Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Before you were inspired by – ‘Spring Parties – Chinese New Year | Venetian Carnival‘ from Victoria L. Bass. Today, I feature Adele Baumann Healey who is a member of the the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room group and she gives us wonderful ways to have a welcoming winter baby shower! Look to her ideas to celebrate the parents and the new arrival on the way!

To see all the past Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration members on Pinterest click here.

Olioboard Inspiration #67

Olioboard Inspiration: Welcoming Winter Baby Shower –  Adele Baumann Healey

When most of us would just like to stay cuddled up under a warm blanket or throw, how do we make coming out in the cold worth it for our baby shower guests?  Make it a winter wonderland baby shower, or so full of sparkles and shine that people can only uuuhh and aahhh.

Let’s begin at the beginning.  When deciding upon a theme for the baby shower, be sure to decide before invitations are sent out.  With that first invite, guests can anticipate what is to come.  Make your own, buy them at the store or find beautiful handmade versions.  With so many changes this day and age, don’t be afraid to invite either spouses or male friends to the shower.  Many are just as happy about your expected new family member as their female counterparts.

When decorating for the shower, go as elaborate or simple as you like. Just a few imaginative decorating pieces can be as striking as many beautiful decor items.  The board shown gives the example of a winter snowstorm with plenty of sparkly snowflakes.  (But, I’m a sucker for sparkles so used this as an opportunity to go wild!)  For some theme ideas, you can use snowflakes, winter animals such as polar bears, penguins, deer, fox or cardinals.   Snowmen can be fun or even igloos!

Welcoming Winter Baby Shower

When planning what to serve don’t forget the hot chocolate bar!  Have a large coffee urn filled with hot chocolate and place fun options to add to the cups.  If you want to keep things “virgin” use cinnamon, chopped up mints, flavored whipped creams, tons of marshmallows.  If alcohol is an option, rum in hot chocolate is delicious as is Goldschlager  schnapps (cinnamon).  But even if choosing to use spirits, don’t forget those marshmallows and whipped cream!

Gift bags for your guests can be filled with anything from useful items (hand sanitizer, mini-tissues) to personalized lip balms and candies.  Two items I found and really got a kick out of were a “ready to hatch” egg timer, and light pink nail polish when expecting a girl or light blue nail polish when expecting a boy.

It’s entirely up to the person giving the shower as to whether to play games or not.  I am partial to Baby Bingo, but others may have their favorites.  If you choose not to play games, that is fine.  I’m sure you’ll have such a special shower that people won’t miss them.  One thing that would be a keepsake for the mom-to-be is to take the time to have the guests each cut out a snowflake and write a little message to mom and baby on one side.  These can be saved in the baby book for years to come.

And don’t forget the theme when announcing the baby’s arrival.  Using the same theme by beginning with the invitations and ending with the announcements somehow makes the whole experience a little more special.  Now go and have fun and stay warm!

About Adele Baumann Healey

I am a mother of two and a grandmother of 4. Our family was a member of the military for 21 years and lived all over the U.S and in Europe, moving 13 times in 19 years. While residing in Germany, we travelled constantly (my little kids in tow in our old V.W. camper) and I absorbed, through osmosis, the many historical attributes of architecture and design. Even in the U.S. it was a learning experience to see how the many people I met decorated and used their creative skills, each influenced by the environment in which they were living. Simply put, when you move so much and live in so many types of residences it was always a challenge to achieve a homey place for your family to grow and be nurtured. What was my biggest challenge to make into a home? An old TB ward of an empty, Army hospital building! Follow Adele as Redadie on her Olioboard profile and Facebook profiles.

Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Before you enjoyed – ‘Creative Grown-Up Halloween Party Ideas‘ from Nanette Reynolds. Today, I feature Cari Murphy who is a member of the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room group and she gives us inspiring ideas for planning and throwing a themed baby shower. Great ideas for mom-to-be and family and friends!

If you’re interested in being featured see details here: How to be featured on Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration‘ series.

To see all the past Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration members on Pinterest click here.

Olioboard Inspiration #44

‘Inspiring Themed Baby Shower Ideas’    Cari Murphy

Exciting News! Someone you know and love is going to have a baby, and you are going to host their baby shower.

Hosting a baby shower can be a little bit overwhelming at first, especially if it’s your first time. Searching the internet and various party supply stores bring no shortage of  of ideas. But if you have no idea where to begin then one of the easiest ways to throw a baby shower is to narrow it down to a theme. In doing this, it can help you to focus on all of the details and bring everything together in a way that will surely lead to a beautiful and memorable shower. Think of it as party planning organization and the glue that is going to bind it all together.

