So tomorrow kicks off A Week of Sundays! I thought I'd ease into the mommy talk by sharing a baby shower I threw this past spring for Emily and Baby S. When Emily told me she was planning a Winnie The Pooh nursery theme I knew I wanted to take a spin on the idea for her shower. It wasn't long before I decided on a Books & Bees theme. (Be sure to check out my pinterest board for the shower!) I asked each guest to bring a book in leu of a card and the small favor bags had handmade bookmarks in them. In addition to the bookmarks, the favor bags contained little baggies of caramel popcorn and a stick of rock candy. I tried to stick with a sort of yellow-white-brown theme overall, so the contents of the favor bags reflected those colors. And the goodies were super yummy! (I would know since I ate way too much of the leftover caramel popcorn.) Sooo delish!

The decor was simple with a burlap table runner, fresh flowers and Winnie the Pooh accents around the room. I printed a few of the original drawings of Winnie the Pooh (google image search for the win!) and framed them in small wooden frames I found on sale at Michael's for $1 each. They stood next to small vases, also bought for $1 each at Family Dollar, filled with fresh flowers. Simple, easy, and refreshing! (Also super affordable... win/win!)

The cupcakes were done by my amazingly talented friend Jennifer and her daughter Rhiannon at La Bella Torta. The location was a cozy cabin - perfect for the theme - and the day was lovely. I had such a fun time planning and preparing for this shower and it was a joy to throw. Emily was glowing and happy the whole time. It blessed me to see her enjoying herself.

One thing I did that received great feedback from Emily was having guests write notes on newborn diapers. I remembered those first few days of motherhood being cooped up inside and overwhelmed at the thought of having people over, but so badly missing the interaction and activity of normal life. I thought having sweet notes to read from friends during nighttime changes would brighten Emily's world if even for just a minute. I simply bought a package of newborn diapers and set them out with some sharpie markers and a little picture frame with a directional poem. People had a lot of fun with the notes and got pretty creative. Here is what Emily had to say about the activity:

"The diapers from my shower were a huge blessing to me right after we got home from the hospital. It's crazy how isolating it can feel while adjusting to being a mom and taking care of a newborn. The notes, drawings and comments made me smile. I usually saved the diapers for the "middle of the night" changings because I knew those would be the most difficult and often the diaper I grabbed was perfect for that particular moment. Diaper messages reminded me to smile, cherish every moment, and helped me keep things in perspective. The most important thing the diapers reminded me of was that I was not alone. I would recommend this for all of my friends who plan to use disposables! It's such a great idea!"

And here are a few pictures Emily shared as she went through the diapers:

baby shower diaper game

Just in case they are a little tough to read, one says "Isn't it Daddy's turn?" and the other says "Loading..." (A spin on dad's career in technology!) So cute!

Overall, I would say the shower was a great success! Emily received a lot of goodies from her gift registry and we had a great time with her friends! I really enjoyed the process of planning, prepping and throwing the shower and it's just as much fun to relive it here on the blog months later!

Liz & Emily

Venue: The Barrack-Falwell Lodge Cupcakes: La Bella Torta Sandwich wraps: Roly Poly Photo booth: Lynchburg Snapshot Studio Flowers: Bought the day before at Kroger Table runner: Burlap fabric bought at JoAnn's Beehive drink container: TJMaxx

Equipment used for this session: canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.