Pepper Design Blog

Part 1: A {Vintage Nesting} Baby Shower

Last week I had the honor of co-hosting a baby shower for a friend expecting a little boy! Friends and I have spent the past couple of months planning and dreaming up a vintage setting that would fit both mother and baby. (Adorable invites above created by co-host Lauren of L&Co just for the occasion.)

Since the shower was later in the evening, I took advantage of the daylight earlier in the day for a bit of ‘staging’ prior to the big event.

A friend of mine has the perfect backyard for such a rustic, vintage vibe. I adore her outdoor gazebo and used it as the central focus point:

Details include a handmade chandelier, paper flowers, no-sew table runners and napkins (all from fabric remnants), thrift store tea sets and lots and lots of candles!

Every little piece of this baby shower was handmade and I’ll feature tutorials in the coming weeks on how to replicate each of the projects.

Miniature birds nests and Nestle candied eggs became the perfect table setting focus. I found vintage glass bowls to hold centerpieces full of wildflowers (ranunculus, daisies, poms and red hypericum – or coffee beans) to tie in the rustic look.

The dark orange flowers pop against the teal paisley print of the table runners!

Since the shower was an evening festivity, we set up two dessert and coffee tables to serve as the gathering location for delicious treats and hot drinks (more on the crock pot coffee bar tomorrow!).

Friends helped me to stock the dessert buffet full of delicious goodies such as homemade biscotti, key lime bars, cajun brownies, muffins, madeleine cookies and mini ‘birds nest cupcakes’. More pictures to come.

We made round accordion rosettes out of big sheets of handmade paper and hung them at varied heights behind manzanita branches from our local San Diego area. I used this tutorial for diy white cake stands from thrift store finds (more details to come!) and cut apart an old book to help with vintage decor.

We had a wonderful evening full of honoring our mama-to-be, great conversation, a silly shower game and presents!

I’ve been so busy these past two weeks preparing for this shower and I’m so excited to share my hard work with all of you! I hope you enjoyed, and I can’t wait to share Part 2 tomorrow (including a cost breakdown to show how easy and affordable a diy shower can be). Happy Monday!

A Vintage Turquoise & Orange Thanksgiving

This Vintage Tablescape was created by Laurie Cinotto for a beautiful wedding featured on Once Wed and spotlighted on Hostess with the Mostess last year… but I’ve always had it in the back of my mind as the PERFECT Thanksgiving spread.

The color scheme is fantastic — and the delicate vintage feel is perfect for this fall. This tablescape would be easy to recreate with richly patterned fabric remnants, lace scraps and orange berry swags from your local craft store. Matching scrapbooking paper with filigree detail for favor boxes and placemats… as well as an assortment of various china pieces from thrift stores mixed in with your traditional place settings. It’s so lovely!

Homemade boxes filled with your favorite dessert make unique favors. For something simple and personal, cover match boxes in scrapbooking paper, lace and buttons and fill with a short note on why you’re thankful for that person.

Beautiful details: Napkins tied with lace and berries, votives lined in paper, colored tumblers that match your theme and single flower blooms scattered about. Read more »

Fabric of the Day: Dolce by Grand Revival

Today’s Fabric of the Day is actually fabrics of the day because Grand Revival’s new line of chic home-spun patterns is great enough to bundle into one little post… It’s a bit of a teaser though, I must admit, because the Dolce line is actually set to be released in Fall 2009 (we’re there, but not quite there!). BUT you can pre-order at Fat Quarter Shop. I’d love to see a little girl’s room done in a patchwork/hodge-podge of these prints!

Grand Revival was founded by the very creative Tanya (who is an American fabric designer currently residing in Belgium) and is now on it’s fifth collection! Check out her blog too, where she shares the joys of patterns, sewing and living abroad. You can also find more creative uses for her fabrics (bag patterns, table runners and the like) with great close-up pictures posted at the blog.