BabyLifestyles

Baby LifestylesLAUREN HALPERINPublisher, Creative Director

TARA STEINLEManaging Editor

BETH MERANContributing Editor

LOLA STEEVENSSales Director

AUSTIN “Mr. Z” RAPPAPORTWebsite Architect

MICHAEL GUSTMANS.E.O. Management

CONTRIBUTORSApril Beach, Joriann Maye Keegan,

Kellie Mejia, Joni Lay

Visit Baby Lifestyles online at www.BabyLifestyles.comfor inspiration, real baby showers, birthday parties, nursery reveals, hot products, news, updats,

contests, giveaways, and more

Contact us at info@babylifestyles.com

Submit your baby shower, birthday party or nursery to Baby Lifestyles at www.BabyLifestyles.com

For information about advertising in Baby Lifestyles Magazine and online,contact Lola Steevens at advertise@babylifestyles.com

Follow us on Twitter: @BabyLifestyles1

Baby Lifestyles is published bi-monthly by Baby Lifestyles, LLC. All contents ©2011 Baby Lifestyles, LLC. All rights reserved.

On the CoverKiera Gilhooly has been trying to find the perfect

chocolate chip cookie recipe. For her sister Lauren’sFeathering Her Nest baby shower she created thesesugar cookies with royal icing. Read about Lauren’snesting shower and the incredible dessert buffet

Kiera baked up on page 39.

In our ‘vote for the cover contest’ Kiera’s cookiesreceived 53% of more than 2,500 votes.

IN EVERY ISSUE5 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR8 COOS AND NEWS10 SPLURGE VERSUS STEAL12 INSPIRATION BOARDS16 ASK THE BABY PLANNER55 SNEAK PEAK

STUFF WE LOVE14 RAINBOW SHOWER INVITATIONS17 BABY PLANNING EVOLUTION

NURSERY REVEALS20 KIERRA22 KNOX25 MIA28 REESE

BEHIND THE DESIGN30 LITTLE CROWN INTERIORS

CELEBRATIONS34 BIRTHDAY GARDEN36 BABY SHOWER GONE WILD39 FEATHERING THE NEST42 PINKALICIOUS DREAMS44 A PINK AFFAIR

GIVING BACK47 OPERATION SHOWER52 NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP

CONTENTSJuly/ August 2011

PAGE 44 PAGE 47 PAGE 28

PAGE 30 PAGE 25 PAGE 52

From birth announcements to baptisms, first birthdays and beyond,

Tiny Prints has hundreds of customizable designs to make every milestone remarkable.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

big smiles

first steps

little kisses

Celebrate Everyday Moments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in Unforgettable Ways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I have Shiloh Jolie-Pitt to thank for Baby Lifestyles. I was

growing bored having sold my previous publishing venture

and as an entrepreneur, was unsure of where my next idea

would come from. When the oldest genetic child of An-

gelina Jolie and Brad Pitt was born, lightning struck. Born

May 27, 2006, Shiloh appeared with her famous parents

shortly after on the cover of People magazine. A few days

later, a small news blurb caught my eye. For her cover

wardrobe, Shiloh had sported a $42 T-shirt sold by Denver

boutique, Belly. The shop owners, like everyone else in the

baby industry, had gifted the Jolie-Pitts with baby and ma-

ternity gifts to welcome her to the world. Within days of it

being on the cover of the magazine, the Pots & Pans Band

in Gothic Letters shirt, which featured a skull and cross-

bones, an eagle, and some pots and pans, had completely

sold out. I turned to my husband and said, “Babies are the

next hot thing.” I was definitely right.

Over the years, Baby Lifestyles has grown from a little hobby blog to a ‘day job’ where we speak to parents all over

the world about their baby’s life. From how they celebrate baby’s coming into the world and birthdays, to how they

decorate the nursery, we love hearing from readers about how they celebrate their baby’s world.

From the very beginning, I’ve discovered that the baby community is a special one. Bound by love and smiles and ca-

maraderie, where the blogosphere should be cutthroat competitive, instead you find welcoming support and email

pen pals. One of the very first “I’m liking your blog” emails Baby Lifestyles received was from Amy Belle Isle, from

Stem Parties. It quickly transitioned from baby shower talk to ‘bestie’ friendship conversation. Since 2008, I’ve watched

Amy grow as a party planner, to not only a pioneer in the amazing cause of Operation Shower, but put the weight of

her reputation to use and champion others to join her cause. By profiling her and her generous spirit in “Operation

Shower: When Parties Give Back” I hope others are inspired by Amy, and see how they can also make a difference.

Enjoy our first issue of the Baby Lifestyles e-Magazine!

Lauren HalperinPublisher & Creative Director

April Beach

Beach is the founder of BabyPlanner Inc., the industry’s firstand only dedicated consultingfirm for supporting baby planner

and maternity conciergebusinesses and the author ofBaby Planning Trade Secrets,The Complete Guide for Baby

Planning Professionals

From day planners for you and yourtween, to helpful pads and homeorganizers . . . momAgenda has all of the tools you need to keep your hectic scheduleson track.

momAgenda®

Get Organized With Style!®

www.momagenda.com

Wrap up the school year, and become more organizedthis summer!

Joriann Maye Keegan

Primarily a wedding photojour-nalist, after the birth of her

daughter, she began capturingchildren and lifestyle imagery aswell. She works in both color andblack & white and her editorialstyle is modern and distinctivewith a timeless, classical edge.

Kellie Mejia

As co-creator of Baby Savvy™and owner of Sweet Pea BabyPlanners™ in Palm Beach,

brings her education and non-profit experience, coaching andmentoring skills, as well as herknowledge of the baby planningindustry to expectant mothers.

www.NewspaperAnnouncements.com

Newspaper AnnouncementsAnnounce your baby to the world with a completely

customizable nuewspaper!

Having guests donate to a charity is as easy asdeciding where to register for your baby gifts.When you register for your baby at Justgive.org,you can help make donating to your favoritecause an integral part of your baby’s birth.JustGive's registry contains nearly 1.8 millioncharities. No matter what the occasion, you can create a registry and raise funds from your familyand friends for charities you care about. Choose some of your most popular baby retailer registrieslike Target or Macy’s and up to ten percent of the proceeds from your guests’ gift purchases will bedonated to your chosen charity. Or ask for tax-deductible donations in lieu of material gifts.

Is your wedding gown still taking up space in your attic? Long gone arethe times when brides would hold onto their dress for their daughters towear on their big day. There’s no need to wait that long for your baby towear this special dress. The hottest trend is converting your weddingdress into your child’s christening or baptism gown. Wedding dress con-versions are a great way to have your gown make its exit from thepreservation box and become an exquisite family heirloom to treasurealways. Is your dress heavily embroidered or embellished in beads?Other alternatives include creating a beautiful crib pillow or the skirt foryour baby’s crib. The Patchwork Bear can even create your son ordaughter’s first teddy bear from you gown.

As an interior designer, Rebekah feels she ‘happened upon’ the party world while planning her daughter’s firstbirthday party. She delved into it to broaden her design aesthetic, creating her own items and starting A BlissfulNest along the way. But since leaving her design job to pursue entertaining full time, she has felt something wasmissing. With Rebekah’s interior design background, her new line of Blissful Nest nursery and children’s wall art-work is the obvious choice for her next endeavor, bringing a personal expression of your child’s interests and per-sonality into their room. “Wall art is so personal and is such a self-expression element to any room,” Rebekah said.“I feel artwork can be one of the hardest things to shop since it is so personal. I wanted to begin with wall art forkids so parents could see how to pull all the design elements of a room together- color, theme, fabric, pat-terns.”Rebekah decided on these three patterns as the new ‘traditional’ modern, able to adapt to any room de-sign, with more designs to come soon. After selecting colors from the three different backgrounds, you choosefrom one of the 10 silhouettes for the center. Your child’s name or phrase may be added to it for extra cus-tomization. Each piece is printed on a gallery wrapped canvas and comes in 10X12, 12X16, and 16X20.You may purchase our artwork and party packages in Rebekah’s Etsy Shop.

“(You’re) Having My Baby” - Glee CastWhile Paul Anka recorded the original, when this song was redoneby the “Glee” cast, it had a much more fun and upbeat feel.Must Love Lyric: Havin' my baby/ What a lovely way of sayin'/How much you love me.

“Baby Mine” – Bette Middler or Alison KraussThis beautiful ode from the Disney movie Dumbo is sure to bringa tear to your eye as you remember Dumbo rocking in the cradle ofhis mom’s trunk when he was missing being close to her.Must Love Lyric: Rest your head close to my heart/ Never to part/Baby of Mine

'Isn't She Lovely' - Stevie WonderOn tour in 2007, the soul legend introduced his now-grown daughterAisha to crowds as the infant he wrote about in this 1976 classic.Listen to the full version and you can hear her playing in the bathtub.Must Love Lyric: I can't believe what God has done/ Through ushe's given life to one/ But isn't she lovely made from love

'Sail to the Moon' - RadioheadRadiohead’s frontman Thom Yorke use to lament that he couldn’tstand dads who talked obsessively about their kids. Then hebecame a father himself and wrote this lullaby for his son, Noah.Must Love Lyric:Maybe you'll/ Be president/ But know right fromwrong/ Or in the flood/ You'll build an Ark

'Lullaby for Wyatt' - Sheryl CrowWhen she adopted a two-week-old boy in 2007, Crow had surviveda battle with breast cancer and a public breakup with Lance Arm-strong.Must Love Lyric: The world could fall apart/ But you're my heart

'Gracie' - Ben FoldsAfter writing ‘Still Fighting It’ for his son Louie, Folds felt it onlyfair to write a song for his daughter, lest he invite accusations offavoritism. The video featured photos of dads with their daughters,bringing a tear to viewers’ eyes.Must Love Lyric:One day you're gonna want to go/I hope we taughtyou everything you need to know

'Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)' - John LennonThe ex-Beatle frontman took time off to be with his second. Thesweet lullaby starts out with comforting words to a sleeping Sean.He was murdered less than a month after the song’s release.Must Love Lyric: I can hardly wait to see you come of age

'My Baby' - Britney SpearsThough at one point Spears lost custody of her two young sons,in this song, she credited her children and their love with help-ing her turn her life around.Must Love Lyric: I smell your breath/ It makes me cry/ I wonderhow/ I've lived my life

TThhee PPeerrffeecctt BBaabbyy SShhoowweerr PPllaayylliissttWhether celebrating at home or enjoying a restaurant atmosphere, every baby shower needs the appropriate background music. Not having a musical backdrop is like not adding sugar to your prizedcookie recipe. We’ve scoured song lyrics to create the perfect sentimental sound setting for your babyshower event.

$PLURGE vs. STEAL

The Baby Star FoldingBassinet on the left is a

mere $189.

While the Cariboo FoldingBassinet on the right retails

for close to $300.

The Lulla Smith Bassinetand Simplicity Swiss

Batiste Bedding on the leftis divine, except for the

$1270 pricetag.

The White Eyelet One-TierBedding-only Set on theFisher-Price - My LittleLamb Rocking Bassinet,will set you back $225

together.

