Beachy Wedding Shower

Happy Friday Folks! I'm still sharing all the fun we had giving a Beach themed wedding shower for my bestie's daughter. You saw the Wedding Date Plaque  and the 'to die for' S'mores Trifle Dessert? Well here are some more ideas for a beautiful beachy backyard wedding shower! 

First of all, my friend Ginny, the bride's mother, has the most gorgeous backyard with a huge lawn. We had 5 big tables set up. We used 2 canopy awnings for shade and her mature trees did the rest of the shade for an August afternoon.

I found terra cotta flower pots at the 99cts store to use for the centerpieces. I first sealed the insides with Thompson's water seal that I already had. Then I painted the blue and white stripes with latex paint. I planted annuals a couple weeks ahead of time so they would be grown in and blooming.  I even tucked a bit of succulent and more shells in the planters. Inside the pots were zinnias, snap dragons, little yellow daisies, alyssum, and lobelia flowers. We surrounded the beachy striped painted pots with sand, seashells and  mini beach balls. Guests had little name cards with a flip flop theme and received  some seashell decorated glass coasters to take home as thank you's.

  I made a simple pennant banner with the bride and groom's names. I just cut out the triangles, left the edges unfinished and sewed on the lettering with a straight stitch. I used fabrics that the bride's mother is making into a wedding ring quilt! How did I get the lettering? I just googled alphabets, blew up the letters and traced them right off of my computer screen. Easy!

Here's a view of the drink table being set up. We served ice tea, lemonade, water and White Sangria. The white sangria was a big hit! The drink table center was filled with a vintage sand pail, shells, sand and more mini beach balls. Some how I was too busy to get a picture of the table fully set up.

White Sangria Recipe

3 oranges, 4 limes, 4 lemons

1/2 cup tequila

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 bottle dry white wine chilled

1 bottle champagne chilled
2 cups club soda chilled

Ice

Thinly slice the fruits into a large container. Combine the tequila and sugar. Pour over the fruit and let it set over night.

Add the wine and champagne and club soda to the fruit mixture along with  ice when you're ready to serve. 

It's beautiful with all it's citrus colors and the party goers seemed to slurp it up! ( I don't drink myself so I'm just going on the way it disappeared!)

We set up a 'beach' scene under the orange tree. The beach chairs were embroidered with the bride and groom's names and were given to the bride along with the striped beach blanket.  The flip flops were prizes for the games. Any flip flops that weren't used were just returned after the festivities.  The chairs were a fun way to display the Wedding Dates Plaque I made also.

This 3 panel tropical beach scene made a great backdrop and hid the side of the house. A blow up palm tree added some whimsy and set the beachy mood.

The bride's place setting included some special Beanie Babies from her mom, bought many years ago just for this anticipated occasion. They were a reminder of the younger days when bride to be Katie was a collector of bear Beanie Babies. The bride and groom bears were a special touch!

 Just another view of the tables and yard. That huge mature camphor tree in the background makes the yard so cool and comfortable. Even the pool's diving board got a little decoration with a beach towel and planter.

Although I was too busy to get photos of the food, the menu was delicious with a 'southwestern' theme. After all, this is Southern California! 

We had delicious Fajita Chicken Salad,(recipe here),

 a scrumptious Bean and  Corn Salad (recipe here), 

fresh cantaloupe, and the  decadent S'mores in mini beach buckets for dessert. (dessert recipe here). 

 Appetizers were simple: just tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole, fresh veggies and a Trader Joe's sampler of hummus.

 Even the garden bench was decked out with beach towels to hold the gifts.

 The tables were so pretty with silver chargers, linens and crystal stemware, thanks to the bride's  Aunt Peg. In fact, she and I did the shower together and she made the great food too.

 Well, I hope you enjoyed some highlights from the Beachy Wedding Shower! I think it was a great day and I had fun making the decorations, food  and putting on the event. 

There was one last special guest, the only boy allowed...

my friend's grandson Tommy!

I think he's pretty special too!

Thanks for dropping by the Sunset Coast. I hope you'll follow along by email or Blog lovin' or Google Friends Connect. Tell me about your latest adventures and your blogs in the comments below!

Have a breezy day!

