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Tina has been my closest friend since I was knee-high to a toadstool. Now that she’s pregnant for the first time, she glows with a calm and content smile that makes pregnancy seem like a dream! She was born in Canada but spent much of her growing-up years and early adulthood in the USA. Her husband Lance is a true Californian and a fantastic father-to-be. They both love old world charm, antiques, and historic references. They are fantastic down-to-earth people who enjoy working in the garden, refinishing furniture, knitting, cooking, baking, iced tea on the porch, painting and crafts.

To celebrate the beginning of their journey into parenthood, I wanted to host a special celebration that touched on their values, heritage and personalities. A down-home, vintage shower seemed just right for this couple, so I set to work researching and pulling together colours, patterns, foods and fun that would make the day special and memorable.

The invitation:

Circus, Cowboys and Indians, and old block letters formed the basis of the invitation. The resulting all-text invite felt like it might have been printed on an old letterpress.

Decor notes:

Influenced by the era and charm of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, I assembled a homey mix of gingham, burlap, twine, glass, linen, and lace to set the tone for this charming old-fashioned shower.

Red, White and Brown formed the predominant colour scheme.

A banner made up of linen triangles with a hand-lettered “It’s a Boy!” message spanned the window next to the buffet table.

Pre-garnished Mason jars and glass drink dispensers full of rum punch and iced tea brought a touch of no-fuss class to the table, while big buckets of cherries and kettle corn infused some simple sweetness.

Menu items included mini slider burgers, corn dogs, crudités in french fry boxes, potato salad, coleslaw, and of course, the cake!

To mix it up for the guests, we played Baby Bingo – the squares carried names like Baby Booties and Bottle instead of the standard Bingo numbers. Winners took home door prizes.