired about having a baby shower.  Shannon said she did not wish another shower.  Her first one was so big and she received so much.

Well, I wanted a baby shower.  Besides their first child was a boy and now they were going to have a girl.  So, I decided I would have a baby shower with my weekly playgroup.  Any excuse to have a party, right? 

THEME

The baby needed clothes and in the Spring 2013 issue of Mingle Magazine there was a darling article and photos for a "DIY Onesie Party." An idea started forming and I was off to the races to purchase ONesies in various colors and sizes.  The idea was to personalize theses onesies with appliques.  I went to Sarah Stephenson Castaneda's web/etsy www.sarahsayssew.etsy.com and found a wonderful packet in color with directions and patterns for the onesies.  Yea.

Patty, me standing, Georgia, Jackie peaking between
Kat, Margo, Mary, Robin, Magda and
Kathie peaking over at the end.

Next, who to ask - well my playday group that comes once a week to my home and brings their own lunch.  I was going to provide lunch and drinks -  crescent sandwiches, homemade potato soup, homemade kale/brussels sprouts salad and fresh mixed berries.  All sorts of small cans of sodas, water, Perrier and white wine.  Dessert was going to be personally selected cupcakes of various flavors from the local cupcake store in Pacific Beach.

OMG, who could have eaten one of the cupcakes???

The Deluxe cupcakes that were order.  Yummy!

INVITATIONS

I had outdone myself with the first baby shower invites.  I had to keep up the pace and so I embarked on making a dimensional baby carriage to be mailed out with invite and a dress form that everyone was to decorate and bring with them when they came to the shower.  The pattern for the baby carriage was amazing and found through the Pazzle's website (yes, I have a pazzle that I rarely use, but what a God send for this project).  I had to make enough for my friends, a table sample for me and one for my daughter-in-law's mother, her aunt and her cousin who live in PA and TX respectively.  

I made 14 of theses with my Pazzles

THE CENTER PIECE

For the first baby shower I had made a trike out of diapers and put a super soft Gund Brown Bear on the seat.  It was so cute and a great center piece.  Now what?

First Baby Shower Center Piece

The Back Story to "Baby Joy"

My son's little boy, comes to my home once a week from 7 am until about 5 pm.  Once he was told that he was going to have a baby sister, I found from somewhere in my stach a little doll baby for him to hold and carry. Plus we could talk about him caring for his baby sister when he was at my home.  Somewhere, no one including Ms. Katy at daycare, knows where my grandson came up with the name "baby Joy."  He would put baby Joy down for her nap when he napped.  When we went to see Santa this Christmas, he said we had to take baby Joy with us and he had his photo taken holding baby Joy.

So the center piece for this shower was going to be either a baby carriage or a bassinet (then I didn't have to deal with wheels.  I researched it on YouTube but they were all making little ones that started with a box from children's shoes.  I needed one big enough for "baby Joy" and her pink soft cuddle bear that I had gotten way before any babies were being born because I had never seen a pink bear and pink is my favorite color.

Center Piece in Process

You would think a trike would be so much more difficult to make than a bassinet.  Wrong.  I struggled and struggled making this thing and decorating it.  I finally was happy with my results.  See for yourself.

Finished Project

Once I purchased the onesies and the packaged quilt squares called Fat Quarters I needed help putting the squares with the patterned onesies.  I sought out one of my oldest friends, Alice Turner, who is a quilter extraordinary and found time for me to come by when I was in La Crescenta to help pull this off.  She also went into her reservoir of fabrics  and added to my fabric.  We put them together and when I got home, I packaged them together so my friends didn't have to spend an inordinate amount of time putting together the colors.  They could always switch amongst themselves when working.  While I was at Alice's I actually appliqued a onesie so that I had a fair idea how to proceed.  I provided thimbles, pins and embroidery needles and embroidery floss in every color possible.

One of the onesie packages

Table Set for 8 friends and
my daughter-in-law, son
and daughter

My friends working away

The day of the party, everyone arrived with their dress forms dressed.  I had got this idea from Somerset Holidays & Celebrations 2014 Volume 8 page 10.  It was an article with photos by Connie Fong called Petite Paper Dresses. The samples were just amazing.  So I scanned the pages of examples and including them with the dress form in the invitation.

