Baby Shower Corsage

I recently made a corsage for a baby shower. We were holding the shower at a restaurant and I wanted something special for the Mom-to-be to wear. I should have told the other friend planning the shower, because she made one too! So, this one is going in the craft closet until the next baby shower!

Here are the super simple directions....

Cut out three circles from white cardstock just smaller than your centerpiece. I bought a pink flower at Hobby Lobby that is actually a hair clip. In one circle, cut a small slit like below.

Slide the hair clip into the slit. This will be the front of your corsage.

Take another circle and start stapling ribbons of different widths and textures to the circle.

You'll want to layer them and cut the ends at an angle. I did the widest ribbon first so that it would be in the back and just kept adding ribbons, usually one on each side of the thick back ribbons. I also stapled some bunched up tulle.

Next, staple the circle with all the ribbons to the front circle with the flower on it.

Finally, staple the third circle on the back. This will cover up and clean up the back view- it will show only a couple of staples (those attached the back to the middle) and not the big group of staples that attached the ribbons. I then glued on a safety pin.

Here is the fun and finished project. It is much like a Homecoming Mum we girls wear in high school in Texas! I love how simple and inexpensive it was to make. A great idea for showers and more modern than the fresh flower corsage.

Since the shower was at a restaurant, we had to keep the decorating minimal. I had this duck from when we had Abby Lu (came with fresh flowers from a local florist) and added some heart picks and pink flowers to it. I think it'll add a little pink to the tables and not take up too much room.

I love throwing baby showers and am sad that my friends are almost all reaching the point of completing their families. This has been a fun party planning season. Now, we are onto birthday parties!

Handmade Cupcake Toppers

There are so many cute cupcake toppers on Etsy and while I love them all, I can't imagine paying more than $1 to add a small decoration to a cupcake that people will throw away.

For the Sugar and Spice shower, I made cupcake toppers over breakfast. It was fast, easy and cost me next to nothing. I printed "Ella Dane" (her name) on white basic copy paper sized at about 1" wide and 1" tall. I also printed "sweet thing" on a sheet of paper. You can get about 18 to a sheet. I then punched them out with a 1 3/8" punch from Stampin Up. I then attached those circles to scalloped punched printed paper.

Using a very small piece of shipping tape, I taped a toothpick to the back of a topper. This kept the toothpick securely in place. Scotch transparent tape might be strong enough as well.

Then, add dimensional tape (found in the scrapbook aisle) to the same back side of the topper.

Attach a second scalloped punched topper to give you a 2-sided topper with a toothpick in the middle.

Make as many as you need- different prints, different sayings, be creative!

I transported mine in a baggie and poked them into the Cookies and Cream cupcakes onsite.

Don't spend money on cupcake toppers anymore- these are easy and very inexpensive!

Sugar and Spice- Party Food and Beverages

There are so many recipes online, especially with my Pinterest obsession, that I had a hard time narrowing down the food for this baby shower. You can go so many directions with a shower of sweets!

It was 110 degrees in Austin on the day of the shower, so we made sure to have plenty of cool refreshing drinks. Everyone loved the white wine sangria! We served the drinks in mason jars with cute striped straws.

In total we had 8 different desserts and yummy candies for the guests. Here are photos of the food and links to the recipes for the items I brought:

Chocolate Cake Pops and Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats

Strawberry Cupcakes and Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Brownie Bites (after a kitchen disaster the morning of!) and Chocolate Hazelnut Dipped Strawberries

Sugar Cookies with Homemade Icing and Strawberry Lemonade Bars

I highly recommend a sweets shower for a very easy to create theme and a great way to showcase family favorite desserts that everyone has!

Cupcakes for Babies

I saved this tutorial months ago and finally had the right occasion to make my some baby cucpcakes, the Sugar and Spice baby shower we threw last weekend.

The white puff in the middle is a bunched up onesie. You could do white, colored, or white with applique designs like I did. The pink portion is a receiving blanket rolled up around the onesie.

A rubberband is placed around the rolled up blanket to keep everything in place and then it is sat inside a coffee filter which looks like a cupcake liner.

I made them a few weeks before the shower and my 2.5 year old daughter would walk by them everyday and say, "yum yum yum". Glad to know they look like a real cupcake!

Sugar and Spice- Party Decor

This past weekend I co-hosted a sugar and spice shower for a former co-worker, Laura. She is having a little girl and that sweet baby has given her a sweet tooth! The co-hostesses and I wanted to honor that with a lot of yummy little desserts and simple sweet decorations.