Cindy

See where I share!
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/make-it-pretty-monday-week-63.html 
http://cupcakesandcrinoline.com/2013/08/project-inspired-linky-party-28/
http://cedarhill-ranch.com/
 http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://www.notjustahousewife.net/ 
 http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/ 
 http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/08/one-project-at-a-time-82013.html
 http://www.adventuresofadiymom.com/
 http://makingtheworldcuter.com/2013/08/making-the-world-cuter-monday-60/
 http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/81-share-your-creativeness/
 http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
 http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/
 http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2013/08/wow-me-wednesday-117.html#more 
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/ 
 http://www.greenwillowpond.com/
http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
 http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
 http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
http://www.attagirlsays.com/2013/08/20/homework-wednesday-14/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
 http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/08/22/the-weekly-creative-link-party-8.html
 http://www.52mantels.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2013/08/transformation-thursday-no-218.html 
 http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/08/home-and-garden-thursday-43.html
http://madeinaday.com/2013/08/22/made-u-look-linky-81/ 
 http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
 http://www.lambertslately.com/2013/08/create-it-thursday-16-plus-features.html#more
 http://organized31.blogspot.com/
 http://www.saving4six.com/
 http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/
 http://www.posedperfection.com/
http://www.mypersonalaccent.com/linkyparty/ 
 http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
 http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
 http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/
http://www.mellywoodsmansion.com/
 http://happyhourprojects.com/happy-hour-friday-08-23/
 http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/08/diy-rustic-shelving-ideas.html
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/anything-blue-friday-week-22.html 
 http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/weekend-creativity-round-up-no-6.html
http://www.classyclutter.net/ 
http://www.lifeonlakeshoredrive.com/ 
 http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/08/show-tell-saturday-082413.html#more
 http://www.serenityyou.com/
 http://www.itsoverflowing.com/
 http://too-much-time.com/
 http://diyshowoff.com/2013/08/25/that-diy-party-31/
 http://www.twiggstudios.com/2013/08/sunday-show-off-linky-party_24.html
 http://usscrafty.blogspot.com/2013/08/submarine-sunday-46.html#more
 http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-linky-22.html#more
http://www.findingsilverpennies.com/2013/08/silver-pennies-sundays-link-party-and_25.html 
 http://www.onemoretimeevents.com/
 http://www.niftythriftythings.com/
 http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/
 http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/
http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/#
http://www.sewcando.com/
 http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/
 http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/
http://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-treasured-heirloom/ 
 http://www.alderberryhill.com/make-the-scene-monday-89/
http://www.somuchbetterwithage.com/2013/08/give-me-the-goods-23/#more-1793

S'mores Trifle Dessert in a Beach Bucket and Some More S'mores Recipes!

Summer's not over! You have to have some of those campfire favorites. S'mores! You know traditional graham cracker-chocolate-roasted marshmallow-eat-too-many-wonders. Of course here on the Sunset Coast, it's a beach campfire must have!

  Last week I hosted a wedding shower for a good friend's daughter. We did a beach theme with lots of fun ideas. To top off the lunch, we made these 'S'mores in a Beach Bucket'. I found some cute ideas for beach desserts and combined them to make these individual sized buckets of wonderful s'mores ingredients.   We got the inspiration from this brownie smores trifle. 

http://www.momendeavors.com/2013/06/brownie-smores-trifle-dessert.html

 We made the dessert in a deep 9x13 pan, then scooped it into mini beach pails for serving.  (Ok, Aunt Peg made the recipe ahead of time!) We surrounded the pails with light brown sugar 'sand' and added some gummy flip flops for fun.

Basically we had a layer of fudge brownies, chocolate pudding, some chopped up milk chocolate bars, graham crackers, then cool whip mixed with marshmallow creme topped it off. We tried to make little toasted marshmallows for the top ahead of time, but it didn't work out. Believe me, no one complained, it was so delicious and  cute in it's little blue sand bucket!

  

Now on to some more recipes for these summertime favorites!

How about this delicious idea? A s'mores cupcake! Chocolate cupcake with marshmallow icing, graham cracker and a chocolate drizzle....mmmmmm!!!

http://sweetjaneparties.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2013-06-02T15:44:00-07:00&max-results=7

Maybe a s'mores ice cream sandwich is what you crave. Perfect for a hot summer afternoon...

http://www.thehopelesshousewife.com/?hhw_recipes=smores-ice-cream-sandwich

This looks sinfully fabulous. Gotta try this! S'mores Fudge!

 

http://www.craftquickies.com/smores-fudge-2/

All right, these s'mores cookie cups sound pretty great too. Sugar cookie dough is  mixed with graham cracker crumbs. A big Hershey kiss gives it a chocolate center!

http://easybaked.net/2013/07/12/smores-cookie-cups/

S'mores popcorn! This sounds so good .. it uses Golden Grahams cereal, marshmallows and chocolate chips!

http://www.nutmegnanny.com/2012/11/12/smores-popcorn-rachel-cooks-virtual-baby-shower/

 Just one more recipe to share before you drool all over your computer. I think this one would be scrumptious. I love chocolate and peanut butter and this has lots of both. A peanut butter s'mores bar!

http://www.thefarmgirlrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/11/peanut-butter-smore-bars.html

 Thanks for dropping by the Sunset Coast! All these recipes sound so tasty, but have you ever just put a peppermint patty in a s'more? It's awesome.

 See you next time with more wedding shower pictures and recipes. The food was wonderful, thanks to the bride's Aunt, but more on that next time. 

Have a squishy day!

