Okay, so here’s my chance to show you my table UP CLOSE that I designed for the Operation Shower event in San Diego last week and share all the details! All of us designers were given the same theme “Sunshine Safari”, same printables by Paper and Cake and our choice of products from Pottery Barn Kids to come up with a table design that showcased our interpretation of the theme!
The concept was inspired by the CUTEST linen plush elephant dressed in a girlie pink tutu from Pottery Barn Kids. From there I thought how cute would it be to create a whimsical girlie table where the moms-to-be would feel like they were attending a safari tea party. The color of the elephant completely dictated the girlie color palette of pinks, white and browns.
Next, I wanted this tea party safari design to be true to my design style, so it was designed in a modern and whimsical way with a bit of sparkle and bling. The tree was of course made of crystals, the elephants were riding bikes and the smaller trees were dripping with crystal pacifiers!
I needed more than just a tutu elephant to pull this off, so I searched the Pottery Barn Kids website and found a toy clip on booster seat that I thought would be perfect to have one of the safari animals actually sitting at the table with the moms as if they were attending the tea party. I had the perfect animal in mind for this! “Little G™” stuffed giraffe from Little Giraffe!!! I am IN LOVE with this toy and was so excited to include it. Of course, I had to dress her up in my bling t-shirt, pink bow, pacifier and pink booties! Tooo cute!
Other Pottery Barn Kids products I used to complete the look were a dainty pink mini porcelain tea set and the cutest modern pink elephant bank!
Okay, so I have to share this BLOOPER moment! I also ordered a pink wood wall hanging that spelled “Imagine” that I thought would be super cute in the table to enhance the concept of imagining a sparkly, girlie safari tea party. THANK GOODNESS that we were able to have our PBK items delivered to us before the event so we can see them ahead of time. I opened the box and the words were HUGE!! I mean HUGE! Like the size of the entire table HUGE! I laughed out loud and thanked my lucky stars that I didn’t have to open this for the first time in front of my peers and look like a deer in headlights! So, I did what every good designer does…I put it to the side and made due without it…and no one would miss what they never knew was supposed to be there. So…TIP: don’t forget to check the dimensions of an item BEFORE you purchase it!
When I first found out I was doing this, I immediately had to call my girl Lynlee from Lynlee’s Petite Cakes to create some “Fondant Fabulousness” for me. I asked her for some safari animals dressed in onesies and diapers…she OVER-DELIVERED! I literally squealed with delight when I received them. Thanks Lynlee! YOU ROCK! Each baby safari animal (elephant, zebra and hippo) was incorporated into each placesetting. A mini white tea cup filled with pink crystals was topped with one of the fondant baby animals. The napkin rings were dark wood that I wrapped a pink chenille stem around to tie on a clear acrylic mini pacifier. I also tucked down into the ring our signature Lolli-tags™ made with the cute printables by Paper and Cake. These also served as a take-home moment for the guests.
The printables posed a problem at first as the original colors of the printables didn’t exactly match my table’s color palette, so Paper and Cake graciously revised the color palette according to my specs and it complimented perfectly! THANKS ABIGAIL! TIP: Custom-designed printables is the way to go! You can change colors to match your event decor and adds that special touch that your guests will remember!
The printables were used to create my signature bling Lolli-tags™ that I used as bouquets and decor for the napkins and chair backs. You know I had to incorporate these somehow!
Well, that’s it! I hope you liked my table. It was fun to design and seeing the smiles on the moms’ faces who sat at my table was sooo worth it! Did I mention that ALL the moms who sat at my table were expecting baby girls?!!! SCORE! Gotta love when a plan comes together…even if it may have been planned by the SUPER AMAZING Amy Belle Isle!
I pinned my Operation Shower inspiration board on Pinterest with click-thrus to all the Pottery Barn Kids items I used. Check it out and you can have your very own Girly Safari Tea Party!
Next up: Thursday’s post…ALL OF THE DESIGNER’S TABLES UP CLOSE! I’ll share with you what I thought were moments of “brilliance” on each designer’s table. You won’t want to miss this post!
Credits:
Table Concept & Design: Soiree Event Design
Fondant Animals: Lynlee’s Petite Cakes
Photography:
Jackie Culmer Photography
Soiree Event Design
Printables: Paper and Cake
Tutu Elephant, Porcelain Tea Set, Booster Seat, Ceramic Bank: Pottery Barn Kids
Little G™ stuffed giraffe: Little Giraffe
Any chance you still have those tutu elephants and would be will to sell one?