Sometimes writing is therapeutic. I'm putting this list together a week after Mother's Day because I know I'm not the only one struggling with this holiday in particular. Maybe you're coping with a recent miscarriage, with infertility, with fertility treatments, with pregnancy jealousy, with the concept of motherhood.

B and I are excited for his cousin's upcoming beer-themed Baby shower (even though babies are still a bit of a sore spot for us right now)! She's been married for almost as long as B can remember her (there's a bit of an age gap) and this baby was one amazing Christmas surprise.  She and her husband have been our brewery and beer tour buddies since Day 1 of moving to KC, and even their baby shower is beer-themed - "A Baby is Brewing!" It was too easy to pick some awesome gifts for the beer-loving parents that are still baby friendly.

Here are our favorite picks for baby and parents, including beer t-shirts, beer baby bottles, classic children's books with a slight twist, and a few items that are just plain useful for new parents and baby alike!





What did I miss? Leave your baby shower recommendations below!

Jess and I have undertaken the task of planning Shannon's last bridal shower before her wedding. It's two weekends before the big day, so we wanted to make sure it would be stress-free and relaxing for the bride while also being convenient for our friends from church to celebrate her (the rest of her bridal & wedding showers having taken place in Alabama).

Pinterest has done it again! In my quest to find the best budget-friendly decor ideas for the copper and emerald green bridal shower this weekend, I came across the CUTEST DIY earrings from A Pair & A Spare. And because I'm me, I had to put my own complicated twist on the project.

But this isn't a complicated project at all - especially if you already have most of the materials on-hand. I did have to make a quick trip to Joann's Fabrics to pick up the colored string and the copper discs, but I already had everything else in my craft drawers. From start to finish, one pair of earrings took maybe three hours, so this is an easy afternoon project.

Materials:

• Color Thread
• Copper Discs
• Earring Hooks
• Jump rings
• Elmer's Glue
• Super Glue
• Pliers
• Drill w/ very small drill bit (1/16")
• Leather scraps
• Cardboard strips

If you don't want to trek to your local craft store, I did find similar materials on Amazon.com! And I have to disclose that these are affiliate links....

Part 1: Tassels

Creating the Tassels

Part 2: Copper Discs

Bending the Discs

I accidentally bought brass discs instead of copper and they were almost impossible to bend! Maybe the copper discs from the original DIY are easier? Regardless, I got them bent using a jewelry kit I purchased at Hobby Lobby a few years ago, similar to this one from JC Penney.

After you've gotten the discs bent -- and given your hands a rest -- it's time to drill the hole in the discs.

"Piercing" the Discs

I didn't take a picture of this part because I forgot to document the struggle. But! If you look at the main image for this blog post, you can see where the holes need to go: at the top of the flat edge of the "half moon" or "taco" shape and the hole needs to go through both sides of the bent disc. (Pro Tip: drill on top of a piece of scrap wood if you have it so that you aren't worried about drilling into any furniture or your floor.)

It did help to create a small puncture using a small picture hanging nail and a hammer to give the drill bit a place to start. I actually broke a drill bit on this part, so consider yourself forewarned, though this may be because there are softer copper discs to be found at your craft store than I used.

Part 3: Assembling the Earrings

Dab some glue into the insides of the folded copper tacos and insert the fan tassel. At this point, you can fold the copper piece completely closed and trim the edges of the fan tassel.

Prep the Earring Hooks

Part 4: The Grand Reveal

Happy crafting! If you give this a go, please let me know in the comments!