My favorite part of party planning, other than being able to bless those I'm planning for, is the sheer joy that comes with turning normal everyday things into wonderful party decorations! We spent months planning a baby shower for my brother and his wife and put that plan into action! Here are some of the tips we used for decorating and gift making.
It all started with the invitation. We went with a pink, green and brown color scheme. I designed these invitations using good ol' Microsoft Publisher. It's amazing what a little inspiration from a great stationery website can do to get the creative juices flowing! I love the little scalloped edge near the top.
We knew we wanted to serve cupcakes, but didn't want to have to buy a cupcake stand. So, we got a little creative, once again. We took some cans of food, some microwave trays, a couple of plates and some scrapbook paper and went from this...
and this...
to this...
and this...
We made and decorated our own cupcakes and saved a boat load of cash! Just as cute and just as tasty!Some yummy dips and fudge made by my step-mom and some pretty pink punch finished out the buffet.
Each table was set up with a small candy buffet as the centerpiece. We used random shaped and sized jars and containers, filled them with brown, pink and green candies and tied them up with coordinating ribbons and homemade description tags.
The shower was held in the church fellowship hall, so every little colorful detail helped distract from the drab wood paneling.
A simple piece of fabric and some tissue paper pom-poms helped to frame out the seating area for Mommy and Daddy.
This little sign acted as a centerpiece for their table.
Our original plan was to decorate these letters to hang on the wall at the shower.
But, there was nowhere to hang them, so they went straight to Regan's room to hang over her crib. Adorable!
I used some scrapbook paper and other craft supplies to decorate this plain Jane wipes box turning it from this...
It can be kept on Reagan's changing table and refilled. I've since made a couple more of these to match their kitchen and living room colors. If you're going to have to use the wipes, you might as well make it a little more fun, right?
They got tons of gifts,
including some super cute monogrammed bibs and onesies from Auntie Sarai,
And it's a good thing we didn't wait any later to host this shower, because Reagan made her debut 2 weeks early! She was born on October 23rd and is absolutely perfect!
Party planning doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg! Be creative and use what you've got!
-Sarai
