Hostess with the Mostess™

Bye-bye pastel booties and teddy bears; hello bold prints and vibrant colors for baby-to-be! Today, guest blogger Amy Belle Isle recaps a recent "Baby Gone Wild" baby shower she designed that is nothing short of fabulous!
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Plastic pacifiers, baby-related stickers and creative centerpieces are all you need to turn a little zebra print into a co-ed baby shower suitable for any hip parents-to-be!

The Inspiration: Zebra print. Can you tell? I know…it’s subtle. Zebra got even wilder with the addition of the fabulously fun colors in the “Rings” pattern platters and napkins from French Bull.

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It can be difficult to pull of a hip & modern version of an animated character. Usually you’re limited to pre-made paper party supplies, but both of these ladies did a great job at creating Elmo-themed parties for little ones that are both age-appropriate, but packed with some serious style!

First up is a super-cute Elmo party from Jenn of justJENN designs :

Seriously, how adorable and creative are these cupcakes?! Click here for step-by-step details on how to recreate them, and for more details on the entire party, including an impressive soft-serve ice-cream bar, check out the post on Jenn’s blog or her flickr gallery .

Next is this adorable "Elmo Chic " birthday party that Courtney of Nesting-Instincts threw for her daughter’s 3rd birthday:

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I recently stumbled upon a photo gallery of some super contemporary baby & bridal showers , and immediately had to find out who was behind all this creativity… Turns out the hostess behind it all is Amy Belle Isle from St Louis, Missouri - and from what I’ve gathered from her emails so far - she’s just as much fun as the parties she throws!

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I designed a baby shower for some friends a few months that was particularly special because of the circumstances… The couple had been trying to get pregnant for several years without success, so when it finally happened for them and they found out a little girl was on the way - mom-to-be described the feeling as somewhat "magical ".

She wanted the shower to reflect that kind of feeling - so I came up with this "Whimsical Garden " theme that incorporates all sorts of girlie things like butterflies, rhinestones, metallic vases, and glittery details - as well as unusual organics like oversize moss balls, snapdragons, mini orchids, and stargazer lilies. For details on how to recreate this theme, read on…

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Joanna Dyckhoff sent over pictures of a modern co-ed bridal shower she recently hosted - and I have one word to describe it - "Wow"! Everything was super contemporary and perfectly coordinated, from the hand-made invitations to the flower centerpieces, party favors…even the room decor! Check out how creative these invitations are that Joanna designed and created…

The invitation consisted of a printed vellum overlay which opened to a irridescent invite backed with chocolate colored cardstock and wrapped in wavy wire. Vellum, paper and cardstock from Paper Zone .

Now, on to the amazing floral arrangements & party decór…

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My friend Anasuya recently threw a super cute – and very hip – baby shower for a friend at a restaurant in LA. My favorite thing about this shower is the use of hot pink as the key color - a fresh take on the traditional baby pink palette.

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When the first "Real-Life Parties" post went up a few weeks ago, HWTM reader Karen wrote in with a tip about an awesome bridal shower she just saw that "could be your next "Real-Life" party!" Well, Karen - you were right! I knew it the second I laid eyes on the amazing pictures from photographer Jennifer Skog ’s gorgeous bridal shower . First I had to make sure I was actually looking at pictures of a bridal shower and not a wedding reception - but lo and behold it was a shower - and it looks like Jennifer just has some VERY talented loved ones! Want some proof? Just check out these pics!

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This past Thursday, Joely Fisher hosted the official book release celebration for Rock Star Momma - a brand new pregnancy fashion and beauty guide by maternity/kids fashion designer and author Skye Hoppus . The party was held at The Treehouse Social Club in L.A. – a very fitting location seeing as it caters to hip moms and kids! Treehouse closed to the public at 3:30 and the event started at 5:30 - so getting the entire party put together in a 2-hour timeframe was more than a little nerve-wracking! Especially since our tasks within that timeframe included moving furniture, removing a chandelier from the ceiling, setting up lighting, and clearing off tons of merchandise from the store shelves! Talk about a workout… But I’m happy to say that in the end, just like Rock Star Momma - the party went over very well! Here’s a little recap just for you…

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This beautiful "Pink" bridal shower was thrown by hip hostess Margaret Lee of the greengelato blog. Margaret did a great job on this pink-themed outdoor brunch, which - among other things - featured lots of tissue pomanders, gorgeous bunches of roses in varying shades of pink, an amazing food display complete with little marker flags, pink drinks, and adorable polka-dotted japanese sugar cups!

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My good friend Jen is getting married June 9! Here are a few snapshots from the bridal shower I co-hosted this weekend. Jen got engaged at the Eiffel Tower and LOVES modern style, so we did a Modern Parisian theme with fluffy feathers, scroll patterns, and a color palette of pink, black & white.

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