With five of my friends expecting in our British mum's group, I thought it was necessary to throw a big baby shower brunch. Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm not British, but I joined an ex-patriate group so that my husband could meet fellow Brits. Since he works, I'm the one who does most of the socializing, and they very nicely accepted me into their group. All of my local friends are British, and lovely, lovely people.
So, back to the baby shower. It seemed appropriate that I make the shower British in some way, so I decided to make it a Paddington Bear theme, however, with very little Paddington Bear decor available, it became a British/Paddington Bear shower. I couldn't have been happier with how the party turned out & I'd love to show you photos from the day.
When you walked in the front door, the entry table was decked out with a vintage Paddington Bear, borrowed from a dear friend for the day, Union Jack flags and bunting and a Paddington sign that I created and cut out with my Silhouette Cameo. The favors were also on this table, so that the girls could grab one on their way out.
I had a local business,
, create custom cookies for the favors. They were so lovely, I [almost] didn't want to eat one!
In the kitchen and living area, we hung Union Jack bunting and cute British baby clothes on a clothesline, which also doubled as a memory game.
I pulled globes out of Lizzy's room, and paired them with a Paddington book and teacups.
Over the kitchen island, I paired some Martha Stewart red pinwheels with handmade map-print pinwheels created from patterned paper. Behind them, I hung a large Union Jack scarf.
On the island, I raised Paddington Bear up on a borrowed Union Jack box and pulled decor from around the house, like a teacup, map print candles and a red and white plaque.
On the buffet, I served two breakfast stratas, a smoked salmon plate with bagels, a cheese plate, muffins and scones. For dessert, I made an orange and raspberry trifle, complete with a blueberry & raspberry Union Jack on top.
And what kind of British party would it have been without tea?
On the mantel and in the entryway, I hung bunting with alternating Paddington faces (cut from my Silhouette) and red tissue paper tassels.
One of my favorite pieces of decor that I made the night before were these large Paddington tags that I hung from the ceiling fan, along with more Union Jack bunting. Each mum-to-be took their tag home as a keepsake from the day.
I love throwing a party, especially one that includes mimosas.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am a huge fan of scones. I love making them, I love eating them. Making them because, well, they're so simple and eating them because, let's face it, they're crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. In one word,
delicious
.
I make a few different scone recipes around here, but this one is my most loved. I made two batches for a baby shower brunch this weekend and they were the first item to disappear on the buffet. I love these so much that I want to share them with you today. Be sure to share the love and pass them on, too.
Blueberry & Lemon Scones
(
makes 8 scones)
adapted from
recipe
Scones:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. heavy cream (approximately- see note below), plus more for brushing
Zest from 2 lemons
3 Tbsp. coarse demerara sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sift together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or a food processor to make it faster, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs
(this was about 20 pulses on my food processor- you want to still see some butter chunks in the mix to make them fluffy!)
Place mixture back in a large bowl and mix in blueberries and lemon zest, being careful not to mash the blueberries. Make a hole in the center of the mix and pour in 1 c. of heavy cream. Using a spatula, fold the cream into the dough until it just sticks together when pressed.
(I have found that I usually need a couple of more tablespoons of heavy cream to get it all incorporated here, which is why I wrote approximately above.)
Press the round ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press lightly with your hands
(minding the blueberries!)
until the flattened round is about 1" in height. Cut the circle in quarters, then in eights. Place scones on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar, if using. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the scones are a beautiful golden brown.
They are wonderful if you just stop here, but to make them really amazing, be sure not to skip the lemon glaze.
Lemon glaze:
1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Zest from one lemon
Mix the lemon juice with the confectioner's sugar and place over a pot of boiling water in a double-boiler until dissolved. Whisk in the butter and the lemon zest and continue to whisk for about a minute. When butter is melted, place glaze through a mesh strainer to take out the lumps and lemon zest. Drizzle or brush the glaze on top of the warm scones and serve.
Enjoy!
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A bit of pretty paper, food indulgences and a blessed life.
I'm Meghann Andrew, a wife, of two living in the Chicago suburbs, maker and excess coffee drinker. Thanks for stopping by this space where I share a bit of my life and my creations.
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