Archive for the ‘Baby Shower Stuff’ Category
In any celebration, the invitation is a very important part of the equation. It not only tells you the what and the where, but also sets a theme that is expected to be followed for the actual celebration. Let me put it this way: remember when you were a kid and you would get a birthday invitation from a friend which had princesses all over it. From the minute you got the princess invitation you expected the party to have a princess theme, and if it didn’t you would be very disappointed. It’s like having false advertising. As we grow up, while we might not have themed princess parties, we do allow our invitations to set a mood for our eventual party.
For example, let’s say you’re sending out baby shower invitations. People are going to read into the invitation whether you want them to or not. Say that you send out a really fancy initiation with cursive writing and a simple black and white coloring: people are going to think that you are throwing something quiet fancy, and because of this they will dress to the nines. Say you go the complete other way and send out invitations that have funny cartoon animals and a whimsical style: don’t expect people to dress up too much as the invitation says light and fun.
What I’m getting at is that you want to be sure that you are picking the right type of invitation for the right type of party. With so many different types of invitations out there, finding one you like it just half the battle, you have to make sure that it matches the theme and mood of your party. Unless you give detailed instructions as in what type of dress to expect and what will be done, expect the guests to the information from where they can get it: the invitation. It’s like someone reading your body language if you don’t tell them what you want from them.
Of course, with that wide variety of baby shower invitations out there on the market, chances are you can find something that perfectly matches your shower and its theme. Try looking online as there are a variety of websites that specialize in baby shower invitations and supplies. If you can find anything there, check out specialty of even large chain stores as they might have invitations more to your liking. It’s not exactly rocket science, but it is something that you need to consider when getting ready for your celebration.
Kimberly Green wants everyone to know the importance of good baby shower invitations.
The baby shower. What comes to mind when you think of one. Is it about fun? Presents? Friends? Family? Chinese catering? How about games and prizes? Yes, to those who have experienced it, a baby shower is many things. To a mother to be it is an important day, a day where your friends and family celebrate your soon to be little miracle. It’s about togetherness, maybe seeing some friends you haven’t seen for a while and some family who flew in from the opposite coast for the occasion. For someone who is planning the event, though, some different words come to mind: stress, drama, late nights and, depending on how far it spun out of control, nightmare.
There is an old saying that says the more something looks like it came together seamlessly, the harder it was to put together. If you went to a baby shower that seemed to work perfectly with not a hint of drama, there are probably a few friends who are not talking to each other for a little bit thanks to three weeks of trying to put it together. If you think about it, planning a baby shower is like planning a small wedding: there are guests to book, food to track down, favors and decorations to find, flowers to ready and of course a cake that doesn’t look like it’s going to be there on time. And all of it has to come off perfectly, or you get the wrath of a soon to be mother that has a few extra hormones racing around.
There are steps to take to make sure that your baby shower planning is less stressful, though. The first thing you need to do is get a list going. Might sound basic, but it’s easier to tackle 25 things one-by-one then 25 things at one time. Next, try and get the big things out of the way first. The guest list is typically the biggest stress item, so make sure you get RSVP’s right away. If you need to, hound them to get an answer. You don’t want 30 maybes the day before the party. If you can get the catering, cake and drinks done fairly early in the process too, that means less scuring around the week before.
When it comes to stuff such as favors and decorations, the internet is always a great place to get these items. There are entire websites dedicated to getting themed favors and decorations, so look for multipacks that can take care of both in one purchase. Remember the more stuff you get done right away the less you have to deal with in the days leading up to the party.
Author Kimberly Green has seen the difference planning makes in the success of a baby shower.
Being pregnant some women do not take pleasure in; the sudden odd cravings, the addition of a few pounds, the morning sickness, and the unforgettable back aches. The celebration of a new life, on the other hand, is something that every soon to be mother and friends love to enjoy. Bringing loved ones together to share a miraculous process and event can create lasting bonds. The gathering for a new additional member to the family with the festivities of a baby shower is essential. But what is a baby shower without the games? It is the key ingredient to any baby shower.
When one is hosting a baby shower event, guests are expecting to be entertained and engaged with the new bundle of joy to come. Baby shower games will create a lasting impression during any shower. The games will generate memories and amusement for all attendees. Emotions will fly high with laughter, excitement, and a bit of competition to keep guests on their toes.
The beauties of planning for a baby shower event are the vast different games selections to choose from. Some game ideas range anywhere from “My Water Just Broke” to a classic favorite “Measuring Mom’s Waist/Stomach.” Or for those with creative minds may come up with a new and unique game. Whichever the game selection route may be, the games provide a creative ice breaker to bring guests closer together. Not only this, but the games will provide a means of delight to retain the interests of guests; and perhaps, to avoid dull small talk such as weather and politics.
