Co-hosting is a great way to divide and conquer the sheer amount of work behind an event. Recently, a couple of friends and I hosted a baby shower for a wonderful mama-to-be. Her personal style and mantra is all about minimalism, clean lines, and simplicity. We kept her style in the design of the event.
Things came together when we found this gem on Paperless Post:
We secured Sarabeth's Tribeca as the perfect backdrop for brunch. Then the creating began. I am the banner lady* and I pretty much make banners for every event I host. One of my co-hosts made a gorgeous diaper cake while our other co-host brought delicious cupcakes. Both banners and cupcake toppers were made with the handy dandy Silhouette Cameo.
"Yay Baby" Minimalist Baby Shower Party: Banner, diaper cake, and cupcake toppers.
Borrowing the same font from the invitation, the banner and gold hearts were a perfect match and just the right light minimalist touch to pull the details together. The gold hearts became the theme and common thread. It is especially fitting because the baby is due on none other than Valentine's Day! Seriously couldn't have done it without the Silhouette Cameo!
Of course, no baby shower is complete without a guestbook, or in this case a Project Life scrapbook. Didn't catch a photo of the final book, but here's a look at some of its foundation.
"Yay Baby" Minimalist Baby Shower Party: Guestbook Project Life scrapbook.
I had learned most people have trouble putting a scrapbook page together at a party or shower because the social setting isn't typically conducive to creative thinking. The end product is sometimes empty pages. So I tested out a simple formula at this shower and it turned out great. Each guest pulled out a single page protector once they settled in. Each page protector has 6 modules made up of 3 pockets x 2 pages (front and back). I walked around to chat with each brunch table to give some instructions. Each pocket played a part:
- Front top left: With my favorite party tool, the Fujifilm Instax camera and film, we asked each guest to take a picture with the mama-to-be and slipped it in this pocket.
- Front top right: Simple creative design with a sentiment, flair, chipboard sticker, or just the original Project Life card design.
- Front bottom: We asked each guest to write a brief congratulatory message to the mama-to-be.
- Back top left: We asked each guest to finish the sentence "my best parenting advice for mama-to-be is _______."
- Back top right: We asked each guest to sign their name and date the card which happens to be the back of the card that the photo is adhered to.
- Back bottom: We asked each guest to number the card 1 to 5 in list form. Then asked them 5 questions.
- Will the baby be born with hair or no hair?
- Will the baby be born with the mom's eyes or dad's eyes?
- Will the baby be born with the mom's nose or dad's nose?
- Will the baby be born with the mom's lips or dad's lips?
- Will the baby be born with the mom's ears or dad's ears?
It took some of the creativity out of the guest scrapbooking process, but it really helped everyone just enjoy their conversation, jot a few quick things down, and at the end of the event, we were able to deliver a complete scrapbook to our guest of honor.
I sure hope mama enjoyed being showered with all our love!
*Tangent: My father was a talented calligrapher and skilled craftsman who created signs for over 20 years. During my formative years, I spent summers watching him paint and make with his own two hands. Probably explains a lot about my hobby and my profession. :)