Storybook Baby Shower

My beautiful sister in law is having her first baby in a few short months. To honor her, and this blessing, her mother and I threw her a baby shower. I LOVE party planning. It combines all the things I enjoy most. Creativity, organization, decorating, crafts, and more.
For this shower, we decided on a storybook theme. As a huge bookworm, I couldn't help but be delighted by this choice. But it also allowed for a more mature and sophisticated party, which is what the mom-to-be was looking for.
We decided on a color backdrop of yellow and white, which is bright, happy, and perfect for a mid summer shower.
Once the theme and colors were chosen, it was just a matter of putting the rest of the details together. The grandma-to-be found a gorgeous banquet room at a restaurant, so that covered the food and location, which was great, since it allowed us to focus on the little details and special touches.
We began with the invitations. Since the theme was storybook, we wanted to incorporate that into every part of the shower, especially the invitations. So I designed and handcrafted special "books".

Each page was rhyming, and included all the pertinent information. Where, when, etc. So it read like a miniature story. And in lieu of using the standard registry cards, I opted to make "bookmarks" instead, further adding to the fun theme.

Then once they were all made and ready, I sealed the envelope up with a stamp. (And the story begins)

The invitations were a hit, and it really set the party theme off right. Definitely a bit more time and effort involved in hand making invitations, but if you can do it, I strongly suggest it. The special touch it adds is worth it.

Once we had the invitations mailed off, I set to work on the rest of the event. I began by choosing games. The guest of honor was not a big fan of traditional baby games, and requested something simple and low key. Sticking to the book theme, I created two games. The first was a word scramble, using the names of characters from popular children's books, and the second was a quiz, testing the guests knowledge of children's stories.

With games come prizes, and we all love a good prize. I chose one fun prize, and one practical prize, since we had a varied age range of guests. The fun prizes were candle warmers, with 2 packs of scented wax melts, and a package of tealights.

I wrapped them all up in clear cello bags, and tied it up with a tag that was made to look like a popular children's book. Inside each book tag was a message.

For the more practical prizes, I chose an oven mitt, tucked 3 kitchen utensils inside of it (slotted spoon, spatula, and spoon) and added a package of scrubby dish cloths. Again, I tied these up and added a book tag as well.

Since we also had a diaper & wipe raffle, we needed a couple nice prizes for the lucky winners of that. For that, we opted for some pampering shower goodies. Body wash, scrub, sponges, facial masks, etc.

Instead of the book tags for these, I decided on a little word play I had seen on Pinterest, and made tags that said "From our shower to yours..." which I thought was adorable.
And because we didn't want anyone to leave empty handed, for everyone who didn't win a prize, we had beautiful bookmarks as a consolation prize.

One of my favorite parts of planning and hosting a party is the decorating. I love finding creative ways to incorporate a theme into even the smallest of details. This shower was no exception. The main focal point for the decorations was a long table at the entrance to the room. I used this space to bring in some special and meaningful touches for the mom-to-be. I created a clothesline of sorts, and hung up both of the outfits the mom & dad to be came home from the hospital in, and one special outfit for the new baby. I also had photo copies of nursery rhymes from old books, and hung them on the line as well. Below that were special photos and some old toys, all displayed alongside childhood favorite books from both of the parents to be.

Not only was this space a great conversation starter, but it made a beautiful backdrop for special photos of the mom to be and her guests.
The next big décor choice was the table centerpieces. For this, we really tied in to the book theme. I wanted and needed several books to pull this off, and I have to say that my friends really came through for me here. I put in a request for some books, and received more than I expected. So thank you to everyone who donated their old books. (All books used as decorations were sent home with the mom to be to start a wonderful library for the baby.)
For the centerpieces, we started with yellow and white gingham fabric, cut with pinking shears into large squares. On that, we stacked several books, topped that with a mason jar of simple flowers, with lemon slices in the water, and added a framed quote about reading or books. The finished product looked like this.

Simple, elegant, and perfect. Each table had a different quote, and a different stack of books. I couldn't be happier with how these turned out.
With a few balloons for color, and a few small touches here and there, that was about it for the decorations.
We also had the most delicious and adorable cupcakes that the mom to be ordered from a friend. They were individually wrapped so that each guest could take it home if they wanted. Each one was tied off with a book tag, with a special message from the guest of honor inside. The cupcakes were so cute, we gave them their own table to display them on.

It's hard to see them in this photo, but they were beautifully done and DELICIOUS! And for those of you wondering, yes, that is Hank the Gnome peeking out from beside the flowers. He dressed up for the occasion and made a special appearance.

I also handmade pin/corsages for the Mom-to-be and the two grandmas to wear for the party.

All in all, I think it was a success. The food was amazing, the guests were wonderful and generous, and the Mommy to be was smiling the entire time. I think this baby boy is going to be spoiled rotten with love, and I'm so happy to have been a part of this special day.