How To
Moon & Stars Baby Shower
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 | How To | No Comments
If you don’t know by now, I love BAKING! I think it’s that I love being creative and love having a good challenge. One of my favorites to follow is Martha Stewart. Now I now she has a full time staff who gather new ideas for her show, website, etc., but I simply love this woman. She’s great when I need some inspiration. I recently ran across a recipe for an adorable cake she created – Stars-and-Moon cake. It’s just precious and I thought it would fit perfectly with a Moon and Stars diaper cake I created for a client. The whole theme is a precious idea for a baby shower. I checked out the recipe. Although it doesn’t seem too difficult, I would imagine it may be a bit time consuming….so as a warning…I would mix the batter and chill a day ahead just so you’re nice and fresh to begin the time consuming fun! 
Here’s the recipe from Martha’s site:
Ingredients
Serves 8 to 10
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for parchment
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Royal Icing
Directions
- Sift flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Mix butter and brown and granulated sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.
- Divide dough into quarters; shape into squares. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Working with 1 square at a time, roll out dough between pieces of lightly floured parchment to 12-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer on parchment to baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough into rounds with 2 1/4-inch cutter and into moon and stars with shaped cutters.(You will need 75 rounds for the cake; use remaining dough as desired.) If dough becomes too soft, freeze for a few minutes. Space cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Bake until centers are firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.
- Beat cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form.
- Lay 15 cookies in an 8-inch circle, overlapping edges slightly to fill the circle. Spread with about 11/4 cups whipped cream. Repeat, making 5 layers. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 1 day.
- Tint royal icing as desired. To frost moon and star cookies, pipe icing around edges; pipe zigzags to fill in, and spread with small offset spatula. Let stand until set, 1 to 2 hours. Serve cake, garnished with moon and star cookies.
Looks dreamy right? This cake would also be great for a child’s birthday party as well. And you can’t forget the wonderful DIAPER “cake” to go along with your edible one. This Moon and Stars diaper cake comes complete with the wonderful classic “Goodnight Moon” which is a must for any child’s library.
Sweet Dreams!!!
*For more information or diaper cake ideas, click the “quick buy” or “custom cakes” option above, or visit www.la-babycakes.com
Doggie Birthday Party
Sunday, October 26th, 2008 | How To, Uncategorized | No Comments
Not only man’s best friend, but our beloved baby too! For many of us, dogs are an enormous part of our lives. Before the birth of my daughter…my dog and cats were my life! They traveled across the U.S. with me and shared in all my life experiences, and I shared in theirs. My beloved dog Tori had her first birthday party when we moved out to California. Although low key, she still gave the party 2 paws up! She had a wonderful meal of pork chops and a yummy cake from Three Dog Bakery. Since we were new to California at the time, we hadn’t made any canine friends to invite to the party.
Dog parties have become increasingly popular over the years as people cater more and more to their pets and make them more involved members of the family. And why not? They bring so much love and joy to our lives. Their lives and birthdays should be celebrated like ours. There are now companies that even cater to the dogs and celebrating their milestones.
Planning the perfect pooch party should be fun! I’m sure your pal has met some friends at the local dog park or in your neighborhood. Invite them over or plan a party at your local dog park. Since dogs are less particular about decorations and more concerned with food and treats, you can choose to forgo the stress of coming up with a theme and dive right into creating the perfect birthday cake and treat bags for guests. But if you want to go all out…the ideas for themes are endless. You can check our previous entries for some ideas or create something new. A great centerpiece idea that also doubles as a fabulous birthday gift is a doggie spa cake! What? Yes…your pooch deserves to be pampered too. L.A. BabyCakes creates special doggie spa cakes that consist of plush bath and hand towels, Espree spa line of shampoo, conditioner and cologne in blue or pink, as well as a great toy for the cooperative canine! These festive cakes are a must have at any dog party!