How To Choose a Baby Shower Theme

Today the themes and types of  baby showers are numerous and with ever new technology some expecting parents already know the gender of their soon to be bundle of joy, while others opt for the tradition of surprise.

If the shower you are hosting  is not going to be a surprise it would be best to get one or both of the parents involved. Sit down together and discuss how they are going to decorate the nursery. What colors have they already selected and do they already have a theme in mind. If they do this will make your choosing a theme much easier. This is also a great time to find out where they have set up gift registries and who they would like to attend. Be sure to get any information you need from them such as addresses for invitations and come up with a date for the special day. For the purposes of this article I am going with an owl themed baby shower. Woodland animals such as owls are very popular right now and are not gender specific so this is a good choice even if you do not know the sex of the little bundle of joy.

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Baby Shower Ideas – Create a Shopping List

Now you have chosen your theme it is time to get started by buying the party supplies, this will be much easier now that you have a theme to keep you focused. If you have a party supply store in your area you can start there and you can also find great deals via the internet. Here are some of the basic items required:

• Invitations
• Thank You Cards ( Make sure you write these out after the event to avoid any embarrassment of thanking someone for coming who were in fact unable to attend)
• Decorations ( Color coordinated balloons, banners, streamers, etc.)
• Paper Plates, Napkins, Cups ( a great way to save on tidying up after the event)
• Food & Beverages (Remembering to cater for both adults and children)
• Supplies for any games you have decided to play

 The Baby Shower

The special day has arrived and everyone has come to celebrate with the expectant parents, so have fun! Open the gifts, play a few games, have some refreshments and enjoy! Soon there will be someone new that will be sharing in all your lives.

I am a forty-something mother of three young men  and have a lifelong passion for interior design. I am currently studying Interior Design through the Interior Design Institute. I discovered Olioboard during this past year and spend time there daily, between the site itself and the fan room. I currently sell gift baskets here, and you can also find me on Facebook.

Do away with the traditional blue or pink baby shower themes and go wild! Go jungle-wild with a Safari-themed baby shower! Think of all of the animals that can be found in a jungle and all of the bright, beautiful colors that can be used in decorating for the shower! Here are several ideas to use when planning and preparing that perfect Safari-themed shower for that little bundle of joy!

Image via: Party Crafting Divas

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Decorations

Nothing says baby shower like a traditional diaper cake. And nothing says safari better than using jungle animals and animal print ribbon as diaper cake décor! Start by rolling several newborn stage diapers into tight rolls. Rubber band each diaper and stand them on end. Use as many diapers as you would like to achieve the size of diaper cake you desire. Then bundle all of the diapers together with a large rubber band, and use one of those darling animal print ribbons to wrap around the cake and hide the rubber band! You can even use a smaller, coordinating ribbon to tie around the base of the larger ribbon for contrast and added appeal! Shredded crinkled paper can be used to “frost” the diaper cake! Top each cake with a stuffed jungle animal and Ta-Da! You’ve got a darling shower decoration and baby gift all in one!

Image Via: Art Fire                 

Games

A shower isn’t a shower without games. And who hasn’t played the old “Guess-What’s Inside the Basket” game? Why not put a twist on the traditional basket game by having the “Mommy-to-Be” walk around the room holding the basket full of baby goodies.

Image via: Wedding Favor Discount

Ask the guests to simply observe. It is more than likely that guests will automatically assume that they must observe what’s inside the basket so that they can later remember what they saw, and write down as many items as they can. However once “Mommy-to-Be” has made her way around the room with the basket in hand, ask her politely to leave the space and take the basket with her. Then have the guests answer questions regarding what the “Mommy-to-Be” was wearing, and not what was in the basket! Guests will be surprised at the last minute change-up to a well-known baby shower game!

 Image Via: Pinterest

Food

What’s a party without food! Everyone who comes to a party comes for the food!  Why not do something a little different and instead of the traditional cake or cupcakes, do a candy buffet! Find a variety of different clear containers like vases, jars or even wine glasses! Fill the containers with a variety of candy in a wide array of colors!

Image Via: Whipple Toppers/Etsy

In the case of a Safari-themed baby shower use candies in shades of orange, green, brown, and yellow! Fill the containers full of candies of a single color, or mix-and-match colored candies to provide even more contrast! For even more eye-appeal, use any left-over ribbon from the diaper cakes to wrap around the clear candy containers!

There you have it! Simple ideas and easy tips to use to plan a perfect Safari-themed baby shower! Surprise your guests with something different and unique. Baby boy blue and baby girl pink can be used once the baby arrives! Go wild with vibrant colors, patterns, and textures that a Safari-themed baby shower will provide!

For more holiday & party ideas on Stagetecture, click here.