My dear friend, Julie, is adopting a sweet little girl from China. In fact she and her husband are on an airplane headed to China RIGHT NOW!! It is a day that has been much anticipated and prayed for. So exciting!!!
A few weeks ago Julie’s mom, mother-in-law, and sister hosted an adoption shower for her. They asked me to help with the invitation and decorations. Yay…that’s my favorite part of a party! I was inspired by Emily’s shower and told Heather that I was thinking globes and paper airplanes and she came up with this gorgeous invitation. Love it!
I used the pink and turquoise from the invitations and lots of globes and paper airplanes.
There were lots of paper airplanes…in three shades of pink. Some were on sticks in mason jars and some were hanging on the entryway into the dining room. I actually had to google how to make a paper airplane and then have Joel show me because it had been so long.
There were vintage suitcases, a globe with Katee’s name, paper airplanes and map bunting on the food table.
Julie’s mom made this adorable giant cupcake. It was so yummy!
The guests were asked to bring gifts for Katee’s foster home in lieu of gifts and also a note for Katee. Julie and Ian had tons of stuff to take with them to the foster home. She texted me this morning and said their bags weighed 50 pounds each…exactly. So awesome. I wish I could hug those sweet kiddos in their new footed pjs!
I taught the girls at Craft Weekend how to make this letter garland and felt ball garland and made one for Katee that weekend too. I am thinking I might need to make another one for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They are so fun.
The favors were fortune cookies with little globe tags.
Julie shared her adoption journey with everyone at the shower. I had heard everything before, but hearing again how God has led and guided and provided abundantly for them to adopt Katee made me cry. We serve a God who is intimately involved in the details of our lives…a God who loves orphans deeply.
There were so many of Julie’s friends and family there to support her that day. These ladies have prayed for, supported, and encouraged Julie throughout this long journey.
I know this adoption journey has been life changing for the Johnsons, but it has also been life changing for me and for many friends and family as we have walked beside them. It was such a fun afternoon together celebrating Katee.
Julie and Ian will be bringing their daughter home on Thanksgiving day. How perfect. Will you join me in praying for the Johnson family while they are in China and prepare to add Katee to their family? Julie blogs over at Breezy Acres Farm. She posted a few prayer requests and is planning on posting each day they are in China as long as they have internet access. You can follow along too!
Praying for you, Julie! I can’t wait to see your daughter in your arms!!!
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awesome decor!
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by Jess
Jerri - I love her site! We do showers and parties all the time so I would love to win this! My favorite one we hosted was a “little snowman” Christmas baby shower.
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Christina - This is crazy adorable! So creative!!
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Gina - My favorite party I’ve planned so far was my daughter’s first birthday. She was born in December so Winter ONEderland was the theme
! God Bless!
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Jessica - My favorite party was an 18th birthday party that included a catered lunch and a bookmaking project.
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Elizabeth Ann - I love throwing birthday parties for my kids. Letting them come up with the theme and then creatively carrying that out on a budget.
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Angela - I always love to see and read about your crafting weekends and all your very cute party ideas and themes…
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Becky - I love her owl party theme- my little one’s nursery is in owls, so I’m a little partial! I would definitely use those for a first birthday party!
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Diane - I love these party ideas and the “B is for Boy” theme! My favorite party I threw last year when my son turned 3. We had a snake hunt through the house, crazy eyed cupcakes, and a craft. It was so fun!
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Lissa - My favorite was my daughter’s fourth birthday party. She was very into acting and stories so we had a Storybook Theme. My mom wrote a little script and the kids designed their costumes. Then they practiced a little and the last 15 min they performed for parents. In lieu of gifts, every child brought a book or two to donate a local reading program.
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Michelle S. - My favorite party I’ve hosted was the Baby Bumblebee shower I hosted in July. The yellow, black and white theme looked great. All food was in the color scheme and favors were tubes of Burt’s Bees chapstick.
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Lachalle Jones - I love planning a hosting parties . A recent fave would be my son Vanns first party . It was alittl eman party with moustaches , bow ties and all things boy . check it out here
http://lachalledmjones.blogspot.ca/2012/07/little-man-party.html
Hope you pick me
~L~
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Alison Boone - All of our kids’ birthday parties are my favorite. I attempt to go all out…sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but I for sure out in the effort. Definitely copying parts of your theme for my youngests birthday coming up!!!