The bicycle above was the centerpiece of the table- I got great advice for you all about what to put inside the baskets- we ended up filling it with the Dum Dum ball and the guests giveaway- small travel toothbrushes and toothpaste!

The food was the main attaction! The table had a simple white cloth and then runners made from burlap and a pink polka dotted fabric. We added extra pennant triangles to the table and fun paper goods from Sweet Lulu.

In the living room, we placed a few decorations since that is where the group would congregate to open gifts. I made a set of my favorite blocks with the sweet baby's name on them- don't you just love Ella Dane. It is sassy, Southern, and perfect!

Using the same paper as the blocks, I made a simple pennant attaching triangles cut from scrapbook paper to ribbon.

Here is the amazing Dum Dum tree another co-hostess made. She bought a white plastic bucket to go inside the bike and then added a foam circle just a little bigger than the opening of the bucket. She then just poked the Dum Dums sticks into the foam circle. This one was huge, but you could do most any size and make these for lots of party themes. We found this idea on Pinterest.

On the coffee table, we had a diaper cake and these cupcakes. It was fun to have gifts that looked like food on the table.

I'll tell you all about the cupcakes and the sweets we served soon. It was all delicious and these easy cupcakes were fun for the Mom-to-be!

Sugar and Spice Baby Shower: Invite

I am co-hosting a baby shower this weekend for a girlfriend expecting her first child. How cute is the name Ella Dane! I just love it and am excited to eat sweets all afternoon with our friends.

The invite was made with 2 digital kits (my first time to mix on my own!) from Sweet Shoppe Designs. They are called Sugar and Spice & Bake A Cake if you want to play around, too!

I've created all kinds of inspiration on Pinterest for a sweets shower. See the board here! I'll be back next week with photos from the shower.

Spring Baby Shower with Birdies

I co-hosted a baby shower earlier this month for my friend, Heidi. Heidi is a school teacher with a wonderful husband and is expecting her first child, Lily, next month. She is one of the good people of this world that you want to bless. We had a lovely brunch with friends and enjoyed seeing the wonderful things others blessed Heidi and Lilly with. Let's just say she is well loved and will be dressed in such cute things for months!

The other hostesses gave me full reign on decor, so I went with a spring-like birdie theme using many items I already own. I have blues and browns with birdies in my master bathroom.

I incorporated reds, browns, and aqua blues into the color palette. I hung moss balls from the lighting, used bird houses, robins' eggs and birds throughout the table decor. I just love brunch food- we had bagels with an amazing dip, coffee cake, fresh fruit, mini quiches, bacon appetizers, a veggie tray, and a meat and cheese tray. Oh, and a fresh strawberry cake from my friend Kelly at Billa Cakes. I just loved the fat bird and the dimensional nest on top. Kelly also made my daughter's first birthday cake and cookies for her second birthday.

Along with about 10 ladies at the shower, we had these two little girls! Aren't their squished up nose smiles the cutest? My daughter was at story time since I can't seem to manage hosting and parenting at the same time!

Congratulations Heidi on making it this far in the Texas heat and best wishes for a perfectly sweet little girl real soon!

Bloom

Isn't this the most beautiful banner? I ordered her off etsy from one of my favorite sellers- I can't wait to have my hands on her!

This banner is the jumping off point for a shower I am hosting in April. It is the weekend after Easter, so we are looking at a shabby chic shower of flowers, rabbits, birdhouses, and lots of milk glass! I can't wait!

Woodland Theme Baby Shower Decor

Is this not the most beautiful food table you have ever seen? I can say that because I can take very minimal credit for it.

The idea for a woodland themed shower came from my friend Laura and she has all of the accessories to pull it off!

Me, Andrea, Mom-to-be Brandi, and Laura

One of the focal points of the table was this caterpillar cake. He was a cake form and it made individual servings. Laura snaked him around the table on these wooden platters and placed various real leaves under him. So smart!

To pull off this table, we used a brown tablecloth and then placed various sized baskets and wooden cutting boards around the large crate that has been placed upside down in the center. Adding to the browns, we used greenery and glass serving pieces. It was organic, soft, and beautiful!

I did not do much decor for this shower since Laura owned so many pieces. She is a professional jewelry designer and travels the country attending shows. Here is her website. I highly recommend her!

For the party, I made tortellini salad and crabbies.

We had the most sophisticated food at this shower. These girls made me mature my palette today! ha! We had a cheese platter, honey baked ham sliders, the pasta salad and crabbies, goat cheese and cream cheese stuffed peppers, asparagus with dip, dried apricots stuffed with almonds and dipped in white almond bark, cookies and cake.

