Spring is in the air, flowers are in bloom, and new life is eagerly anticipated! This month my office hosted a surprise baby shower for one of my colleagues who is expecting her first child. Using elements of design to match the décor of her planned nursery, we focused on the theme of geometric animals in various shades of blue.
I was responsible for floral arrangements, so I ordered flowers from Fabulous Florals and had them shipped to my house. The company specializes in bulk flower sales, which is very beneficial to the non-trade public who may not have a wholesale license or live within close proximity to a flower market. The prices are understandably a bit higher than in-person flower market shopping, but the convenience of having them delivered to my home rather than making the trip into downtown Los Angeles was well worth the extra cost. The online ordering process was easy, the flowers arrived on-time, were well-packed for shipping and were received in excellent condition.
The table centerpiece arrangements were assembled using the onyx Oasis Essentials square design bowl, which I purchased through Marshall Floral Products. I used stocks of blue delphinium and white dendrobium orchids to establish the center height, and white mums and carnations to anchor the base. For foliage I used Dusty Miller, and some greens from my own garden including rosemary, vinca leaves and pittosporum.
For the cake table arrangements, I used some great geometric-shaped vases. These were all 3-D printed handcrafted designs from two Etsy shops. The black faceted vase was made by Honey and Ivy, while the three-vase collection was made by Sturgeon Designs. This was the first time I had used 3-D printed vases, so to be sure they would not leak, I left some water in them overnight. They all did just fine.
The hexagon-shaped cookies were made by one of my colleagues. She used a baking stencil and airbrush to apply the animal designs.
A second colleague assembled pyramid décor shapes, painted blue and yellow hexagon wall plaques, stitched a needlework design of geometric animals, and purchased a faceted elephant bank, to decorate the gift table.
The cake was a custom design from Jeseca Creations, and a true work of art! Not only did it look fabulous, but it was tasty as well, with layers of chocolate/raspberry, and Meyer lemon. The cake was a big hit, and we had several guests asking for seconds!
Our “mom-to-be” was very surprised and overwhelmed with everything. She loved it all! We were happy to host this little party for her, and were glad that the design elements came together so nicely for this event. Using geometric animals as a theme was unique, and a first for me! It was a fun project to work on and I hope it will give you some great ideas for your own future party plans!
On the journey toward Home,
Lynn
