Last
month I co-hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law Krystal. Krystal is
pregnant with a little girl and has embraced all things girly and purple for
her little bundle of joy. She and my brother have planned a super cute nursery
and the predominant color is purple. So when it came to planning the shower I
too embraced the purple theme and decided to give the baby shower a purple
modern feel.
It
all started with a piece of paper. I went shopping for paper to make modern
baby shower invitations and happened across this beautiful chevron paper that
had shades of purple and a pop of teal. It was perfect. I found coordinating
paper and bought enough to make my own baby shower invitations as well as party
favors and décor.
The
invitations were pretty simple to make and only took me a day to create. You
can check them out in my Modern Baby Shower Invitation post.
Once
the invitations were sent and my RSVP’s came back in I had a better idea of how
many people to expect and how many table decorations and party favors I would
need to create. Since I had vases left over from co-hosting my little sisters
Cinderella Themed Wedding Shower, I knew that my decorations would include
these dollar store vases once again {I love it when I get to reuse party
supplies}.
To
make the vases I removed stickers/paper and washed them. Then I cut the paper I
planned on using {12x12 paper} into strips of various thickness to create a
layered look. I glued the strips of paper together using quick dry scrapbooking
glue. Then I taped the paper to the vase. This was a very simple and
inexpensive decoration. Inside the vases we put water and purple hydrangeas {because
they are such a full flower you only need 1-2 per vase for a bountiful look}.
The
party favors were a bit trickier. I knew I wanted to use the scrapbook paper
once again to tie in the modern pattern around the table and I wanted it to pop
PURPLE! But there are not a whole lot of purple candies available to choose
from. I went with a grape jelly belly candy that I bought at a specialty candy
store in my local mall {I spent too much money on this candy – and if I were to
do this again I would have ordered some type of chocolate online; chocolate
covered almonds, M&M’s, or something similar}. These favors were a bit more
involved than the vases, so I thought I would offer a mini tutorial.
What you need to make the favors:
3in x 4in clear plastic bags {I started out
trying sandwich bags but they were just too big.}
Scrapbook
paper {how many would depend on the look you are going for, I only used about 3
sheets}
Printable
labels
Sewing
machine with thread OR Stapler with staples {I sewed mine, but you can just as
easily staple the paper onto the baggies}
How to make the favors:
Use
the plastic baggie to measure the paper so that the paper will completely cover
the top of the baggie {It should easily fold over the top of the bag}.
Use
this measurement as a template to cut enough paper for the amount of bags
needed.
Stuff
the bags 2/3 of the way full with the candy of choice.
Fold
the paper over the bag and either sew the paper to the bag or staple it. If you
chose to staple think about where you are planning on placing the label and how
wide of a label you are using. You should not be able to see the staples/thread
once the labels are in place.
Print
on the labels your message of choice – either via printer or by hand.
Adhere
the labels to the favors making sure to cover unsightly sewing/staples.
I
have numbers on my baby shower party favors because we used the favors as a
game for the shower. Each favor had a different number on it and near the beginning
of the shower the mother-to-be drew a number out of a bag to award a guest a
fabulous prize. I love it when something can do double duty – like a favor that
doubles as a game!
Since
we were throwing this shower in a restaurant there was not a whole lot of
decorating to be done. Each table had a vase with hydrangea at its center, a
favor at each place setting, and a pacifier necklace at each place setting
{also another game}. The gift table was also decorated. It had a vase with hydrangea
as well as some balloons and a sign.
The
sign was something I added as an afterthought, but I love it. I used the same
colors and font as I used for the invitations and I created a Welcome sign on
standard printer paper. I then took one of my last sheets of the chevron scrapbook
paper and cut out the chevron to be placed on top of the welcome sign. Once
glued and dried I placed it in a very simple white frame.
The
shower went great. The mother-to-be was showered with fabulous gifts and everyone
seemed to have had a wonderful time visiting and playing games. We played four
games. The number game on the party favors was the first game. Throughout the
shower everyone wore the pacifier necklace and if you got caught saying “baby”
you had to give up your necklace –all of them- to whoever caught you {this was
a big hit}. Another game we played was a celebrity baby trivia/ baby themed
movie trivia game. The final game we played was the purple game {fitting since
it was a modern purple themed shower}. The purple game was simple; whoever had
the most purple colored items in their purse won.
When
all was said and done I was sad to leave the shower – even though I stupidly
wore heals, a dress, and panty hose while 6+ months pregnant! What was I
thinking? I had a blast playing the games and oohing and aahhing over
everything my sister-in-law was receiving. It was fun to plan and came off
without a hitch. I can’t wait to plan my next shower.
Have you ever been to a baby shower?
If so, what was your favorite shower game?
