Alphabet Baby Shower: DIY Centerpieces

As the date for the Alphabet Baby Shower (with primary colors + green) was approaching I decided to whip up some centerpieces that went with the theme and colors of the baby shower bonanza.  The first thing when designing centerpieces is to figure out how many tables you have and how many centerpieces you want on each table.  The number of centerpieces will dictate the budget – the less tables you have the more you can spend on centerpieces and the more tables you have the more you want to make your dollar spread. 

For this shower we would have 8 tables of 8 people.  I decided on two centerpieces to each table since the tables were rectangle shape.  For round tables you might be able to get away with just 1 centerpiece.  I wanted to give each table their own letter so I choose to do 2 centerpieces for each of the 8 letters. 

For 16 Centerpieces you need:

• Circle cutter
• 48 BBQ skewers
• Scissors
• 1 sheet printer paper
• 32 sheets of cardstock
• 8 Sheets scrapbook paper
• 16 small buckets
• Package of Floral Foam
• 16 sheets tissue paper
• 2 rolls double sided tape
• Hot glue
• X-acto knife
• Cutting pad

First you design a graphic for a circle a little over 5 inches.  I went with a theme to match my cupcake toppers that worked in both the alphabet theme and colors the new mommy wanted.  I choose to have the same sayings as the cupcake toppers such as “B is for baby” and “S is for stroller” and used the same fonts and design to keep the theme cohesive.  However, I altered the colors for the font and added a dotted pattern on the inside of the boarder to add some visual interest.  I printed four copies of each letter, to make two same letter centerpieces for each table.  The circles only fit one per page so you need all 32 sheets of cardstock.  I then cut out each circle with my circle cutter.  Make sure when you are cutting with your circle cutter you are using the cutting pad and not the table….unless you want large circle cuts on your table then who am I to judge?

Next you take two copies of each letter (ie. both “S is for Stroller” circles) and secure the BBQ skewer tip to one circle with hot glue.  Once the glue dries you add double sided tape to the back of each circle and line the matching circle up, back sides facing one another. 

Congratulations, you are done with the first phase of your centerpiece.  But don’t get too excited you still have a long way to go! Making the next part of the centerpiece consists of printing out 4 copies of each 8 letters included in your circle centerpieces.  When I sized my letters I fit four letters per page.  You have to cut these letters out with an X-acto knife so make sure the font you choose is easy to cut around. 

You then cut two pieces of scrapbook paper out the size of your letter and tape both pieces together with double sided tape, leaving the bottom portion of the scrapbook papers untapped.  This is so that when you attach the skewer at the bottom of each letter you don’t have to rip the bottom of your letter apart to shove the skewer in there.  Believe me it is not a pretty sight.  So please, don’t tape the bottom of your scrapbook papers together now, we will tape them together later.  Then you cut a square around each letter and tape the paper to the scrapbook paper (without taping on the actual letter).  Use an X-acto knife to cut around your letter.

After you are done with cutting out all of your letters (two of each letter with scrapbook paper lining each side) you then adhere the skewers to the bottom of your letters with double sided tape. 

Next, you cut 16 pieces of floral foam (I used an old bread knife) down to the size of your small buckets.  I found my buckets in the dollar bin at Target – and they were blue to go with my theme!  Then, you take one sheet of tissue paper and wrap your foam in the tissue paper with all your loose ends at the top. 

Stick the floral foam in the bucket, wrapped side down.  Stick your circle skewer in first in the middle of the bucket, followed by one letter on each side. 

  

Tuck the loose ends of tissue paper into your centerpiece and you are done!

  

Budget Breakdown  for 16 Centerpieces:

• Cardstock $9.60
• BBQ skewers $2.00
• Buckets $16.00
• Scrapbook paper $4.00
• Floral foam $5.00
• Tissue paper $2.00
• Double sided tape $4.00
• Hot glue $1.00

Grand Total: $43.60

Alphabet Baby Shower: DIY Cupcake Toppers

To keep up with the flow of the alphabet baby shower (with primary colors + green) series I will take you through the process of making 60+ cupcake toppers. 

Materials you need for this project:

·        2 sheets of white or cream cardstock

·        2 sheets colored scrapbook paper

·        1 inch circle punch

·        Martha Stewart “Rose Window” punch

·        Scissors

·        60 Toothpicks

·        1 roll Double Sided Tape

·        Hot glue gun

I first designed my 1 inch circle graphic.  Going with my alphabet theme I chose to have 8 different letters with sayings such as “B is for baby” and “C is for crib” in blue with a yellow circle around the graphic to create a polished look.  I choose two different font types for the graphic to give it added interest.  48 circles fit onto one sheet which meant I had more circles than I needed at 96.  That means that with just a little bit of paper you can make LOTS of cupcake toppers! 

I then cut out all the circles with my 1 inch punch and cut out 60 boarders with my Rose Window punch.  I then, making sure they were centered, attached the circle to the rose punch with double sided tape. 

