Baby Shower Invitations

Sat 7 Jun 2008 12:45:20 AM GMT

Homemade Baby Shower Invitations
By Kristy Annely

Homemade baby shower invitations can make your baby shower entertaining, full of fun, and a truly memorable experience. It is a perfect way to give a personal touch to the great occasion.

Homemade baby shower invitations reflect the personality of the expectant mother and can bring in an element of warmth to your party. Homemade baby shower invitations simply give your guests an idea of what kind of gifts to take to the baby shower party. These are less expensive and more valuable than store-bought invitations.

You can get materials for the creation of homemade baby shower invitations from retail shops. These materials include paper styles, font colors, baby shower invitation wordings, and matching accessories such as thank you notes, envelopes, stickers, fun stamps, and baby birth announcements.

Selecting a baby shower theme is the first step in preparing homemade baby shower invitations. Choose a theme that is pleasing to the eye in style and design. Select stamps that are fit for your theme. Also, choose appropriate colors. You can select pink for girls, dark colors for boys, and green or yellow for baby yet unknown. Wording of your invitation should include the name of the new mother or baby, date, time, and location of the event. You can also draw a map of the location for out-of-town guests; include a phone number and email address. You may do this manually at home or get them printed at a local printer's.

To get a quality finishing touch to your homemade baby shower invitation, use wax seals with initials. Always use high-quality products for the creation of homemade invitations. Homemade baby shower invitations are always treasured by everyone. They can be wonderful, provided you have some creativity and a little time to spend. Baby Shower Invitations provides detailed information on Baby Shower Invitations, Printable Baby Shower Invitations, Free Baby Shower Invitations, Baby Shower Invitation Wording and more. Baby Shower Invitations is affiliated with Baby Shower Decorations.

Hosting a Baby Shower?

Sat 7 Jun 2008 12:30:42 AM GMT

Planning Considerations For Hosting a Baby Shower
By Walt Ballenberger

If you will be hosting a baby shower you will need six to eight weeks to prepare. The best idea is to get everything possible done at least a week in advance and save the last week for "surprises" that come up. You will need to decide what the makeup of guests will be (coworkers, family, friends, couples, combination of the above?), and what the date and time of the event will be. You will also need to set a budget, decide whether the affair will be formal or informal, choose menu items, and choose a location.

Coming Up With a Vision

The very first thing to be done is to imagine what you want the party to look like. Will it be an outside affair that is catered, or perhaps a gathering of young mothers with toddlers at noon time? Perhaps it will take place at work or in a restaurant or tea house. Will it be a formal or informal affair? In any case having a vision of how you want the baby shower to turn out will be of the utmost importance and it will direct most of the other decisions to be made in the planning phase.

Who Will Be Invited to the Shower?

Once your vision has been cemented, you can decide in general what the makeup of guests will be. Is it co-workers at the office, friends and family (this could depend on the proximity of immediate family to the mom-to-be), or perhaps you are planning a party for couples in which case you should consider the needs of not only the women who will attend but the men as well. The guest list will follow rather directly from your vision.

Date and Time- Not Always Obvious

Hopefully the new mom being showered can give you several options for dates in her final trimester. As stated earlier, you'll need a fair amount of time to plan and prepare for the party. Weekends normally are best if you want maximum attendance or if out-of-town guests are expected. If you host a shower during the week, many working people won't be able to attend. If your choice of location is at a hotel or restaurant, you should book as far in advance as possible to be sure the venue is available. Like most party planning, this is really just a matter of common sense, but doing things as early as possible keeps the options open and will prevent disappointments.

Setting Your Budget

The best approach is to make a list of everything that will need to be paid for and estimate how much the outlay will be for each item. Certainly food and beverages are a major factor, and this often takes half or more of the budget. If you are purchasing room decorations or a large centerpiece like a diaper cake, this will also be a major budget consideration. Other items on your list should include invitations and postage, party favors, the cost of a gift, costs of catering if applicable, any prizes that might be given for winning party games, and any costs for things like music or entertainment, cleanup, or rental charges. Once this is all added up you can calculate a cost per guest. You should hold onto this work sheet and record the actual costs of the separate items on your list and compare that with costs you estimated. This recording and tracking phase will be the most important thing you can do to stay on budget.

The considerations for choosing a location can be rather elaborate, and that will be the subject of a separate article. For all these decisions it would be good to enlist some help from others, especially someone who has experience hosting baby showers.

Walt Ballenberger is webmaster for Baby Shower Favors

Baby Shower Food Ideas

Sat 7 Jun 2008 12:17:53 AM GMT

Baby Shower Food Ideas For Both Traditional Or New Baby Showers
By Nisha Williams

It's always fun planning a baby shower. From the theme to the games to the food that is served. The goal is to make the mom-to-be feel loved and for the day to go off without a hitch. Such take a bit of planning as well as research. A major element of any party's success: the food.

When it comes to proper baby shower food, you'll want to first consider the time of the shower itself. This will help you determine what kind of food should be served. If for instance, the shower is scheduled around 11 a.m. or noon, it would be appropriate to serve a sit-down meal. Thus, the food should encompass a light lunch, complete with appetizers, a salad course (from tortellini to fruit), a main meal, and desert to follow.

This would be expected of the host(ess), to organize a sit-down meal with tables, chairs, and assigned seating. As for what the main meal should be, think family-style. This will foster a togetherness among all present. Pasta or casserole are good choices and if the shower is co-ed, then a barbecue should also prove popular. The guys of course would be in charge of the grill.

If however the baby shower is held in the mid-afternoon, then a more informal setting is acceptable. Small plates and snacks, a buffet-style setup without tables/chairs is what you'll likely find. To go along with the traditional punch, fun baby shower food may include:

Vegetable tray: Especially nice for vegan or vegetarian mom. Though not everyone at the party may follow such a diet, the point of the shower is to make it perfect for the guest of honor. A veggie tray will offer delicious, healthy snacks.

Fruit salad: To dress this idea up, you might consider creating individual fruit mixes in wine glasses. In a buffet-style setup, guests can add toppings, such as whip cream, cottage cheese, and nuts.

Tea sandwiches and scones: These delicate treats are the perfect complements to a tea-themed shower. If you wish to go all out and have a true high-tea experience, then definitely remember the Devonshire cream.

Sweet tray: A collection of sweets, from tarts to tea cakes, puff pastries to petit fours.

Baby shower cake: A must at every baby shower, the cake is typically served after the games are played and before the mother-to-be opens her gifts. Cakes can be most anything you (or rather the expectant mom) wish. A good guide is to know what her favorite kind of cake is. From a pineapple upside-down cake to a carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting, the cake is the pièce de résistance when it comes to baby shower food.

In the end, as you plan your shower, just remember that while most anything goes when it comes to this traditional party, it's good to keep in mind some points of etiquette, too.

What's more, your choice of baby shower food will come together as a result of theme, preference, budget, and preparation time. For instance, a veggie tray can be fun to put together on your own, but if pressed for time, these are readily available at your local supermarket as well.

And finally, have fun and make this day a truly memorable one for your favorite mom-to-be!

Nisha Williams has written a online guide full of baby shower ideas to help you plan the perfect baby shower. Visit her website to get great ideas on fun baby shower games and delicious baby shower food to compliment your baby shower.