The first photos at the top show what all my friends created including my daughter-in-law's mom who has never done paper crafts.  I will get a frame for the baby's room with a cork background and mount all theses beautiful treasures.  

Also, while at CHA, Kathie saw Debbie and Shea of A Gilded Life fame and Spellbound.  They gave Kathie one of the personal decorated ballerina's for my party.  Thank you so very much you guys

Magda Cortez came with two plates of the most darling cookies you have every seen.    Darling. Margo Beatty brought homemade Bourdieu Truffles for the table.

Magda's cookie plates of Onesies and
Little Girl Dresses

Mary Mumford brought for everyone darling ribbon necklaces with a pacifier at the end made from two life savors and a jelly bean.

Mary, Kat and Magda wearing Mary's
Pacifiers necklaces.

Three of my friends had been to CHA the week before and Robin Sanchez brought me a large tag made by my current most favorite artist, Dina Wakley from Ranger and addressed to "Sally."  My friends are all so thoughtful.  We all chatted about CHA and what we missed and what they saw.

Georgia Lichon thought of my first born grandson who is almost 3, and brought me a form to make pancakes for him and some masculine little boy rub-on tattoos.  Always thoughtful!

Devising a lace camouflage for Pyrex soup bowls 

After eating and playing two simple games: write down an androgynous name for the baby girl so that when she applies for college or a job, the person looking at the application won't know if it is a boy or a girl, ie Cassey.  The second game was 14 questions about children's books and movies. I asked each question to the group and if they knew the answers they shouted it out.  They were very hard questions but some of my friends knew some of the questions.

Our pool table doing double duty

They also put their names in a cup which my husband drew from and I had a prize for just coming and helping me celebrate the day.  The prize was  Kaari Meng's French General Book, Treasured Notions.  Margo Beaty won the prize.  I also gave them each the cutest "girlie" tweezers I found at our local Rosie's Calico Cupboard Quilt Shop in La Mesa.

Tweezers Gifts for friends in many different color

Georgia

Jackie

Kat

Kathie

Magda

Margo

Mary

Robin

Sample I made.  Missing stems
Will do that this weekend

All together but missing Margo's

I had told all my friends that there was no need to bring presents but some did not listen.  Over the top clothes from Kat Baker and my dear and one one of my oldest friends, Patty Henderson.  Magda Cortez brought a huge box of baby wipes and another huge box of diapers.  And then there was Robin's Sanchez' personally hand crocheted blanket, two hats and a darling little grey jacket. 

Here is the jacket and throw Robin made

SUMMARY

My friend Jackie Baxted summed it all up with this text of what she learned:  

"It was a GREAT day.  I learned Sally knows how to throw a great party.  I (Jackie) can't see.  Margo makes great truffles.  Patty could be the oldest but she doesn't look it :).  Kathy knows where to get the "bling".  Robin, you're looking good.  Kat finished first so she could enjoy watching us all.  Georgia - fun to sit next to cause she always adds her cents.  Mary working silently and expertly, wondering who there crazy ladies are and Magda's beautiful cookies, sewing and she wants Kathy's "bling" :).  It was great that Ernie joined us along with Mother Dad to be and Sally's beautiful daughter.  Boy or girl - baby's name will always be 'Joy' to me."

Patty, one of my oldest and dearest friends
Ernie, my husband and biggest fan

Thank you all for coming to my party and giving me memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.  I am also so glad that my daughter, son and daughter-in-law were able to slip by on their lunch hour and meet my friends and "break bread" together and then hustle back to their jobs.  The baby girl is due any moment and yes, mommy is still working.  Crazy.  She is a trooper and hopefully a "glitter girl."

Made in Terri Brush's Class at
Spellbound - Nov 2013

Oh, and on a final note:  the baby will NOT be named "Joy".  Not even her middle name.  We won't know her name until she is born.  It's a secret.  But, mommy has give me and my grandson permission to call the baby girl "Joy" - but, know that it is not her real name. . .

Baby Joy relaxing in gramma's garden