Telling It Like It Is» baby shower invitations

Precious Moments Baby Shower – Precious Moments Figurines, Invitations, Baby Shower Party Decorations

Lin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:23:23 +0000

The Precious Moments baby shower theme is a very popular baby shower theme for both boy and girl baby showers. Figurine Precious Moments, dolls and collectibles come in blond, brunette and black hair styles, making Precious Moments universally accepted by expectant parents. Precious Moments figurines and matching decorations for a baby shower are so cute and colorful, and that includes the adorable Precious Moments Noah’s Ark theme or Disney theme with Mickey and Minnie Mouse etc.

Finding Precious Moments invitations that weren’t retired and no longer available was somewhat of a challenge, but I did manage to order some gorgeous rare, personalized baby shower invitations with the Precious Moments baby theme in beautiful pastel colors to match the girl baby party theme.

Precious Moments Babies 4-Piece Crib Set

Hosting a baby shower for the happy mom and dad-to-be in celebration of their coming bundle of joy was such a fun experience I won’t soon forget. The baby Precious Moments figurines and party supplies used, plus of course the homemade Noah’s Ark Precious Moments diaper cake I made myself, added the personal touch to the baby shower we were looking for and everyone in attendance loved the attention to detail.

Precious Moments Baby Shower Invitations

Choosing baby shower invitations and “save the date cards” for the Precious Moments baby shower was a lot of fun, and picking the perfect wording to go on the custom printed invitations with envelopes included. While we certainly could have chosen to buy cheap baby shower invitations found in various stores that didn’t match the theme at all, my co-hosts and I wanted to do everything possible to make the baby shower all about Precious Moments from start to finish, and we accomplished it with flying colors.

In the picture illustration shown above, the baby birth announcement we used as the Precious Moments shower invitation, the gold-colored wording across the top and bottom cannot be changed or customized. Across the top it says: “Hush-a-bye baby In The Tree Top When The Wind Blows The Cradle Will Rock”. Across the bottom it says: “When The Bow Swings So Gently And Sweet Baby Will Safely And Tenderly Sleep”. Simply adorable.

Precious Moments Train Gift Set

The wording in the center of the birth announcement/invitation can be changed and customized to say whatever words suit the occasion, whether it be something spiritual, funny or some famous quote or nursery rhyme. The text colors and font are customizable too, to match the Precious Moments baby shower colors or style. The example wording for the birth announcement says, “Happy, cuddly, cute as can be. Our baby’s arrived…blessed are we! We are delighted to announce the birth of our daughter on…”, the birth date, baby’s weight and happy parent’s names are displayed, and the baby’s given name is shown on the far left.

As cute as that wording is for the announcement, we decided to change the text colors and wording to say: “Tiny fingers, tiny toes, little itty-bitty clothes. Dresses, dolls, hair and curls. Guess what…It’s a girl!” Since the girl baby shower was a couples shower, the invitation asked that guests “Join us for a Couples Baby Shower honoring…” with the parents-to-be names, party date and time, location, RSVP details and where the couple registered for gifts. We received many compliments from the invited guests about our choice of invitation, the cute poem and details about the baby shower, as well as the theme-matching party decorations that were used.

Precious Moments Prayer Dolls

Precious Moments Baby Shower Decorations

Oh the decorations that we chose for the baby shower looked so pretty, colorful and impressive, thanks in part to all the great ideas found at www.bradfordexchange.com. We pulled out all the stops to make sure the baby shower decorations matched the Precious Moments theme to a “T”, and we even used some unique items on the gift registry as decorations and for food display. The fact that the Easter holiday happened to fall around the time of the baby shower made finding and buying pastel color-matching decorations that much easier, and pretty inexpensive overall.

Ordering helium balloons for a large baby shower for decoration purposes can get quite expensive if purchased at a party supply store, so we chose to blow up large size regular balloons in all the light pastel colors to match the theme of the baby shower ourselves. Balloons were tied together in large bunches with colorful ribbon and displayed throughout the party location, plus lots of colorful crepe tissue paper streamers and a few carefully selected party decorations found at a local party store.

Precious Moments Alphabet Letters

Special ordering of the Personalized Precious Moments Alphabet Letters to spell out the baby’s first, middle and last name was a big and unexpected surprise gift for the parents, and the letters were used as part of the decorations for the baby shower. What a fun surprise that was! Tissue paper pom poms in pastel pink, yellow, blue, green and purple colors are easily made with gift tissue paper and string, or pom poms can be bought ready-made at a party store.