Prizes may be awarded to create friendly competition amongst guests, which will always add entertainment to any festivity. Depending on the host, prizes may retain the baby theme or can be gag gifts to keep the comedic atmosphere alive during a shower.
Expectant mothers cherish every lasting memory with their child during their nine months of pregnancy. And to know that loved ones can be entertained and joyful during a precious moment, such as a baby shower, will create the start of many photo opportunities to come. The memories created will be everlasting.
Kim Green loves how baby shower games make the occasion that much more festive.
Remember when you were a kid and you used to get those really cool little gift bags at birthday parties? You know what I’m talking about: those bags filled with party favors like tiny hair brushes, Chinese finger traps, paddle balls and maybe a little bit of candy? Yeah, it was awesome how those little 2 cent pieces of plastic would make you smile.
Unfortunately, when we grow older we eliminate the gift bags from our parties and replace it with promises of free beer and wine. And while that has its pluses, sometimes you just sort of pine for the simplicity of tiny party favors that you used to receive. Luckily for all of us, the idea of party favors have not totally gone the way of the buffalo as grow older. Party favors are still alive and well at baby showers.
While baby shower favors are not a new thing, they have hit a bit of a renaissance in the past few years. The expansion of internet purchasing habits in has led to full sites dedicated to nothing but baby shower supplies and gift. If you go to these sites you’ll see pages upon pages full of baby shower favors. And here’s the shocking thing: they are things you will actually like and use. Let’s be honest, as much as we thought those gift bags were cool, did we ever really use those paddleballs or temporary tattoos? No, they just went into some draw and were thrown out during spring cleaning. Baby shower gifts, on the other hand, are actually things you’ll like and use, like candy, candles, lip balm and soap. Plus, they won’t break it three seconds like the birthday favors.
Did I mention that these baby shower gifts are darn cute too? Oh yeah, because us women love the idea of cute things baby shower sites are stocked with the cutest gifts you could imagine. Love owls, monkeys and frogs? Well, good news: there are favors just for you. I even found a cute little soap bar that is shaped like a giraffe.
The best part about all of the baby shower gifts is that they can be personalized. You can get names and personalized messages printed on everything from the soaps to the candy. I know it seems like a small thing, but like the old 2 cent pieces of plastics, these baby shower favors will surely bring a smile to your friends faces.
Author Kimberly Green loves the nostalgia that baby shower favors provide.
I can say with absolute certainty that it is not secret that women like things that are cute. This should surprise no one, especially men who are fed this by greeting card companies and jewelry makers. What may come as a surprise, though, is that every girl has a different “cute” tolerance. What some women might find cute is absolutely insufferable to others. Some women find Hummel collectables to be cute. Other’s, like me, find a gift of a hummel figurine as grounds for breaking up. Consider yourself warned, men.
I bring this up, mostly, because of an experience I had a few weeks ago when trying to purchase some baby shower invitations for a friend. Me and my husband decided to kill two birds with one stone and go to the local mall to get all of our shopping done in one fail swoop (another thing you might find surprising: all women don’t love long shopping trips!).
So around noon we venture into a gift card shop to try and track down the invitations, and we go to the baby shower section and begin our search. I tell him that we are looking for “cute” and we start looking at different ends of the section. After a few minutes he holds up a pack featuring some “baby angels”. “This is cute?” he asks. I shake my head no and he continues on. A few minutes later he holds up card with a smiling sun. “How about this?” I shake my head again. This repeats every few minutes until finally about the fifth or sixth time he puts his hands up and goes. “All right, I give up, what the heck do you find cute anyway?”
“What do I find cute?” As a bit of passive aggressive anger washed over me I took a deep breath and went thought “That’s a weird question”. “I don’t know”, I replied, “something like a baby animal or something”. I held up invitations with a baby alligator and said “Something like this. He looked at me shocked “An alligator… a baby alligator… that’s what’s cute? They eat people and now women find that cute?”
The more I thought about it the more I could not disagree with his statement. Most women are into animated baby animals, even though those animals are naturally not cute. Ever seen an owl? Not cute. A porcupine? Nope. Elephants? Heck no. But for some reason if you draw them with a cute smile, us women just eat them up.
Everyone’s idea of cute is different, and that is what makes an exercise such as this one quite tough. Everything that my husband held up at the gift card shop was, in essence, correct. They are technically cute, for most women at least. For me and my friends: no, we have a different threshold for cute.
We did end up finally finding the right cards (featuring an animated zebra, of course). I’m sure she will find it just as cute as me and my now utterly confused husband do.
Author Kimberly Green loves anything cute, including baby shower invitations.
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