Typically in our small town congregation, we have a baby shower every once in a while, but over the last year, we've had MANY baby showers! What a blessing! This may be the last baby shower for a while, but we're sure enjoying having all of the little ones in our midst! So very THANKFUL for babies! They are a gift from GOD!
Instead of doing a generic themed baby shower, I began trying to base the decor on the nursery theme - just to make it more special for the parents and the baby (even though he/she won't know and probably won't ever care!). It's just a little more sentimental, even though it takes a little more time. This shower was a whole new theme and nothing I'd ever done. I was excited - but a little concerned because I had no idea where to start. The theme was a vintage/sepia/music theme. Lots of possibilities! THANKFUL for this challenge!
Here's a burlap banner spelling out BABY. The chipboard letters are covered in music themed scrapbook paper. The shabby material strips are made by tearing muslin and cotton materials in strips and tied onto the jute cord. I had been wanting to make on of those! The banner went home with the parents-to-be for the baby's room.
The "Rock a Bye Baby" banners tied in the music theme. The mini pennant chipboard pieces and mini clothespins came from Hobby Lobby. I covered the chipboard with burlap and wrote the letters with a thick Sharpie marker.
Above the table an old wooden ladder held "tissue" balls, glittered music notes, and sepia tinted photos of the parents-to-be.
The whole view doesn't show the different dimensions, so it kind of looks cluttered, but it really wasn't.
What's a shower without food?! We had yummy cupcakes, nuts and mints. The cute cream and brown bears came from Walmart - in the Valentine's stuffed animal aisle! I had seen them a few weeks ago, but they sold quickly! There were only three left when I got these two. I took their Valentine's sweaters off and added mocha colored bows around their necks.
Here's a close up of the balls. They are made from coffee filters. The white ones are just plain, unaltered filters that were attached to a styrofoam ball with straight pins. The larger, tannish colored one was made by dyeing the filters in tea. They were attached to a larger styrofoam ball with floral pins. Click HERE to go to my recipe/craft blog to get directions on how to make these pom poms.
My mother-in-law loaned me this child-sized piano. A friend let me borrow the CUTE, vintage-style burlap pillow. My mom had given me the candle stick and crystal dangling thing (don't know what it is called....), so it fit perfect with the theme. (That friend also let me have an old window she had for the mantle in the first picture. SOOOO pretty!)
I made this easy wall hanging by covering a painter's canvas board with burlap, adding burlap/muslin trim, and cutting out letters on the Cricut. The glittered music notes were added for fun, and the wall hanging was given to the parents for the baby's room.
Beverages for the shower were Mocha Punch and Tea Punch. You can find the Mocha Punch recipe HERE - on my recipe/crafts blog. I'll post the Tea Punch when I get that recipe. The tea punch was served in a soup tureen that was my grandmothers. The mocha punch beverage server was borrowed from the same friend that had the burlap pillow.
She also let me borrow this CUTE metal heart wall hanging. The burlap flower is a magnet and held sepia tinted photos of the grandparents-to-be.
There were lots and lots of presents....even more than is shown here! The parents-to-be were blessed by so many people who love them and who are anticipating the arrival of their little one! And, oh.....one more thing: The gender of the baby wasn't known! It was different, but so much fun being a surprise! (We didn't find out with our first three, either. We did on the last one because our daughter said she would cry if she wasn't having a sister. We wanted her to get all of the crying done before the brother came instead of when he came :). THANKFUL for the outpouring of love for this family!
On this GRATITUESDAY, I am thankful for the church and the baby showers we host for our Christian brothers and sisters. What a special thing to have that special bond between God's children!
To see what others are grateful for, visit Heavenly Homemakers!
