Nikki from Akula Kreative sent over this lovely brunch that she and her family put together to celebrate her mother’s 60th birthday. Nikki and her co-conspirators drew inspiration from her mom’s favorite activities – cooking and reading – to create this library-inspired brunch. And not only is it a beautiful birthday party, but with Mother’s Day coming up it also provides some fabulous Mother’s Day brunch inspiration!

From Nikki: As far as hobbies go, my mom loves two things: cooking and reading. We (her kids) always joke about how “fancy” her book club is because the ladies spend WEEKS preparing to host. Each meeting is centered around a multi-course dinner in which the food, décor, and even music corresponds to that month’s book. So, when it came time to think of a surprise for her, I decided on a “brunch party” set on the library patio of a local inn. Over the fireplace, we hung tassel garland in gold and pink (the colors of the party). Under it, we placed a framed sign that read, “Welcome to the Li-brary :: food and drink required.” (Our family name is Li.) Flanking the frame we placed my mom’s initials: giant wood letters covered with pages of a vintage dictionary.

For the invitation, I made a mini book titled “The Book of Momisms.” On the inside cover, I defined “momism” as “a mother’s spoken phrase or word (real or invented) that provides endless entertainment to her children.” In other words…if my mom isn’t making up a new word, she’s making up a new definition for an existing word or saying something ridiculous. It’s endearing, frustrating, and funny all at the same time, and my brother and I record them on a regular basis.

On subsequent pages of the invitation, I included brunch details, a map, and a few prime examples of momisms. One of my favorite details is the custom wax seal of a fork and spoon. We glued these to ribbons that guests could use as bookmarks for cookbooks.

On the tables, we used a kraft paper runner printed with giant silverware. On top, we placed small groupings of vintage books (borrowed from the library) next to the existing vases of flowers at the inn. Inside each vase was a stick-mounted sign that read “Shhh” on one side and “Less talking, more eating” on the other.

Sprinkled throughout were votives (also mod-podged in vintage dictionary pages) and the fork-and-spoon motif cut from gold paper.
Table tent cards were designed to mimic library cards, each highlighting a classic momism. For favors, my aunts baked homemade biscotti. Attached to each bag was a mini tear-off bookmark that read “Eat, read, and be merry.” Last but not least, we splurged on tray-passed Mom-osas.

Thanks Nikki!

Photo Credits: Caroline Tran