Oh Baby! How to Create A Memorable Baby Shower
Summertime. The time of year we all look forward to for patio parties, sunshine and long lazy days. It also happens to be the time of year obstetricians see a spike in newborn babies!! You can add my bundle of joy to the list this year. My husband and I are expecting our little one to arrive mid-summer!
A baby calls for a celebration. It’s a time for friends and family to gather together and share the joy and a few embarrassing baby stories, with the expectant parents. What better way to do this than with a twist on a BBQ? How about…get this…a BaBy-Q!! Don’t start feeling stressed or overwhelmed! Take it from this mama-to-be. I recently had the most amazing baby shower. By following my tips and tricks, you can save time, energy and money while creating a memorable BaBy-Q!!
Use the Internet
First thing’s first, you don’t have to be a designer or graphic artist. There are a number of reputable sites online to help you out. I used Canva to create the layout for invitations and some signs. I visited Vistaprint for stickers that were used on the party favours and a lawn sign. The uber cute customized wine glasses were ordered from WeddingStar. Don’t forget to check out Pinterest for some amazing ideas!
10 Minute Tent
This super easy DIY tent is great for dogs or kids to play in or as a holding area for gifts. All you need are four sticks or pieces of wood. Attach them at the top with rope or nails. Then add some fancy fabric and faux flowers. It’s as easy as that!! This took literally minutes. Scour your home ’cause you never know what you’ll find laying around that you can use.
Sweet Sensations
The sweets table was super fun and pretty.
What you need:
*White lace table cloths
*Amazing floral arrangements from Stok Floral Design
*Some DIY doughnut hole and mini doughnut trees
*A ‘Happy Pushing’ triple layer cake…my first ever!! Yes, I had some help from Betty Crocker, but it still counts and it looked amazing!!
*Edible flowers for decorating the cakes. As a side note–I purchased some from a local florist and my mom picked some from her garden. Make sure whatever flowers you pick are edible.
*A cute sign, created with Canva, for the table that said “Babies are sweet, please take a treat.”
Doughnut Tree Design
What you need:
*Foam cone from the local craft store. I used two, one large and one medium sized.
*Toothpicks, lots and lots of toothpicks. I used about 600!! I purchased a large pack at the local Dollar Store.
*Doughnut holes and or mini doughnuts. For the large tree you will need about 100 – 120 doughnut holes. For the mini doughnut tree I used two large packs of mini frosted doughnuts from the grocery store.
Designer Drinks
You need to keep your guests hydrated. Well, how about…a Mom-osa Bar with drinks for all ages!?!
What you need:
*Juice (orange, cranberry, pink grapefruit)
*Some bubbly (Prosecco or champagne and some sparkling water)
*Fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and black berries) Place fruit in bowls so guests can add their favourites to their beverages.
*A sign-that I made placed next to the drink station that said “MOM-OSA bar, Pour the bubbly. Add some juice. Top with fruit. Cheers.”
Just Cool It!
You can easily make an ice cube block to keep the bubbly cool. It’s easy to do. Put some water and flowers in a container. Place a smaller container inside the original container and freeze it. On the day of the Baby-Q, pop out the giant ice cube and place a bottle of bubbly inside.
So there you have it! Hopefully these ideas will take some of the stress out of your baby shower planning and you can focus on the arrival of the new addition to your family.
Cristina Sihelnik
Toronto Home Shows – Assistant Show Manager
