April Showers: Part 4

I am back with more inspiration from Lindsey.

How cute is this shower invite she recently made?

I asked Lindsey to share some shower planning insight with us.

*How do you come up with a theme for a shower? 

i usually try to think of what the bride or mom-to-be likes and go from there.  sometimes i'll go with the colors or style of the wedding or baby's room.  but sometimes i totally deviate and just pick something cute, maybe something i've seen online.

*What is your favorite part of planning a shower?

i LOVE making the invites because i feel like it sets the mood for the shower.  it lets the guests know a little of what to expect, and hopefully gets them excited to attend.

*What has been your favorite theme of a shower you have helped plan?

tough question.... maybe the sweet baby shower i threw recently, because it really was so simple and VERY cost effective.

*How do you keep costs reasonable? 

i get help from friends.  i'm not so good at the food part and a good friend of mine is, so she handles that end so i can focus all my time on the fun little details.  because we entertain a lot, years ago we bought super inexpensive white dishes and silverware to serve 30, so i never have to buy plates or plastic ware (yuck).  i also save my spaghetti sauce/mason jars and use them as glasses with straws for almost every party we have.  you can't get cheaper than free!  and i also shop my house a lot.  i grab things from different rooms that fit the theme.

*What are your favorite games/activities to include in a shower?

i'm not a big fan of shower games, and i've found that not too many others are either.  this has been a bit if a relief for me as it takes another item off my list of to-do's.  but there are times when games are appropriate, like if many of the guests don't know each other, and a little game as a mixer can help out.  i've also done a craft at a shower before and it was a hit!  for a baby girl shower we made little ribbon covered barrettes.  simple things that require little skills are best.

*Do you have any secret sources of information for planning great showers or parties in general?

martha.  she's built an empire for a reason:  amazing ideas.  you can easily take her ideas and put your own twist on them, and she almost always lists her resources.  i also like to get baby shower ideas from bridal magazines.  think outside the box - baby showers don't have to have ducks and carriages.

*Any other tips or ideas for our readers? 

think of your guest of honor and what they are like, what they love and go from there.  start planning early so when you see things that may work for your party when you're at the dollar store, target, or the grocery store, you can start stock piling slowly and not be rushed at the last minute.  and if there is something you cannot find, start searching online.  something i love to do is find great fabric or paper to incorporate throughout the shower.  i like to carry little elements like a certain fabric through the invitations, favors, and decor.  little things like that make a shower seem more put together.

Thanks Linds! If you have not checked out her blog or shop, please give yourself an hour and get ready to be inspired!

April Showers: Part 3

My sister-in-law, Lindsey, is amazingly crafty. I mean, super creative, can whip up anything and amazing design eye crafty.  For me, this is a blessing and a curse. I get tons of inspiration from her, get to wear her cute posy pins, have her sew things for some of my clients and get to enjoy crafting with her when we visit. On the flip side, the bar is set very high for me! My family is used to amazing kids birthday parties and I am always trying to make things as cute as Lindsey does :)

One thing that Lindsey is especially good at is throwing a cute shower. Today I am excited to share her most recent one with you. You can see more photos and details on her blog. 

The mama to be is having twin girls and the theme was two chicks. So cute!

So many delicious details! The tablecloths are ours and are actually just cheap fabric- a great option to jazz up a table- whether it is a full table cloth or just a runner.

Lindsey covered tins with wrapping paper and ribbon for the flower arrangements- proof that what I said yesterday actually works :)

I LOVE Lindsey's flower tip: She buys hydrangea plants from Trader Joe's ($7), gets at least three hydrangea heads off of it and then plants it so that she has more for the next party. So smart!

And talk about a great favor- each guest received one of Lindsey's adorable poppy pins. Score!

I will be back with an interview with Lindsey this afternoon. Lots of inspiration to come!

April Showers: Part 2

Today, I am back to share some tips on how to host an amazing shower without breaking the bank.

Tip #1: Theme, theme, theme. 

Having a reoccurring motif, logo, colors and/or design will make any shower go from ho-hum to super cute. Think outside the box- is there something that the bride and groom love to do together? For one shower, I incorporated the bride and groom's love for kayaking into the invites and then developed an "A+A" theme from there. To see more photos from this shower, click here.

For baby showers, use an unexpected color palate (something besides pink for a girl and blue for a boy). Incorporate the baby's name or the decor of their room into the shower. 

A simple theme carried through all of the details of the shower will wow guests and will hardly cost you anything. 

Tip #2: Do NOT go it alone. 

Get some help! Gather a team of a few friends of the bride or mom to be and assign tasks. Most people love to help with showers and it will alleviate your stress level and your pocket book to delegate. For instance, if you are not the world's best baker, have a Betty Crocker friend whip up a cake for dessert. Have someone else get prizes for games. Spreading out the load not only makes it easier for you, but it also gives others the chance to share some love.

(While I would love to take credit for these delicious cupcakes, my talented friend Shae baked them and then put the "A"'s that I made on top. Saved me hours and they were way better than anything I would have baked!)

*side note: there is a point where too much help is a bad thing. Trying to plan a shower with 10 people gets crazy. I have found that 3-4 planners is a magical number and it is helpful when one person is overseeing everything and delegating tasks. 

Tip #3: Make it personal

Some people love the "make a dress out of toilet paper" game. Others despise games. I, personally, only like games and activities that are personal to the honoree. 

For wedding showers, I almost always do a game that allows guests to get to know the bride and groom a bit better. My favorite is to video tape the groom answering questions about the bride and their relationship. Some sample questions are: 

"When did you know that she was the one?"