$

$

Hand painted wall letters will add a touch ofwhimsy to any room they grace. Blue and green

are common colors for a boy nursery.Per letter, one set costs $18 and the other $28.

We’ll let you guesswhich is which.

Cocoa Blue Boy Wooden Wall Letters(left)Gregs Dots And Stripes Letters (right)

$PLURGE vs. STEAL

A great pair of maternity jeans are amust to get you through pregnancy.

But do how much do you want to spendon a pair that will last for a year?

Demi panel always skinny jeans $80.AG Jeans Stilt Secret Fit Belly™ $225.

$We love diaper bags that you can useas a purse after the baby has grown.

Can you guess which one is worth $145 and $450?

Hello wild child!The pink and zebra set on the

left might exhuast your nursery budget at prices start-ing at $900. Save a few bucksby opting for the pink andzebra set on the right for

$250.

$

THIS PAGE: 1. leran pendant lamp: Ikea; 2. driftwood mobile: Etsy; 3. sunburst mirror: Ballard Designs; 4. engraved metal armillary nautical sphere globe: Overstock; 5. decorative shell ceramicdrawer knob: amazon; 6. jute dot rug: West Elm

OPPOSING PAGE: 1. gold capiz chadelier: ZGallerie; 2. ship shape print: Etsy; 3. sailor tattoo print:Etsy; 4. pacific ocean map: Etsy; 5. rope mirror: Ballard Designs; 6. century crib: Layla Gracye; 7.mariposa lamp: ZGallerie; 8. nautical rope pillow: Etsy; 9. mid century dresser: Etsy; 10. grand glider:Layla Gracye; 11. bath basket: Anthropologie

I went maternity shopping for the first time andeverything is so expensive! What maternity basicsdo I really need and which can I skip?

When it comes to maternity clothes, you willget the most bang for your buck with black itemsthat can be paired with anything. Try an A-line skirt,a camisole or tank, dress pants/trousers, leggings,and a dress. If you love to wear jeans, then you willwant a pair of those as well. Many tops available inregular retail stores can be used to pair with yourmaternity bottoms. Check your closet for flowingtops that can be worn as well.

Bump It Up author and stylist, Amy TaraKotch, recommends simple basics, such as theones listed and then adding lots of accessories likea bold scarf or multiple bracelets. "Changing theaccessories can really make the simple blackpieces look like entirely different outfits." Amy alsoraves about the Versatile Dress by Pouch. It canbe worn at least 7 different ways and can be wornafter pregnancy as well.

I’m three months pregnant and have been giventhe go-ahead to start telling my friends. Is now theright time to start decorating the nursery?

Now is the right time to start looking at andresearching nursery furniture and thinking about adesign or theme for the room. Unless you areplanning to do a completely neutral nursery, you

will need to wait until you know the gender of thebaby before you really start decorating.

Until they start the decorating process, mostparents are currently using the room they select forthe nursery as a working room for their own items.Spend a few weeks looking through what itemsmay currently be in your designated nursery roomand think about where they might be relocated. Forsafety's sake, do not move or lift any heavy itemsas it could jeopardize the pregnancy. Let someoneelse take care of the heavy lifting! Don't forget to lookinto no-VOC or low-VOC paint. VOCs are “volatileorganic compounds” and the EnvironmentalProtection Agency EPA reports that using thesepaints will improve indoor air quality and obviouslyeliminate toxins.

Is it better to have carpet or hardwood floors in thenursery? Which is easier to clean?

Either will work, but there isn’t a clear-cut orsimple answer. One important thing to rememberthat will make cleaning any surface easier is to takeoff your shoes every time you enter your home,and insist that everyone else do the same! From achemical/safety standpoint, my friends over atHealthy Child, Healthy World, a trusted resource,have answered this way.

“QThere are inherent risks to any kind offlooring. The problem with carpeting is that it's a

HHaavvee aa qquueessttiioonn aabboouutt yyoouurr pprreeggnnaannccyy??

AAsskk aa BBaabbyy PPllaannnneerr!!

Have a question about your pregnancy?

Ask a Baby Planner!

convenient home to microorganisms such as mold,mildew and dust mites. It is also a reservoir foreverything you track indoors on your shoes soil,lawn chemicals, lead dust from chalking housepaint, asbestos fibers from automotive brake linings,animal feces, and anything else found on theground outdoors. If you have carpeting, be sure tovacuum it regularly with a HEPA filtered vacuumand clean it thoroughly every 12-18 months. Findout tips for cleaning carpets without chemicalshere.

If you are looking into flooring options, werecommend an easy to clean hard surface likecork or hardwood (though, find out what types ofadhesives or coatings are used) with a washablerug made from natural materials like organic wool.Still, most people like to have carpet at leastsomewhere in there home – and it is extremelyaffordable. Look for carpets that follow sustainablecarpet standards like those outlined by the Carpetand Rug Institute.”

My sister and mom live on the opposite ends of thecountry from me, and don’t want to throw my

shower from that distance. Who should I ask? Is itwrong for me to ask anyone?

Etiquette-wise you really shouldn’t asksomeone to throw you a shower. It’s a majorinvestment of time and money to coordinate andhost a baby shower and it just isn’t polite to ask ofsomeone. There is nothing wrong with sharing thelong-distance situation with friends. Hopefullysharing the situation with those who live near youand want to share in your happiness mightprompt them to get involved in the festivities. Andremember, if someone offers to host or co-host anytype of celebration for you, be gracious, thankfuland helpful.

If there is no one to host a baby shower foryou, don't despair, there are more options.Regardless of whether there is an actual party,you'll be fielding the 'where have you registered'question and those who love you will still wishyou happiness with a gift. You can also host yourown baby shower or celebration at home, and putyour relatives name on the invitation as host.Even if they cannot fly in for the day, they will bewith you in spirit.

For some women parenting is all they havedreamed of, with every little detail exactly as theyimagined; every feeling, nursery element, relationshipdynamic, physical beauty, quiet priceless moment andbaby sleep plan; exactly as they had hoped. In reality,preparing for parenthood and becoming a parent are twodifferent experiences. One of the contributing factorsto the difference between expectation and reality is thatwe as mothers did not know who we truly were andhad not yet established our own parenting philosophiesduring this preparation time. We looked, observed, tooknotes—both good and bad—and spent countless hourslistening to another’s parenting approaches rather thanlooking introspectively.

Most new moms look to each other for adviceand support and have done so for generations. Thistradition of asking for help and observing others hasbeen essential in preparing for parenthood. However,in today’s society the help, opinion and traditions of ourmothers and friends may not in fact be what are best forus. Gaining the support and advice from family andfriends is still an important aspect of the journey, howeverthe maternity industry has grown too much, offers toomany products, raises too many safety concerns andproposes too many philosophies for someone other thanan unbiased resource to offer parents the educationalinformation they truly need to make wise choices.Additionally, the vast differences between our parents’childrearing methods and today’s fast paced societycause some new moms to question their footing andposition in regards to their own parenting style. So the

question remains, how do we find our own way? In 2002, this was my reality as I was expecting

my first son. My eyes were opened to the need forinformation and facts and I starved for the perfectparenting plan. As with most new moms, after attemptingto interview those I respected, I soon learned that therewere no other mothers exactly like me. The opinions,plans and ideas of my friends were wonderful for them,but were nowhere near how I would chose to birth andparent my own little one, or what met my own innatenature to parent. After compiling months of research,methods, parenting plans and facts, and armed withinformation I had confidence to look within and trust myown ability to make decisions for my baby. Five yearsand three children later, my passions and realization thatall mothers hold the answers within themselves caused meto lay the foundation for a complete new business based onparent empowerment, unbiased information and instillingparental confidence; Sweet Pea Baby Planners.

We all want to be great parents. In truth, wewant this so badly that we may get lost in the process,while adapting parenting choices which may not be thebest for each of us and questioning our own ability tomake decisions for our child. Since establishing mycompany, I’ve watched as baby planners have emergedto become the newest, most valuable support option forexpecting families. Though everyone expectant momcould use a baby planner, many are not able to hireboutique-private planners to come in their home andoffer support. Add that to the growing misconception ofthe baby planning industry. From those who can just

The Evolutionof

Baby Planning

By April Beach

open up shop without any training to self-proclaimedmaternity concierges on reality TV for the sake of man-ufacturing drama, the message of what a baby planner isand what we do is getting lost. With this, the primaryreason I created baby planning and my vision behindparent empowerment is the most passionate message Istrives to get across.

With some’ s perception that baby plannersmake decisions for parents, tell them what to do and takethe process and joy of preparation out of the parents’hands, I set the record straight. This is exactly why Icreated my company, to helpparents get away from the‘you have to do this, buy thisand try this’ mentality and togive them the confidence tomake their own decisions.My background is in mar-riage and family counseling,and I strongly believe thatbaby planners are the answerto the excessiveness and arestrategically positioned tohelp parents learn to rely ontheir own judgment. Becauseof my background, I’m well-versed in serving clients ofthe highest spectrum andhappy to help parents realizetheir desires in pregnancyand parenting.

Though some re-quests may seem excessive,respect for the clients’ deci-sions and parenting desires isthe primary goal. The optionsare endless; co-sleepingversus not, demand feedingversus clock watching, cry-it-out versus the no-cry so-lution, and knowing the difference between the featuresof the $300 stroller and the $1200 one; all of which babyplanners are experienced and available to offer decisionmaking support. One of my favorite things to do as ababy planner is to help women to know that they don’tneed to fit into a stereotype and can be the mom theywant to be. It’s like telling a professional woman whoruns a multi-million dollar corporation that she can wearher baby all evening long in a Moby and benefit fromclose contact, which may defy schedules and personali-ties. It’s like a thousand pounds was just lifted from her

shoulders. She realizes that its okay to follow her heart,even if it doesn’t fit the mold. This is why baby plan-ning was created and the reason behind this new indus-try’s growth. Because my philosophies for parentempowerment were so impressive yet commonly prac-tical, I was asked to create the first baby planning pro-gram for a hospital. In 2009, The Birth Place at DupontHospital was delivered Baby Savvy™ became the in-dustry’s first baby concierge program for medicalproviders. Baby Savvy™ now available nationally,meets the practical preparation needs accompanied by

important factual informationand promises encouragementand support for expecting par-ents. Baby Savvy™ also hasthe potential to reach thou-sands of new families whichmay not have otherwise beenable to retain the private serv-ices of a baby planner. As oneof the founders of this indus-try, this is one of the accom-plishments I’m most proud of.

So, how long is it takingparents to realize they them-selves hold the best answersand most perfect solutions totheir parenting choices? Andthe real question is… Whyaren’t more parents asking forhelp to reach these decisionsand to gain the support thatthey really need? Simply be-cause many parents needpractical help, purchase con-sulting, organization andnursery set up, does not re-move them from the decision

making and parenting process. Just as a bride is not lessprepared to get married because she hired a planner tohelp get her favorite flowers and best price on a wed-ding cake? To get to the end result of becoming the par-ent you want to be; a baby planner can be a valuable toolby presenting choices with clear pros, cons and options.The best way for parents to gain confidence is throughthe delivery of facts, unbiased consultation and ongoingsupport and well as through their own experiences withtrial and error which every parent appreciates in the end;and baby planning companies consulted by Baby PlannerInc. deliver all of that.