Cindy

Sharing at these fine blogs.. see all the great ideas!
http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/ 
 http://www.cedarhill-ranch.com/2013/08/the-scoop-79.html
 http://cupcakesandcrinoline.com/2013/08/project-inspired-linky-party-27/
http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2013/08/show-me-what-ya-got-133.html 
http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/ 
 http://www.adventuresofadiymom.com/
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/ 
http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/08/one-project-at-a-time-81313.html 
 http://www.greenwillowpond.com/
 http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2013/08/wow-me-wednesday-116-call-for-fall.html#more
http://pinkrecipebox.com/creative-wednesdays-with-pink-recipe-box-5/ 
 http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.attagirlsays.com/2013/08/13/homework-wednesday-13/ 
 http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
 http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/
http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ 
 http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-diyers-and-weekend.html
 http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/2013/08/cottage-style-party-and-worlds-longest.html
 http://organized31.blogspot.com/
http://www.lambertslately.com/2013/08/create-it-thursday-15-plus-features.html#more   
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2013/08/transformation-thursday-2.html
http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/08/home-and-garden-thursday-42.html
 http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/
 http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
 http://www.saving4six.com/
http://www.posedperfection.com/ 
http://www.craftyscrappyhappy.net/2013/08/inspiration-gallery-link-party-with-co-host-the-wood-grain-cottage.html
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/08/feathered-nest-friday_15.html#more
 http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/2013/08/fridays-five-features-no-4.html 
 http://www.mypersonalaccent.com/the-blog-strut-peacock-style-6/
 http://shabbyartboutique.com/2013/08/shabbilicious-friday-link-party-18.html
 http://www.commonground-do.com/
http://www.redouxinteriors.com/2013/08/link-party-117-and-i-am-hitting-the-road/ 
 http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/
 http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2013/08/from-farm-blog-hop_16.html
 http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/
http://happyhourprojects.com/happy-hour-friday-08-16/ 
 http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
 http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/08/link-party-palooza-and-sassy-steals-kitchenaid-mixer-giveaway.html#more-54279
 http://too-much-time.com/
 http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/08/party-junk-200-grain-sack-projects.html
http://www.serenityyou.com/ 
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/08/show-tell-saturday-81713.html#more 
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/ 
 http://usscrafty.blogspot.com/2013/08/submarine-sunday-45.html#more
http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-linky-21.html#more 
 http://www.findingsilverpennies.com/2013/08/silver-pennies-sundays-link-party.html
 http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/ 
 http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
 http://www.sewcando.com/
 http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/
http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2013/08/tasteful-tuesday-820-and-pattern.html#more 
http://www.somuchbetterwithage.com/2013/08/give-me-the-goods-party-no-22/#more-1433

DIY Wedding Date Plaques

Where have I been? I've been here at the Sunset Coast, just busy making plaques and decorations and food for a wedding shower. So the shower was last Saturday and I'm finally at the computer and editing pictures.  I first wanted to show you the plaques I made for 2 different wedding showers. Oh, and a  little on how to do it yourself...

 Have you seen all the great stuff on Etsy.com for weddings? A friend asked me to make her daughter a plaque similar to one she had seen at a shower and wanted me to paint it. Now, I love a painting project. But lettering?... I don't think so! I'm horrible at that kind of fine painting. So I went on Etsy, found someone that made plaques and asked if I could just order the vinyl lettering and make my own version of a wedding dates plaque. Well, the nice people at Jolie Mae Collections were happy to help me. They had lots of choices of vinyl colors and fonts and even helped me with the wording a bit. They have a great selection of wedding signs.. isn't this one cute?

 Since I was 'cheating' on the lettering, I decided to fancy up the plaque itself. After getting the lettering, I measured how big I wanted the plaque to be and made a pattern for cutting out the wood. I have a big roll of drafting tracing paper. It's about 20 inches wide and has been very useful for  dozens of projects for many years. I found it at an art supply store and it has been great stuff to have. My plaque ended up being about 18 by 21 inches.

I folded the sheet into quarters and using a bowl and some free handing,I drew out my design.

I traced the design on a piece of mdf wood and cut it out with my jigsaw. I was anticipating a disaster, but after sanding, it actually came out nice and didn't take long. For the white plaque, I added 2 holes for ribbon to serve as a way to hang it. The black one (you'll see below) was thicker and I could put a hanger on the back.

So on with the painting... prime, paint--you know the drill!

The vinyl letters come on a sheet with a backing. First you rub the back of the letters with a credit card , when they stick to the front sheet they are ready to apply. You lay the letters on the surface where you want them and again rub thoroughly with a credit card. Slowly and carefully, pull off the top sheet and the letters will be applied! 
I topped it off with 2 coats of satin polyurethane to protect the finish.

 Aren't these brides-to-be beautiful with their plaques? 

Jessica and Morgan's has different wording.  "When he stole her heart, and popped the question, and she stole his last name." The dates reflect first date, wedding proposal and wedding date. I like the chalkboard look it took on by using white lettering on a black background!

And here's Katie at her wedding shower. Ribbons at the top match her wedding colors, which will really be gorgeous navy and coral. I had a great time helping give Katie's shower!

 

Thanks for visiting today. Next time I'll be sharing lots of wedding shower details! It was a beach theme in a beautiful backyard in Long Beach, California. See you soon with all the pictures and recipes!

Have a celebration of something today! 

Cindy