For the refreshements, nothing beats refreshing bowls of water for each guest. Tables may also be decorated with color coordinating dog bowls filled with a variety of treats for guests to munch on througout the festivities. One delicous homemade recipe found online is as follows:
Boney Parts Dog Birthday Cake
Ingredients: 2/3 cup ripe mashed bananas 1/2 cup softened butter 3 large eggs 3/4 cup water 2 cups Unbleached Flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup raisins
Cake Method: In mixing bowl, beat together mashed banana and butter until creamy. Add eggs and water. Beat well. Stir in dry ingredients. Beat until smooth. Add nuts and raisins. Spoon batter evenly into oiled and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes, remove from pan, replace on rack and cool.
Frosting: 2 cup mashed banana 1 tablespoon butter 6 tablespoon carob flour 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 tablespoon unbleached flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Frosting Method:Blend thoroughly and spread on cool cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. The frosting contains carob, which is a safe (almost tastes like) chocolate substitute.
Decorate the cake with ginger and peanut mini-bones, tied with a doggie paw ribbon. Use “Pupperoni” sticks for candles.
How about some fun games for the pals to play? Catch the frisbee is a favorite among many…especially the retrievers. For the highly active and well finessed, an agility course might be the ticket. Tunnels can be set up throughout the yard in addition to hula hoops for those with an extra spring in their step. If you’re the handy man type, a balance beam can be created with steps and wide plank for dogs to run across.
Be sure to take plenty of photos. Guests can leave the party with their own paw print treat bag filled with an assortment of treats (homemade dog bone cookies) and a photo of themselves having a blast.
What better way to give your dog their special day filled with fun, food, and friends!
Nursery Rhymes or Book Baby Shower
Sunday, October 19th, 2008 | How To | No Comments
As an avid reader myself, I think books are a great gift for children of all ages. Throwing a book or nursery rhyme shower works great for first showers or second and so on. Mother Goose has so many nursery rhymes that you can work with as a theme and decoration for your shower. You can work in a single story or several into one shower. Aesop’s Fables and the many stories from Dr. Seuss also work fabulously!
For decorating, finding plush characters from the stories to place around the room works great. You can also have guests bring a book or story from a collection and use those to decorate as well. Some stories and books also use a collection of colors similar in each book so using color coordinating balloons, streamers, tablecloths, ribbons, etc. add a wonderful touch. Also great for decoration and as snacks too, are colored candies. You can use candy dishes or jazz things up by taking martini glasses and placing them all over each table. You can either fill each glass up with a multitude of colors or a separate color in each glass. M&Ms have a great color selection. You can also find candy coated sunflower seeds, almonds, wrapped candies and more! 
These also work great for other types of parties as well. Another option is to wrap the tops and tie with ribbon and give as party favors. Another decoration and favor idea are small flowerpots placed throughout the room that correspond with “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.” And as always…my personal favorite…the diaper cake. I really love diaper cakes because they are so versatile as far as design goes…and you can fill them with so many great usable products. Here are a couple Dr. Seuss cakes perfect for a theme party! 
You can’t have a party without games. In addition to traditional baby shower games, why not play charades? Guests can draw slips of paper out of a bowl which contain different nursery rhymes or stories. Players may act out the stories for their teammates to guess. Nursery rhyme Pictionary is a hit too. How about guessing how much wool for Baa Baa Black Sheep? Guests can try to guess how many cotton balls are in filled jars.
And how about a cute “Pat a Cake” cake that’s marked with a “B” as part of the nursery rhyme theme? 
Deviled eggs are a great appetizer for guests, but not so much for Humpty Dumpty. Cottage Cheese fruit dip is a hit for Litttle Miss Muffet and her curds & whey or roast beef sandwhiches for “This Little Piggy.” For drinks…purchase a new baby bath tub and fill with your desired punch or beverage. Find a cup and place 3 men figurines in the cup to float in the tub for “Rub a dub dub, 3 men in a tub” themed refreshments.
