Party Recap...

Party Theme: Gender reveal parties seem to be a growing trend that I personally adore. Had I known how fun this would be I would definitely have hosted this little soiree when revealing the gender of my own child rather than a conference call with the family. Nonetheless, this all prompted me to start staging what I think would be a fabulous {and DIY infused} gender reveal party.

Inspiration:The initial inspiration came from a Pinterest picture of a ripped fabric curtain. I am a huge fan of texture so I knew that a fabric backdrop was a must.

Decor & Display: I chose four different colors and patterns of fabric, along with lace and burlap, ripped them into long strips then knotted the strips to a large dowel rod suspended behind the dessert table. To keep with the color scheme, I incorporated buttery yellow, weathered black and cream throughout the table to coordinate with the printable invitation from the Honeybee Collection. The printable party circles were tied with ric-rac while the lace that was used on the backdrop was tied to the apothecary jars. The lids of the hive jars were covered in burlap and tied with coordinating natural ribbon. The apothecary jars were filled with alternating layers of white and yellow candy melts. The hive jars were filled with Honey Comb cereal while the large centerpiece was filled with jumbo marshmallows. My goal was to incorporate affordable alternatives to expensive candy to fill these popular, yet large, jars that appear on so many dessert tables. The cream colored flower pots were filled with foam and topped with ornamental wheat grass and served as the home to the bumble bee cake pops.

Desserts: The cupcakes were topped with coordinating fondant toppers made by Sugar Babies and displayed on a white tray atop a bed of chocolate chip morsels. The jumbo marshmallows were drizzled with yellow, white and dark chocolate, then dipped in sprinkles. They acted as a jar filler and a yummy dessert. The almond vanilla cookies were custom made by Bundles of Cookies to perfectly match the invitation all the way to the identical font! The cookies would serve as a perfect party favor for a gender reveal celebration using the printable Honeybee Collection. Honeycomb patterned chocolate covered Oreos were made by The Chocolate Box and topped with the sweetest little fondant honeybees also created by Sugar Babies. The bumblebee cake pops were made by me using a combination of Bakerella’s Cake Pop book and a tutorial found on Hostess with the Mostess Modern Bumble Bee Birthday Party feature in July. This was my first cake pop making experience and with a little trial and error I am happy to say it was a success.

Printable food labels from the Libby Lane Press Honeybee Collection were used to customize the treats on the table.

Drink Display: The drink table was placed outside near the garden and water with floating lemons was displayed in a glass beehive beverage dispenser {found on clearance at Home Goods}. Recycled Starbucks Frappuccino bottles served as glass bottles for water which were adorned with pale yellow and white striped straws from Shop Sweet Lulu. Printable flags were added to the straws for an extra touch.

Activity: “What’s your Guess” would allow party attendants to write down what they think baby will ‘bee’ and group together the pink and blue guesses until the final result is revealed. The printable “What will it Bee” banner coordinates with this game suggestion. The printable beehive yard signs, found in the shop, can be decorated with ribbon and left-over fabric pieces from the backdrop. The signs are versatile and have the option of being placed on small dowel rods (as shown) or used as hanging signs. Either way you choose, it is a great way to involve the guests and keep with the theme and decor before the big announcement.