{Clever & Modern} “MILKaholic” Sip & See

Got Milk? Now all you need to do is add the baby! We are totally addicted to this ultra creative “MILKaholic” Sip & See Baby Shower by Carrie Sellman of Half Baked. Using an array of patterns like swiss dots and cow print, plus a basic black and white palette accented with pops of bright turquoise, this non-traditional and oh-so-modern baby shower came to life!

What do babies love the most? Milk, of course. So making milk the main focus - well… aside from the new baby! – was so obvious, but at the same time absolutely brilliant.

Every detail was perfect… from the clean, modern style to the amazing cake (created by the hostess herself!), the super cute Starbucks-style milk bottles, the cute assortment of cookies, all of the incredible paper details… and let’s not forget about the incredible hand painted canvas to match. This has got to be one of my favorite babies showers yet!

Read on for more addictive “milkaholic” photos + party details. . . .

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PARTY DETAILS, as told by Carrie…

“My husband and I recently hosted an event for our friends, Ted and Meredith, in honor of their newly adopted son, Colin.  Ted and Meredith anxiously waited for Colin’s birth and we were all thrilled when he officially became their son.  We were honored to welcome Baby Colin with this Milkaholic Sip & See.

THE PARTY THEME
I’ve had this theme in the back of my mind for several years now.  ’Milkaholic’ just seemed fitting for a Sip & See considering how much time a newborn spends eating!  That meant baby bottles, milk and cow print.  Yes, cow print!  The color scheme was black and white with pops of turquoise.  Polka-dot, stripes and cow print patterns were used throughout to add a fresh and modern feel.

THE INVITATION
I designed the invitation and let it set the tone for the party decor.  Sleek and modern yet baby themed was the intent.  The Milkaholic baby bottle became a logo that was used throughout the party.  The back of the invite featured cow print and a turquoise ‘I ♥ MILK’ stripe that matched custom address labels from Minted .

THE DECOR
With this being a co-ed event, we wanted to keep the decor more modern and less traditional ‘baby’.  To create a unique backdrop for the dessert table, I painted a canvas to match the party invite.  Black and white patterned bunting was hung along the wall above the painting.  Mini bottles were filled with milk and given sleek milk labels.  The bottles were stacked in tall vases on ice and also mixed into the tub of adult beverages.  The theme even permeated the coffee station with mini milk bottles serving up the cream and sugar. The Milkaholic logo was updated to include the baby’s name and then framed for additional decoration.   White hydrangeas were arranged in tall cylinder vases tied with black satin ribbon.

THE DESSERT TABLE
We wanted to provide an array of miniature desserts so that guests could sample several different items.  Delicious sweets from Caramel Swirls were served including their Little Treasures (milk caramel and shortbread cookie dipped in chocolate – yum!), Cafe Caramel Cookies, and Espresso Brownies.  Adorable custom sugar cookies were created by The Cookie Jar to match the theme. Sweeties by Kim created chocolate-covered Oreos to match as well.  Of course, I designed the cake!  Additional desserts included meringue cookies, white chocolate pretzels, cream puffs and cheesecake shots.  Cold milk shots were served to wash it all down (along with some adult beverages and coffee).

THE ACTIVITIES
Activities for a co-ed baby event can be tricky.  Not wanting the male guests to feel awkward, I opted for non-organized activities that would still be fun and entertaining.  Guests were encouraged to write humorous thoughts onto diapers to provide Ted and Meredith a little chuckle.  The Diaper Thoughts station gave the men an avenue to showcase their best and most clever diaper humor!  A Well Wishes station encouraged guests to write something sentimental on keepsake cards which were then placed into a glass bubble bowl.  Of course, the main activity was oohing and awing over the guest of honor, Baby Colin!

THE FAVORS
Guests were given a small box filled with ‘Kisses from Colin’.  Hershey Kisses with patterned labels inside a white box wrapped with coordinating paper and tags.  
 
Everyone had a lovely time meeting Baby Colin and indulging in some sweets.  We could not be more thrilled for Ted and Meredith and were honored to welcome their son Colin into this world!
”

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VENDOR CREDITS:
– Party Styling & Decor: Carrie Sellman of Half Baked
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Invitation & Paper Goods: Carrie Sellman of Half Baked
– Address Labels: Minted
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Decorated Sugar Cookies: The Cookie Jar
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Chocolate Covered Oreos: Sweeties by Kim
– Caramel Desserts & Espresso Brownies: Caramel Swirls
– Cake: Carrie Sellman of  Half Baked
– Paper Baby Bottles: Tracy Mason
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Painted Canvas: Carrie Sellman of Half Baked (this is available for purchase, if anyone is interested!)