{Guest Blogger} Simple and Chic Baby Shower Ideas
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I’m excited to have Rachel from The Hot Pink Polka Dot guest blogging today to show us some fantastic and inexpensive baby shower ideas. I LOVE the creative tips and tricks she comes up with to make the day an enjoyable one for both mama-to-be and her guests. Also, it makes me hungry. Just check out the description of each spread! Enjoy the four themes here– with so many ideas, I’m not sure how you’d choose just one theme!
So you’re throwing a party for a momma-to-be. Maybe you have always wanted that designer look at a party but never knew how to make your dreams a reality. Here are some tips, ideas, and resources for super chic and trendy parties on a dime!
This afternoon tea baby shower was the perfect theme for soon-to-be-momma, Angela. Angela knew she was having a little girl and wanted everything from the decor to the invites to provide a very feminine feel.
To start, if you are a little computer savvy consider making the invitations with a digital scrapbooking kit and having them printed at Staples or Office Depot. They do a fabulous job and it beats using all of your computer ink and paper. Lacking a cutesy message, let Swoozies do the thinking! Hallmark has a great line of invitation templates as well and if you are feeling completely uninspired then check out Swoozies full line of invitations here.
I chose to do an alternative guest book: the baby’s footprints go in the center of the canvas and guests sign around the center. This “guest book”and the other shabby chic decorations were made with baby’s nursery in mind.
The food was kept light; salad with lemon poppyseed dressing, fruit tarts, cheese tray, chicken salad sandwiches, and all kinds of fun desserts. Since it was June we did iced teas rather than hot teas but the feel of a tea party was still there. If it is a smaller, more intimate group pull out your fine china and use those fancy dishes you reserve for holidays and dust collecting.
Fresh flowers can go a long way for your decor. One bouquet of blue and pink hydrangeas (each), green filler plants, willow branches, and a few faux butterflies (floral department at Michael’s) created beautiful flower arrangements and filled little bud vases throughout the room. I always hang decor from chandeliers or the ceiling and this party was no exception. I bought the letters “baby cakes” to hang with fishing line from the chandelier over the food table. Finish off your decor with soft, lacy table linens, add candles for softer light, and a colored table runner (mine was wrapping paper) to provide a punch of color for the ultimate in tea party decor!
King of the Jungle Baby Shower
This party says 100% boy! When planning this shower for my friend, Julie, I wanted something that would be slightly modern but still appropriate for a baby shower. Julie is a super chic momma who loves blues and greens and a relaxed party atmosphere.
Think outside the box and check non-traditional places for decor; the centerpieces were gift boxes from Hallmark, the stuffed animals were quite a steal from Ikea, the hanging parrot was an easy to assemble kit from Michael’s, and the tissue paper pom-poms are a huge bang for your buck decor essential with endless color possibilities! I used shredded paper found in the gift wrap aisle to soften the corners of the boxes and fill in around the candle holders. Investing in good glassware will pay off down the road, the two large hurricane glasses were from Ikea and I have used them for many a party. Add colored water and floating candles for some additional color and soft lighting! The cutesy animal table runner….yes, that is really a roll of wrapping paper.
For entertainment we opted for a lighter, less competitive idea of guestbook pages. I created a sheet where guests could guess the baby’s birth weight, draw a picture of momma-to-be, and write a special message to baby, etc. It not only provides sweet keepsake for mom and child but a fun way to keep guests busy during the downtime of the party.
Food was light and tasty; BLT Wraps, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Spring Rolls, Fruit Tray, Cheese Ball with Crackers, Seven Layer Dip, Muffins, Sandies Cookies, Cheesecake, and Lemon Bars. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or let others help with the food. Mom-to-be, Julie, has a lovely Vietnamese mother-in-law who insisted on bringing homemade spring rolls and they were delicious! Other friends offered to bring homemade treats as well. Drinks color coordinated with our party colors.
Images Courtesy of Stafford MomentsI love this new trend among baby parties. Let’s say you have lots of family in your local area and you worry about keeping things fair when you call around to reveal whether you are having a boy or girl. A gender reveal party is the perfect solution. Ask guests to wear pink or blue according to their particular prediction. A candy table of various pink and blue candies is a great idea for a favor table. Think strictly in terms of pink and blue in your decorations- flowers, balloons, tulle, paper products, etc. Let this party really have a whimsical feel about it. Place stations around the room for guest to mingle and answer questions at each station. For example, what would you name the baby, birth predictions, whose features the baby will have, etc. Be sure to provide pens and cute paper for your guests to write their answers on.
Since this is a guy/girl party think about offering heavier foods like grilled chicken, Italian antipasto, fresh guacamole and chips, dips, Parmesan garlic fries, etc. Drinks can also be color coordinated with strawberry lemonade and try out this delicious blue Hawaiian shake.
To reveal the gender to your guests you can have a local baker bake a cake with either blue or pink inside. Get creative because there are a bunch of ways to surprise your guests and have fun doing so!
Images Courtesy of Parents.com
All babies should be celebrated. Even if they are the second or third baby and momma and baby don’t need a thing. It is fun to get together and celebrate a new life. A diaper party is perfect in this situation because no matter if this is your first baby or your 5th, you can always use diapers and wipes!
I love the above inspiration board because it is unusually absent of color. Nice change for a baby related party wouldn’t you say? If you plan to do all white decor let patterns and textures provide depth against this subtle palette. What’s more appropriate than a diaper cake to be the center of attention at this party. Thanks to yesterday’s tutorial featured on Making Lemonade’ Stork Report, you too can make a diaper cake!
I love the idea of candy favors because you can eat and enjoy a tasty treat but it doesn’t require an area of your home to store it nor does it collect dust. When displayed in beautiful glassware and apothecaries it becomes more of decor than just a favor.
No matter your theme, amount of guests, food, decor- have fun and find ways to make this party special and unique for the mom-to-be. If you have any questions regarding additional resources, crafting ideas, themes, recipes, or decor suggestions please feel free to email me at littlebitcrafty {at} gmail {dot} com. Thank you to Carrie for hosting the Stork Report at Making Lemonade and inviting me to join in on the fun!
THANK YOU, Rachel, for all your amazing ideas! It invokes some guilt in me, as my poor sister got shafted for both the wedding and baby shower I helped host due to circumstances beyond my control (Noodle was in the NICU the month of her wedding shower, and I had horrific morning sickness for her baby shower! Guess she’s just going to have to get pregnant again so I can throw her a “diaper shower” like Rachel suggested.) Hope everyone enjoys the ideas, and be sure to check out The Hot Pink Polka Dot for more craftiness.