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Katie B. - I threw a 1st and 2nd carnival themed birthday for my two little girls the beginning of this year. They share the same birthday month and week. Next birthday is a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme and I would love to win this so that I can get some printable for things. Thank you so much for the opportunity!!
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Amanda D. - I love the choo-choo things she has! Those would be perfect for my boy’s 3rd birthday party
My favorite party that I’ve been to is an annual party we have every year in March to celebrate our friends whose birthdays are in March… but really it’s a chance for a bunch of us to get together. The girls who do the decorations are so creative and use handmade streamers and globes. It’s all so fabulous!
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Brittany R - My son’s first birthday party is in a few weeks and I’m in full planning mode! I’d love to order some things from her!!
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Macie - I loved my cousin’s 2nd “Belle” birthday party!
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lindsaywillman - I’m hoping to have some sort of Holiday party next month. My little girl is due any day and since I’ve never had any sort of shower (wedding, baby, or otherwise) I like to have a Meet the Baby type soiree after birth and settling into the new routine. Also, planning for my older two’s combined party in March/April…some sort of dinosaur theme!
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Kimberly - I love going to wedding & baby showers to celebrate with my friends & family. Right now I’m starting to plan a wedding shower for my sweet sister who is getting married in march!!
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Alison R - Thanks for sharing Lauren’s shop. So many cute party printables! My favorite party has to be my daughter’s 1st birthday. It’s such a big milestone. We did a Little Miss Sunshine theme from the Little Miss/Mr. Men books. Loved these books growing up and everything turned out adorable.
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jessica - my favorite party was my son’s second birthday party…western theme with pony rides!
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Suzy C - oh my, she has the milk and cookies theme!! Way before my daughter even turned 1 MONTH old, I saw this somewhere and said, BOOM this has to be her 1 year old party theme. This would be SO wonderful to win this package!
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Meggie - So cute!! I love her site! My favorite party I hosted recently was my youngest son’s 1st birthday- I went with an old fashioned transportation theme and loved it. It was so fun!!
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Natalie - This is super cute! I love all the “B” things! I’m throwing two baby showers in the upcoming months plus my best friend’s little girl is turning 1 in April! I would love to win this! Thanks so much Jess!
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Jen Christians - Love it all… I have a couple months filled with parties! Leah will be ten, Tyler will be 12, Carly will be 5! Then we also have Christmas parties… Tis the season.
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Sara Nichols - I love her site! One of my favorite showers was a Lil Pumpkin Fall themed baby shower!
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Melynda Hoffman - The cutest party theme I had was of woodland creatures for my daughter.
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Miranda Wagner - I absolutely love the cupcake toppers! I have 5 little ones (plus due in april with #6) so it seems as if there is always a birthday celebration going on at our house! Hands down the cupcake toppers are always the kids fav’s too:)
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Kari - Love the superhero!! I am planning my sons 7th bday and the theme is superheros. We are all going to dress up as superheros. I am so excited!! My favorite party theme had to be my youngest sons first bday which was a giraffe theme. His older sister’ who passed away, has a stuffed giraffe and he LOVES it!! Good luck everyone!!
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Mary Ritchie - What a great designer…love everything! My favorite party was our son’s first birthday. We may have gone a little overboard…but it was so worth it!
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Cassie - My favorite was my daughter’s 5th birthday. We hired a real Cinderella to come to the house and give the girls a fairy tale party — makeovers and all. I love everything on this site!
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Kimberly Oyler - i can’t wait til my friends start getting married/popping babies out so i can have cute parties for them!
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Amber - I have loved planning my daughter’s bday parties….now I have 2 little girls to plan for!
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Jody R. - My favorite party was my surprise 25th birthday/college graduation party. It was a music theme and people came dressed as their favorite artists or genre. We had everything from poodle skirts to Nelly to Kenny Chesney and Madonna to the Village People. Somehow my sister got me dressed in a hippie costume without telling me about the party. They even hired an Elvis impersonator who serenaded me. It was an amazing night!
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Emily - Her etsy site has so many amazing things! My favorite party I threw was my sons baseball themed 3rd birthday party. He still talks about it!
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Kelsey - Love, love, love! My two favorite parties have been my son’s 2nd birthday — Cookie Monster (by request) toned waaaay down by more of a cookies and milk theme — and my daughter’s 1st birthday — a sweet, shabby chic, burlap and lace theme. I love planning all of the details!
