18 July 2009

Baby Shower Planning

I'm planning a shower for my friend, Sarah. This will be the first post in a series on how I went about doing that! This might be cross-posted on my cousin's blog when she gets it up and running ;) And the goal is to keep it pretty frugal. Now I have a lot of crafty supplies already in my possession, so using my "stash" won't be factored into the overall cost. Most of the decor/favor items you could easily make too!


THEMES
- "Love Comes Softly"... simple, chic, white & beige
- "Bedtime Stories"... bedtime stories, teddy bears, & pajamas (dress code? everyone comes in pjs? hehe)
- "Due Date"... mod and chic with decor centered around the due date
- "Alphabet Soup"... modern, bright colors, ABCs everywhere
- "Bubbly Ducky"... fluffy towels, bubbles and duckies take center stage here, aqua and yellow colors
- "spa baby shower"... pampering you a lil bit, pastels and brown colors
- chocolates
- lollipops
- the sweetest thing {candy}
- polka dots
- moon & stars
- tea party
- Noah's Ark
- Disney {snow white, mary poppins, cinderella}
- Pooh Bear
- umbrella {baby "shower"}
- baby laundry
- blocks
- baby prints {foot and handprints}
- diapers
- frogs
- {B is for..} bees
- monkeys (first two pix)
- woodland creatures (last pic)
- wild animals... zebra and bold colors are this theme
- owls
- momma bird
- nesting
- elephant alphabet... yellow, white, and grey are the colors of the day
- other animal?
- baby books
- Thanksgiving baby shower... autumn colors
- flowers... spring green and yellow colors
- green baby {eco-friendly}
- sun, lemons, and daisies... where it's all yellow all the time
- cute as a Button
- pickles and ice cream

COLORS... if not already inspired by the theme
- chocolate and pink/blue/yellow/green/pastel
- teal and yellow
- raspberry and lime
- black and white
- black/chocolate, white, and pinks
- neutrals {tan, brown, vanilla}
- pastels
- green and yellow/orange
- raspberry, orange, and brown
- raspberry, chocolate, seafoam
- chocolate and orange
- orange, sky blue, chocolate
- blue, orange, yellow
- black, yellow, teal
- blue, green, black, and white
- yellow and grey
- peaches and pinks

GAMES
- random baby trivia
- word scramble
- guess the gift {each gift is passed around the room and the guests have to write down their guess of what the gift is, then as the gifts are opened they get a point for each one they guessed right}
- bingo {they get a blank card and write in items they think are in the gifts, as the gifts are opened they cross off a box for each one right until someone gets bingo!}
- what's in the diaper bag? {they get a blank page with letters A-Z with a line next to each (ex. A_______, B_______,...) and guests fill in for each letter something they think is in the diaper bag that begins with each letter (i'd have a diaper bag filled with baby items, or photos of baby items) and guests get one point for each one correctly guessed... could also be played like bingo where the guests guess what's in the gifts that could start with that letter and they get a point for each things the mom does receive}
- what's that nursery rhyme? {fill in the blanks or guess the rhyme's title}
- baby animal game {guests match up the animal with what their baby's are called... cat to kitten, dog to puppy, etc}
- toilet paper momma {each guests takes as many sheets of toilet paper as they think wraps around mom's tummy, closest without going over wins!}
- baby shower mad libs {could use a common nursery rhyme/children's story and turn it into a mad lib}
- baby shower name game {write down one name for each letter of the alphabet, guests read off their lists, for each name that more than one person has they have to cross that name off, so person with most number of unique baby names wins}
- baby bottle drinking race {each guest gets a baby bottle and whoever finishes drinking first wins, could also be played initially like Hot Potato, 3 bottles are passed out and then passed around until the music stops, then those three compete to finish the bottle first}
- baby bottle bowling {set up baby bottles like bowling pins}
- guess the number of candies in the baby bottle {closest guess wins, without going over}
- guess the items in the bags {10 brown paper bags have baby items in them, bags are passed around and guests write down their guesses, most number correct wins}
- how well do we know the momma? {multiple-choice baby trivia from when mommy-to-be was little, "how much did she weigh?" "her mom was in labor for how many hours"...etc}


DECOR
- baby sock boquet
- wash cloth lollipop / candy
- favor cake display
- diaper cake / towel cake
- citrus centerpiece {see photo}
- flowers in tea tins {see photo}
- advice book {guests write down advice they have for you either that they have as moms, or best advice their mom gave them...} OR letters to baby {guests write a message to the baby} OR guests can write advice or a note to baby or both :)
- Cloth diapers can be used as place mats or napkins.
- Baby car keys or pacifers add a nice touch as a napkin rings.
- Use baby bottles as cups- Just remove the nipple and add a straw for each guest. It works well to give a baby feel to the occasion and it gives the mom-to-be supplies.
- Baby clothesline- this is a simple yet great way to both decorate and give cute gifts to the mom-to-be. Hang a clothes line as a decoration and string up cute baby clothing items like onesies, baby booties, socks, and outfits. After the shower they can be given to the mom as a gift for the baby.
- Display gifts in a crib, car seat or stroller instead of using a gift table. Decorate a crib or stroller to hold the gifts for the mom to open. {this is if you have any of those already that we could use}

FAVORS / DOOR PRIZES
- handmade card set / stationary /note pads
- tea bags / tea mugs
- bookmarks
- candles
- candy bars / kisses
- baby themed cookies
- terra cotta pots with seeds
- bath salts/soaps/lotions
- rose topiary
{photo from Stampin' Up! catalog}



FAVORS OR FOOD
- tissue baby booties
- lifesaver pacifiers
- baby bootie cups
- diaper candy cups

FOODS
- tea
- baby carriage fruit salad
- punch
- scones / tea sandwiches
- fruit / veggie tray
- cheese n cracker tray
- make your own sundae station
- chocolate / candy bar

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