Baby showers - a hodgepodge

~ Link up at Kelly's Corner - Show Us Your Life: Baby Showers ~ 

Baby showers are so much fun!  I hosted showers for my sister and sister-in-law (and I've helped to plan lots of others).  I wish I had pictures, but my nephews (who those showers were for) are now 7 and 4...and I don't know where the pictures disappeared to!


We held my sister's shower in the fellowship hall of our church with about 50 guests.  I generated invitations on the computer and printed them on cute baby themed paper.  Her theme was teddy bears, so we decorated with bear tablecloths and other teddy bear decor.  My mom, sister, and her mother-in-law made all of the food.  We served a veggie tray, finger sandwiches, and other appetizers & snacks.  We sponge painted terracotta pots with pink, blue, green & yellow teddy bears as centerpieces on the tables and planted them with petunias.  Those also served as prizes for some of the games we played. We tied white mesh around votive candles and attached a cute baby poem and a plastic diaper pin to each one with pretty ribbon for favors at each place setting.

My sister-in-law's shower was similar, but she had a safari theme, so everything I did was in giraffes and yellow & green.  Favors for each place setting included giraffe-shaped cookies decorated with yellow & green icing (my mom, sister & I were up until wee hours of the morning piping frosting on these) wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with yellow & green ribbon.  They turned out to be soooooo adorable & I really wish I had pictures! For centerpieces, I used baby supplies (pacis, teething rings, powder, lotion, baby wash, shampoo, etc) as weights to hold the balloons down.  This was so cute & then my SIL could take the things home and use them for baby E :)

For both showers, I purchased cute prizes on clearance at Target and Bath & Body Works.  Games for both showers included:
* Baby Shower Memory Game
* Baby Bingo
* Timer game: Set a kitchen timer for random amounts of time.  When it goes off, the person whose gift the new mama is opening gets a prize.) - I can't find a website for this one, but it's simple & easy!
* Other games you could play

When my sister was pregnant with my younger nephew (who is now 3), I just made her a diaper cake & we celebrated with an ice cream cake to share in a small celebration with close family members :)

This froggie became F's "lovey"...he still carries it around... and I love that ;)

My most recent baby shower was my own!  My wonderful coworkers surprised me back in April before J was born.  It was a nautical theme, and I do have some pictures of that special day.  We didn't have time for games, because it was for breakfast before the school day started, and we only had about 30 minutes to eat and visit.  I waited to open my presents that night with my older son and husband when we got home. Food included baby sausage wraps & mini muffins :)

Sweet diaper cake, made by my good friend, Gina :)

Cute  gifts & lots of diapers...with onesies as decorations

Beautiful - and equally Delicious - nautical cake (chocolate w/ peanut butter icing - my fave!) made by my good friend's (Kim) sister

Cake table

sand toys for J...he can't wait to use them at the beach next summer :)

My sister and I always say that we would love to start up a party planning business...I wish we lived closer to each other so we could...that is our dream.  Maybe someday?  :)
And...if you haven't read my post about the BabyLegs giveaway, go here to enter! :)