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Katie Mortensen - My favorite party was a couples shower hosted on Halloween. It was a costume party!
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Aimee - When my first born turned 4, we did a construction themed bday party, complete with hard hats and vests for all the kids! So fun!
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Krista - I threw a ‘pea in the pod’ baby shower. It was so fun deciding on the theme, then seeing it to completion.
I love Lauren’s stuff!
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Amanda K - My daughter’s pajama-rama party that we had in April was so much fun!
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Nancy - I am so impressed with the decor! I don’t know how all of you creative Mom’s do it!!
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Val - What a beautiful shower. Congrats Abby! I would love to use the milk and cookies theme for my little ones 1st birthday in March!!
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becca h - SHe makes great stuff! I love throwing parties for my kids and am getting ready for my son’s 2nd bday party this weekend! My favorite is the “I scream you scream, we all scream for ice cream” party when my daughter turned 4 – it was a hit!
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Abby Edwards - I love all my girls birthday parties! One of my favs was my six year old’s last birthday: we did a mad hatter tea party theme, had typical tea cakes, etc, drank tea out of china, and made tea party hats
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katherine - would love to win this for my sis’s shower!! thanks for the opportunity
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Laura - I love her cowboy party theme. We are going to do that next year.
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Megan - I love throwing birthday parties for my boys — my favorite was probably a train theme I did for my oldest, and just this past month we had my youngest son’s 2nd party at the pumpkin patch. Loved it!
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Jen - Love the rubber ducky, I have 2 baby showers that will be a month apart. My fav party was for my friends daughter she was turning 8 and we did a luau at a lake, we did a cook out had punch and tropical inspired sides, we got a lot of the decorations on freecycle for free, we let the kids decorate there own cupcakes and that was a big hit they loved it!
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Patty - Adorable!! My favorite party to plan was my son’s recent 5th birthday party – a bowling theme! We had so much fun decorating with bowling pins in a vintage color scheme and letting the littles go bowling!
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Michelle - My favorite party to plan is my annual Advent Party for my galfriends … I’ve been hosting it for about 15 years, and I always send my guests off w/three paperwhite bulbs and some white rocks, so they can enjoy watching something grow while “waiting” for Christmas!
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Jermaine D. - Cute stuff! I have so many babies coming soon, this would really come in handy for throwing a shower!
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kristy booth - how fun! i loved everything about the baby shower from those pictures! will be shopping at her store for sure!
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Ann Marie - I will be hosting a baby shower in the very near future so this would be great to win! The best party we hosted was a backyard shower but it was a long time ago
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Lisa Hoeme - I love throwing parties for my daughter. I love making her invitations and birthday banner with my cricut.
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Julia C - About to throw a wedding shower so this would be great!
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Emilee - I am currently planning my daughter’s first bday party!!! So I could def use this!!! Her bday is 5 weeks away!!! Ahhh!!!!
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Ashley - So cute! I hosted a baby shower in July for my sister-in-law and it was Baby Boy themed. I would have LOVED some of these cute details and would love to use Lauren’s package for a future shower I am planning in the spring. Thanks!
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Cassie - Wow, her site looks awesome-what cute ideas! I love planning and creating my two kiddos birthday parties…and I love finding inspiration on great blogs like yours:) In fact, your time capsule idea is what brought me to your site not long ago. I am so excited to use the idea at my son’s first party this weekend! Thanks for the great ideas!
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domestic diva - DIY milk and cookies party
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Heather Wadley - Last year for my daughter’s 3rd birthday we had a “Picnic” theme. We made her cake look like a red checkered blanket to include fake ants. We had picnic food and had games like sack races, and other outdoor fun.
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Leslie James - Love it! We have lots of parties to plan coming up! She does awesome work:)My oldest son’s first birthday we did John Deere Tractor themed everything. Was the biggest party I have ever planned by myself. But I do love to plan baby showers.
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Cat Kotaka - I wish I were this talented!
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gale - My fav party was a twin baby shower for my grands with a Noah’s Ark (Two by Two ) theme!!
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Natasha J - I love her milk and cookies party pack- so cute! My favorite party to host was my husband’s 33rd birthday party. The theme was all black and it was so much fun!
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Elizabeth Cannata - Oh how I love her designs!! I would love to send Christmas cards this year! Having my husband and I both being laid off last year, it wasn’t possible to send cards. I would love to show everyone that we are resilient and we will be fine with God’s help.
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