I just love the little snail above. He was perfect for the back of the crate and was a gift to the new Mom. He matches the baby's new nursery.

Andrea's big project for the shower was this blessing tree. The Bradford Pear tree branches were perfect for holding leaves with sweet messages written to Mom, Dad and baby. It also provided a great focal point on the counter with the beverages and paper goods.

I played around with my digital scrapbooking files and made the almost new Mom these cute thank you notes that matched the shower invites. I think this is a creative theme for a modern Mom of a boy or girl. If Brandi were having a girl, I would recommend playing up the birds and flowers in the woods more to bring in some pinks and yellows.

The other big party this weekend was captured by more than 100 pictures, so it is coming up soon! I promise to tell you all about how to create a cookies and milk party!

Digital Invite- Woodland Theme

Along with having my daughter's 2nd birthday party this weekend, I am co-hosting a baby shower! I seriously love entertaining, but this will be a true test of my abilities! ha!

We are doing a woodland theme for this little boy with birdies, caterpillars, green moss, rocks, etc. I can't wait to see it come alive.

Pictures of the decor and food to come!

12 Days of Christmas Favorites-Baby Shower Gifts

Today, let's talk babies! I bet most everyone knows someone expecting a baby in 2011. I am at that season of life where there are lots of announcements, pregnant bellies, newborns and toddlers in my circle of friends. I was one of 15 people I knew pregnant when I was expecting Abby. Needless to say, I attend lots of baby showers. I have 2 coming up in January including one I am co-hosting with a woodland theme that I'll be sure to share.

Here are my three favorite simple crafts to give the new parents something handmade:

1. Alphabet Blocks

I have made many variations of these and just love doing them, well not the sanding part! Depending upon your time, supplies on hand, and finances, you can do initials, their full name or the full alphabet. Step-by-step directions are here.

2. Beaded Baby Spoons

These take no time at all and this idea could easily translate to other areas- serving pieces for a hostess gift, red and green beads for Christmas dinner. Everything you need to know to make your own beaded spoons is here.

3. Alphabet Flashcards

Give them a head start and learn letters, spelling and common objects with these flashcards. You can buy the full set online here and just print and laminate them at Kinkos.

Some other favorites include

Appliquéd Onesies

Steam a Seam Dresses

Gift Baskets with Minky Blanket

Don't forget tomorrow is our linky party- share your Christmas card with your bloggy friends.

Green Eggs and Ham Baby Shower: Decor and Food

We had a great baby shower this weekend for my cousin. The green eggs and ham theme is super easy to pull off and makes a great shower theme, especially for a surprise baby.

Let's talk decor... on the right side of this picture you can see green eggs and the side view of ham. We made those super easy with felt, pillow batting and pink puff balls for the eye of the ham. They were super easy, very inexpensive and fun!

We ran with the bright orange and lime green color scheme to make the theme happen. I own this chunky orange frame and put the words to part of the Dr. Seuss classic inside the frame in green.

More of the book in my similar green frame. If I had thought of this earlier, I would have used the graphics from the invite to make these more fun. It costs next to nothing to change out the contents of your picture frames for an event- use appropriate quotes, scripture, children's book lyrics, pictures of the guest of honor, or even free graphics from the internet.

We also hung a simple name banner on the mantle. I used a sheet of foam stickers from Hobby Lobby for the letters. It gave it some dimension and was already a big sticker on the back. I used a 1/2 punch to make 2 holes at the top of each to string the ribbon through. Very easy to do.

We tried to make all of the brunch food match the theme. We served orange juice and cherry limeades to the guests.

Here are the cold items including pistachio cupcakes, iced sugar cookies, chips and guacamole and fresh fruit.

I think I have found a guacamole recipe I like- I use fresh avocados, add in enough pico de gallo to give it flavor, a little sea salt and some garlic powder. The pico de gallo (I buy in the produce section of HEB for locals) includes the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños. At the end, I squeeze in some lime juice for freshness.

We also served warm bunco buns, mini quiches, and my favorite Cinnamon French Toast bake.

My co-hostess Natalie had the cute idea of putting whole oranges inside her large glass jars. It was a great and inexpensive addition.

The other tall jar was layered with tangerine jelly beans and apple rings. We filled baggies with these for the kids in attendance.

I hope you all enjoyed our fun Green Eggs and Ham shower. It was definitely fun to do! My next baby shower for a friend is in January, so it's time to start planning again! I love it!