Samurai Princess Baby Shower

See below for image sources.

My sister, as I've mentioned before, is due to have her first daughter (my first niece!) this August. I have already been able to win her adorable shoes. Remember these? I received them in the mail this week, and they are so tiny and beautiful in person!

Image Source: IndieTutes

With August around the corner, it's time for us to gather forces and shower my sister and niece with babies.  Er, baby stuffs, I mean. As in, throw a baby shower.

It's not a surprise party, which simplifies things, and we sisters have split tasks to get things done. I got spoiled and was given decorating as my task. Now, mind you, none of us are baby shower fans. They're often too contrived and fluffy for our tastes, I think. And my sister said she doesn't want her daughter too princess-y. So we have erred on the ironic side and have gone with a warrior princess. A samurai princess to be exact, which are actually seen in history texts folks. It's not made up, even if its not substantiated. (See: Empress Jingu)

This is my inspiration board. I'm thinking paper lanterns, fans, origami, sakura (cherry blossoms), and parasols. Admittedly, there's more pink here than I would generally prefer, but cherry blossoms are pink. I can't really change that. They just are, folks. Except when they're painted orange on a fan. Or made out of multi-colored origami paper. I digress.

I just made my big order from Oriental Trading Co., about which my thrifting/reuse/vintage side cringes a bit. I'm excited about the opportunity to love on my sister and niece, though. Updates to come!

In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions?


Photo credits from left to right, top to bottom: Paper parasol via E-Bay; origami samurai hats via {eclair}; female samurai (onna-bugeisha) with naginata via Samurai Swords; handpainted sakura fan via alibaba.com; female naginata warrior via Kachimushi Naginata Club; cherry blossom lantern via IKEA hackers; sakura shikishi board via my paper world; calligraphy via Samurai Japan; Samurai Champloo (one of my favorite anime series) via anime diet; origami flowers via carmen-san via Umeorigami; fans via Ka-Cho-Fu-Getsu; and DIY cherry blossom branches via Two Girls Being Crafty via Dollar Store Crafts