Decorating Kierra’s nursery was a cross-country, longdistance project. Mom Joriann Maye Keegan was in Los Angeles,California, until her seventh month, making ordering furnitureand décor items well ahead of time essential to achieve her Frenchvintage vibe goal in Palm Beach, Florida. “I mapped it out on paper,but it was hard not standing in the room envisioning it in person,”said Joriann.

Selecting the color palette aids in finding the rightatmosphere. “I wanted yummy colors,” Joriann said of her selectionof pink champagne, chocolate and chiffon. She found the crib firstin a window of a shop in Beverly Hills and was hooked. “I had tohave it. It was so different and I loved that I could position it in thecenter of the room.” Joriann ordered it in a custom blush-hued finishand had the bedding custom made by a couture dress designer.

Because the crib had a beautiful and structural wroughtiron gazebo-like top, it was safe for the sparkling crystal chandelierto be centered over the crib. “Without that, I never would have feltsafe, no matter how well it was hung. My daughter loves angelsand fairies, and believes that if they are watching over her whileshe sleeps she won’t have nightmares.” When she found the perfectguardian angel figurine, Joriann added it to the chandelier over thecrib for Kierra.

“Make sure you have a great glider that is super comfy,that you enjoy spending lots of time in,” Joriann recommended.“Also get comfortable matching throw blankets for you, so you andyour baby can be all cuddly in it. Your baby’s nursery is as muchfor you as it for your baby. It should be a special sanctuary whereyou rock and nurse and read to your child. I loved my down filledglider so much.”

Champagne Wishesand Fairy DreamsKierra’s Feminine Nursery RetreatBy Lauren Halperin

One of Joriann’s favorite parts of the nursery is the custom‘kierra’ wall installation. These personalized letters were handpainted, each in a different design, by Joriann and her mother thenight before Kierra was born. They added the ribbons and bows tothem allowing them to be hung on nickel-plated door pulls for asentimental reminder of mothers bonding.

“I had the idea of bears having tea together in my mindfrom the beginning,” Joriann recalled. The sterling tea set was ababy shower gift, and all the little soft cookies, cakes, and tea bagswere found on Etsy. The little tea bags have her initials embroideredon each tag. The bears’ little table and chair bistro set were refinishedand painted ivory to match the furniture. These two bears camecomplete with their hats and pearls. “If you press their hands, theysing the song ‘love was made for me and you.’ But the most specialpart is that the little mink stoles the bears are wearing belonged to mygrandmother.”

Kierra’s matching ‘kitty’ bed was hand painted to matchher crib. The drapes, cushions and table lamp shade were coveredwith remnants from her crib bedding project. Joriann’s parents gotinvolved with designing the nursery as well, with her dad doing allthe carpentry including the chair rails and the decorative ceilingmedallions, and her mom custom painting and antiquing the bathroomvanity and closet doors. Her hanging christening ensemble willdefinitely continue to be passed down through the generations, asthat was crafted from Joriann’s mother’s wedding gown.

Knowing she wanted to have big girl furniture from thestart, Joriann anticipated pieces staying with her for years to come.The rosette chair and make up area was converted from her changingtable. “I put one of her tutu’s over the chair and tied the flower beltaround the back, and voila, a vanity chair. When we removed thechanging table cushion, I put an antique painted tray in its placeand we put her antique mirror and brush set on it, so every nightshe sits there and brushes her hair. The antique brush set isKierra’s favorite.”

While they didn’t have a converter kit for the crib, whenit came time for Kierra to transition to a big girl bed, Joriann refusedto get rid of it. She removed one side of the round crib and hersuper-handy father built a box-like platform that extended fromthe circular part of the crib. After purchasing a twin tempurpedicmattress, Joriann went to an upholstery shop and had them customcut it to perfect fit the round shape at the top. “In retrospect, I couldhave purchased a small car,” she said of the crib and it’smetamorphosis into bed. “But yes, it was worth every penny, as it is the focal point of the room, and oh so girly.”

Stylish and gender neutral, Knox's nursery was the resultof a long-distance design relationship started by sconces. Throughemails discussing designs and photo attachments, mom Dina andher friend Nicole pulled off a whimsical and baby-appropriatenursery room without a design that screamed 'baby'. It wasimportant to Dina that the room incorporated a mix of thrifted andre-imagined DIY pieces as well as sentimental family heirloomsto make it a unique and personal space for her son. The jumpingoff point was the Jonathan Adler giraffe sconces over the changingtable. From there, a loose safari themed room emerged.

"I wanted something gender neutral but not your standardduckies or frogs. My rationale was that there would be lots of timefor train or dinosaur rooms later on in life. But for now, when hereally could care less what the room looks like, I wanted somethingfunctional and stylish that would make me happy to walk into at4 am." Dina said. "I loved how bright and cheerful the yellowlooked against the more soothing and modern gray elements ofthe room. To me, it seemed like the perfect space for a little baby.It was wonderful to have Nicole to bounce ideas off of and keepme sane through the design process. With hormones ragging, I wasfinding it very hard to make decisions and even harder dealingwith roadblocks."

For her obsession with the yellow ottoman, Dina blamesViceroy hotel designer Kelly Wearstler. One of her favorite thingsin the room, the embroidered John Derian Moroccan leather pouf

took several purchases--and returns--to get the perfect yellow. "Ireally only wanted a couple of yellow elements. Most of the roomis just black, white, and gray. Only the dresser, ottoman and tieson the crib bumper are yellow. But even those tiny elements reallymake a statement."

Her other favorite nursery item, the dresser was a labor oflove. A vintage find that Dina talked down almost half off in price,it was given a major cleaning, sanding and and several coats ofpaint facelift to take it's current form. "I have very fond memoriesof working on it and feeling my baby kicking in my belly and justknowing that one day this little human would be using this pieceof furniture I was working so hard on." Giant abacus art hangsover the changing table. "I absolutely adore the way it looks onthis wall. For many months I was the only one getting a kick outof it, but it has recently become Knox's favorite thing to play withafter a diaper change. I hold him while he stands up and slides thelittle beads, squealing every time they clink against one another."

Knox's nursery rug showed Dina's dedication to not onlythe style of his nursery but also the functionality of it. When thefirst rug arrived, Dina unrolled it to see she loved the color, thepattern, and the size in the space. The problem came from it beingone hundred percent wool, making it itchy, leaving it great towalk on an look at, but not for laying on it with a baby. After animpromptu survey of her mom friends, they all advised her shewould spend more time than she thought on the floor with her

An Eclectic Sanctuary By Tara Steinle

baby. "Especially later when the baby is too wriggly to trust on thechanging table." Still wanting a rug to anchor the space from thewall-to-wall cream carpet, and had something to offer the room indesign, Dina selected the safari rug in platinum from West Elm.

"I am a huge fan of reupholstering vintage pieces. Theyare usually much better made than mass produced pieces availableat today’s big box stores and you can get exactly what you want.It’s the ultimate in customization. Professional upholstery servicescan be pricey though so start off on the right foot by getting yourpiece at a thrift store or, even better, for free from the futuregrandparents garage. You’d be amazed how you can transform atired, old looking chair into something wonderful.

"I really wanted to have some secondary seating in theroom and not just the glider. I wanted it to be a place where Icould be feeding the baby and my husband could also sit with usand not be on the floor," Dina said of the bench she made by thewindow. "Originally I was planning to do a bookcase turned onit’s side but it turned out to be a bit too long for the space and mypregnant, hormone overloaded brain couldn’t deal with it being infront of the curtains. I started looking on eBay for some tuftedbench options and found the perfect piece – it was even the perfectyellow. And at the very last second I lost the auction by pennies.I didn’t let that stop me though. I contacted a local furnituremaker and had a bench made to my exact specifications in fauxostrich with the wipe-ability of the vinyl surface. It was $100 lessthan the eBay bench would have cost me."

After an exhaustive search for the perfect crib bedding,Dina decided to take the challenge on herself. "The process formaking the crib skirt myself couldn't have been easier. I used hem

tape and hemmed three pieces of fabric, then pinned them to themattress supports. I totally cheated and didn’t even make a fourthpiece since I knew the crib would be against the wall and no onewould ever see it! The bumpers were a little more challenging butonly because I had to sew all the piping and ties myself since I waslooking for an exact shade of yellow. I love the color combinationand I think it's a nice tailored look for a baby boy's nursery. It givesthe crib a more finished appearance and, as a bonus, some hiddenstorage space for unsightly things like boxes of diapers."

Sentimental pieces from both Dina and her husband'sfamily fill the nursery. "They make it feel like it's our baby'snursery and not just a room we bought in an afternoon at Babies'R' Us." Amongst the personal items are Dina's baby bottle andher baby pajamas. The little suits belonged to Dina and mybrother. They were purchased in Portugal before they moved tothe United States and Dina thought they deserved a place of honorin the nursery. "I love the touch of blue it adds to the room." Herhusband's silhouette as an infant also hangs. "His mom had is madewhen he was one and I absolutely love it. And that chubberific littlebaby on the bottom shelf is yours truly!" The little guardian angelplaque hung in both Dina's crib and her brother's crib. Her momkept it, hopeful it would one day hang in her grandbaby's crib.

Dina had decided early on that you would take the closetdoors off the hinges, which left an opportunity to inject more fabricand pattern into the room's design. "Nicole found this great showercurtain--yes, shower curtain!--on clearance at Anthropologie. Iadded some panels of a coordinating cotton on either side for effect.We installed a closet organization system to maximize the spacea bit better for all those tiny outfits. I turned the wall to the right

of the closet and opposite the window into a little library. I likethat it's a mix of low shelves that he can access as he gets biggerand some slightly higher shelves."

The biggest challenge for Dina was choosing from allthe incredible art available for Knox's nursery wall. "Originally Iwas going to do wallpaper, then wallpaper panels, then a vinyldecal, then three framed prints...but nothing ever felt quite right.Etsy is wonderful but it almost has too many options – especiallyfor an indecisive pregnant woman! I could not for the life of memake a decision on what to hang over his crib." As a result, thewall sat blank until teh week before Knox was born, when Dinadecided she was going to play Picasso. Three 12"x12" canvasesfrom Michael's and a package of oil pastels is all it took to completethe wall. The result are the colorful animals hanging above thecrib inspired by Keith Norval, whose artwork Dina has admiredfor years. "I like the bit of color they add and every time I look atthem, I'm reminded of that last anticipation filled week waiting formy little bean to arrive!"

"Perhaps the most rewarding part of putting this roomtogether was the day I stepped into it with little Knox in my armsfor the first time. It was surreal to finally have him in his roomafter all that planning and painting and tweaking. But I am sohappy to report that the room has proved to be so functional andwell laid out. I absolutely have Nicole to thank for that. Even inmy sleep deprived haze, all the little touches still make mesmile...and believe me, I have a lot of time to take it all in duringthose 4 am feedings! Having a baby and creating a nursery forhim or her to come home to should be a wonderful and enjoyable

process. Don’t let it stress you out and by all means, recruit thehelp of talented friends and family!"

