Monday, April 2, 2012

Celebration Vault: Having a BALL!

Continuing our series, I've pulled another baby shower from the Island's Celebration Vault for your enjoyment!

Eddy and Gaby's ALL STAR Shower

My dear friend, Gabriela...  Where do I begin? We met at work and she quickly became one of my close close friends.  I could go on and on about my Gaby - she's caring and thoughtful and loving and MAN, can she throw a party! She is THAT friend who opens the doors of her home for those that she loves without hesitation.  She has been a huge blessing to me... and my belly (ceviche, HELLOOOOoOOOo)! 

She even thought enough of us to take us to Costa Rica where we met her beautiful family. What a fabulous group of people they are.  The trip was AMAZING!  Fun, family, games, hugs, kisses, dance lessons and a sweaty Hubbs playing soccer(in basketball shoes, lol)... It was a recipe for a great time! 



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Gaby had no plans to have a baby... God, however, had another plan and I was SO excited when our "other" family was expecting; we just love them to pieces!

I was there for everything (daily belly rubs and hugs); it was an amazing experience (partly because she only bought like 2 maternity outfits and I was in SHOCK by that, lol)...

We registered together:


Yes, I was registering for a CUTE pregnant lady with my Target "gun" *BEEP*

Of course Gaby had a fabulous shower in Costa Rica with family but we wanted baby Gadiel to know how much his U.S. family loved him too.  Mommy- and daddy-to-be chose a soccer and basketball theme and we had a BALL!

Concession Stand
I turned the basement bar into a concession stand. It made for a fun spot to pick up refreshments.



  It's a cell phone pic and not the best quality BUT can you see the framed letter G hanging up there?



I cut cardstock to fit and glued a wooden 'G' on top.  The basketball and soccer ball in the corners are stickers... O and I hot glued ribbon to the back for hanging.  Easy and FAB!

Guest Book

I had my fabulous friend, Suz, design the artwork.  I really love when shower decor can double as nursery decor... I bought a frame and had guests sign the mat. It's hanging in his cute room now!


G is for Gadiel (baby's name)!


Favors


Pictured above, you can see the basketball mint dispensers and soccer stress balls for each guest to take. I got the wagon from the thrift store and simply adhered the "basketball" sticker to its side to tie in with the theme...

Entryway

Because the shower was in the basement, we needed to guide guests downstairs... I hung poms and lanterns from the ceiling...

...I also ordered a custom vinyl sticker and placed it on the mirror in the hallway (pictured below).  You can see in the mirror's reflection where we used basketball and soccer cutouts to decorate the hallway walls...

The Cake

That SAME sticker set came with S-C-O-R-E individual pennant-shaped stickers.  I took craft sticks, yarn and glue to create the perfect EASY topper!




You know my water bottle labels (scrap book paper and stickers were easy and budget-friendly) and you can see (below) how I used leftover cardstock and stickers to create little game signs...



I even used a fork to create these mini poms (tutorial coming soon):



Speaking of adorable yumminess, these basketball cookies (by Chef Joy) and cupcakes (made by Suz) were a huge HIT!



Other Decor Elements

 Did you see that wooden teddy bear hanging behind the cake? 

It's from Costa Rica and o-so special... I was so glad to use the gifts from family to add special decor elements to the space.  We used his sneaker piggy bank as the table centerpiece, his Costa Rican sandals as a centerpiece and THAT was just the beginning: 

That center wreath holds a personalized hat from the Costa Rican shower.

Games

This was a co-ed shower which made for the PERFECT opportunity to have a Battle of the Sexes!  I was the referee (complete with a ref-inspired outfit) and gave the winner of each game points for their respective "team."  It's like we're programmed to prove which sex is the best so you know it got extra competitive!



Game 1: Each guest received a basketball whistle for the "Don't Say Baby" game.  People were stealing whistles left and right, lol. The person with the most by the end of the shower won!

Game 2: "Make a Baby."  At the sound of my whistle, you turn a plate over, place it on your head and have 20 seconds to draw a picture of a baby(while it's on top of your head).  Mom- and dad-to-be are the judges for the best looking baby.

Game 3: Dancin' Dilemma.  Mama-to-be must attend her best friend's birthday with the girls. I split everyone in teams and had them come up with a dance appropriate for a pregnant woman to do on a night out... The routines were hilarious!  I then turned the game on Gaby and had HER do a dance for the group for a prize (in this case it was a laundry basket FULL of baby stuff)!  Gaby and Eddy are wonderful dancers and performed a fabulous salsa dance for guests!

Game 4: Sippin' Silliness...  5 guys got a bottle of an adult beverage and had to (WITHOUT their hands) drink it all.  Some got creative and, if you can imagine a big guy grabbing the nearest person (another guy) and holding him (like a baby) to support the bottle without using his hands... It was hilarious!

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All in all, it was a fabulous day... Everyone had a blast.  The shower was scheduled for 2 hours and wound up going into the night... We turned the music on and kept it grooving... I left at 10PM and the second set of guests were just arriving, lol!

It's always nice to throw fun parties for fun people!

The best part is that Baby Gadiel got everything he needed... Look at how perfect he is... I'd give him the world if I could!




I can't look at his yummy cheeks and handsome face without smiling... When I see him, mandatory smelling and kissing must take place for no LESS than 5 minutes without interruption. I mean, I have to enjoy this amazing little miracle from God, right? :)

I hope you enjoy the ideas... Feel free to share your ideas in the comments; I LOVE comments :)
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