Baby shower for Elaina

Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for my good friend Elaina.  I had some help making the food, and Elaina herself helped get the room set up and put up the decorations.  Laurel and I made the table decoration crafts during Nick's nap times.  We had fun!

Getting food!

I bought blank bibs and fabric markers and put them on the table for people to decorate for the baby.

I cut some fabric squares, then had flower vases filled with coffee beans and some sticks.  We spread paper flowers on the table, and some yummy treats.

I made paper bird cages to hang from the sticks.

I bought a "real" present for Elaina, but also crafted a fun present for her from the EAGLE LAMP.  When Jake, her husband, bought his house, this lovely 70's era eagle lap was hanging in the living room.  He never took it down, so Elaina inherited it after they were married.

Last month I hosted a garage sale and they donated a truck load of stuff.  I was helping Elaina load things into the truck, and she put in the eagle lamp without telling Jake.  That night he got home and immediately said, "Where is the eagle lamp?"  The lamp didn't sell, and after the garage sale Jake took it back home and hung it back up...I imagine Elaina was not thrilled to see it back in the living room!  I persuaded Jake to give it to me so I could glam it up and make it into a baby mobile.

I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is the lamp shade in all of it's loveliness, and you can see the eagle on the left.

I removed the light socket and the cord, and also took off the lamp shade.  After I cleaned everything I spray painted it in teal and yellow to match the baby's room. 

I discovered that the lamp shade was the only thing holding the top and bottom of the lamp together (scary, since I was able to take it apart by pushing my finger through the lamp shade).  I had to come up with a way to hang it all without the shade.  I tied the top and bottom together with fishing wire, and cut out bird silhouettes from paint chips and glued them to the fishing wire.

Isn't that eagle lovely?  And that glass decoration...

I bought some scrap fabric at the thrift store, and tied strips around the bottom of the lamp.  It gives it some movement to attract the baby's eyes, and also serves to disguise the eagle a little bit.  Overall, I think it actually turned out very pretty!

Elaina thought it was pretty funny to get the eagle lamp back!  She also said that she kinda likes it and is planning to hang it in the baby's room.  Crafting success!