Knox’s �ursery sources:Paint: Benjamin Moore Silvery MoonCeiling Light: Boja pendant from IKEACrib: Jenny Lind crib in black from JC Penney Fitted crib sheet: Squares in dove grey from Dwell StudioKnit lion: Custom from PeachyPaws via EtsyLeather pouf: Yellow from John Derian, find a similar one here;Leather Mustard Pouf Ottoman (Morocco)Glider: Vintage from eBaySide table: Accordion side table from Urban OutfittersLamp: Originally from Overstock.com and spray painted gray.Storage baskets: Branas from IKEACustom bench: Sugar Hill UpholsteryDresser/Changing Table: Vintage from Shelton's FurnitureDresser paint: Benjamin Moore Bold YellowAbacus: CB2, want to do it DIY? click hereWall shelves: Ekby from IKEA with Bjarnum bracketsBedtime Bus Roll Art: MySweetPrints from EtsyBrass Giraffes: Vintage but similar available in my Etsy shopGiraffe Sconces: Jonathan Adler from MisoMod Library wall shelves: Ribba picture ledges from IKEABrass Elephant Hooks: Vintage from High Street MarketLarge toy bins: Industrial mesh from CB2Area Rug: Safari rug in platinum from West Elm

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BY TARA STEINLE

The July 2010 Anthropologie catalog featured a bedroomwith the entire wall done in chalkboard. Frames and mirrors werechalked onto the wall the same way Tom’s apartment wall was donein (500) Days of Summer. Photographer Johanna of Hanna Macfell in love with the chalkboard wall idea after flipping throughthe catalog’s pages and decided that would be the featured accentwall in her daughter Mia’s modern nursery. “My Dad use to paintfor a living, so he was the mastermind behind the chalkboardwall,” Johanna said. “He had to re-mud the whole wall to get ridof the texture before painting it. It was a lot of work. It took threecoats of the chalkboard paint to get it right.”

While many parents would shutter at the idea of doing adark black wall in the room, Johanna counters it with vivid colorsof hot pink, teal green, yellow, grey and white, chosen from theafghan that is on the glider. For visual interest, Johanna hassketched picture frames, furniture and even starting Mia learningthe alphabet. “The chalkboard is so much fun. Not only is it myfavorite area of the nursery because of the way it looks, but it isalso very useful. I take pictures of Mia in front of it each monthand it keeps all of my friends’ children entertained for hours. Miashould have fun scribbling all over it. Let’s just hope she doesn’tthink it’s ok to color on all the walls!”

She decided to paint the walls grey so they wouldn’t fightwith all of the colorful furniture and decorations. The idea almostmade her see red. “You would believe how hard it is to pick out anormal grey color that isn’t too blue or too purple,” Johannalamented. “I had to create my own grey mix so there is no exactcolor name.”

Johanna has always had a love of birds, even using them

in her photography logo. She hand-drew and painted small greybirds perched onto the light switch and at the corner of her mirrorto tweet happy thoughts to Mia. “My husband talked me intopainting them myself to make it more personalized.”

The knick knacks on the shelves are a well-curatedcollection. The paper mache elephant, bird and squirrel book areall from West Elm. The ‘M’ is from Anthropologie and Max theknitted bunny was found on Etsy. Framed newborn pictures of Miahave also been added to the shelf. The reading area is punctuatedwith fun colors and looks bright and cozy. “I love how each pillowis a different color. It’s one of my favorite details.”

The mirror was a reminder of Johanna’s college years.“The mirror was terrible looking before I redid it. The frame wasgold and it had a mirror that read Michelob on it in red and gold.Ugly! So I got a new mirror for it and spray painted the frame.”

The dresser was an antique find by Johanna’s mom. Shegave it a face lift with bold teal paint, and Johanna decorated it withAnthropologie rose finials for the perfect changing table. As herlast and most frustrating project, Johanna gave the BabylettoMercer crib a custom paint job, painting the brown sides a fierceshade of pink. The juxtaposition of the vibrantly colored cribagainst the chalkboard wall gives it extra zest. “Mismatchedcolors look great and babies love looking at bright, bold colors. Mialoves staring at everything in her nursery.”

For Johanna, the best part of decorating Mia's nurserywas watching everything coming together. Her goal was to createa space that was modern and colorful, not too baby-ish and nottoo girly, not too matchy-matchy and incredibly photo-friendly.Mission accomplished!

A Piece of Heaven By Tara Steinle

This romantic, sky-lit nursery was originally nothing morethan home storage space. Charles and Kimsey used to consider ittheir empty room on their second floor at the top of the staircase.The access point to their attic, it was unfinished, with no flooring,no ceiling, only insulation. Adjacent to their second story livingroom, it was the first project completed in their home, long beforethey made it into a nursery for their daughter Reese. “My husbandis truly blessed with his designing skills,” Kimsey said. “He haspractically redone our entire house and he totally made Reese’snursery the beautiful room it is.”

Carpenter Charles put in two windows, French doors atthe entrance, and altogether moved the stairs to their attic to adifferent location. A Romeo & Juliet door with balcony was alsoadded to open the room up to the living room. After the drywallwas completed, he installed the wainscoting, wide plank flooringand moldings. “Both the initial design and the round wall werepretty challenging,” Kimsey admitted. “It was hard to envisionhow our storage room would look as a nursery, considering it wasreally attic space and essentially didn’t even have walls. But oncewe put up the molding, it added such a wonderful detail. ”

The first step in creating this dreamy haven was to maketheir storage area into a legitimate room, with the design rotatingaround the idea of a circular crib. “The room was square and myhusband really wanted a round crib. He came up with the idea ofbuilding a rounded wall behind the crib and a round soffit in frontof the crib to really show off its shape. I think the crib area is pretty

amazing and unique. The crib fits perfectly in this round wall andmolding and lighting make this area really stand out!”

Charles came up with the idea of having his daughter gazeup at the sky from her crib. “We thought it would be fun. Inside themolding above the crib, we put in rope lighting, so at night it givesthis area such a unique look. Originally we had planned to put infiber optic stars, and we still have the wiring to do it, but decidedagainst it. At least for the moment.”

Soft and subtle whispers of pink grace this girl’s room.“We wanted something pink on the walls, but not super Barbiepink. I also wanted to create some texture to the wall. The paint iscalled Brushed Pearl. I wanted slight hints of pink throughout sothat nothing would compete with the wall color. I also wanted tomake sure to include other colors such as ivories and beiges to givea soft, girly and shabby feel to the room.”

“I think it always best to accent in color,” Kimseyadvised. “Even though we painted the room pink, it is only the tophalf and we can paint over for a boy’s room.” All of their largerpurchases were done in neutral colors for that reason. Their gliderwas ordered after they hand-picked the fabric in the neutral tone.Smaller girly items dot Reese’s nursery in the form of blankets,pillows, lined baskets, picture frames and dolls.

“We started the nursery as soon as we found out it was agirl. We went straight from the ultrasound to start shopping and getsome ideas. We really enjoyed decorating Reese’s nursery.”

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Behind the Designs ofLittle Crown InteriorsBy Lauren Halperin

The stunningly designed nurseries by Little CrownInteriors are heaven for those seeking inspiring nursery décor ideas.Spaces designed by the team of Naomi Coe and Gerri Panebiancoare visual eye candy in gorgeous color combinations and creativedetails. With their personal touch on more than 60 nurseries undertheir belts, they have become the go-to interior design firm fortoday’s parents and their littlest clients. As nursery designers, theyspend their days seeking out the hottest items for nurseries and kids'room designs. Their unparalleled knowledge makes them the perfectchoice for parents seeking a nursery designer to create a one-of-a-kind room for their little one. With real life motherhood experienceto call on, and hundreds of past clients to learn from, Naomi andGerri make it easy and stress-free for parents to have an amazingspace for their family.

In 2008, Naomi, a graduate of IDI and Allied MemberASID, and Gerri, a UCSD educated artist, met while working for anOrange County, California, based design firm. After collaboratingon numerous nursery and juvenile projects, the two realized theirshared excitement for innovative design and deep love for children.These common inspirations sparked the concept of Little CrownInteriors: to focus on designing the most luxurious, innovative, safe,and well-planned spaces imaginable – exclusively for babies andchildren.

Combining extensive knowledge and ongoing research inthe industry’s new and existing products, vendors, manufacturers,and safety regulations with expertise in thoughtful design, customcreations, space planning, and matters of convenience, Naomiand Gerri have created countless one-of-a-kind spaces for stylish,adventurous and forward-thinking parents – nationwide.

As best friends, and design enthusiasts, Gerri and Naomiare attached at the hip, and have found putting their heads togetheron all things creative yields better results. “We are truly lucky tohave each other both as friends and as business partners,” Gerrisaid. “We are actually very different people in many ways, andthat’s one of the biggest reasons we work so well together. We havedifferent personalities, different tastes, and different businessstyles which inevitable leads to some bleed over. The friendshipwe have outside of the office definitely comes into play at work– we anticipate each other’s responses to situations, and wechallenge each other to constantly grow and improve.”

As a team, they work closely together on everything, butplay to each of their strengths. Naomi is more ‘in charge’ ofdesigning, and handles all of the technical work. With Gerri’s back-ground in marketing, she handles more of the business andmarketing side of the company. The best lesson they have learnedit to be truly prepared. “It definitely takes extra time to really thinkthrough every aspect of a project, but in the end, it’s time well spentwhen we can walk into a room and know exactly what challengeslie ahead,” Gerri said.

It takes three months on average for a Little Crown Interiorsproject to be completed. The duo generally starts a room design whenthe expecting parents find out their baby’s gender at about 20 weeks.From there, three months gives them the right amount of time to getanything they like in stock, while still completing the project beforethe baby is born. Since there is no ‘one size fits all’ design for a room,they do not set ‘one size fits all’ pricing. Fees vary by job and takesize of the room, the amount of items and work required, and all otherfactors into the pricing of each project.

Planning out the space is also important, whetherparents use graph paper and a tape measure on their own orenlist a professional to get some high-tech help.

A common misconception of designers is that they alwayswant to design in their own taste. “We feel that it’s never our placeto infuse our own personal style into a client’s room – a child’sroom needs to be an expression of love by the parents,” saidNaomi. “Whether a client has a firm vision or is completely opento suggestions, our goal is to extract information from parents, andturn it into a great design. It is our job to marry our own taste andknowledge with the personal needs and styles of each individualclient. After all, they are the one who has to live with the design!”

Naomi emphasizes that every great nursery designshould start with a specific item that the parents love. “Whether it’sa beautiful piece of furniture, a fabric pattern you just can’t get out ofyour mind, or a memento from childhood, by starting with greatinspiration, you’re sure to end up with a space you love,” says Naomi.

“Placing nursery furniture can literally be a matter of lifeand death for your baby, so the right floor plan is crucial,” saysmother of two Gerri. “For example, while flat screen televisions havebecome commonplace in the nursery - any mom who's been throughthe first few months of non-stop feedings knows why! – finding a safeplace to mount one can be tricky and affect every other item in theroom.”

It’s also imperative for them to think about the family’sfuture plans to get the right approach. Part of planning includesknowing whether the room will transition to a big kid room or be

reused again as a nursery. They ask questions such as ‘Are theyplanning on more children?’ and ‘Are they planning on staying inthe current home?’ “Once we have a feel for the future of theroom, we can determine whether the transitional element shouldbe the furniture or the color scheme or the window treatments orthe accessories,” said Naomi.

