Amy is back with a recap of the fabulous – and inspiring – “Boxes in Bloom” event thrown by the generous team behind Operation Shower. Read on for her full recap… plus some great party planning tips that are both stylish AND eco-friendly!

Operation Shower: Mission Boxes In Bloom Accomplished (In Eco-Chic Style)
{Event Recap by Amy Belle Isle}

I am so excited to bring you a recap of the recent success that Operation Shower and Cloud B had with our “Boxes in Bloom” Mother’s Day Showers at Ft. Hood and Scott AFB.  Between the attendees and the boxes we sent to moms who could not make it, we honored 65 women and families with amazing gifts for the new little ones. Just look at some of the wonderful donations from our sponsors!  We at Operation Shower cannot thank them enough for their contributions.

Our goal this year was to not only throw great events but to make them as Eco-Friendly as possible. It’s really easier (and cuter) than you might think! (Go here for more ideas on throwing an Eco-Friendly party.)

All of the boxes and gift wrap are made of recycled materials. Nashville Wraps so generously donated recycled wrap and tissue that we used to make our boxes more special, and we used the whimsical Whimsy Press gift wrap for our centerpieces. Not only did they liven up the table, but they also contained raffle prizes and helped ensure everything we did had a dual-purpose. Don’t forget to recycle the little amount of recycled paper you do use!

Some lucky moms also got the adorable teddy bears as their prize. Those cute little flower placecard holders from a Favor Affair? Well, those went home with the moms to be used to hold photos of their new babies. IKEA bud vases? Yep, those were favors, too. Flowers? You got it, those were given as thank you gifts to our helpers from each Base.  Finally, the cards are from the Arbor Foundation as we planted a tree in honor of each baby.

We also were able to not only make the moms feel like they were Queen(s) For A Day by using real dishes and linens instead of paper, but we were able to help avoid paper waste. Thanks to Aramark for donating the items for Ft. Hood and thanks to Kim at Head of the Table for making our Scott AFB have a great punch of color with your donation of fun coral and white dishes and stemware.  But there is no coral in the gift wrap…. No problem! Just remember you can always incorporate your accent color in your flowers or other decorative elements to tie it all together. The punch of coral roses and alstromeria really made these florals fun to create!

What makes a great party even better? Great food! Thanks to Let Us Do The Cooking and Works of Art Cakes for providing food and cake for Ft. Hood and Hollyberry Catering and Jennifer’s Pharmacy for donating deliciousness to Scott AFB. One word: YUM.

While every party doesn’t have the luxury of having a professional photographer, we were spoiled enough to have two: Angela Breckenridge and Julie Enstall.  If you have a special event coming up in either of these areas, I recommend checking them out! These ladies not only spent their Saturday donating their talents but also provided each mom with very special portrait donation offers. We are so grateful to each of you for helping us capture these events on film.

Thank you, Jenn, for letting me share our event with all of your readers and I hope you all will not only check out Operation Shower but also be able to use some of these ideas for your next Eco-chic party.

Blessings and a safe return home to all of our deployed soldiers,
Amy

P.S. Be sure and check out the Operation Shower website to links to all of our sponsors. Those of you with kids are gonna want these products for yourself! Trust me.