Enjoy!
Baby Shower for Next Pregnancy?
Monday, October 6th, 2008 | How To | No Comments
Should I or shouldn’t I? That is a good question! Back in the day, it was bad form to have another baby shower after having your first child. These days anything goes! Throwing a second shower is great for the mom to be whether they’re having different sex or same sex child this time around. There are several ways to approach it with varying themes.
The first theme has been around for quite some time – Diaper shower. No matter what sex the mother is having, she will always need diapers! The guest of honor will feel blessed to be stocked up on a much needed item after delivery. Each guest of course brings a bag or box of diapers to the shower, but they can get much more creative if they wish. Guests can create gift baskets of diapers or a wonderful diaper cake either loaded only with diapers or one that has a few extra treats inside. Even if the bundle of joy is still a surprise, a neutral themed diaper cake can work for you. Here are a couple of simple ideas courtesy of L.A. BabyCakes.
A second theme idea is a recipe or food shower. Guests will share their favorite family, or kid approved dinner ideas with the guest of honor. Guests may even bring the dish already made up along with the recipe card to the shower for the guest of honor to freeze and later use when she has her hands full with a newborn. Once each guest brings their recipe, they may all be compiled in a nicely chosen or decorated recipe box or folder for mom to take home!
And finally a “pamper mom” shower will always be a hit! This shower may be held at someone’s home, day spa, or salon. Guests as well as the mom to be can all be pampered at this shower! Depending on time, space & budget, you may choose to chip in and present the guest of honor with a gift certificate to be used before or after delivery. Or guests may bring items that may be enjoyed by the guest of honor such as beauty treatments, specialty foods, drinks, etc.
As always, plan well & have fun!!!
Puppy Theme Baby Shower
Sunday, September 28th, 2008 | How To | No Comments
What’s cuter than a puppy? How about a puppy themed baby shower?! This fun theme not only works great for welcoming a bouncing baby boy or sweet little girl, but it’s also a great idea for a child’s birthday party as well. This was also the theme for my daughter’s second birthday.
For the decorations, let’s start with the basics – balloons! Paw print balloons are easy to find and a cute way to liven up a party. Decorative tablecloths may be covered with puppy prints or contain an array of colors to complement your room. Tables covered in ceramic or plastic dog bowls (new of course) and filled with an array of treats is also a great start. Depending on what direction you want to go, for a more elegant look, bouquets of flowers and or beautiful candles may be mixed in among the ceramic dog bowls. For a laid back party, an assortment of dog themed decor such as puppy faces, dog bones, & fire hydrants may be found at most party supply stores. Plush dogs & puppies are great to place around tables or in a cute wicker basket so that the guest of honor may take them home after the shower to decorate or use as toys for the new bundle of joy. And the decorations would not be complete without an adorable puppy themed diaper cake on display. Check out www.la-babycakes for pre made or custom puppy diaper cakes! 
Mmmm…now onto the treats! What good puppy doesn’t love a good snack? “Puppy Chow” is a wonderful snack for guests to munch on throughout the baby shower. The “puppy chow” can be put in the dog bowls or placed in a decorated coffee or formula can such as I did for my daughter’s party. Also, bone shaped cookies or chocolates are a festive touch to the dog bowls and wrapped in individual baggies for guests to take home as favors! And now for the cake (the edible kind)! There are many recipes out there for cakes if you search the internet. Or for an even easier way, call your local bakery and have them create one for you. One of my favorite recipes I found on the Woman’s Day Magazine website. Unfortunately the recipe is no longer there, but they do have a VERY similar one for cats. So if you follow the basic format and just modify your decorating, you can create the cake I made below.
Here’s to a Pawfect Party!
