Anika & Ava’s Wonderland – A Big Sister Shower and Baby Shower

IT ALL STARTED WITH AN IDEA…

It all started with an idea one of my husband’s students had.  Angela and I had a conversation about Anika becoming a big sister to our second girl, who we plan to name Ava and who I will give birth to any day now.  Angela suggested we should throw a Big Sister Shower to prep her for her role and so she won’t feel left out in the all the attention Ava is getting.  My husband and I loved the idea so I immediately started to brainstorm cute party themes.  My daughter is very fond of playing with her tea set at home so I decided on a “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Theme”.  Since I didn’t want the Disney version, I decided it would be a great opportunity for me to design something I have never done before…VINTAGE.  I figured the Lewis Carroll version of Alice in Wonderland (or what I like to call it…the old-school version) was the perfect Wonderland I wanted to create for Anika and Ava.  It was the perfect “vintage” theme!  I incorporated the whimsical, colorful, and vintage feel that Lewis Carroll’s version had.  From the invitations to the milk glass containers everything shouted “vintage-chic”.  We chose a perfect venue to hold a party.  A beautiful park with a pretty lake and where ducks roamed around freely in Chino Hills rightfully called “English Springs Park”.  It can’t get any perfect than that!  Special thanks to my husband, Jessica, Florence, and my sister.  The party wouldn’t be a success without your help!  The most important thing is that our daughter enjoyed herself!  After all…we created this for our daughters!  Enjoy the pictures!

I searched long and hard for the perfect designer for the invitations (please see “TIP” below).  I finally found the designer through my favorite website, Etsy.  Lindsey Ryan Designs had the perfect whimsical and vintage style I was looking for.

TIP:  Whether you’re planning a wedding or shower everything starts with the invitation.  It lets your guests know what to expect and it gives them a sense of what type of party it is.  Make sure that consistency with theme, colors, fonts, and style is carried out throughout the entire event including the details.

The delicious dessert bar!  My husband sewn pink table clothes and white lace runners and made pink/white stripe curtains to frame the gazebo and the view overlooking the lake.

The curtains were made of crepe streamers.  It took countless hours to sew each layer and give a ruffled texture, but the end result was fabulous!  I got the inspiration from here.  The circle banner was a DIY project.  The printable template was from here.

 I was in search of shabby chic-looking chandeliers at a reasonable price.  I found them on Amazon!  Anika was more than pleased!!!

Cheesecake Pops were homemade (and a HUGE HIT!) by intern, Jessica, and I.

Since I never done a vintage-glam party before I knew it was important that every element couldn’t be overlooked.  After all it’s ALL IN THE DETAILS!!!  I scored vintage cake platters from Home Goods.  I also scored some vintage frames and milk glass vases and compotes from an Event Designers Swapmeet. 

Mini red velvet cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes called Cloud 9 from Dolcissimo Cupcakes in Chino Hills.  The "Eat Me" cupcake flags was another DIY project my daughter, Anika, and I did together.  Each flag was topped with a blue crystal.

Cream puffs (to the left) and my ultimate FAVORITE dessert...French Almond Macarons!  We brought Anika with us to Layer Cake Bakery in Irvine for a tasting to see which ones she liked best.  She chose caramel, lemon, and strawberry macarons.  They were a HUGE HIT as well!!!

My intern, Jessica, and I made S'mores Pops for party favors.

I made these DIY pretty favor tags.  Cute huh?

I also made the "Drink Me" straw flags and attached them to each vintage soda pop blue/white striped straws.