Hello Baby Showers! April 22, 2017

Full of plaid, woodsy, rustic decor, and an amazing hot chocolate bar, this baby shower was amazing! Our Coordinator, Natasha Learn, brought in fresh winter greenery, birch logs and faux-fur to create the ultimate, warm and inviting winter baby shower theme for this mom-to-be. The baby shower was hosted at the New Castle Country Club and they also provided the freshly cooked breakfast buffet that was simply delicious. From a fresh made omelet station to the best crispy breakfast potatoes, the food was spectacular. For games and prizes, Natasha decided the guests would enjoy “Name That Baby” the guests answered the baby name for each animal listed. Along with this game, she created a “Marshmallow Guess Game” for the guests to guess the number of marshmallows in the jar, the person with the closest guess won a prize. For favors, plaid onesie, bear and monogram cookies baked by Little Lovies Cookies were at each place setting. Not only were the cookies adorable – they were tasty! This shower was exactly what the expecting mama wanted and beyond perfect for the time of year.

Best of: Baby Showers April 24, 2012

‘Tis the season for showers of all kinds, and of course, this means countless days spent pondering the perfect theme, favors, cakes, games and details that will make the day special.  While bridal showers are no doubt fun and exciting to plan, baby showers can be just as exciting but even more difficult to organize.  What follows are some great ideas that we hope you will impart at your next shower!

 

Themes

• Sweet Pea: There are countless ways to weave this theme throughout your shower, most appropriate for a little girl’s arrival!  Fill up vases half-way with green peas, then top off with bright gerbera daisies for a sweet touch to your centerpieces and use “Pea in the Pod” mini soaps as favors for each guest.
• Cowgirl/Cowboy:  Add a little whimsy to your gathering with burlap accents, hanging hats, mason jars for drinks or centerpieces, serve fresh-squeezed lemonade and tea, and lean chalkboard signs on the food station denoting where the “Grub” will be served.
• Hollywood: Think the new girl or boy is bound for stardom?  Give your guests and the lady-of-the-hour the star treatment with “paparazzi” as they enter the venue (the men of the family and friends are great!), feather boas tied to each guest chair, cinema reels and Oscar cookies for favors!
• Parisian Bebe: Celebrate the romance of this glorious city!   Hang or prop up parasols in sophisticated shades like pale pink, blue and black and serve a bounty of French patisserie for dessert.  Stage a Parisian backdrop for pictures where each guest can take their turn with props like a beret, scarf, and parasol for their own memorable keepsakes of the day.

Decor

• Make an easy garland out of onesies (0-12 months) and hang with string or ribbon (doubles as a great gift for the new Mom-to-be)
• Add gingham touches to napkins, placemats or tablecloths and use burlap to line food baskets or use as table runners at your Western-themed shower
• Go Hollywood glam and make centerpieces using tall glass vases, long feathers, sparkling stones and pewter candlesticks on top of glitzy tablecloths, and use cinema-themed place cards at each guest’s seat
• Make it bedtime with pillows, soft baby blankets, framed pictures of sleeping babies and baby books set up in various places in the room (consider asking each guest to bring a book to add to baby’s collection!)

Games

• Baby’s Face: Is your baby bound to get Mommy’s petite nose or Daddy’s hazel eyes?  Blonde or brown hair?  Hand out a variety of large pictures of Mom and Dad’s faces to each table (or person, depending on the size of the shower) and have guests cut out the features they think baby will end up with and piece them together on colorful construction paper with glue sticks.  The pictures can be displayed and everyone can vote for their favorites, with the winner receiving a small treat.
• Book of Advice: Beginning with the mother of the Mom-to-Be (or another significant woman in her life), write down your most trusted words of advice, encouragement and even funny parenting stories in a small, decorative book for the new parents-to-be.  Pass the book around throughout the shower and present it to the MTB at the end of the event.  This is a great gift that the new Mommy can then begin to write her own story in for months and years to come.
• Celeb Babies: To complement a Hollywood theme, consider a fun quiz about everyone’s most loved (or those we love to hate!) celebrity offspring.  Think “Brangelina,” “Tomcat,” and Beyonce & Jay-Z (Blue Ivy, anyone?) as the beginning of a humorous game that all can enjoy no matter how much they follow the gossip column.
• Designer’s Studio: Let your guests put on their creative caps by setting up a Design Studio table at your shower.  Purchase non-patterned bibs, onesies and socks as your canvas, and provide non-toxic fabric paints and markers, stencils, iron-on letters or decals (remember to bring the iron!), and let your guests go to work creating fun, memorable pieces of original art for the new baby.
• Words of Love: As most parents know, the first few weeks after a new baby is born can be hectic, exhausting and will test any person’s emotional fortitude.  Why not set up a way for the new parents to be encouraged each week after the baby is born (up and through the number of guests you have?)  Provide a pre-numbered note card to each guest at their place when they arrive, and ask them to write a brief note of support corresponding with the week they’ve been given.  The host/hostess can send out the card to the new parents during the week corresponding to the number on the cards for weeks of welcome love and encouragement.

Favors

• Hand out mini Sweet Pea hand sanitizers (something every Mom needs lots of!) with a little note of thanks tied with ribbon around the neck
• Tie sheriff’s badges to the neck of mason jars filled with candy, cookie mix or your favorite bath salts to say “thanks”
• Oscar cookies can be made and pre-packaged in cellophane for each guest’s enjoyment (…and the award goes to…)
• Customized swag bags with Mom’s favorite things (lip gloss, hand lotion, chocolates and bubble bath)

 

Need help organizing your next shower?  Contact Lindsey today at lindseyb@helloproductions.com!