Safari (Jungle) Baby Shower
Friday, September 5th, 2008 | How To, Uncategorized | No Comments
I have to admit that a safari theme baby shower is one of my favorites! It’s also the running theme for my daughter’s room. Before she was born, we opted not to find out her sex. So a safari theme nursery was a nice, neutral choice. Now that she’s a toddler, we’ve added some pink elements to the room and it still looks great.
So…with this said, this type of shower works well for both boys and girls!
For decorations for your shower, using items you may already have will make your job easier. Gather plants you may have around the house – inside or out, and place them in the main party room. You may also gather fronds and branches from outside trees or bushes and arrange them nicely in vases for table settings. You may also find animal print ribbon at your local craft store. This is great to make bows for around your vases. Another idea for those with time and craft skills, is to find gauzy type fabric to make chair covers and use the animal print ribbon to secure fabric covers to chairs. This is a great option if your mixing chairs and you want a more cohesive look.
Also from the craft store or other specialty stores, you can find safari colored candles or votive holders. These would look beautiful for both an indoors or outdoors party. Artificial vines can also be found at craft or floral supply stores and may be strung from ceilings, draped across tables or added as an accent to chairs. Stuffed monkeys may be placed from hanging vines and potted plants and trees. Other safari animals may be placed throughout the room. Animals prints are hugely popular, so finding items should not be too difficult. For an outdoor party, tiki torches may also add a nice touch.
Also, many of these items may be used to decorate the baby’s room after the shower!
Invitations and place settings can all be found at local craft supply stores and specialty stores too.
Mmmm…now for some food suggestions. For a great snack, Betty Crocker has a great recipe called “critter crunch” that would be perfect. This snack may be served in bowls of your liking, or in cute cones as pictured in the recipe. It can be modified to fit your tastes. For a festive drink, Jungle or Swamp juice hit the spot. This treat can be easily made by combining sparkling lemon lime soda with lime sherbert. Not only is it tasty, but color coordinated too! And for the cake! There are so many options to choose. You can do a sheet cake with decorations, cupcakes with adorable animal faces, or do an animal shaped cake as I did for a party I hosted. Martha Stewart had an adorable episode where she created a monkey cake. Click here for the recipe. I actually used this recipe for my daughter’s first birthday and it was a huge success! As I stated before, many of these ideas work well for children’s birthday parties as well!
Finally, a shower would not be complete without games. Check out previous posts for a larger list of shower games. For an animal specific party, “Name That Baby Animal” is a good one. Have participants take a sheet of paper and pencil. Show everyone a picture of an adult animal and have them write down what the name of the baby version would be. You’ll be surprised at how difficult it may be! Of course the person with the most correct answers wins! You can treat winners with all sorts of animal themed prizes or even animal decorated cookies too.
As always…have fun!
Basic Baby Shower Cake Ideas
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 | How To | No Comments
Who doesn’t love cake?!?! A beautifully designed cake is a must have at any baby shower. Today we’re going to explore some options for great cakes for your basic baby shower. In the coming weeks, we will be adding more theme ideas along with great cakes that would accompany each theme.
Baby Block
This cake is quite versatile and can be simple or super fancy, depending on what you want. Martha Stewart has a great recipe for this style of cake. I’ll give her recipe and also give a simpler, quicker version for those of you who prefer the easy route. Martha’s recipe gives you the basics on decorating the cake with both buttercream icing and fondant on white sheet cake. You can explore her site to find the recipe to create the sheet cake, icing, and fondant, or you can buy it pre-made. Here is her recipe Martha’s Baby Block Cake. Even if you opt out of her recipe, it’s great to use some of the ideas in your own recipe. A quicker option is to buy either a sheet cake or a pound cake. A chilled pound cake will be much easier to work with when cutting it to your desired shape. A pound cake is great for making miniature baby block cakes if you’d like for each guest to have their own.
