Stevi's Little Cupcake {Baby Shower}

I feel honored that I was able to throw a shower for a former student. She was part of my first 8th grade class and is now all grown up and entering the world of motherhood. She chose a cupcake theme for her little Oaklie's nursery and I followed suit in preparing for her shower. Her color scheme was inspired by an adorable cupcake blanket made by her grandma: teal, pink and brown. I couldn't believe how many ideas revolve around a cupcake party. I hope Stevi enjoyed her cupcake party.

I used Punchbowl to send out virtual invites (which were ADORABLE).

Punchbowl invites.

Homemade "snail mail" invites. I owe Terri (Stevi's grandma) and Stevi a big thank you for helping me put these together!

Approximately 30 people showed up, which was good considering we had over 100 cupcakes on our overflowing cupcake and ice cream bar. (Terri amazed me by making 94 cupcakes before 10 am on Saturday morning! I was impressed. It took me all night to make 30 more... .


Before food...



After food.

All the goodies to top off your cupcake.

There were pink lemonade cupcakes, confetti cupcakes, strawberry, vanilla, and strawberry too!

Psssst.... I'll tell you a little secret... the cupcake stands were just wrapped boxes and vases topped with plates. But. THEY. WERE. SWEET.

The cupcake kabobs made of sugar wafers, marshmallows, rice krispies, and mini cupcakes.

There were even bright pink gift bags and I encouraged ladies to take home as many as they so desired! I didn't have many left over, thank goodness.

The decor was perfect because I didn't do a lot of it. :) I struggled with the caulk that was supposed to serve as fake frosting on these cute mason jar cupcakes, so I had to call a friend. Mine turned into one of those "failed Pinterest ideas".

My first attempt...

It was terrible. Thinking it was just because of my inexperience with a caulking gun, I scraped it off and tried again...

At this point I was hysterically laughing. I'm not sure if it was because it was so funny, or because I was losing it.

I tried smoothing it out and adding sparkles, sparkles fix everything, right? Wrong!

I was told it looks like a santa hat.

I had to call a friend. Her's turned out adorable. THANK YOU LORI!

They were filled with personalized "It's a Girl!" M&M's. They were a perfect center piece and excellent favors to take home.

The banner hanging on the fireplace says, "Sprinkled with Love" and although it's hard to read and see on the picture, the doiles made it so cute.

The guest table was adorned with the cupcake liner flowers, a "Daddy's Cupcake" onsie, and the cupcake frames I made her to take home for her nursery.

The guest book was simply writing addresses on an envelope. That way Stevi wasn't playing a guessing game with who brought her what. There were many women from our church that blessed Stevi with gifts even though they didn't know her. I have an amazing church family! I hope Stevi felt welcome in it!

The frames I made her.

On the left is a vase full of cupcake liners and the guests were encouraged to guess the number for the prize. Ironically, the mommy-to-be guessed the number EXACTLY.
The cupcake banner that didn't turn out how I had planned. I was super bummed because I originally wanted to hang this from the food table, however, when we pulled the yarn through the poof balls, they began falling apart. So we displayed them seperately. I went ahead and gave them to Stevi, but it was the one piece I was most excited about giving her and super bummed about the outcome. Oh well. There are more important things than decor, like our church family and devotions.

Enough about the fufu decor and food. Although it's what gave the first impression of a shower, it's not what made it successful. First of all, I mentioned before how amazing my church family is, but I have to brag on these people for a bit. Immediately after church everyone gets together and sets up tables, chairs, table cloths, table runners, &etc. What should take me an hour or so, literally takes me 20 minutes or less. During the shower, the women forgo filling their plate to help serve punch, fill ice cream bowls, and make sure the frosting stayed full. After the shower, women were wiping tables, putting tables and chairs away, doing the dishes, and packing the boxes for me. I have yet to wash a dish I DIRTIED. Every time I throw a shower I'm amazed at this group of people and their willingness to serve others, which is exactly what Christianity is all about. Not only that, but the women who never knew Stevi before Sunday filled gift bags with items from her registry out of the kindness of their hearts. They didn't have to, but they gave joyfully knowing that Stevi would walk away prepared for the arrival of her baby.

I feel extremely blessed. I hope Stevi felt that way too.

I also hope the women who attended walked away feeling refreshed after an amazing afternoon playing games, gorging on cupcakes, ooooo-ing and awwwwww-ing over all the cute baby clothes, and hearing a beautiful children's story called, "I Couldn't Love You More" by Jason Ingram. (I always read a children's story. I'm a reading teacher, duh!) It tied right into the devotions where I talked about how the love Stevi feels for her little cupcake is only a fraction of the unconditional, steadfast, unwavering love God has for His children. Even though (like our own children) we screw up on a daily basis, that love never changes. The gospel message is similar to your child being convicted of a crime and the judge looks at you (mom) and says you can take the sentence on behalf of your child. Most mom's wouldn't hesitate because we would give our life for our child. Jesus did that on the cross! We deserve that death and He took it for us! Parents have a glimpse into that kind of love once they have a child of their own and Stevi is beginning to understand that. Stevi has loved that child even before she knew she was expecting! I hope the gospel message came alive for those mommies in that room, who can relate to that kind of love.

Even though we're all liars, gossips, judgmental little cupcakes (Romans 3:23), and deserve an eternity in hell (Romans 6:23), God died for us even though He KNEW WE WERE SINNERS (Romans 5:5), so although we are imperfect humans we are made holy and blameless through Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. That was our deserved death and He took it on our behalf and can now be in the infinitely holy presence of God. How? "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 That's it.

That is one sweet love story.

And so is the one of Stevi and her little cupcake, Oaklie.

Her sister made her a cute little blanket and painted a cupcake piggy bank for her, both were abolutely adorable. Her little sisters gift was the one earning the most ooooo's and awwwww's especially because it included this adorable poem Mikey included...

I couldn't have done it without the help of Terri, Lori, Kelleigh, the Deb's, Jessica, and the many men and women who stayed after church to help set up. THANK you!