One of the most popular and well received baby shower decorations used was the idea of strategically running clothesline (or clothesline colored yarn) all around the party venue, with inexpensive baby clothes in various sizes, dresses, shorts and tops, baby jeans, socks, wash cloths and towels, baby swimsuits, hats and bonnets, receiving blankets and burp pads/cloth diapers, hung with laundry clips.

Precious Moments Little Blessings Baby Musical Tune Always in my Heart

We made sure to use baby outfits from newborn size all the way up to size 2T, rather than limiting the sizes to just preemie/newborn sizes, since all the items on the clotheslines would be given to the shower honorees as gifts. There were baby clothes and outfits everywhere the eye could see, of course hung well above the tallest person’s head so there weren’t any mishaps.

The clothesline with baby clothes and other baby needs was a real hit with party attendees, and some even commented that they plan to use our baby shower decorating ideas for a shower they are throwing soon. In my next post I’ll explain choosing baby shower food and beverages, and some interesting ideas that were used for displaying the menu items in rather unique ways. Since baby showers are supposed to be fun and exciting (and bring about some joyous laughter too), the baby shower games we played and our table decorations made for a great time had by all in attendance.

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4 Ideas for You to Throw an Affordable Baby Shower

Lin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:00:28 +0000

Baby showers are a wonderful opportunity to show support to the mom to be and to bring the family together for a time of bonding and sharing. What if you really want to celebrate but you’re on a tight budget? There are things that you can do to make a baby shower more affordable and at the same time not look “cheap”. Here are 4 ideas to save while celebrating.

1- Balloons create a fun environment.

Balloons are a favorite when decorating simply because they are so pretty and very cheap. Find focal points of the party that you want to embellish and fill them with balloons. Some of the best places to put the balloons are at the entrance way of the party, behind the cake, behind the foods tables and near where the mommy to be will be opening the gifts.

Another thing that you can do is have them hanging individually from the ceiling. This creates an awesome effect. To do this, simply fill some of the balloons with helium and place double sided tape on the top of the balloon so it will stick to the ceiling. Tie a beautiful shiny ribbon to each of the balloons for an even more charming effect.

2- Be creative and use plastic bath tubs.

Plastic baby bath tubs are not expensive and make great decorative items. A plastic tub can be a holding place to put the gifts that the guests bring. Decorate the tub with confetti and tie a helium balloon to it. If you’re hosting an outdoors party, you can fill the tub with ice and use it as a place to keep the sodas cold too. If the tub isn’t too big, it can also be used as a punch bowl. Afterwards you can fill it with punch and place floating decoratives such as rubber duckies or plastic lily pads. This rubber duck baby shower post has plenty of ideas that incorporate bath tubs. Plastic tubs can also hold game prizes or even baby shower favors.

3- Use certain gifts as a part of the decoration.

When planning your party, you want to be innovative. there are many creative baby shower ideas that you can integrate to your theme. For example: tie a clothesline across a wall that you want to decorate. You can hang baby clothes with wooden clothespins. Ideas for items that can be displayed are bibs, booties, onesies, socks, jumpers, hats and even cloth toys. You can even incorporate these gifts into the favor ideas. For example, wrap a chocolate truffle in pink paper and place inside a pink baby bootie if the baby is a girl.

If you don’t want to display the clothes that will be gifts, you can also cut out letters from cardboard to spell out certain sayings. Another idea is to write out the letter with a permanent marker on disposable diapers. The traditional sayings are: it’s a boy, it’s a girl, welcome baby, or even spell out the baby’s name.

4- Send emails instead of physical invitations.

With the great rise of the digital world almost everyone has an email and access to the internet. This makes it much easier to save money when sending out invitations. You can create a very cute email with images that match the theme of the baby shower that you’re throwing. Make the font of the image colorful and pretty but easy to read. Once you have the email done you can send out a test email to yourself to make sure it looks all right. Once it looks like you want it to, you can send it to everyone at once. Call all the guests to follow up and make sure that they got the email and remind them of the event.

If you really want to have a printed out invitation you can use your own printer and find free invitation templates. For example, if you’re throwing a monkey themed baby shower these monkey baby shower invitations will be a great match for you.

This is a guest post by Eren Mckay, who is a work at home mom to 3 boys. She loves to share baby shower ideas and help others with party planning. She is also the founder of Embracing Home which is a website created to inspire, encourage, motivate and provide resources for families.

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Baby Girl Bedding Sets – Baby Girls Crib Bedding Sets and Girl Nursery Ideas

Lin — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:19:09 +0000

While I’m in the early stages of planning a baby shower, the happy and excited mother and father-to-be are browsing baby nursery pictures and baby bedding for girls online in order to decide what the nursery theme will be for their baby girl.