Select a frosting with a thicker consistency so that it’s easier to work with. Typically “whipped” frostings are more likely to get messed up with the slightest touch. Choosing a white color frosting will offer versatility if you choose to use food coloring to match your frosting color to the colors of the baby shower. You may also experiment with various frosting tips to find one you like most. Using a tip to outline the edges of each baby block and to draw letters or numbers on the cake will really make them pop. Cake or specialty stores are a great place to find tips, frosting bags, and even candies for decoration.
Baby Bootie Cake
Another super cute cake idea! I first saw these on Martha Stewart’s website which has a great video to accompany the recipe. Yes…I am a Martha fan! I’ve since found a similar recipe from Ms. Betty Crocker herself. I’ll give you both links so you have a step by step guide to create these cakes. Again, these are the perfect size to give each guest their own cake. Or you can create just a pair of the booties to be placed atop a larger round or sheet cake too! To do this, pour cake mix into 3 cupcake tins and use the rest of the mix for your larger cake. For Martha’s Baby Bootie cake recipe and video, click here. For Betty Crocker’s recipe instructions, click here. Again, as a time saver you can buy your icing pre-made and add food coloring for your desired affect.
Baby Carriage Cake
This cute little number is easier to make than it appears. I’ve actually made this cake for a friend’s shower (not the image posted above). My easy recipe is as follows. Pick up favorite cake mix from the store! Mix cake mix and pour mix into 2 cupcake tins and the remainder in a round cake pan and bake. Once baked and cooled, remove from pans. Slice off the very tops of the large round cake and cupcakes to make a smooth top. Using the above image as a guide, cut a portion out of the large round cake. Attach the cupcakes to the larger cake using frosting and frost entire cake with store bought icing in whichever flavor or color you desire. You may using various frosting tips to outline and create carriage image and wheel spokes. A nice touch is to add the baby’s name if known.
Pacifier Cake
I recently attended a baby shower which had a variety of cupcakes, one of which was made to resemble a baby’s face with a pacifier (binky) in it’s mouth. Very cute! That cupcake was simple to make in that you frost as desired, making dots for the eyes and nose and inserting a baby’s pacifier towards the bottom of the “face” – as shown in the above photo. This is another option to the baby cake shown above. The cake above is made by using to round cake pans and a lot of creative decorating with the icing. Using fondant will give the cake a smoother appearance and help with building up features such as the baby feet. Cutting a bit into the cake or cupcake will help in inserting the pacifier.
If you’d like to make the whole process a wee bit easier, just go out and buy a cake and sit back and relax.
Happy Creating!!!
Entertaining Baby Shower Games
Friday, August 22nd, 2008 | How To | No Comments
What’s more traditional than games at a baby shower? Baby shower games are a good way to provide entertainment. There are some traditional games that are played at most showers as well as games that maybe some of you have never played.
I’ll be taking you through some oldies but goodies; some newer games and new takes on old games in order to spice up your shower!
A popular and easy one is the clothespin game. This goes on for the entire duration of the baby shower. Upon arrival, each guest receives a clothespin that they must clip to their clothing. Once everyone arrives, the hostess explains the rules of the game. During the course of the shower, no one may cross his or her legs. If they do and are caught, the person who crossed their legs must give their clothespin to the person who caught them. At the end of the shower, the guest with the most clothespins wins and receives a small gift. Another variation of this game is no one is allowed to say the word “baby.” You may also add your own variation of the game to make things fun!
The “Baby Guessing Game” is another old time favorite. Each guest is asked to bring a baby photo of themselves. As they arrive, each photo is attached to a board. Give each guest paper and pencil and have them figure out who is in each baby photo. After about ten minutes, the guest that matches the most pictures correctly wins.
“The String, Ribbon, or Toilet Paper Game” is a fun game for everyone. A roll of string, ribbon, or toilet paper (your choice) is passed around to each guest. The guest then cuts or tears off a length in which they think will fit around the expectant mother’s belly. The guest who comes closet to guessing her girth without going over wins. As long as the mother is ok with it, the game is fun for everyone.
