Remember the way-too-much-fun “MILKaholic Baby Shower” we featured earlier this year? Well, the creative genius behind that shower – Carrie of Half Baked – is back with another adorable, polka-dot filled baby shower that she recently threw for her sister… this time with an “Elephants on Parade” theme!

Carrie’s bold & modern signature style really shines through again here… and I especially love how she once again managed to make BLACK work so well for a baby shower, while still keeping the overall feel of the party adorable and SWEET (in more ways than one!).

Read on for lots more playful images + all the creative details…

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Carrie…

“My family and I recently hosted a baby shower for my sister, Ashley, in honor of her first baby girl.  It was a fun collaboration of efforts between four of us, all living in different cities.  Planning everything from afar can be tricky but with countless phone calls, emails and photos exchanged, we somehow managed to pull it off.  Best of all, we were thrilled to celebrate Ashley and welcome Baby Bray with this Elephants on Parade Baby Shower.

THE PARTY THEME

After much discussion, we decided to base the theme on the baby bedding for the nursery.  It’s a fun and vibrant combination of elephants and polka dots.  We wanted the shower to be inspired by the nursery but with our own modern twist.  The color scheme was black and white with pops of pink.  We incorporated numerous different patterns with big dots, little swiss dots and stripes.  And of course – oodles of elephants!!

THE INVITATION

I designed the invitation and let it set the tone for the party decor.  Preppy and modern yet inspired by the nursery.  The elephants, with their long trunks and polka dot ears, are my rendition of the elephant on the crib bedding.  The back of the invite featured black and white polka dots with a pink stripe reading ‘Welcome Baby Bray’.  (My sister kept the baby’s first name a secret until she was born… sweet baby Addison arrived in July!) Custom address labels mimicked the back of the invite and gave guests their first peek at the fun to come!

THE DECOR

Guest arrived to a front porch lined with black, white and pink flag bunting and a welcome sign featuring the whimsical black elephants.  Little did they know, but those black elephants were on parade inside the house!  From the desserts to the presents and games, elephants everywhere!  My older sister, Jennifer, crafted a coordinating diaper cake which created a playful centerpiece for the living room along with much discussion about it’s fabulousness!  Additional flag bunting wrapped the front table where guests dropped off their gifts while signing the baby book and grabbing a matching name tag.  A plush toy elephant and soft blocks, custom made by Little Sidekick in funky black and white fabrics, added an extra touch of decor and a gift for the baby to keep!

THE DESSERT TABLE

We wanted to provide an array of miniature desserts so that guests could sample several different items.  And besides, ladies are more inclined to have a treat or two (or three or four) when the portions are small!  Cupcakes were topped with charming fondant toppers by Brittany at Edible Details who recreated our elephant and polka dots perfectly!  Custom sugar cookies were created by The Cookie Jar to also match the theme.  To help balance the sugar rush, we served up portions of mixed nuts and white cheddar popcorn in paper cones.  (Baby Addison’s grandfather even got into the shower spirit and custom made the stands for the popcorn cones.  Like I said, this was a team planning event!)  Of course, I designed the cake with it’s sassy cupcake liner flower.  Additional desserts included meringue cookies, cream puffs, mint truffles and cheesecake shooters (recipe here). Lime Tea Punch and lemon water was served to wash it all down.

THE ACTIVITIES

After splurging on way too many goodies, everyone enjoyed a challenging Baby Name Game.  Guests were also asked to write sentimental ‘Well Wishes’ on keepsake cards.  Of course the main event was ooh and awing over baby clothes and gifts… and enjoying the excitement of a new baby on the way!

THE FAVORS

Guests were given a small box filled with ‘Sweet Kisses’.  Hershey Kisses with patterned labels inside a white box wrapped with coordinating paper and elephant tags.

Everyone had a lovely time celebrating with Ashley and indulging in some sweets.  A huge thank you to Jennifer, Sheila and Sunny for all of their help putting this shower together.  We could not be more thrilled for Ashley and her husband Dustin!   We were honored to welcome their daughter Addison into this world!”