A home improvement wedding shower

I've been in a neighborhood Bunko group for 10 years with a group of wonderful women, one of whom has been lucky enough to find love again. We're so happy for Laura, and wanted to celebrate with her and her new husband David -- they eloped over New Year's, and most of us hadn't met David, so a party was definitely in order.

Since they are working on some home improvement projects in order to suit their blended family of four children, I went with a home improvement theme for the shower. (I borrowed many ideas from the blog Slipcover Chic, who had done a "honey do" shower a couple of years ago.)

I had to drop by Lowe's to pick up several other things for the shower, so while I was there, I picked up a rainbow of paint chips so I could make name tags -- mostly to help poor David keep all of our names straight!

I had ordered this cute pink-and-black tool set for Laura (the only one I could EVER see her using) ...

... and I pulled several pieces out of it and put them in an empty paint can to use as the centerpiece on the island.

Speaking of the island, I had picked up some Caution Tape at Lowe's, and I taped it across the island so that it would be reminiscent of a construction area.

And then I served most of the dishes in disposable paint trays wrapped in aluminum foil. (Thanks to Susie for wrapping them in foil!)

I had taken a half day off of work in order to get all of the food cooked or otherwise prepared, but it wasn't enough time! I was running really late, so basically everyone lent a hand when they walked in the door.

Thank goodness everyone is laid back enough that they didn't care if they had to cut up celery or wrap paint trays in aluminum foil.

I have found that if you bribe people with cake bites, they will wrap pretty much anything you like in aluminum foil.

Laura and David, the guests of honor, were so gracious and happy to be with all of us, and it was a pleasure to celebrate their new union. At 39, I feel like I hear more about divorce, cancer and death some days than marriage, recovery and new life, so to have an occasion to celebrate love was just a delight.

I'm sure Laura wishes I hadn't brought up the breaking news about that dead woman they found in the rooftop water tower at an L.A. hotel during her WEDDING SHOWER, but, bygones.

In fairness to me, I only mentioned it because David regaled me with a story about finding the mummified body of one of his childhood housecats in his attic 15 years later. Again, HE told ME that story, in MY KITCHEN. So I say, he started it.

In related news, I am the hostess with the mostest.

And because I am that kind of hostess, I will now share a picture of Laura that she may not love, but it is SO LAURA. Laura must cry happy tears at least twice a day.

Honestly, sometimes you can only get the first two words of a sentence out, and she will gasp, touch your arm and her eyes will fill with happy tears ... just because you mentioned her child's teacher or something. (I, on the other hand, only respond like that if you start a sentence with "Ghiradelli" or "Godiva.")

But the shower was a big success, I think. Most of our group was able to attend, Amelia made a brief appearance, and Laura cried happy tears at least three times.

I wish the bride and groom all the very best, decades and decades of love, laughter and many, many happy tears.