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!
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?
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!
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!
Rachael Ray is the queen of make-it-great-but-make-it-easy — whether that is offering up a creative menu for a meal in thirty minutes or sharing fun, easy decorating ideas.
I absolutely A-D-O-R-E this clever non-floral centerpiece idea (created by Orla Kiely and photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo) featured on Rachael’s website, Every Day with Rachael Ray. Wouldn’t this be fabulous decor for a shower, birthday, or even at a pre-party for a bachelorette outing?
Non-floral centerpiece idea from Every Day with Rachael Ray
In case you wondered about this cupcake craze we’ve been going through in recent years? Yah, it’s not going away. It’s alive and well and growing stronger day by day — especially here in DC. New “cupcakeries” are popping up left and right and established cupcake purveyors are expanding, confirms a recent Washington Post article on the sweet trend.
If you’ve been hit by the cupcake craze and are planning on serving them at your wedding or next event, why not embellish the cupcakes with special toppers to give your event an even more customized appeal?
Here are a few cupcake toppers that I love (check out the captions for sources and click on the photo to take you there); they’d be fabulous for a wedding, shower, birthday, retirement party, anniversary… you name it!
Paper Flower Cupcake Toppers from Millalove on Etsy
Retro Cupcake Pennant Template from Vintage Glam Weddings
Mini Cupcake Topper Pinwhirls
wedding cupcake toppers by Etsy's goosegrease
Printable Bright Baby Cupcake Toppers for Baby Shower - DIY by The TomKat Studio
Creature Comforts DIY Cupcake Toppers
Little Birdie Cupcake Toppers from TheCupcakeGirls on Etsy
Custom Table Numbers
While the idea of using frames to display table numbers at weddings is not a new one, I love how My DIY Wedding Day finds a way to make it fresh — and easy!
Simply find frames that complement your tablescape, choose a decorative paper (think wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, etc) that reinforces your color scheme and overall design, affix a printed table number (using the same font as your other wedding stationery) and voila! Simple. Elegant.
The idea could be used equally well at a rehearsal dinner, bridesmaids luncheon, or shower.
Thanks, My DIY Wedding Day!
Looking for a way to add a little punch to the tablescape at your next party? Try a tablecloth embellished with magnet-fitted flowers, a craft courtesy of Martha Stewart. The magnets allow for changing out the flowers according to the season, color, or theme of your soiree. I could see this feminine tablecloth working very well at a bridal shower or afternoon tea.
Martha Stewart Craft: Magnet-Flowered Tablecloth
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.