Up until very recently, themed rooms were “out”. Clientswere specifically asking us for non-themed rooms. We’ve seen thisstart to turn around just in the past few months, however, and therewill certainly be more to come in the future.

When Little Crown Interiors was started, they wereconstantly asked for “non-theme,” “non-babyish” nursery designs.The idea of designing a room around a theme was totally out-of-the-question for clients. “Now, we are noticing a rising trend in themerooms – the sophisticated, lasting kind,” said Gerri. “The idea of a“theme room” no longer means 45 pieces of matching items froma bed-in-a-bag type of collection. Today a theme room combineslasting luxury pieces with less expensive trendy items, resulting inan eclectic mix that’s both beautiful and remarkably changeable.We rarely get asked for a specific color - usually it’s more of a toneor feeling that they want, like ‘calming and serene colors’ or‘unique and understated.’”

Wallpaper is an especially huge trend Gerri and Naomi seein nurseries and kids’ rooms. “There are so many great designersmaking their fabric and wallpaper designs available – it’s easy tofind something fabulous for every taste,” Gerri said. “We’ve alsonoticed a huge trend of floor seating for nurseries. Things like

ottomans, floor poufs and floor pillows are becoming very popular.We are also seeing a definite interest in brighter colors for bothboys and girls – vibrant shades of aqua, lemon and green aboundin juvenile design right now.”

Bright colors are essential in their gender neutral nurserydesigns. “Nailing a gender neutral nursery is first about choosing agreat color palette,” Gerri said. “We’ve done truly gender neutralrooms in aqua and orange, in taupe, blue, and green, in plum andturquoise, and more. In the end, they all worked perfectly for thebaby that eventually made the room their home, in spite of the factthat the colors were rather unconventional.”

Little Crown Interiors was approached by a photographerMark Lohman to photograph some of their nurseries. The result isthe girls and their company being featured in Design Ideas for BabyRooms, a guide for parents who are looking for beautiful ideas andthe latest products for putting together a room specifically for chil-dren. There are hundreds of ideas for every taste and budget, pluswise advice for shopping for all the funishings and extras that make ababy's room safe and special. “This was a really big step in our career.”

But the biggest step forward comes in the form of givingback. The day that Gerri and Naomi started Little Crown Interiors,they discussed charitable work as a part of their business plan. “It’sat the core of our souls, and is hugely important to our business,”Naomi explained. They created the ‘Hope’ Crib in partnership withNewport Cottages Furniture. This one-of-a-kind project was bornout of the love and concern they feel for all baby girls who maysomeday have to face breast cancer. It hits close to home for Gerri,whose mom fought—and won!—her battle. The Hope Crib is a

beautiful shade of pink with customizable fabric panels on the ends.Proceeds from every sale go to breast cancer research. Best of all,you’ll be seeing this crib in a celebrity nursery very soon…

In addition to the wonderful base of parent clients, LittleCrown Interiors is often the call made by expectant celebrities.Currently Gerri and Naomi are designing rooms for three celebrities.One of their current really fun projects is for actress Maria Canals-Barrera, who plays the mother of three wizards on Disney’s TheWizards of Waverly Place. “She is having us re-do her seven-year-old daughter’s room. We’re taking it from a cute, pink, Parisiantheme to a more sophisticated, big-girl’s room.”

Naomi and Gerri also have some design ideas for the em-inently fashionable Victoria Beckham, expecting her fourth child,her first Spice girl. “When we think of Victoria Beckham, we think‘influential,’ ‘stylish,’ ‘modern’ and – in a word – ‘posh,’” saidNaomi. Gerri continued, “As every nursery should be a haven forboth mom and baby, we took her personal style and translated itinto a modern, chic and super-stylish space that we think she’d loveto spend her time in.” The luxury items that Naomi and Gerri suggestfor Beckham include a leather upholstered crib, limited edition vintagedresser, red Lucite side table and a black and gold zebra rug.

“We love what we do,” Gerri said. “The best part is prob-ably the opportunity we have to see a family grow. Figuratively, al-though the literal growth of adding a family member is pretty greattoo! We love to delve into the family’s plans, dreams, their valuesand hopes, and then turn that information into a space that’s notonly beautiful, but that functions as a hub for making their aspira-tions as a family come true.”

A Garden of Birthday DelightsBy Beth MeranPhotography by Joriann Maye Keegan

A world of colorful creatures came to life for Mia’s thirdbirthday garden party. Featuring vibrant cupcakes ofbright and friendly butterflies, bees and ladybugs, thiswas a fantastical outdoors day. Birthday girl Mia wasdressed in a cotton candy tinted ruffle skirt andmagical pink and blue butterfly wings. A face painterillustrated fancy swirls and stars on the children’sfaces before they flitted on bounce houses.

The botanical dessert buffet was the centerpiece ofthe afternoon. Sprouting frosting blooms perfect forcatching the eye of a wondering butterfly or hungrycaterpillar, they were a kaleidoscope of confections.Flower lollipops were the perfect spot for a ladybug tospend the afternoon and potted cupcakes in flowerpots were waiting to blossom their sugary sweetness.

Baby Shower Gone WildBy Beth MeranPhotography by Hal Williams PhogographyThere's no more beautiful spot in the West than Aspen in summer,and Casa Tua is the most stylish restaurant to open there in years.Upstairs it's a private club and downstairs it serves exceptionallyauthentic regional cucina italiana. In this après ski retreat, Krisindacelebrated her baby’s arrival with a royal pink baby shower.

Swirling pink linens were a sweet backdrop to the white floralcenterpieces of roses, hydrangeas and lilies, accented with pinkpacifiers, infant sneakers and baby pink cowboy boots. Pearlescentgrey napkins were circled with magenta gerbera daisy napkin ringsand baby items like plastic key rings, rattles, socks and ribbons.About thirty guests dined on mixed green and artichoke salad,lemon risotto and homemade cavatelli, and a veal scallopini andegglplant tower before enjoying a slice of the three-tier pink rufflecake.

While most baby showers are women chatting softly and cooingover opening baby gifts, welcoming Baby Cain was a lively babycelebration party that included a magician, singing performances,dancing and even a fire-eater!

HOW DOES YOUR BABY PARTY?WWW.BABYLIFESTYLES.COM

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Feathering the Nest withBaby Shower Sweets

By Lauren Halperin

Baking has always been an activity for Kiera Gilhooly thatcoincided with a celebration or a sweet occasion. Growing up bak-ing is deeply connected to her memories with love, family andfriends. “I used to bake with my mom as a kid all the time. I dis-tinctly remember pulling up a stool to the counter and getting tohold the hand mixer or cookie press with my sister who would say‘I love you this many cookies worth.’” In her adult life, it’s Kiera’screative outlet, allowing her to share with others, giving her a rea-son to pop in at a neighbor’s house, send a care package, or hosta party. Since baking is her way to share her appreciation for some-one, she shared her feelings for her sister Lauren by serving up afeast of sweets at her baby shower. Lauren has a love of birdsand nature, which inspired this ‘Feather Your Nest baby showertheme. “My mom always says ‘I’ve got all my chicks in the nest’when Lauren and I would both be home spending time with thefamily.” As Lauren was not finding out her baby’s gender, FeatherYour Nest was an easy gender neutral theme.

Invitations were ordered from Dimple Prints, highlightinga light blue mama bird cuddling with her baby bird in a nest on amint green background. The invitation colors matched the colorsof shower location, The Carltun, which set the color palette for therest of the afternoon. The Nest banner was an easy and colorfulDIY project. “We traced and cut out the letters and birds fromcardboard and the different fabrics, making the fabric piecesslightly larger than the cardboard. Using a spray-on adhesive onthe back of the fabric as glue, we attached the fabric on top of thecardboard pieces, tucking the fabric edges around to the back ofthe cardboard for a neater look. Then we used wood springclothespins to hang them from a piece of ribbon.”

Seating cards were created from green gift tags, anddressed up with blue bows and miniature birds nests complete with

miniature eggs. “My mom would have used Jordan Almond can-dies as eggs, but stores had put out their Easter candy, and we weremuch more excited to use one of our favorite candies -- CadburyMini Eggs.” Kiera was assigned the task of picking all the blueones out, but assures that the yellow, pink and white eggs did notgo to waste.

Kiera’s favorite detail of the day was the floral birdcagecenterpieces. “They were just a lovely touch that I thoughtbrought the whole theme together in an elegant way.” Kiera’smom added nests inside the antique-looking birdcages along withfresh hydrangeas and roses by layering them underneath the nest,bringing the classic outdoors feeling inside to the table.

As a baker, Kiera excelled at creating a Feather Your Nestbaby shower confection extravaganza. The ingredients for Lauren’sbaby shower dessert buffet were more than simple plates andpedestals. With an architect and wood working father, Kiera taskedhim with creating a three-level bakery display for the sweets of theday. Her mom sewed and pasted bird’s nest appliqués on theawning. The result was a delicious storefront bakery where babyshower guests could pick their desserts as if plucking them rightfrom a bakery window. “The goal was to have interest on everyshelf of the dessert display and the room.

The top layer of featured the baby shower cake. WhenKiera’s mom is not applying band-aids and ice packs as a schoolnursery, you can find her doing something artistic and imaginative.Entirely self-taught, her mom created the birds nest centerpiececake. “The appeal for her was the simple, elegant design of thecake because she didn’t want the cake to steal the show.” It’s hardto believe this impeccably decorated coconut cake with coconutcream cheese buttercream could be anything less than a showstopper. The mint green fondant was marshmallow flavored and

featured delicate white sugar flowers. The cake layer of the sweet shop was surrounded by

cupcakes topped with little blue birds sitting atop coconutmacaroon cookies to mimic bird nests. But the cake and cupcakeswere only the dessert appetizers. Kiera also made sugar cookieswith royal icing in the shape of onesies, baby carriages, birds, andeggs. She also made more than two dozen homemade Samoacookies, replicas of the Girl Scout classics.

Making all the little details come to life was accomplishedby planning as far in advance as possible. While The Carltun offersminiature ice cream cones as one of it’s dessert choices, whichKiera made sure guests could have as an extra special treat, herpreparation made individual guest cakes a reality. “The mini cakesthat we gave out as party favors were Chocolate Cake with SwissMeringue Buttercream, covered with Marshmallow Fondant. Also,when my mom and I work together, we are amazed at how muchmore we can accomplish. It’s challenging in a way, too, especiallybecause I set high standards for myself. I’m constantly trying toimprove upon recipes and techniques and learn new ones alltogether.”

*** Lauren’s nest banner now hangs in the nursery of her daughter April Elizabeth. ***

Kiera is currently on a baking journey after launching a full-timecareer in baking and cake decorating, and a quest to achieve theperfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can visit her website athttp://sweetkiera.com

In the children’s book, “Pinkalicious” a little girl cannotresist pink cupcakes. She eats so many that she turns pink, is di-agnosed with a rare case of Pinkatitus and is prescribed a week’sworth of green foods to return to normal. When she sneaks in andeats one more, she turns red which prompts Pinkalicious to devoureverything from brussel sprouts and relish to grapes and greenpeas--upon which, she returns to her normal, beautiful self.