"What is her favorite food"

"If she could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"What is her ideal date?"

"What is your favorite personality trait that she possesses?" 

At the shower, we ask the bride those same questions. She has to guess how the groom answered. After she answers, we show the groom's response on the TV. Every question that their answers match is one point. Guests guess beforehand how many point they think that the couple will receive. The person closest wins a prize. It is fun, short, and most of all, personal. 

Tip #4: I would not like any more lotion sets, please.

If you are going to do games, it is great to get creative with your prizes. For a bride who lived on Starbucks coffee, we gave out $5 gift cards to the coffee spot to the lucky winners. Who wouldn't be stoked to get that? And it didn't break the bank. For a tea shower, the prizes were delicious loose leaf tea and a tea strainer. For the shower I featured yesterday, our two game winners received these cute noodle bowls and chopsticks from Crate and Barrel. $6.95/piece. They went with the theme, were cheap and the winners loved them.

Useful. Fitting with the shower. Edible. Personal to the bride. Keys to good prizes. Wrap them up in paper, bags or boxes that match the decor of the shower.

Tip #4: Get creative with Decor

Use what you've got. Use fresh cut roses from someone's garden. Gather vases from all of the girls planning the shower. Wrap tins or cans with wrapping paper or scrapbook paper like I did here or here. You don't have to spend $100 to have a florist make a centerpiece. Using coordinating paper will tie the simplest of flower arrangements into the shower decor. 

Or, think beyond flowers. For a baby shower, make something creative out of baby toys. For the tea shower I mentioned above, our centerpieces were towers of tea sandwiches. Cute and functional. Here is another shower that I will be showing more of later this week that used cupcakes as centerpieces with a few little bud vases on the side.

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of using scrapbook paper as placemats. So cheap and super cute. Even if you are using paper plates and plastic flatware, set the table. It looks cute and is instant decor. 

Small secret: I hate Big Lots. I would never go in there just to browse. But, they have paper plates napkins in a few colors for $1 per pack. Not the greatest selection, but for basic colors it is worth checking out. 

Tip #5: Keep it moving

Let guests socialize, yes- but try not to let them get bored. Keep the flow of the shower going. Typically, I aim for an hour of eating and socializing (more if you are doing a sit down meal) and then another hour for games, activities and gift opening. That may be much longer if you have a large guest list. 

If your shower is going to be outdoors, think about your guests comfort. At one of my own bridal showers, we were outside in the middle of July for three hours in the middle of the day. By the time I was done opening gifts, most guests had gone inside and I was covered in sweat. Try to keep your guests shaded, comfortable and engaged. It does not matter if your shower is the cutest thing ever- if your guests are bored and uncomfortable, they are not going to enjoy it.

I have some fun showers coming up for you and some more great tips. If you have any questions about throwing a shower, please let me know by commenting on this post. I will answer any questions by the end of the week. 

April Showers: Part 1

Can you believe that it is almost May? I am in a bit of shock over it. To celebrate the end of April, I am going to be doing a series this week called April Showers.

Definitely does not have anything to do with our weather here in Southern California: We have not had much of any showers this month- lots of summer weather. No complaints from me!

For a while now, I have been wanting to share some fun, creative, crafty and inexpensive bridal or baby shower ideas with you. The time has come!

I am going to start with a sweet bridal shower that I hosted for one of my dearest friends from college.

Brittany and Josh met in Japan and also got engaged in Japan a few years later. I wanted to incorporate that into the shower theme, while still keeping it cute and crafty. I shared the simple shower invites a couple of weeks ago.

Her wedding colors are turquoise and white (in Hawaii!!), so I wanted to use those and then throw in some red for fun.

Guests were welcome with some appetizers and timeline of Brittany and Josh's relationship in photos:

I made the centerpiece on this to mimic the cherry blossom design on the invitations. I used my Cricut to cut out different sizes of flowers and hot glued them on to sticks that my son and I gathered at the park.

Guests also were able to snack on some goodies on a Japanese candy table.

We had parasols available for guests if they wanted to shade themselves from the sun. We ended up placing one on the appetizer table to cover the fruit- cute and functional!

I am so bummed that I do not have great photos of the lunch area. The sun was right over head the patio cover, so there were shadows of the slats all over the tables. Here is what I got:

We hung lanterns in turquoise and red above the tables.

I used a different style of scrapbook paper for each of the three tables. Each table also had a trio of small vases filled with one type of flowers.

I found the Asian style vases at Pier 1- perfect colors!

I love these rectangular plates from Classic Party Rentals.  They also provided all glassware, flatware, linens and tables.

This one is actually a toothbrush holder!

For lunch, we served sushi, chicken teriyaki, edamame, and an Asian chicken salad. It was delicious! The sushi was from Todai restaurant, which was fun because Brit and Josh met working for Campus Crusade for Christ on the campus of Todai University.

For dessert (always the best part, in my book!), we served Chocolate, Strawberry & Green Tea Mochi (Japanese Ice Cream balls- purchased at Trader Joes) and adorable mini cupcakes made by Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop.

Instead of playing a game, one of my friends taught everyone how to fold paper cranes. To make it special, we had everyone write a note of encouragement or prayer for the bride on the blank side and then fold their sheet of origami paper into the crane. She is going to open one every day leading up to the  wedding.

The beautiful bride, showing off her work mid-fold:

 My crane:

Me and the bride:

(Side note: I was so excited to wear my cute new dress that I got for a steal at Anthropologie!)

Stay tuned: I will have more great real showers, tip and ideas for you every day this week.