Posts from — September 2010

We’ve been getting so many beautiful photos of parties in our mailbox these days, and we truly thank all of our creative friends for allowing us to post some of your most incredible work!  Ok, so this particular birthday party immediately caught our eyes, as I personally have never thought a monkey themed party could be this adorable.  But for the super talented Esther from My Bride Story anything is possible!  For her son Grant’s first birthday, Esther created the most charming Curious George-inspired party in only TWO WEEKS!!  The party was not only filled with delightful decorations and details, but was also budget-friendly and had all gifts donating to a charity called “Giving Children Hope.”  Taken place at Olive Studio, a photo studio in Fullerton, CA, Esther thought it would be fun for her guests to take family shots at the studio while celebrating.  For decor, she incorporated bright reds, yellows & blues, and used creative & brilliant ways to save and make it a budget-friendly party whenever possible. Here are some great ideas directly from Esther:

It really wasn’t until 2 weeks before the party that I started renting items and picking things up from here and there. I found a lot of great things on the clearance racks and at Michaels. The studio already had a lot of cute props and furniture so we just re-arranged it a bit and created a casual outdoor party atmosphere under the tree with picnic blankets & throw pillows. We also brought in some of our own furniture as well.

Things I borrowed:
-The lanterns that were hung from the tree were borrowed from my sister.
-Party trays & plates for the dessert bar and the red wagon where we placed our drinks were borrowed from Kristine.
-Kayla’s Kakes, kindly provided the cookie lollipops with mini cupcakes.
-All floral arrangements & wheat grass box were also kindly provided by Jina from T.H.E flower.

Simply, the cutest cupcakes and cupcake toppers ever!

Milk shooters with chocolate chip cookies on top:

I’m so excited to start this week off with today’s post, mainly because this party is the work of the extraordinary Beth of Beth Helmstetter Events – the queen of subtle details & vintage chic elegance!  I’m crazy about Beth’s work and have always been. She’s the mastermind behind so many weddings and the occassional baby shower, so I jump at the chance of posting anything Beth-inspired and baby-related on Ultimately Plush.  So here it is, Beth’s Vintage Cowboy Baby Shower that she put together for a backyard of a home in Kansas City where Beth is originally from. Enjoy!

Beautifully placed pillows over hay bales for seating:

Mason jars for lemonades with “howdy” straws:

Party favors and pashminas to keep the guests warm:

Western style bbq feast with potato salad, cole slaw and baked beans… and for dessert?  Mini homemade pies!  Yum!!

Between my yet-to-be potty-trained two year old, and my four month old, I must throw away at least twelve to fifteen diapers a day. For a mom who’s concerned about the environment and a recycling freak, I feel guilty every time a diaper goes into the trashcan. Then I discovered gDiapers – an environmentally friendly, flushable, no landfill required kinda diaper! Seriously, can you believe it? Btw, did I say flushable? And these gDiapers are biodegradable… yeah, you heard me right – biodegradable!

So this is how these super eco-friendly diapers work: They come in 3 parts – the gPant (cover), the super waterproof snap-in liners, and your choice of either the refill or cloth insert. It may seem like a lot of components compared to the other throwaway diapers, but these gDiapers can’t be any more convenient and easy. The pants, the liners & cloth inserts (if you choose to go with cloth) are all completely washable. The refills are completely biodegradable and plastic-free, so you can flush, compost or even toss. You simply replace the refills (just like changing regular diapers) and reuse the pants and liners until you decide to give them a wash once in a while.

Something else that I love about these diapers? They come in the brightest, cutest colors! They also have a new fall line of colors, from goddess pink, guppy green to gooseberry purple – they’re simply ADORABLE! Seriously, they can’t get any better than this, and it’s totally revolutionary. Diapers have been one of the biggest concerns for environmentalists, but thanks to gDiapers, the world is now a better place!

(gDiapers can be found in Babies R Us, Whole Foods, and select retail shops.)
For more information about gDiapers, visit gDipers.