When April begins it seem that invitations to showers abound. Whether it is a baby shower or a bridal shower, it is a momentous occasion and must be celebrated! Why not showcase a new idea or two with a fresh look at long standing traditions. Just because your guests have attended baby showers and bridal showers in the past, doesn’t mean your event has to be predictable. A twist on the classic will make your gathering fresh, fun, and a day to remember!

Baby Shower Center Piece

If you’re an expecting mother, or a friend of one, planning a baby shower this spring consider this pithy centerpiece for your event. Purchase large vintage looking popcorn boxes and fill them with this delicious buttery snack. Use a silhouette of a woman with a beautiful baby bump on a playful sign that says “Ready To Pop”. You can find a silhouette on the web using Google images or Flickr. Glue it to a long skewer and put it in the popcorn box. Your friends won’t be able to help but smile and will adore your sense of humor and fun-loving décor! Send guests home with a smaller version filled with gourmet popcorn wrapped with a tag of the same silhouette.

Vintage Baby Blocks

Inspired by the alphabet wooden blocks that traditionally have been stacked in baby rooms these lucite cubes can be used to create a more contemporary option. Fill them with vintage baby pictures from Flickr for a variation on the traditional wooden block, or baby pictures of the new mom and dad. Stack the glass cubes creating a pyramid that will give the table a fun but sophisticated look. For a finishing touch scatter a few eclectic baby goodies like little shoes, a ceramic letter and a rattle.

New Beginnings

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Butterflies often represent new beginnings so why not incorporate these flighty beauties into your baby shower’s décor. Make a really chic arrangement by filling a hurricane vase with white sand. Place Manzanita branches in the sand to prop them up and attach decorative butterflies to the branches – both can be found at your local craft store. The stiff and twisting branches juxtapose the delicate butterflies really nicely creating a whimsical centerpiece that you can create in any size – I say the bigger the better!

Bridal Showers

If you’re having a bridal shower consider crafting your own wedding cake inspired centerpiece. They are simple to make and fairly inexpensive too. Gather three or four boxes in graduated sizes that you can stack to create the look of a layered cake. The boxes should get progressively smaller as you stack them. Spray paint the boxes with white spray paint and once the paint has dried, glue them together creating a tower. Cover the boxes in tissue paper bells, using hot glue to secure them to the box. You’ll want to put a topper on the cake search for a picture of a vintage bride and groom topper on Flickr or Google. Trim the copy of the image and paste the picture on foam core. Make sure you put the image on both sides of the foam core topper so guests can enjoy it from all angles. Complete the topper by adhering a piece of tulle on the top of the brides head making sure that the veil is long enough to cascade down the “cake.”

Place Cards

Create place cards by using the same bells to coordinate with the centerpiece. Print off the name of your guest on cardstock. Prop the card inside the bell using a short skewer.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

You’ve heard the phrase many times, so why not use this well known phrase to create an interesting centerpiece. I used an antique metal pitcher and filled it with beautiful white flowers. I then wrapped pearls around it like those that you would borrow from your grandmother for a special event. For the finishing touch I tied an oversized navy blue ribbon on to the pitcher in a wide double-faced satin ribbon. When guests arrive they can place their presents about the arrangement to include something “new”!

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 7:21 pm and is filed under Friends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.