am *finally* getting around to blogging about some of the beautiful things I saw at the Renegade Craft Fair last month. We have been flat out crazed the past month finishing up our new Old MacDonald iPhone app for kids and that’s my excuse (or at least that’s what I am going with anyway).

So, back to the Renegade Craft Fair — it was a great turn out this year with loads of beautiful stuff and more vendors than ever. I bought lots of lovely little items — a knitted neck cozy with pom poms (an item that I felt I would surely whither up and die if I did not own) and a butterfly necklace (which I am wearing as I type this entry). There was a lot of great stuff for little ones, but one of my favs was the Dee&Lala letterpress wall art for nurseries. The illustration is fresh and modern and she has lots of different designs (more than what is on her site).

She also has some lovely letterpressed clocks for sale.

Happy Friday!

Nicci

wo years ago when my closest friend was pregnant with her daughter, another friend and I decided to host her baby shower. It is a recognized fact among all my friends that I am kind of a stickler for details and I don’t really know how to do anything half way (I once spend 4 hours sorting mini colored gobstobbers for an Alice in Wonderland launch party because I didn’t like the way the red and yellow gobstobbers looked with the blue and green). Luckily, my co-host, not only loves good design, but was also endowed with an incredible amount of patience.

We met early on to lay down the ground rules – no cheezy games, no pink and blue baby stuff — we wanted Cheryl’s baby shower to be modern and hip. We were inspired by a recent article in Blueprint Magazine and decided that the theme of the shower would be Modern Tea. We made small finger sandwiches, shopped at thrift stores for mismatched tea cups and spend a few hilarious nights over bottles of wine making tissue paper pom poms and folding origami cranes which we suspended from the ceiling in my living room. All in all, the shower was a success and it is an event I look back on fondly for two girls (my friend and her daughter) that I really love.

INSPIRATION

Modern Baby Shower article in Blueprint Magazine
There are lots of great ideas here. We actually made a version of the mobile to hang over the table.

Beautiful source of inspiration from Thoughtful Day

Luscious Lemon Baby Shower Invites — gorgeous and creative! Via Design Mom

There is lots of beautiful inspiration to be had by theme on Martha Stewart. I particularly like the French Country theme.

La Tartine Gourmande
I love, love, LOVE this site by foodie and photographer Bea. Every time I throw a dinner party, I find a way to work in at least one of her recipes.

For Cheryl’s baby shower we made the Chocolate cupcakes with Lavender Chantilly (I made mini versions with raspberries instead of strawberries on the chantilly) and the Raspberry and Black Sesame Tuiles to complement some of our tea selections (be aware that these need to be made the day of the event or they become soft).

Chicago-based Cake Girls makes the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen. I noticed them several years ago when they started making these purse-shaped architectural cakes (amazing). They now have a line of cakes specifically for Baby showers.

In keeping with our theme, we bought our cake from the famed Miette Bakery in San Francisco, which makes beautiful and heavenly cakes.

We found an incredible selection of tea sandwiches on epicurious. For other great places to find creative recipes check Fresh365 and Dana Treat.

We purchased most of the papers for the pompoms, invites, mobiles and other items at PaperSource

Cool wine glass lamp shades by Charles + Marie add ambiance to any table.

Pom poms are easy to make with a little tissue paper and enough time. You can find pretty good instructions on Martha Stewart’s website or if you don’t trust you cutting skills you can buy a kit on Etsy.

A few beautiful baby shower invites from TinyPrints

Minted.com has such beautiful invites that I had trouble picking which ones to feature

I adore the modern design of these baby shower games by Cluster Design.

here is just something about letterpress — maybe it is the feel of the paper, maybe it is that it is a throwback to an earlier time, but I just can’t resist it. When my husband and I were planning our wedding, I insisted on having my invites letterpressed. I had a very specific style in mind based on the design of my dress which was custom design by Sue Hanley of Atelier des Modiste in San Francisco. I couldn’t find any wedding invites out there that matched the style I had in mind, so I designed my own and hired a friend to letterpress them at the San Francisco book arts center.

I recently discovered Smock paper by way of my friend Susan at Tiny prints. Based in Syracuse, New York, Smock’s pieces are all sustainably printed on specially developed bamboo paper and the result is pure gorgeous.

I adore the design of this letterpress lion birthday card

lion birthday card for kids, sustainably printed

Letterpress for social occasions