DIY Chalkboard Bridal Shower

I wanted to share with you a recent bridal shower that I was involved in hosting that we took an interesting twist on...we had it at a CUPCAKE SHOPPE! This was pretty much a hands on DIY effort which I loved.

A little back story...my beautiful, smart (no really, she is I am just not saying this) and talented cousin is marrying her sweetie in what-will-be an awesome Texas country wedding. My sister-in-law, my mom and I set out to host a shower for her back in good ol' MO where both of her parents are from and their families live. We were fortunate that we were able to find a location that was 1) close to my Grandma's where she would be staying and 2) located between all of the attendees in a start-up bakery called Sweet Wishes Cakery.

We went with a chalkboard/vintage theme. 1) because it fits her wedding theme and 2) well because we all really liked it and well isn't it all about what the hostess want? Kidding...well kind of.

Because of the location site it made our lives a little easier because we didn't have to bake, Sweet Wishes took care of all of the baking including three different kinds of cupcakes - Red Velvet, Carrot and Chocolate and we asked her to dip Oreos in chocolate and put them on a stick. First of all the food was awesome. We felt like we needed to add some fruit to the mix to balance it out and my mom is famous for her party mix so she made a double batch of that we served in giant glass canisters. I will include the recipe for the lemonade at the bottom the post because it was AMAZING. My sister-in-law got it from a teacher friend of hers.

I am probably most excited about the decorations starting with the serving vessels which were just 1-2 inch slices out of a tree trunk my dad made for mom's Christmas table and the Oreo Pop log which dad also found/made (that dad of mine is pretty crafty). Then we used a glass serving platter my mom had and my $20 Sam's Club acrylic drink dispenser. I always like to frame the invitation in a nice frame that fit the shower theme. We used mason jars and old glass bottles (milk and Crown Royal) painted with chalkboard paint that we added designs to from the invitation using a seamstress chalk pencil (so much more accurate than a real piece of chalk) for flower vases and we just used a variety of wild flowers in green, yellow and pink. The centerpiece of the gift table was a custom piece using the bride's future last name that we created by adding chalkboard paint to the tree circles and chalking a giant M on it. Then we gave it to her as a memento for the event. We purchased the tablecloths off Amazon and the fabric was just scraps we found at Hobby Lobby. The square plates came from Party City, the napkins came from Target and the silverware and cups I had from other showers. Other items on the table including the wooden crate (Michael's Arts and Crafts), cake plate (I picked up at Wal-Mart after Christmas for $2 5-6 years ago) and the cupcake tree (a gift from a friend) I already had in my house. It is amazing what you can find around your house to use to decorate or serve foods.

Small buttermilk glass jug with chalkboard paint, frame from Michael's Arts and Crafts.

 

Custom Oreo pop display, log with some drilled holes. (You can also see the cute party mix in the background, glass canisters from Wal-Mart)

 

Gift table...LOVE this! Custom M with a plate/picture stand from Michael's Arts and Crafts. Glass milk bottle (Shatto for those of you around the Kansas City area) with chalkboard paint and a design off the invitation on the bottle. They are both on top of a boot box covered in craft paper.

To top all of this off my sister-in-law is great with games and she came up with 3 fantastic games that really kicked the party off. 1) How well do you know the bride questions? Our prize was the framed shower invitation. 2) Celebrity couples game, matching the celebrity couple. Our prize was a People Style Watch Magazine and glitzy ink pen. 3) Newlywed game asking her the same questions we asked him with her having to add a piece of bubble gum to her mouth for every wrong answer.

Sparkling Shower Lemonade
This is a per batch recipe, we made 2 batches to fill the container on this picture. You could also add some Vodka or other alcohol if you wish.
Juice of 10 lemons
Juice of 4 limes
1 cup sugar
1 bottle 7-UP

Combine the juices and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add 7-UP just before serving and stir well.