Another Paper Source baby is on the way, and last week we celebrated new mom-to-be, Heather! Between the three of us we brainstormed all sorts of baby shower ideas, eventually landing on a “cute as a button” theme, which worked perfectly for a gender-neutral baby shower. Using our button inspiration, along with Heather’s nursery colors of light green and white, we created a simple, sweet space for all to enjoy.
Annie’s button baby banner, featured earlier this year, was a perfect fit for our shower theme. We hung two rows spelling out “cute as a button, cute as can be”, which was also used in our invitation.
One of the best ways to make a shower extra special is to add a personal touch. We knew early on that we wanted to incorporate gumballs into our design as a nod to Heather’s father who is in the candy business. Large glass jars filled with white gumballs made for perfectly sweet table centerpieces. Our tables were covered in solid wrapping paper in sage and pool, and button decorations made from circle cards and circle labels dotted the table tops.
We love doing spectacular gift baskets for baby shower gifts – the baskets are reusable for the nursery and you can fill them with all kinds of adorable goodies. Honoring Heather’s personality, we created two gift baskets – one for “practical baby” and one for “stylish baby”.
To add drama to our space, we used a tree branch in a glass jar filled with more white gumballs to create a wish tree. Each guest wrote a wish for Heather or the baby on a leaf that was tied to the branch with satin ribbon. It made for such a charming decoration and is something Heather can keep for years to come (all the leaves will be put into an accordion album for safe keeping).
When designing the menu we had Heather in mind! For our afternoon shower, we made sure to include all of Heather’s favorite treats, including an extra large cupcake with plenty of frosting.
The right baby shower games can really make the event and can take as much or as little time to prepare as you want. We printed Baby Bingo grids onto A7 flat cards – an oldie, but goodie. For our Celebrity Moms game, we printed pictures of pregnant celebrities making sure to cover their eyes. The person who correctly guesses the most names wins. If you need make it even more challenging, have participants guess both the name of the celebrity as well as the name one of her children.
Finally, we wanted our guests to leave the shower with a little something. Glassine bags filled with tiny cookies sealed with a button label were the perfect finishing touch.
–Ann, Kristen & Liz
PS colors: peacock & fuchsia, lake & chocolate, night & curry
Latest fave: Cupcake Kit, Printable Labels, & Cavallini Wrapping Paper
Did guests bring items to add to one of the 2 baskets in lieu of bringing a traditional gift?
Hi Jenn – This was an organized group gift, so many people contributed funds and I was lucky enough to do all the shopping! But I love the idea you’ve just described.
just read another blog post with this same theme – cute as a button cookies (http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-little-dudes.html). What a coincidence. Love the button baby banner.
HOW CUTE!!! Would love to see more of what went into the baskets! Kristen WHERE do you do all your shopping, everything looks so cute and maybe handmade??
Hi Amanda! I included a mix of things from Heather’s baby registry, items that were recommended to me by other moms, as well as additional goodies I found. When shopping for baby shower gifts, I always stop by Gap Kids, Pottery Barn Kids, and Macy’s. I also have a few local stores/boutiques on my route, and my new favorite place for baby gifts is Dwell Studio online – great prints for “stylish baby”.
Don’t forget to include gift receipts – mom-to-be should be able to get exactly what she wants/needs. I package gift receipts in a #1 baby envelope with a label on the outside.
I love this whole idea…its truly adorable! *two thumbs up*
Love every sweet detail {especially the wish tree} ~
I LOVE the wishing tree! It could be so cute for a bridal shower too. I’m going to mention it to my bridesmaids 🙂
The button baby banner is such a lovely idea!
Love all the tiny touches, especially the gumballs & leaf message trees.
do you sell the baby bingo cards in your store or did you find the grids online and print them onto your paper?
camila – the banner is so e-z to make and it’s not only for parties/showers. it can be hung in a nursery or small child’s room with his/her’s name strung across. how about a craft room feature as button graphics in bold colors? just a couple of more ideas on the house!
That is sooo cute 🙂 I love the celibreties cards with their eyes covered. LOL Having a guessing game over who they are is such a fantastic way to get the oldies so involved…Im def gonna have that in mind. And definately agree with the MAKE A WISH idea on the trees….awesome 🙂 THumbs Up.
Wowee! So put together. Great job! I like the idea of the techniques in a craft room. I am trying to start mine. it’s a little overwhelming.
😉
I love this! I am doing a very similar theme for a baby shower, even using blue and green! I am wondering how you did the Baby Bingo cards and celebrity baby cards? Did you design them yourself?
I love the Bingo Cards!! What program did you use for the Bingo Cards?
Our fabulous design team created these custom bingo cards in Adobe InDesign to match the color and theme of our shower. But, with a little creative formatting, you can create something similar in Excel or by inserting a table into a Word document.
I was hoping to find out where you found the cute as a button bingo grid and the button list…both in the green. I looked on the paper source but could not find the grid. Can you point me in the right direction?
I am a new fan!! Love the button theme and the reuseable gift basket is a smart idea. Can I say the wishing tree is the sweetest touch. Thanks for sharing.