DIY : Customized Hanger

Last October I posted a great tip for the bride: do not forget the dress hanger. Well, here is a little follow up for out DIY brides, mod podge hangers. What a fantastic idea from Make It and Love It, and one that can be customized for every wedding! Now there is no excuse, ladies!!!!

Not getting married? Well, this would make a great hostess gift, housewarming gift, baby shower gift, a just because you're awesome gift! All it requires is some fabric, a hanger and of course, Mod Podge!

DIY : Winter Wonderland Dessert Buffet

The Inspired Bride posted a diy tutorial on a gorgeous, wintry-dessert table! The Inspired Bride included ALL of the instructions to recreate this very user friendly dessert table for anyone looking to add this idea to their wedding, bridal shower, or even a holiday party.

DIY: Scratch Off Ticket

The name says it all. And Art Mind -who also has a shop on Etsy- teaches you just how to make a scratch off lottery ticket. There are about one million and one uses for this: baby shower, dinner party, wedding, birthday party, cards, promotional tool. This is just the coolest tutorial I have seen in a while and you can change it up to suit your event. Enjoy!

DIY: Pendant Lamp

I was reading a posting from The Estate of Things on making a pendant lamp. Immediately, I thought this would be a perfect piece to decorate an event. The original idea comes from Crafty Nest. She used a large bouncy ball, clear drying craft glue, hemp string and a light fixture. The size of the ball and the type of string and light fixture used can be tailored to fit the decor of the specific event. Previously, I wrote a post on this same type of project, however. It appears that Ready Made has since taken that project down, so enjoy!

DIY : English Trifle Table

The Bride's Cafe is a fun blog that I like to check in with when I have a few free moments. Today I came across DIY : English Trifle Table (courtesy of Off White Wedding), which is a perfect idea for many types of events. A baby shower shower came to my mind first but it would work as a dessert table for a birthday party, or even for a wedding. Not only does she give great tips on putting together the best trifle table but she also shares her recipes for Chocolate Kahlúa Trifle, Lemon Trifle and Strawberry Vanilla Trifle.

Affordable Event Decor

Who says event decoration needs to be expensive? Walmart doesn't. They offer a very affordable, and very adorable, Martha Stewart collection.  There are a lot of items to choose from but the two that jumped out at me were the set of 3 eyelet-pattern lanterns or a 6 piece lantern polka dot lantern set, both sell for under $12!  They would perfect to spruce up a birthday party, baby shower, wedding, dinner or cocktail party...

DIY: Japanese Kusadama Balls

It's all in the details. This is one of the most important, if not the most important, thing to remember when planning any event. It is those same details that can add up, and fast too. Japanese kusadama balls are an affordable way to decorate a wedding ceremony, baby shower, birthday party event a cocktail party without breaking the bank. The Japanese kusudama is a paper ball made out of multiple identical origami shapes glued together. They were traditionally used as a ball for incense or potpourri but now we see them more for decoration or as a gift. There are many different patterns to make a kusudama ball. Folding Trees has a great tutorial kusudama balls. Click here for part one on how to learn to make the traditional Japanese shape and here for part two.

Baby Shower Etiquette: Party Timeline

What timeline does a typical Baby Shower party follow? Below is one possible order of events for a baby shower. Use this as an outline for yours and mix up the order and duration of the events, or add or remove events according to your preferences and needs.

• A baby shower typically lasts about 2 hours.

• Guests arrive.

• Greet them at the door.

• Welcome Everyone there.

• Recognize the guest of honor (the Soon-to-be-Mommy), and let her make any comments that she might like to make (warn her ahead of time).

• Make introductions, or have each guest introduce themselves and how they know the expectant mother, or have the expectant mother introduce each guest, and how she knows each one.

• Serve any snacks or appetizers and beverages you have.

• Play 2-3 baby shower games. This helps the guests get to know each other and gets everyone into a "party" mood.

• Serve any main dishes and/or desserts or baby shower cake.

• Gather everyone around to watch the expectant mother open her gifts.

• Ooh and Aah.

• Chat, have fun, eat more, giggle and laugh as needed. Guests often chat awhile after gifts are opened, and then gradually they will begin to leave.

• As guests begin to leave, pass out your baby shower favors.

Article Courtesy of Plan The Perfect Baby Shower

Photo Courtesy of Kim Vallee