I don’t envy them the job of choosing one baby bedding set over all the other cute choices for baby girl nurseries, but it sure is fun to see them try to reduce their list of favorites down to a top ten list before finalizing their nursery décor and baby crib set preferences to just one.

Once I know the specific nursery theme and baby bedding set they want for their darling little girl, my job as host for the baby shower will be much easier since I can match the baby shower theme, decorations, formal invitations, shower cakes etc with the baby girl nursery theme selected.

Baby Bedding Sets For Baby Girls

Baby girl bedding has changed a lot over the years since my babies were born, with many more cute color combinations, character themed nurseries, unisex or neutral bedding sets for girls and boy babies, where modern-day moms and dads have their work cut out for them to pick just one baby bedding set. My only real word of advice for choosing nursery bedding for their baby daughter’s bedroom is to consider whether or not the bedding set for the crib and the nursery room décor and furniture etc would be what they’d want for her as a toddler, if not a little older.

Decorating a baby girl nursery is fun and exciting, that’s for sure, but the costs of redecorating a kids bedroom from nursery room décor to toddler-themed rooms to older kids rooms can become quite expensive long-term. Selecting a theme for the nursery that will still be a good fit in style, comfort and colors as their little girl gets older would help save the parents from feeling as if they must redecorate the nursery by the time their baby girl turns three or four years old to a whole new style.

There are thousands of baby girl bedding and quilt sets to choose from. Solid colors, pastels, blues and greens, stripes, lollipops, polka dots, pink and yellow and purple, black and white bedding, character bedding sets, and the very popular pink and brown baby bedding varieties that appeal to many modern moms-to-be and more. Expensive designer nursery bedding offers many different options for a baby girl’s room, sometimes offering deep discount sales or coupons to reduce overall costs of decorating a nursery in designer styles or brands.

Baby Girl Nursery Ideas

While the parents-to-be are gathering ideas for their baby girl’s nursery, I couldn’t resist checking out the 100 best selling baby girl bedding and nursery sets for 2010 and possibly even 2011, and I’m not surprised to find many beautiful and inexpensive sets of crib bedding for baby girls. I haven’t decided if I plan to point out these gorgeous and pretty cheap crib bedding sets to the parents though, as I don’t want to appear as if I’m “too involved” in the decision making of choosing a nursery theme for their baby girl, but I would for sure if they choose to ask for ideas.

If you or someone you know is expecting a baby girl and needs ideas for a baby girl’s nursery that includes bedding sets for girls, the most popular crib sets include a large variety of cute cartoon-type characters like Winnie the Pooh, Hello Kitty, jungle animals, bugs, butterflies, flowers, frogs, monkeys, moon and stars, angels, birds, teddy bears, cupcakes, zebras, stork and princess themes, to name a few. When I saw the cupcakes nursery theme and baby girl cupcakes crib bedding for the first time, I couldn’t help but smile, as it is an adorable theme that would work great as a theme for a toddler too.

Then, of course, there is the stunningly gorgeous Precious Moments baby nursery set that many moms and dads love, with matching precious moments crib bumper pad, skirts, sheets, quilt, figurines and precious moments nursery décor any little girl would be proud to have for years to come. Zoo bedding sets with monkeys, giraffes, elephants etc are adorable bedding sets for baby girls and boys since the so-called unisex colors used in the crib sets are great for moms and dads who don’t want to know if they’re having a boy or girl until their precious little one is born.

Since we know the couples baby shower I am hosting in a couple of months is for a sweet baby girl, as soon as the decision is made about what baby girl nursery theme they have chosen, the planning and preparing for the baby shower decorations, matching invitations, party favors, cakes and diapers cakes, shower food etc can proceed as planned. The baby shower guest list of invitees is completed and the baby shower checklist I made is ready to go, and I can hardly wait to see the nursery bedding set this adorable, sweet baby girl will have in her room to enjoy.

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Homemade Baby Crafts to Make: Homemade Baby Shower Gifts, Diaper Cakes, Blankets, Quilts, Bibs, Clothes

Lin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:54:02 +0000

Since I’ll be hosting a baby shower in coming months, I’ve been gathering ideas for unique baby gifts besides the typical needed baby items found on most baby shower registries. I’ve made homemade bridal shower and baby shower invitations before that turned out great, and based on what I’ve learned so far, making homemade baby shower favors, baby shower decorations and baby gifts by hand is just a matter of following instructions and using your own creativity.