Amy Shey Jacobs of Chandelier Events was inspired bythis pink tome when creating her daughter Meredith’s baby nam-ing--and wanted to bring a sophisticated palette of blush tones tolife. Amy has a wealth of experience planning parties being theformer Director of Public Relations for The Knot, where she onceplanned 14 weddings at the top of the Empire State Building. Whenit comes to children’s parties, she says “it’s all about adding a per-sonal touch, being inspired and pushing the envelope on what’spossible. I love choosing color palettes inspired by the season, theelements of the space, and using lots of interesting textures andcontainers. Most of all, every party is about giving your guests awonderful warm engaging experience--an event, to me, is a livingmoment. It is a concert of details working together to tell a story.”

The recently redecorated private dining room at this his-toric Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern appealed to Amy because of its gor-geous caramel-colored walls, ivory moldings and fireplace. Amycalled floral designer Anne Miller, and showed her pink mercuryglass vases she found as the basis of her inspiration. Her ultimatedream was to have Meredith’s ‘M’ initial bedecked in flowers onthe mantel.

“Anne brought my Pinkalicious dream to life,” Amy said.“She created the floral monogram “M” I dreamt up out of rosesand carnations, and clusters of arrangements in David Austen

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Roses, orchids, grey dusty miller, ranunculus, peonies, and dahliasand embellished it with carnation fairy balls on crystal pedastals. Itwas knock-out-beyond-my-expectations beautiful. I have long usedcarnations as a design element. When packed together, the other-wise-disregarded grocery-store flower actually works really wellto create special, highly textured displays. When done the right way,carnations can definitely go elegant!”

Keeping the color consistent and metallic, glittering sil-ver butterflies were used as whimsical ornamentation around theroom. “I love the sparkling butterflies on the flowers. They add justthe right amount of sparkle to everything they gracefully touch.”Tying the Pinkalicious theme together, Amy created menus featur-ing a Pink and Mocha palette. The day’s menu consisted of a straw-berry-goat-cheese salad, butternut squash ravioli served in miniskillets, local free-range chicken breast sandwiches, and wild mush-room omelettes.

Because her Meredith is sweet as can be, Amy wanted theguests to sink their teeth into sweetness for dessert. “I treated gueststo homemade cookies, a delectable cake...and, of course, a pinkCandy Bar.” She called childhood friend and candy expert LaurenSachs to whip up a candy bar inspired by her Pinkalicious palette.Strawberry and pink lemonade jellybeans, pink rock candy, m&m’sand raspberry malted milkballs were all a delicious hit! “And ofcourse we popped a butterfly or two wherever the space needed alittle extra fairy dust.”

For her first official fete, Meredith got to feast on her veryown cake created by Amy’s friend Cheryl Kleinman. The exteriorof the cake fit the theme of the day iced in pleated pink fondant. Theinside was Amy’s own flavor creation—a layer devil’s food choco-

late cake with a layer of vanilla bean buttercreatm and another ofraspberry mousse filling. “Each slice looked like Neapolitan icecream.”

“The final “Pinkalicious” touch was that each of the guestssigned Meredith’s copy of “PInkalicious” so we can read their mes-sages to her every night at story time.”

Meredith’s Pinkalicious Crew:Florals: Anne Miller, Little Flower ShoppeDessert Bar: Lauren Sachs, SweetCityCandy.comCake: Cheryl Kleinman of Brooklyn’s Betty BakeryVenue: Chateau Room at the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern in Ho-Ho-Kus, New JerseyPhotography: Stacey Ilyse Photographye

A dream is a wish your heart makes. For Kim Dubach, herdream was a Disney fairytale pink baby shower. To have a pinkparty that was nothing short of fabulous, Kim went to Debra Hiebértof Tres Fabu Events to plan a perfect party to honor the littleprincess that would soon be entering the world.

Guests were greeted at The Citizen Hotel with a vintageFrench frame on an easel with a storybook inspired welcome sign.The simple place card table was decorated with one item, a highchair for the expected princess, complete with tiara, and adornedwith bow-tied ribbons and white orchids.

Kim’s baby shower party room was a fantasy of dreamscome true for the expectant mom and her 100 guests. “She defi-nitely wanted pink, but wanted it elegant in an adult way,” Debrasaid. “We found inspiration in the Disney fairytales. She wanted to

A Pink Affair for aBaby PrincessBy Lauren Halperin & Tara Steinle

implement the harlequin pattern that the Queen of Hearts usesthroughout Alice in Wonderland, which we tamed down with pinksand white and vintage gold to create sweet and innocent look.”

Nearly a dozen tables were named after animatedprincesses and announced in the form of standing storybooks filledwith paper for guests to write their motherhood advice with featherplume pens. “I kept envisioning a fairy tale font, like in classicbooks where the ‘O’ in ‘Once upon a time’ is in an antique script.We used burnished gold and mixed it with the pink and white pat-tern to give it that royal edge.” They royally presented the tablewith phrases such as ‘C’ is for Cinderella and ‘P’ is for PrincessFiona.

Magnificent floral centerpieces rested atop water-filledvases. Romantic roses in shades of pink and white hydrangea clus-ters gave each table a royal focal point. “Kim wanted over the topfloral arrangements,” Debra said. “She pulled from different as-pects of what she liked and Shelley McArdle of Floral Artistry cre-ated the most breathtaking arrangements for the baby shower.”Delicate, small roses tied with ribbons dripped off each bouquetnear small tea light candles. Place settings featured the menu inpink script and topped with an antique baby block.

As guests mingled with friends and dined on the sevencourse meal, their eyes were drawn to the baby stroller in the cen-ter of the room. Decorating with cascading pink ribbons and over-flowing with orchids, it sat on a table covered with light pink satinand dripping with pearls. “One of the guests at the shower was a

teenager. She used to be pushed around in that carriage when shewas a baby. It was such a wonderful family heirloom to display.Items like this with significant emotional meaning become so muchmore than a great conversation starter.”

Debra combined the fantasy of princesses with the mod-ern pizzazz of Juicy Couture stores, namely their signature candydisplays. Debra spelled out Baby in gold letters against a pink back-drop table with tulle enhanced skirting and waterfalls of pearls.“Since Kim could not partake of the fabulous top shelf bar she pro-vided her guests, I wanted to ensure that the candies at her candybar were her all time favorites from childhood to adulthood. Sheabsolutely adored the individual fresh strawberry Veuve Clicquotchampagne mini cakes with the individual flower detail.”

To make all her guests feel like treasured gems, each oneleft this shower with little blue boxes filled with pretties from nonother than Tiffany & Company!

*** We are proud to report that the DuBach family welcomed ahappy, healthy baby girl they named Se'Bella. ***

Pink Princess Dream Team:Event Design: Debra Hiebert, Tres Fabu Event Planning and DesignVenue: Metropolitan Terrace at The Citizen HotelFlorals:Shelley McArdle, Floral ArtistryPhotography: CinZo Celebration PhotographyLittle Baby Cakes: Divine Desserts

Make your baby and birthday parties memorable and

sweet!

Shop Our Candy Store

When Par'es Give BackBy Lauren Halperin

Think of how you felt while you were pregnant with yourfirst child. Now imagine being separated from your spouse, yourbest friend, during this magical time. Your husband misses out onfeeling the baby kick, on hearing their heartbeat on the ultrasound.In many cases, they miss the birth of their child as well as thosefirst few weeks or months where every moment is something newto marvel over. This is what the pregnant military spouses gothrough while their husbands fight for this country’s freedom. Ourcountry’s all volunteer army has 560 installations in 130 countriesglobally. Of them, 55% of our military are married with children,meaning that around 93,000 families are separated by deploymentat any given time.

Operation Shower is a nonprofit organization that providesjoyful baby showers for military families to ease the burden of de-ployment. Operation Shower began in 2007, when LeAnn Morris-sey, looking for a way to give back to her uncle who was deployedoverseas, was asked to send a card to four women who were ex-pecting babies while their spouses were deployed. LeAnn decidedto try to do much more for these families. She set out with familyand friends to send a “shower in a box” to the four military fami-lies who were expecting babies while the husbands were deployed.“It was a light bulb moment for me,” Morrissey says of conceivingthe premise for Operation Shower. “My uncle had been deployed afew years ago when his youngest son was born while he was gone.He didn’t get to see him until six months after he was born. I waspregnant at the time and was thinking about what I was goingthrough and couldn’t imagine if my husband was a million milesaway. I started thinking about it, how hard it must have been formy Aunt. I didn’t want to send a card, I wanted to make them gowow and make their day.”

LeAnn received several emails from the grateful moms inresponse. One sent her a picture of her sitting on the bed with all thegifts and wrote back what a great surprise it had been and howmuch it had meant. “My uncle shared with me the emails from thedeployed men and how much it meant to them to have care pack-ages sent to their wives, and what it gave their wives in their ab-sence. When I saw it was helping the whole family and wassomething fun for them, Operation Shower started from there.”

As of October 2010, the Operation Shower team has,through the generous donations of individuals and corporations andthrough volunteer-power, showered over 400 women, holding 12

unit-wide showers on military bases across the country for theArmy, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard. “Militarybases are doing the best they can, but with an organization that isoutside the military and can solicit funds and donations, which theycan’t, we are able to have more of an impact and give the womenmuch more of an experience.”

Amy Belle Isle’s great uncle was part of the troops thatstormed the beaches at Normandy. Her great Aunt has always beenpassionately involved with Veterans organizations as a result andshe’s always admired that. “Hearing about his adventures at his fu-neral has always stuck with me,” Belle Isle said. As a party plannerand founder of Stem Parties, she understands the moment when allthe planning is done and what the real reward is. “You step back andlook at everything, and recognize that the guests will know thatevery detail was thought of and planned just for them. Being a‘smile bringer’ is a pretty cool gig!” This is what makes her a per-fect puzzle piece for Operation Shower.

Stem officially started in 2007, after Belle Isle posted pic-tures of her friend’s baby shower on Flickr. When the Hostess withthe Mostess, Jenn Sbranti, emailed her about them, Belle Islelaunched her blog. “I’d always planned parties on the side and beenthe go-to to for friend’s baby showers and other parties. I’d toyedwith starting a planning business on the side for a while, and thenwas moved to action after Jenn did a post on her site. I always saythat my being involved with Operation Shower would not have hap-pened if not for Hostess With The Mostess.”

As both Belle Isle’s Stem and Morrissey’s OperationShower are based in St. Louis, MO, Morrissey reached out to herfor help planning an event. Belle Isle describes it as fate. “The veryweek LeAnn reached out to me I had told my husband that I wantedto find something to “do” rather than just always donating moneyto everything. When I heard what Operation Shower was doing, itwas a no-brainer for me. I truly believe this is what I was meant todo.” After that first event, Belle Isle stayed on, getting completelyinvolved and taking her role in the organization deeper, and mak-ing Operation Shower more of a success.

Her involvement grew as the more she had fun doing whatshe loved for a great cause. “The fact that the mission is so impor-tant…thinking of moms without their husbands breaks my heart.And LeAnn Morrissey is one of the most amazing people I haveever known. Working with her is an honor and so much darn fun!”

