Recently my good friend, Lain, announced she was pregnant. Immediately my Bestie and I decided that she would
have to have the baby shower of the year. We started planning before she even knew the gender.
Lain
had co-hosted my baby shower with our Bestie the year before, and it
was fantastic. She is super crafty and thrifty, her house looks like
something you'd see in a magazine, and she is overall fabulous. Add that
to the fact that she and her husband had been waiting for this baby for
quite a while-- well, we just had to throw a shower worthy of her
amazingness!
Lain
found out she was having a little boy and my Bestie stumbled upon the
theme "Cute as a Button" on Pinterest. It was perfect! We went with
teals, reds, and blues for our colors-- trying to accent with as much
wood and metal as possible to keep things masculine. She also isn't
going to tell any of us the name her and Dad have picked out, so her
baby has developed the nick name "Roo" (as in Kangaroo).
I went a little craft crazy for the shower.
The
invitations were fairly simple! Inside listed the standard information,
and also mentioned that Mom and Dad had their lips "buttoned" about
Baby W's name, so he was "Roo" until the big day. We also invited the
guests to bring diapers and wipes for a diaper raffle.
As a mother of twins I can confidently tell anyone that throws or has a shower: DO A DIAPER RAFFLE! They are awesome!
We
had about 25 RSVPs for the shower. I knew I wanted to deck my house to
the nines for the shower... I think it turned out really well!
To
add an extra fancy touch we used mixed plates from the Bestie's,
Lain's, and my own collections. We also asked for help from our friend
Julie who was doing all the food and Lain's sister brought a million
"jelly jars" for drinks and also supplied the flat wear, which was one
of my favorite things about the shower. They were all different sizes
and designs. (I will be collecting jars from now on!) By combining all
our serving wear we were able to have a funky blend of styles and enough
plates to house all of Julie's AMAZING food and Lain's sister's to DIE
for drinks and cupcakes. My mom happens to be an ex-florist, so we
enlisted her help on centerpieces that also doubled as prizes for the
games. The Bestie had the great idea to rent chairs, which turned out to
be essential in my tiny house. Of course, I couldn't help but make some
customized cookies for the occasion...
Of
course, no baby shower is complete without some games! We played "My
Water Broke!" where everyone got an ice cube with a frozen baby in it...
We
also had every guest cut a piece of yarn to guess how big Lain's belly
was. When they measured their string against her belly they also
introduced themselves to the group. Two of the ladies guessed within a
half of an inch of eachother! It was a close race!
Then
we went out into the yard for a "baby shower game unlike any you've
ever played before!" The bestie had actually played it at a previous
coed shower, and it was so hysterical she had suggested it for Lain's
shower. After running it by her we all agreed that it would be a
hilarious ice breaker. The name of the game is called "Making a Baby!"
The
group broke into 3 teams. Each team received a plunger and toilet paper
rolls. One person put the plunger between their legs and another person
put a roll of toilet paper between their legs. The object of the game
is to "poke" the end of the plunger through the toilet paper and waddle
it back to the score keeper (me) as many times as possible in a certain
amount of time.
It was pretty hysterical. I am concealing most of the photos in order to protect the innocent.
Lain obviously had the advantage, and her team won!
If
you're planning on playing this game I have a couple tips for you. 1.)
Be prepared to receive the dirtiest looks possible from the group as you
explain it. There were a lot of "We are going to do WHAT?" comments. I
have done a fair amount of public speaking to small groups, I have even
ran company staff meetings with fairly contentious subjects... but
never in my LIFE have I had that kind of laser-beam-stare from so many
people! 2.) After the game is over everyone will tell you how fun it was
and what a great time they had. So it's worth the laser-beam burns. 3.)
Get a group of friends together first and do a dry run. I had to ad-lib
most of the "rules" when we played at the shower. Although it worked
out fine, it did make for a little more stress than I would have liked.
4.) Get dollar store plungers and paint them. Because it's hysterically
fun when you're man walks in and asks why you are painting plungers...
After
everyone re-filled their drinks and settled down Lain started opening
gifts. We did a spin on the classic Baby Shower Bingo by adding the
ABC's to it. It seemed to go over well, and the sheets were cardstock so
they doubled as fans in the middle of a hot July baby shower.
Finally,
as things wrapped up and the shower was done, guests added their
thoughts to a chalkboard. the bestie and I plan on printing out this
picture and framing it for Lain, so she can have some late night
inspiration if she's ever feeling "mommy-drained."
The chalkboard also doubled as a funky gift for Baby Roo's room.
Overall
the "Cute as a Button" shower was a blast! I am in full on
post-baby-shower depression with its conclusion. It's time to start
planning another party.... right after I think of what to have a party
for!
I'll be adding some items from the shower to my Etsy shop as soon as I can recover from all the festivities!
