Handmade Baby Shower Essentials

Need some fresh, new ideas for a baby shower?

1. Opt for a "destination" shower:
My girl, Kelli, and I hosted one for a really sweet friend of ours today. Like me, she's having her 3rd baby and didn't really want a traditional shower with a lot of people; so we went for something more intimate and held it a cute little tea house, McDuff's Team Room and Emporium. It saved me on time and money because I didn't have to clean my house or buy and prepare all the food, decorations etc.

2. Focus theme on the guest of honor:
Instead of a baby-centric theme, we wanted this luncheon to be all about the mommy-to-be, so I went with this cute, but stylish pregnant lady because she fit Julissa to a T! Little bitty arms and legs and nothing but belly! Create your own invitations to match your theme. Need a little help in the wording department? Try Birth Announcements Galore for free ideas.

3. Handcraft or buy a handcrafted gift:
I wanted to have as much of the shower items made by hand as possible, so I purchased this beautiful diaper cake from my lil sis Aisha over at Gifts for All NC. For the DIYers, here's a tutorial for making your own: http://cinnamonspicecrafts.blogspot.com/2008/04/baby-shower-bliss.html

4. Create a babyshower keepsake book:
And I made my first babyshower memory book, where there's room the invitation, for photos and a place for each guest to write a message to the mom-to-be. I blinged it up a little and I think it turned out well. I am so lovin' the brown, green and pink "Spumoni" colors!

5. Give the guests party favors they can eat or will actually use! Let's be honest, sometimes we leave the shower with some cute baby-oriented momento that we'll never use again... I used take-out boxes and accented them with the expectant lady, a circle tag stamped thanks, curling ribbon and color-coordinated satin ribbon. I filled them with hershey's kisses.

6. Last, make sure you leave the mommy with a set of thank-you cards. These are a pocket-style card, stamped thanks but they can be monogrammed with a stamp or on the computer. Instead of purchasing cards, you can make your own inexpensive ones by using textured cardstock and scrapbook paper. Each guest can self-address the envelope for mom so all she has to do is fill out the card! Got any great tips? Leave 'em here!

Baby Shower Bliss!

Yes, I know we're supposed to be posting about our upcoming craft fair, but you'll find sometimes I get a little distracted and promise to help out a friend, when I really should be focusing on something else! So, over the past few days I made these thank you cards and the diaper cake for the mom-to-be at her baby shower.

I've seen many instructions on how to make a diaper cake, but I'm not big on instructions, I like winging it. But just in case you are wondering, here's what I did:

I used two packs of diapers, a pack of newborns and a pack of size 2 diapers. Why two different sizes you ask? Well, one can never have enough diapers, but it's nice for a mom to have a stash of larger sizes on hand, once the newborn ones run out. Also, it's hard to find brand name newborn diapers that are mostly white, which is the look I prefer for my cakes!

You will also need small elastic bands (preferably white or clear) or narrow ribbon, some decorative ribbon (I like 2" or wider), and a large circular platter (16" circular cardboard piece will work) to form your base.

~1st step is to roll each diaper, (make sure on the mostly white diapers there is no color showing when rolled). Then secure each diaper with an elastic band or a piece of narrow ribbon. Once the diapers are rolled you can then begin creating the layers or tiers.

~2nd, I use the platter as the base for my bottom layer. I stand the size 2 rolled diapers up around the perimeter of the platter and fill in with the newborn diapers. Once the circle is almost full, I wrap a piece of decorative ribbon around the middle of the diapers, and cut the ribbon (allow extra ribbon to tie a bow if so desired). Next you can fill in the gaps with more diapers until the layer can be picked up without losing any diapers! Alternatively, you can form a small circle of diapers first, tie with narrow ribbon and build a larger circle around the smaller one.

~3rd, repeat the process for next two layers, using the previous layer for the base. For the top layer, you might take a stuffed animal, bottle of baby lotion or shampoo, and place the diapers around it. This makes it easier to form the top layer and adds a functional, yet decorative cake topper! Have fun with your cake, focus on a theme, such as safari or colors, or whatever the shower theme might be! You can also add as many accessories to the cake as you like, pacifiers, rattles, baby booties etc by tying them on with pieces of narrow ribbon. If you're only feeling a little bit crafty http://www.diapercakewalk.com/catalog.php?category=10 has some premade cakes that you can decorate yourself. For beautifully decorated cakes at an affordable price, shop Mommy3Jesse: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5386417&section_id=5309956