Belle Isle is now listed as Operation Shower management with thetitle Chief Event Organizer. Responsible for the spectacular partyplanning related to the unit-wide showers and Operation Showerfundraisers, she also works to make the showers in a box a beauti-ful gift for each mom. Her to-do list ranges from planning everyaspect of the shower parties and contacting vendors to working ongetting products donated and social media posts.

Not only has Belle Isle brought her own talent to the cre-ative aspect of this organization, she put out a call to arms to theparty blogosphere for their support. Because of their belief in the or-ganization and love for Amy, it’s been a resounding outpouring ofrallying for the cause. “It’s an amazing community full of the mosttalented and generous women out there,” Belle Isle beamed. “Itmeans that people are responding to not just what we are doing, butthe level of quality with which we do it. We are proud of that. I feelvery blessed to have made wonderful friends in the party landscapethat have stuck with me and joined in Operation Shower.”

The Operation Give Thanks campaign was based on theidea that people want to help but don’t know how. Belle Isle andMorrissey decided to create a campaign where people could throwtheir own parties to benefit Operation Shower. As the online partyworld has taken to the organization, working with party printablevendors to create packages that people could use at their partieswas an easy way to get involved—and encourage others to do so aswell.

Operation Give Thanks kicked off in Fall 2010 with BelleIsle choosing a group of designers to launch Thanksgiving and gen-eral baby shower printable collections. Kira and Abigail of Paper &Cake were excited for the idea and contributed a gorgeous “A Staris Born” inspired set in pink, blue, and green. Kori Clark of Paper& Pigtails was thrilled to be on board and offer her services. Thefirst set of printables I made were for the “A Star Is Born” shower.The design was a yellow and gray color combination with tone ontone damask print, and a small polka dot star that was “hung” froma delicate ribbon. Her second set was set for Valentine’s Day, cre-ating printables for a chocolate tasting party. Lindi Haws of Lovethe Day went all out with her New Year’s Eve printable collection,which included a party banner, cupcake toppers, flags, mini candybar wrappers and more. Her collection yielded 11,000 downloads.

“Because of how great she is and how the genuine con-nections that she makes with people, Amy has utilized that onlinenetwork and she’s been great so great,” Morrissey said. “The partybloggers don’t donate their time and do what they do to for everyorganization. But they do it for Operation Shower and for Amy.”

Before Belle Isle got involved, Morrissey described eventsas great in terms of the giving, but not decorated in the sense of anactual shower. “It was whatever the local military community wasable to put together and we would come deliver boxes. My visionwas to do much more with the ‘shower’ aspect of it. Once I metAmy and saw her skill level, she was able to come in and bring theshowers up 2-3-4-5 notches. She made them spectacular. She madethem a party.”

The “Boxes and Blooms” event was her induction to theOperation Shower event world. It highlighted their showers-in-a-box with a spring feel. “We kept it pretty simple and clean withcute graphic gift wrapped boxes and fresh flowers for the décor,”Belle Isle said. “One of my favorite aspects of this shower was thebright and happy yellow and lime green color palette. So cheery!”Next was the “A Star is Born” shower for wounded soldiers’ wivesat Walter Reed Hospital. “The posters created and donated from 5

Star Baby were amazing. Such a fun touch! Inside the event weused lots of red and black with special touches like flower arrange-ments in popcorn containers, film reels and canisters, feather boasand other movie touches. Another highlight was the delicious cup-cakes donated by DC Cupcakes own Georgetown Cupcakes!”

Operation Shower took the party to the next level with theSunshine Farms event. Held at The Farmers Insurance Open at Tor-rey Pines, it included a partnership with the PGA Tour The Marchof Dimesand showered 35 expectant mothers with spouses in theNational Guard, Marines, and Navy. The very next day, showers-in-a-box were delivered to the military hospital for 25 more motherswith premature babies. With a desire for a theme that related to sun-shine and happiness, this party was cheerful in colors and décor.While it was the same size as most of their others, Belle Isle wasable to enlist some talented additions that elevated the whole party.

The Sunshine Farms event was also the first event BelleIsle got to work side-by-side styling with the woman she creditswith starting her on her path in the industry, Jenn Sbranti. “Amyand I both have a pretty a modern sense of style, so we both natu-rally leaned towards a "modern farm" look,” Sbranti said. “I usedbright primary colors, silhouettes of farm animals and contempo-rary veggie patterns for the party printables and signage. There werethree different table centerpieces that coordinated with the farm andbaby theme: toy wheelbarrows filled with hay & fresh veggies, gal-vanized buckets filled with dry pinto beans and toy gardening tools,and bountiful groupings of flower-filled mason jars and hay bales!It definitely takes the design process to a new level when there's agreat cause involved, and a little more pressure too. I love it whenjust one guest of honor gets excited about a creative atmosphereI've helped bring to life, so when there are 40+ deserving guests ofhonor to get excited, that's pretty darn cool!”

Marie from Sweets Indeed created the most adorablefarm-themed sweets table ever filled with lots of mini treats, sev-eral of which were embellished with the printable patterns and an-imal silhouettes, so they coordinated perfectly with the tables. “Itwas a lot of fun being part of the process of turning a blank slateinto a fun, bright and cheery Farm theme,” Marie Dannettelle ofSweets Indeed said of the day. “The experience of donating wasdelightful. The details that went into the design and decor, the vol-unteers, seeing all the donations come together, the smiles on theguests faces…it was more than worth it. .There is such an amazingfeeling you get when you step back and survey the scene that hascome to life before your eyes. Knowing it is all for deserving fam-ilies and their new bundles of joy is so exhilarating. I was honoredto have been asked and the message behind the organization reallyhit home for me. I am a mom and couldn't imagine going throughmy pregnancy, birth and raising my little one without the support ofmy close friends and family and with the worry of my spouse beingoverseas as well. I also come from a military background and havemany friends that serve.”

In April, First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obamaand Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the Vice President, launched “JoiningForces,” an initiative highlighting the plight of military familiesand encouraging Americans to do more to help members of militaryfamilies. Their first order of business was a trip to Camp Lejeune,North Carolina. Home to the largest concentration of marines andsailors in the world, it serves as a training facility for 47,000 ser-vicemen and women. Of them, 14,400 have been deployed with7186 having families. This means 13,217 spouses and family mem-bers are left behind at the Camp Lejeune base and in the surround-

ing communities. On April 13, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden joinedmaster crafter Martha Stewart and teamed up with OperationShower for a unit-wide Red, White and Coo event.

“This event meant so much for so many reasons,” BelleIsle said. “We are thrilled with the light the Joining Forces programby the White House is shining on our military families. We are veryaware that there are many organizations working hard to honor ourmilitary. So, to be chosen as a featured stop on their “JoiningForces” Tour was an incredible honor. We are a very small organi-zation trying to do very big things so this experience was incredi-bly rewarding and humbling. Being in the presence of the mostpowerful and influential women in our country is surreal and very,very exciting to say the least.”

Morrissey hopes that the validation from the First Ladytranslates into more national support. “We’re thrilled that Mrs.Obama and Dr. Biden understand what we’re trying to do,” shesaid. “To be recognized nationally for what we’re doing is reallygratifying. The biggest benefit is that I hope people will get behindus and what we’re doing and what we’re committed to. The wholemessage of red white and coo is for everyone around the country isthat there’s someway to support military families. If they’re think-ing about Operation Shower they’re thinking about military fami-lies. That’s the benefit for us.”

It’s not just another day at the office when you’re a partyplanner and Martha Stewart is one of your guests. “Yeah, planningfor Martha does take thing to another level! It really helps that wetreat every event as a VIP event because they are. The most impor-tant thing is that moms know they are the stars of the day and thatevery detail is planned just for them. But to look up and see MarthaStewart, Dr. Jill Biden and Michelle Obama standing in front of theOperation Shower banner felt like a huge accomplishment. Notmany people get that experience and it is one I will never take forgranted.”

This baby shower for 40 expectant mothers brought outpatriotic colors and more of the industry’s finest. Belle Isle againenlisted Sbranti and Dannettelle along with Chris Nease of Cele-brations at Home. “I don’t think people realize the effort that goesinto styling an event like this,” Nease said. “With every shower,there’s so much effort to make it look like something your bestfriend would have done. Amy is so great at what she does. I don’tknow anyone who wouldn’t do anything for her.”

This summer, Belle Isle and Morrissey are eagerly plan-ning four Operation Shower events in the Fall, including back toback weekends. It is by far their most ambitious undertaking yet.Their plan is to continue going to as many military bases to reachas many families as possible. They will continue to honor the momsin a military family who hold it together at home, the moms who gothrough a pregnancy without their spouse by their side, deployed toa another part of the world, proudly serving our country. Thesemoms deserve our support, our thanks, our love and of course, theydeserve a party! “The best part of being involved with OperationShower is knowing that what I am doing really makes a difference,”Belle Isle concluded. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted and I know thatthis does matter to these women. It’s worth every minute of workevery single time. It’s a very emotional experience to see theirsmiles and to share hugs and often tears with them after an event.They don’t really know what to expect coming into an event and tohave them leave feeling completely validated and “seen” for theirsacrifice is nothing but pure joy.”

“Amy deserves the all accolades she’s getting. She works so hard oneach shower. She’s definitely unique person. I don’t know if everyonecould do everything she does.” – LeAnn Morrissey, Co-Founder of Operation Shower

“Amy is definitely inspiring! I really admire her involvement and howgenuinely she loves this organization. It's definitely not just "some-thing on the side" for her - she is truly passionate about it, and it's aserious time & energy commitment... Party planning/coordinatingsounds like fun, and it often is, but it's also a LOT of hard work! Iknow there have been some frustrating nights and tears along the roadto getting these events set up... that's the part that no one ever sees,but it's a true testament to the level of Amy’s commitment.” – Jenn Sbranti, Hostess with the Mostess

“If you’re going throw parties for a living, you can’t have a bad atti-tude. What drew me to Amy was her sense of humor. She can berather dry or sarcastic or silly and outrageous and I love it. In real life,she can be quite focused in the work of creating the shower. So it’s thefun moments when she’s able to let loose and be free and not focusedon that her sense of humor comes out. Give me someone who canmake me laugh and that sucks me right in.” – Chris Nease, Celebrations at Home

“Amy is a true inspiration. There are certain people out there that havea level of professionalism that gets the job done but are also ap-proachable and convey a calm sense of purpose. Even with all of thebustle that goes on during prep time for an event, there was still or-ganization and appreciation. She’s someone I hope to have a lifetimefriendship with. I have so much respect for her. She has put OS at theforefront of her life and sacrifices daily for the cause, and nothing isever half-don. She puts her heart and soul into each event leaving nodetail unnoticed. There is a personal touch and a warm heart behind allof it and I know people feel that.” – Marie Dannettelle, Sweets Indeed

“I think baby showers are so important to help moms and dads realizehow many people out there love and care for both them and their babies,and to feel the support surrounding them as they go through such a lifechanging event. Having an organization that makes sure our militaryfamilies feel the love and support during this time is so important!” – Kori Clark of Paper and Pigtails

“There are so many organizations out there that do wonderful thingsand I am so happy they exist, but there are not many that go beyondtaking care of immediate needs to celebrate such a special event in afamily's life, especially deserving military families. Amy is so lovelyand talented, when she asked me to participate, I was honored by therequest and happy to help.” – Lindi Haws, Love the Day

If you are a mother, you know what it is to carry a childand to get to know them as they grow inside you. You get the nurs-ery ready. You select names. You are showered with presents. Youlong for the day when you get to meet this little person you have somany hopes and dreams for. And then you find out it’s not to be.Your baby’s gone. What would you want if this happened? For themore than three million stillborn babies born each year and the fourmillion others who pass within 28 days of coming into the world,Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) offers them beautifulremembrance photography they can see and hold onto forever, aneternal reminder that though these children were here so short atime, they were important and loved.