Even if you don’t believe you have a creative bone in your body, carefully following “how to” instructions to make craft projects and gifts for baby showers will prove to you that anyone can make beautiful homemade baby gifts, decorations for baby showers, diaper cakes and diaper baby carriage “cakes” out of disposable diapers and much more.

Homemade Baby Shower Diaper Cakes and Diaper Baby Carriages

After browsing a large number of baby shower diaper cake pictures online and carefully reading the step-by-step directions on how to make a diaper cake for a baby shower, my co-host and I are confident that the multi-tiered diaper cake and diaper baby carriage we’re planning to make ourselves will be a big hit at the party.

If you have yet to throw a baby shower for a mom-to-be, there are a lot of things to prepare for and do prior to the big day, which is why having a checklist is so important. Creating a list of all the things necessary for an exciting, fun, successful baby shower helps the shower host stay organized and stress-free throughout the whole planning process. I’ve never been a “fly by the seat of my pants”, last minute planner for any kind of gathering, party, special event etc, as I much prefer a relaxed and well-thought out, carefully planned event to eliminate the possibility of forgetting anything important.

Planning a baby shower that I would be hosting or co-hosting means lots of advance organizing, writing down ideas for possible menu items of food and drinks to serve guests, brainstorming shower decorating ideas based on the chosen nursery theme, deciding what “make your own” craft projects there is time to complete before the shower date arrives and more.

The last shower I hosted was held at a gorgeous local venue, where the restaurant menu of foods served to party guests and the venue décor matched perfectly to the special occasion, but this time around we’re planning a baby shower held at home for a variety of reasons. Coming up with baby shower food ideas was pretty easy since the baby shower will be held mid-afternoon, where finger foods and appetizers and simple sandwiches etc are traditionally served shower guests, versus a full sit-down meal during lunch or dinner time.

This baby shower gives me opportunity to create some do-it-yourself, homemade baby gifts with my recently purchased beginners sewing machine, including making quick and easy homemade baby blankets, receiving blankets and bibs for the diaper baby carriage and diaper cake we’re planning for the baby shower. Being able to make professional looking baby clothes, baby booties or quilts will require more time and sewing practice, but I’m thrilled to have found some very cute “no sew” crafts that I might be able to make myself in time for the baby shower.

Unique Baby Crafts to Make

I couldn’t possibly list all of the unique baby crafts that can be made by hand, no-sew baby stuff or crafts projects made with a sewing machine, fabric and patterns. Whether you are a beginner crafter or have years of experience making baby clothes and other stuff for babies, there are many sewing patterns and crafts for baby nursery themes, baby toys and just about anything you can think of for boy or girl babies.

I don’t know how to knit or crochet or needlework anything, but those that do know how can hand knit baby blankets, hats, sweaters, booties, baby outfits, bibs etc and give as gifts for baby. The baby crafts, sewing kits and newborn gift baskets I want to make, sew, sell or give as gifts come with tutorial instructions that are easy to follow, and there are many inexpensive craft projects, patterns and how-to books to make homemade baby crafts that anyone can make.

Homemade Baby Shower Favors

Making homemade baby shower favors is a cheap and easy craft project, and fortunately the internet has lots of great ideas for handmade party favors, along with easy to follow instructions for sewing beginners like me or no-sew crafts. I could of course just buy baby shower favors for invited guests to take home as a “thank you” for coming, or as game prizes for party guests who win the baby shower games played, but we chose to make our own party favors for a more personalized effect.

Some popular ideas for homemade baby shower favors include things like baby sock roses, washcloth lollipops or washcloth bunnies, baby bootie cups, candy pacifiers, homemade novelty shaped soaps, home baked cookies or brownies, “bun in the oven” cinnamon buns and many more keepsake favors for baby shower guests that usually costs less than a dollar or two each.

My party co-host and I haven’t yet decided on what shower favors we will have ready for the baby shower, and since it’s a couples baby shower for both men and women attendees, we want to be sure to keep the guys in mind too when finally choosing the baby shower keepsakes, games and the general theme of the “it’s a girl” baby shower.

Have you ever hosted a baby shower before? Did you buy or make your own baby shower stuff? If you have any creative or unique ideas for baby showers you would like to share, please comment below with your great tips, ideas or suggestions.

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Second Child Baby Shower Etiquette – Is a Second Baby Shower Ok?

Lin — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:00:09 +0000

Is having a second baby shower for a second or third baby ok, according to proper baby shower etiquette? Is it appropriate and ok to have a couples baby shower, where boyfriends or husbands are invited to a coed baby shower? What is a “baby sprinkle” baby shower? Who should throw a baby shower, when should a baby shower be given and who should be invited to the shower?