Next, I cut the tips off of 60 toothpicks (just one side) to make sure the edge that was visible would be nice and straight, and so it wouldn’t look so much like a toothpick.  Was I fooling anyone? I don't know! This is a step you can completely skip if you don’t have the time or energy.  I found that when I cut the tips off they went flying all over the room, so I would suggest cutting them inside a small sandwich bag to keep them contained. 

Lastly, I adhered the flat end of the toothpick to the back of the topper with a glue gun.  And voila, you have 60 cupcake toppers for a dirt cheap price to add the decorative touch to your cupcakes!  The great thing about these is you can customize them any way you want by what you put in your 1 inch circle and the paper colors you choose! 

Budget Breakdown for 60+ Cupcake Toppers:

·        Paper $1.66

·        Toothpicks $1.00

·        Tape/Glue $2.50

Grand total: $5.16

Alphabet Baby Shower: DIY Invitations

So…I am officially an auntie! I thought I would celebrate my new nephew’s birth with a series about his baby shower that was 100% DIY including invitations, centerpieces, cupcake toppers, and the big day reveal!

I’m starting out with the DIY invitations, because invitations always set the mood for whatever event or party you are throwing.  The new mommie wanted both an alphabet theme with primary colors so there was a lot to work into the invitations.  On a side note, I forgot that green is NOT a primary color, so it is in there with the mixes of reds, yellows, and blues.  It also helped soften the boldness of those three colors so it was a win win. 

For this project (that makes 60 invites) you need:

• 30 pieces cardstock in white or cream
• 20 pieces colored cardstock – scrapbook sized
• Paper Cutter
• 4 rolls double sided tape (more or less depending on how liberal or stingy you are with your tape)
• 60 envelopes 5.25x 7.25

Firstly, I googled some baby shower invites to get the feel of what I wanted to create including what information I needed to put on the invite, the layouts, and the style.  After a bit of that I designed this graphic:

I choose to use varying shades of yellow, which dipped down into some orange to soften the invitation.  I also used a bolder shade of blue for the first letter of the name and b in “b is for baby” to add some punches of bold, while still keeping the invitation from being too bold that it was overwhelming.  Lastly, I choose gray for the text color to keep everything soft and cohesive.  I figured that the invitation would have to be sized at 6 3/8 x 4.5 inches to make enough room for the boarder.  I originally was going to have just the plain white invitation, but I decided it needed a little somethin’ somethin’ to jazz it up. 

After I printed out 30 sheets of cardstock with the invitation, fitting two invitations to a sheet, I cut them down to size.  I also cut the scrapbook paper backgrounds down to size too at 5 x 6 7/8 inches.

It was pretty simple to assemble the invites after everything was cut and prepped.  I just applied double sided tape to the back of the invitation and stuck that sucker on.

Budget Breakdown:

• Cardstock - $9.90
• Scrapbook Paper $10.00
• Tape $8.00
• Envelopes $5.99 for a 50 pack (I had 10 left over from other projects)

Grand Total (without postage): $33.89

Book, Bath, Bed and a...Baby Shower?

This was my routine growing up as a child (minus the  baby shower of course).  There is nothing better I remember about my childhood than reading books with my mother.  Why am I sharing this overly personal tidbit you ask? Well……I’m going to be an auntie! After securing a coveted spot to help with the baby shower I turned to what else but the internet for inspiration.  Due to my love of literature as a child the trendy idea of a book themed baby shower tugged at my heartstrings.  Here is what I am inspired by:

Being my first mood board, I have to say that creating a mood board tougher than it looks.  When the pro’s do it all the colors coordinate perfectly to create a beautiful cohesive inspiration.  Well I think it’s obvious that I am no pro, but at least I gave it the old college try!

What I love about these photos are firstly the tables decorated as beds! I mean, how fun is that? You could find cheap bed sheets in fun prints (and some coordinating solids to save some $$) and pop those suckers over regular banquet tables to get a fun and creative bedtime theme.  Add some stuffed animals, children’s books, and simple candles to complete your table décor at a bargain price.    

The bright green tissue pom-poms would look great hung from the ceiling or clustered together on round tables as funky centerpieces.  Mixing the “bed tables” and round tables with more cost effective centerpieces allows you to create a great theme at a fraction of the cost. 

I love the simple yet modern baby shower invite and adore the idea of hanging books from the ceiling or using them as part of the tablescape!  You could also incorporate a bookshelf into the party décor with all the mother-to-be’s favorite books.  Top off the party with a playful polka dot cake and some stuffed animals and you have the perfect bedtime book themed baby shower. 

Another great idea courtesy of Martha Stewart herself is to request that guests bring their favorite childhood book with an inscribed with a message to the new baby.  A spin on this is to have the mother-to-be’s favorite book as the “guest book” where all the party-goers sign the inside cover of the book.  I hope you are as inspired by these pictures as I was!