An alphabet theme is a great theme for a baby shower and I love this alphabet-themed cake, courtesy of Martha Stewart, that could be the centerpiece of the food table. It may not be as easy as 1-2-3, but the look of this A-B-C cake makes it worth the effort!
Isn’t this color inspiration board, designed by The Inspired Bride, perfect for this time of year? The cheery yellow and soft green whisper “Spring.” These colors would be perfect not only for a wedding, but for a baby or wedding shower, too.
Color inspiration board from The Inspired Bride
One of my favorite blogs is Hostess with the Mostess which always has such clever ideas for parties and entertaining. A recent post featured a “Life is a Gift” baby shower, which I think is a brilliant idea. Wrapping paper serves as the central element of the decor and is an economical way to decorate. I love the color scheme used and the patterns they chose. Gorgeous! Check out the whole post to see all the elements of the party and be inspired!
Life is a Gift Baby Shower via Hostess With the Mostess
There’s nothing worse at a party than silence. Why not spark some witty banter with some conversation starters? Here are a few ideas that I love.
Custom crossword puzzle; via Martha Stewart
A custom crossword puzzle would be a perfect way to create discussion at a bridal luncheon, or wedding or baby shower. Try Variety Games or Puzzle Maker for customizable templates.
"Fun Facts" card; via Style Me Pretty; photo by Olive Juice
Even listing some fun facts about the bride and groom or guests of honor at a party can be a great way to start chatter around the table. This card is adorable!
Question-prompting guest book; via Martha Stewart
Create your own thought-provoking guest book that guests can sign and pass around the table.
DIY fortune cookies; via Once Wed
I love these DIY fortune cookies found on Once Wed. Create a series of “fortunes” or best wishes and insert them into the folded fortune-cookie-look-a-like and encourage guests to share their wishes around the table.
Paper Leaves of Thanks; via Martha Stewart
With Thanksgiving coming up it’s a perfect opportunity to create some interactivity around the table through having guests share what they are thankful for. Even just writing little thoughts on these simple but pretty paper leaves could be fun.
What’s your fun idea for making your special occasion dinner table interactive?
How adorable are these polka dot baking dishes from Spode? Can you imagine serving up a dish at a baby boy’s shower in the light blue polka dot baker? Or seeing little Grand Marnier or lemon soufflés popping out of the top of the ramekins? Too cute!
Baking dishes from Spode (available at Belk or Macy's)
It’s no surprise that I have a soft spot for good baked goods. Pies, tarts, cakes, cookies… I am not picky! So I was particularly excited to find a bakery that not only creates delicious sweets, but also gives 15% of each purchase to a charity you choose.
Baking for Good is an “online bake sale that supports great causes.” They offer a variety of treats, ranging from cookies to bars to granola and they all look delicious. Their margarita shortbread, for example, is calling my name.
margarita shortbread from Baking for Good
They even offer gift packs and suites of themed iced sugar cookies. The cookies would be fabulous for a party, a baby or wedding shower, or an engagement party.
iced wedding-themed cookies
How fabulous would it be to share with guests that each bite they take of their sweet treat goes to an even sweeter cause like First Book (one of my favorite non-profits) or The American Cancer Society.
Here’s to all the charitable sweet tooths out there!
These adorable wrapped beverages, featured on Donna Hay, would be perfect for a baby shower! They would be so easy to create — and to customize. Choose fabric and pins that coordinate with the gender of the baby and the theme. Izze sparkling beverages would be a perfect bottle to wrap. Too cute!
Bottle wrappers, featured on Donna Hay
Izze sodas
A dear friend of mine just had her first baby — a sweet, adorable little girl. We hosted a baby shower in her honor recently and planned it around her passion for French macarons. Guests were treated to afternoon tea with savory and sweet treats.
We came up with a vintage French market theme, evoking strolls through an outdoor market in France — with old world finds, rustic elegance, and a touch of “chic.” Burlap, accented with light pink and grey tones along with pewter and silver serving pieces, created a cohesive design.
custom-made burlap "baby girl" banner
shower invitation, designed by SugarB Designs
table setting
One of the hosts made extraordinary lemon-lime shortbread cookies and expertly decorated them. Custom tags coordinating with the stationery suite were attached to each cookie, serving as place cards.
place setting; custom cookie and tag serve as place cards
French macarons were the centerpiece of the event. Caramel and raspberry macarons from Adour were showcased on a silver three-tiered tray for guests to enjoy.
French macarons: the inspiration for the party
The menu was entirely homemade (with the exception of the macarons!) and included petit fours with pink flourishes, chocolate truffles, tuna-stuffed baguette, miniature quiches in pate brisee, black forest ham and brie tea sandwiches, and other delights.
assorted savory bites
miniature quiche
chocolate and buttercream petit fours
Each menu item was labeled with a tag to help guests more easily identify what they wanted.
custom food labels
As guests made their way around the buffet table, a pianist played children’s nursery songs softly in the background — how appropriate!
entertainment during the party
A small book that matched the theme was created so that the gifts could be recorded during the party. The guest of honor was given a gift bag at the end of the party that contained the record, additional macarons, custom thank you notes matching the stationery suite, and a special hand-decorated cookie.
record of gifts
Pink. Pink. And more pink! Pink floral arrangements anchored the tables and even the sparkling lemonade was pink! The arrangements included French tulips and the lemonade was… yes… French!
pink floral arrangements anchored the tables
tulips and other pink flowers
Sparkling pink lemonade
Countless thanks to SugarB Studio, who created the fabulous stationery suite, and to Katie McMurry, photographer, for the amazing photos! Tres bien!
Congratulations, again, to our dear friend and her new family!
The Rex & Regina Blog shares both trendy and traditional ways to extend gracious hospitality through weddings, other social occasions, and at-home entertaining. Learn more about Rex & Regina.