The question and answer to who gets a baby shower is dependent on who you talk to. Some prefer to stick to the old-fashioned, traditional custom of baby shower etiquette of baby showers only being “allowed” for first-time mothers, and just the idea of throwing or attending a baby shower for a second or third baby is believed to be offensive, greedy and unacceptable.

Traditional rules of who should be thrown a baby shower have changed to a more modern view of also throwing a baby shower for a second child, and in some situations, a third or fourth child. Baby showers are not about greed but are a celebration of the birth of a new baby, and all babies should be welcomed into the world with a celebration party.

Fortunately, society has lightened up quite a bit on the “traditional” customs from past generations of planning a wedding, and it’s about time that so-called traditional rules about baby showers no longer require fitting into a specific category, like baby showers only being proper or appropriate for a first time mother.

Modern Baby Shower

What is a Baby Sprinkle Baby Shower? A “baby sprinkle” baby shower for second, third (or more) babies are becoming more common in our modern society. A baby sprinkle shower is a unique and creative scaled-down baby shower idea for subsequent children after the firstborn child, where a baby is “sprinkled” with gifts instead of “showering” gifts on a baby at a typical, full-blown baby shower.

Since the expectant parents have most likely had a baby shower for the firstborn baby, a second or third baby is not likely to be in need of baby furniture like a crib, highchair, car seat, stroller, etc. For a baby “sprinkle” shower, guests bring gifts like diapers, baby wipes, teething rings, undershirts, bath accessories and other necessities that are always on the list of baby needs anytime there is a new addition to the family.

A baby shower is always a lot of fun, regardless if the shower is for a first, second or third (or more) soon-to-be born boy or girl. The archaic tradition to only throw a baby shower for first-time mothers, or where only women are invited, have been replaced to include the father or father-to-be in a couples baby shower if desired.

Couples Baby Shower

From my experience, a coed couples baby shower is often a lot more fun than a baby shower with just a bunch of a women friends, relatives and co-workers. Baby shower games for coed baby showers are often more unique and creative than the tired, worn out games from previous generations our mothers and grandmothers played.

Several years ago and unbeknownst to me beforehand, a few of my friends surprised me with three different baby showers, for three different children. One of the baby showers was held a few weeks before my due date, and the other two showers were thrown a couple of weeks after my second son and first daughter were born, a couple of years apart.

The first baby shower thrown for me was a boy baby shower for my firstborn son, and it was a couples shower that included hysterically fun baby shower games that kept everyone in attendance laughing and having a good time.

In one baby shower game we played, my husband and I were blindfolded and had to race to see who was faster at undressing, diapering and redressing a baby doll, but I haven’t seen that game played at a baby shower in many years.

Planning a Baby Shower

Who should throw a baby shower? When should a baby shower be held? Formal etiquette queen “Miss Manners” may disagree, but anyone can throw a baby shower for an expectant mother-to-be or new mother. Formal, traditional baby shower etiquette says that whoever throws a baby shower must not be a relative to the expectant mother, in order to avoid the appearance of the family simply asking for presents.

In these more modern times, it is perfectly fine for a relative, close friend or co-worker to throw a baby shower. A baby shower is usually held a few weeks before the baby is born, but some mothers prefer a baby shower after the birth, so guests can bring gifts specific to the baby’s sex. It’s always best to confer with the parents-to-be about the What, When, Where and How a baby shower will be held and who should be invited, in order to avoid scheduling problems or conflicts.

My niece is planning a baby shower for my daughter later this month, even though close friends offered to host a girl baby shower for my daughter, since we know it is going to be a girl. Baby shower planning can be very stressful, time-consuming, and expensive if you’re not careful.

My involvement in the planning of the baby shower is very limited, although I’ve offered suggestions and ideas for a cheap baby shower by trimming down the extravagant baby shower list of things not really needed for a “perfect baby shower”. Making your own baby shower invitations allows you the opportunity to create and choose baby shower invitation wording that is unique, creative, personalized and inexpensive, especially when you add baby shower clip art to the invitations.

I wish I knew more about making baby diaper cakes. If I knew how to make a diaper cakeÂ with cloth diapers or disposable diapers for my daughter’s baby shower, my niece wouldn’t be so worried about what to use for a baby shower centerpiece anymore.

If you’ve ever seen pictures of baby shower cakes and diaper cakes online, you know how cute and adorable diaper cakes are for a baby shower. Maybe if I search for “diaper cake directions”, I’ll have better luck finding instructions on how to make a diaper cake in time for my daughter’s baby shower.

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