“Guess the Candy or Baby Food” is another game. The hostess places either jarred baby food or melted candy in a clean baby diaper. Each diaper is numbered and passed around to each guest. Guests then list on a sheet of paper what food they think is in the diaper. The guest with the most correct answers wins! This game is a riot! Another spin on this game is to leave the baby food in each jar, but cover or remove the label. Each guest then takes his or her own spoon and tastes the contents of each jar to see if they can correctly name what it is.
“Fastest Diaper Changer” is a fun game especially for the men. It’s a race against each other as men attempt to change the baby’s diaper in the shortest amount of time. Each man is given a baby doll dressed in a diaper. The man who can remove the baby’s diaper and replace it with another correctly in the shortest amount of time wins this game. It’s always entertaining to see which dad is most competent!
Another game, which is great for guests of certain generations, is taking a list of family sitcoms that were popular at the time of their adolescence. Each guest is given a pencil and numbered sheet of paper. Guests are then asked to name all the siblings in a variety of family sitcoms. The guest who names the most correct siblings in the allotted amount of time wins this game.
Finally a game that can be played at any party is “Who Am I?” Upon entering the party, guests are given the name of a famous entertainer, whether it be an actor, actress, singer, etc. that is written on a piece of paper and attached to their back. Throughout the entire shower, each guest must try to figure out who they are. They may only ask other guests “yes” or “no” questions about their identity. The guest who figures out who they are first wins!
These games are designed for fun and light hearted entertainment at your party or baby shower. Adding your own variation to the games can be a great way to tailor it to your specific theme.
And as always, have fun
Garden or Tea Party Baby Shower
Monday, August 18th, 2008 | How To | No Comments
Today’s topic as you can see is about planning a garden or tea party baby shower. What’s wonderful about these themes I’ll be writing about each week is that they may transcend into parties for different occasions. These themes will work for adult or children parties as well with some minor tweaking. As always, please feel free to add your own comments or suggestions to any post. We love to hear from you!
A garden or tea party is a wonderful theme for a baby shower. It’s broad enough that you can go in many directions with it. The party may be set during the day or night, inside or out. For decor in either setting, beautiful twinkle lights can add the right touch for an evening party. And crisp table linens are a must! Tables may be decorated with seasonal flowers in either large bouquets centered on each table or many smaller bouquets scattered about. Foliage is great indoors or out, so gather your potted plants and tress too. Lights may be strung up through trees for a beautiful effect. White or color coordinating candles and lanterns add ambiance to the outdoors. Candles may also be used for an indoor party too. Ribbons, bows, and fabric butterflies may add a finished touch if not overdone. Sheer ribbons work great for warmer months. If chairs are covered in fabric, you can tie ribbons around the backs for decoration as well as securing the fabric. Bows may be tied around vases of flowers, and butterflies may be placed in plants. If you’re really crafty, you can make baby washcloth or sock flowers and display them in vases or small clay pots on each table. Experiment and see what works best for you.
Food and drink too can vary. For a tea party shower, of course tea is the drink of choice. A variety of flavored hot teas may appeal to the masses. Finger sandwhiches, scones, petit fours, tea cakes, and fruit are great for a light affair. Also lemonade is a great choice for a tea or garden party. For a more garden and less tea party event, sandwhiches, salads, pastas, and even grilled entrees would work.
Finally – favors! Although not necessary, it’s always fun to give a little something to each guest to take with them from the party. Plantable seeds have become really popular. Seeds are embedded in paper and cut into fun shapes. Guests may take them home, plant them, and watch them grow. Here are a couple of companies that sell them in cute shapes perfect for baby showers! Try Botanical Paperworks or Plant A Memory for favors.
Have fun!
Planning the Perfect Baby Shower
Friday, August 15th, 2008 | How To | No Comments
Throwing a baby shower can be a daunting task. Your initial thinking is how much fun it’s going to be, but when it comes to planning and implementation…the reality hits! With any type of event, PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING is key. Along with all your planning, you’ve got to know when to handle things yourself and when to delegate tasks.