Maddux Achilles Haggard was born on Feb. 4, 2005, witha condition called myotubular myopathy that prevented him frombreathing, swallowing or moving on his own. On the sixth day ofhis young life, his parents had to make the excruciating decision totake him off life support. But before they did, they called photog-rapher Sandy Puc to take black and white portraits of them cradlingtheir son. Puc photographed the couple with Maddux at the hospi-tal before he was removed from life support and after–when he wasfree from the tubes and the wires that had sustained him.

“That night was the worst night of my life,” Maddux’smother, Charyl Haggard said. “But when I look at the images, that’snot what I’m reminded of. I’m reminded of the beauty and bless-ings he brought. Our cherished photographs show the love weshared and gave to our son. They show he was here and that he willforever be a part of our lives–no matter how brief his stay on earthwas. This is our way of honoring and remembering our preciousbaby boy.”

Those tender photographs documenting Maddux’s eternalconnection with his parents inspired Cheryl Haggard and SandyPuc to found the nonprofit organization that has provided thousandsof families of babies who are stillborn or are at risk of dying asnewborns with free professional portraits with their baby. Named

after the children’s bedtime prayer, NILMDTS administers a net-work of more than 5,000 volunteer photographers in the UnitedStates and nineteen International countries who are willing to de-vote personal time, money and heart to help families in need, pro-viding a helping hand and a healing heart.

When photographer Michelle Powell moved to Arizona,she started doing newborn photography at local hospitals. One dayshe watched a nurse sit for almost an hour calling area photogra-phers to take remembrance photos before becoming so frustrated,she took the job herself. Now the area coordinator for Phoenix,Powell says she tries to capture photos that will bring comfort to thefamily and in the long term, give them peace. “I attempt to have noemotion in the room, but simply, quietly capture all that is happen-ing and tell the story,” said Powell. “Some days I do as many asfive in one day and it is entirely too much and it takes a toll on youin the long run.”

Talking about a particularly moving shoot, Powell recallsthe Turner family, who were experiencing their second loss thatyear. The baby was born at 18 weeks and severely disfigured. “Theparents apologized for asking me to take the photos,” Powell said.“I felt such love and sorrow for these parents; that during this griefthey were concerned for me and what I was about to see. I treatedtheir baby like a special angel, like she was the most important thingin the entire world. The joy in the parents face was overwhelmingand on several occasions, I caught the parents watching me to seethe look on my face, to see if I was disgusted by their baby. Ishowed no expression and handled the baby like the special angelshe was. I made it to my car before I broke down.” In another oc-currence, a Mother delivered while her husband was away. Powelltook images of her with the two other siblings. These images are theonly tangible items that this Father had of the experience that hisfamily was going through.

For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of pho-tographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offer-

NNooww II LLaayy MMeeDDoowwnn TToo SSlleeeeppRReemmeemmbbeerraanncceePPhhoottooggrraapphhyy

By Lauren Halperin

Photography by Leila Jones

and Katie Moos

ing gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionateand sensitive manner is the heart of NILMDTS. Photography iscapturing a moment that is so fleeting forever on film. It is whatlife is all about. As human beings, our memory is so unreliable forall the details, capturing all those images can help preserve thememory that might be lost over time. Remembrance photographyis significant in this healing process. They allow families to honorand cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives. Every-thing provided to the families is free and includes their session anda CD of full resolution images; some photographers even includea DVD slideshow set to music.

Powell’s most memorable session was of a 38 week babyboy. The only thing wrong with this perfect child was that his um-bilical cord got knotted. “It’s unimaginable that something so sim-ple could take your perfect little baby from you. I walked in theroom behind the nurse to see thebaby’s uncle crying his heart out.On the outside, I was calm andcollected and started getting myequipment ready. Inside, Iwanted to hug this man and crywith him. The baby was beauti-ful. I’ll never forget him. Hisparents were very calm and ac-cepting of their fate. I can onlyguess their faith is incrediblystrong. He has a big brother whois thankfully too young to reallyknow what happened. One day,he’ll understand and get to seehis baby brother through the pic-tures I took. I know that picturesalone could never fill the voidcreated by his passing, but Iknow that they will never haveto try and remember him. Allthey have to do is look and seewhat a perfect little angel theyheld in their arms for so brief atime. And I hope that bringsthem comfort.

The goal is to capturean image that will not look likeit was in a hospital. Images areoften taken in black and white toachieve a timeless, classic look.They are very careful with ask-ing the families if their child canbe moved. They never want thefocus to be off of the family and work very hard to give breaks orprivate time if it is needed.

Before Paula Massey became a professional photographerfor My Sisters Smile Photography, she was a nurse, making her aperfect fit for NILMDTS. “The photography session seems to addsome normalcy to the chaos and trauma the parents are goingthrough,” Massey said. “The parents can be very emotional duringthe session as they gaze lovingly at their little one. For some, itseems calming. My nursing experience has helped me stay on trackand do my job. I have gotten emotional but I get control over myemotions by focusing on the technical side of the photo session.

The parents don’t need to take care of me; I’m there to take care ofthem.”

Both Powell and Massey agree that whether they are giv-ing or receiving a gift by volunteering with NILMDTS is up for de-bate. “It’s truly been a blessing in my life as it is in the lives of thefamilies I’ve photographed,” Massey said. “I never expected to feelso rewarded from my experiences. I am so much more apprecia-tive of life and my family. And I am appreciative of the burdensthat have not been placed on my shoulders; the burden of losing achild and carrying that grief with you every day.”

As area coordinator for Northern Los Angeles, photogra-pher Leila Jones believes that her years of struggle to have her ownchildren were training grounds for the services she offers withNILMDTS and meeting expectant parents like David and Mary JoPeterson. The Petersons learned early on in their pregnancy that

their son A.J. was diagnosedwith a chromosomal conditioncalled Trisomy 18. Jones firstmet the Petersons when theyvolunteered to speak to a groupof NILMDTS photographers intraining and quickly matchedthem with area photographerKatie Moos. “Having a parent ata training session is invaluableto the organization,” Moos said.“It helped me realized that asmuch as we as photographersmight feel obtrusive there withthe family during their loss andhow it may feel awkward to betaking photos in the first place.These parents want these photosand they may or may not knowwhat they want at the time, butthey are counting on us to getthem.”Moos’ first meeting with Pe-

terson was hard because “whenshe walked in all cute and preg-nant nothing about her made methink the baby wasn’t going tomake it–she looked so healthyand like a great Mom. My heartjust ached for her and whatthese past months were like andwhat the next few to comemight be like. I thought about‘what if this was me?’ They are

so brave to come and talk to us about something so personal and sopainful, but that was the other surprising thing. They seemed atpeace with the outcome. I loved that about them. They knew theywere doing all they could as parents to bring their baby to term andthe rest was out of their hands.”

“There was an immediate connection with Mary Jo,”Jones agreed. “She knew her time was short and valuable with A.J.I am still so amazed in how brave she was in approaching the un-thinkable. The Petersons looked at their fate and decided to tackleit with all the reality that could possibly occur. To look at A.J. atbirth, you would not guess that his life was to be so short,” Jones

said. “With the Petersons, they looked at reality, about the future forA.J. At diagnoses they really planned out the moments they wouldhave with him to make sure they were uncluttered with decisions.They cherished every moment that A.J. lived.”

Leila Jones, Katie Moos, and Mary Jo Peterson haveshared many hugs and tears and will always share those pricelessmoments in their lives where they were invited to document thefew precious hours of A.J.’s life. Jones will always remember thePeterson’s son Joey saying to his grandmother that his brother hadgone to heaven. “Katie told Joey that she would get him a portraitfor his room of him and his little brother. While we were in thewaiting room with the family, Joey was fascinated with the imagesthat he was looking at in the back of the camera.” NILMDTS pho-tographers look for items that are special to the families and theirbaby that are in that room. In the case of the Petersons, they madesure a special charm necklace with baby booties on it was in sev-eral pictures. David had purchased it for Mary Jo just after they re-ceived A.J.’s diagnosis.

The two now have a profoundly deeper connectionthrough their shared experience with the Petersons. “They havesuch a wonderful perspective on life and time on this earth,” Moossaid. They spent their tender moments with smiles, hugs and kisses,laughing and loving. They did not waste A.J.’s time mourning, butrejoicing in him! They also have the unique perspective that theycan help people even when they themselves are grieving and needhelp themselves. They are such a warm giving and loving family.When I drove home from the hospital I remember thinking I amthe only person on this earth that has photos of A.J. It feels like youare giving someone their child back [in photos. It's huge and reallyhumbling and deeply touching. When I first heard about NILMDTSI thought to myself how could anyone do this, meaning how can aphotographer go in to a hospital emotionally and do this? And itdidn't take me long to realize...how can we not? I will never forgetA.J. and the Peterson family. They are in my heart."

The photographers of NILMDTS bridge the gap on thehealing process. Jones says occasionally there are mothers that say

they haven't held their baby yet or they don't want images withthem. "In most of my experiences, the mother decides to hold thebaby for just one photo, which tends to lead to more. Cheryl Hag-gard, the co-founder instructs during training sessions that 'you can'tgo back and decide later that you want this.' I tell Mothers in thissituation that if the images are taken, they can choose to not lookat them, but I don't want them to regret not having taken them. Inall my experience with this there is not one Mother that has regret-ted." There is probably no greater intimate moment to share with astranger, but the connection the photographers feel validates the no-tion that we are all the same: human. "Every living being instinc-tively knows how to grieve," Jones said. "It is learning how to healthat some need help with."

The photographers of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep offera priceless gift to a family in need. "These families are leaving thehospital empty handed after saying goodbye to their child," Jonesconcluded. "They are so thankful that soon they will have profes-sional images of their child. I think for most families the day theylearn that their child is not going to live is the worst day of theirlives. I have had more than one parent say that when they look atthe images created by NILMDTS that this not what they are re-minded of, they are reminded of the beauty and blessing on thatday as the day their child that came into their lives." Co-founderCheryl Haggard was once asked the question 'When did my heal-ing begin?' "My first thought of course was to say 'When I firstlooked at the images Sandy did of my son, Maddux.' But I gavethis question just an extra second of thought and I can honestly say:"For me, my healing began knowing a photographer had rearrangedher schedule and was on her way to our hospital to photograph ourlast moments with our son."

To learn more about the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep organization, please visit their website:www.NowILayMeDownToSleep.org

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