Step One: First map out all your general ideas of what the party will entail. These things include compiling a guest list, determining a theme – if any, type of food and drinks, what type of entertainment, location of the shower, what type of decorations, getting invitations, and setting an appropriate date and time.
Step Two: It’s time to unleash your inner Martha Stewart and figure out what tasks you would really enjoy doing; what you can handle; and what you’d like to delegate to someone else.
As stated above, the key to success is planning. It’s quite possible to throw something together last minute, but ideally you’d like to give yourself enough time to sift through different options and to place orders for things you may not do yourself.
Step Three: Round up your troops – those who you trust to pull this event off and sit down to compile the guest list. Establishing the size and type of party is key before trotting off to get all necessary supplies. You need a ballpark number to start. This will also help you with budgeting for the party. Do you want formal or casual?
DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Step Four: Set a date! If the baby shower is not a surprise, talk to the guest of honor to find out what date works best. If the shower is a surprise, then speak to family & friends to determine what date may work.
Step Five: Secure the location! If the event will be anywhere other than your home, call for reservations as soon as you can to see if they can accommodate your event and the number of invitees. If you’re hosting at your home, you’ll save some money, but you’ll need to make sure you give yourself enough time to clean and decorate before the event. Consider hiring a cleaning service if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Step Six: Theme? A theme is not necessary for a successful baby shower, but it sure makes for a festive event! Ideas for themes can come from the chosen nursery, parents’ to be interests or hobbies, or whatever great idea you conjure up!
Step Seven: Once a theme or overall feel for the shower has been established, it’s time to get moving. Invitations, party supplies, and decorations need to be purchased. If you find a one stop shop that has it all together – lucky you! There are a wealth of places online or in your city that offer either invitations or the whole package. If you’re really creative and time allows, you can make the invitations yourself.
If you cannot find all your supplies at once, at least get the invitations taken care of since they will need to be sent out a few weeks before the shower.
Always include the basics of Who, What, When, Where, and the theme of the shower as well as where the parents are registered.
Decorations too can be bought, made or both. Depending on your level of craftiness, you can go to craft stores, etc. and buy supplies to decorate for the party. Each week I will be listing various themes for baby showers that will include ideas for decorations and food. This is your chance to either unleash that inner Martha Stewart, find your crafty friends, or buy pre made items to make your life just a wee bit easier.
You can also just limit your decorations to place settings at the table. Or you can go all out and have things hanging from the ceilings, mantles, tables, and wrapped around chairs.
Diaper cakes make wonderful centerpieces and gifts for baby showers. Save yourself some headaches – www.la-babycakes.com can provide diaper cakes, diaper cupcakes, or other event decorations.
Step Eight: Food! You may have the greatest decorations in the world, but a party without good food and drink just isn’t really a party. Decision time again! Will this be a formal sit down dinner event? Informal or backyard event? Potluck? Afternoon tea? Planning a menu can be a serious task too!
This is another opportunity for you to decide if you want to take on making the food yourself, having the event catered, or trying a potluck event with each guest bring a dish. Both food and drink can be festive and party specific.
If the event will be catered, start making calls at least a month ahead to find places that are available and have the cuisine you desire. If having a potluck, be sure to divide up which guests will bring what type of dish so you don’t have too much or too little of any course. If you plan to make the food yourself, give yourself a couple of weeks to find recipes and experiment if needed. Otherwise try making dishes and appetizers at least 24-48 hours ahead and store in the refrigerator.
Step Nine: Get some rest! Seriously, get a good night’s sleep so you’re fresh and on your game for the event. You might want to a jot a “to do” list to have handy the next day so you won’t forget last minute preparations. Enjoy the fabulous party you’ve orchestrated and the happiness you’ve bestowed upon the guest of honor!