Baby Shower Basics: What theme?

 

 

Welcome to part 3 of my Baby Shower Basics Series! If you missed part 2 you can read it here. So now we know who is hosting the baby shower and where it will be held, whats next? We need to decide if there will be a theme and what it will be!
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Last year I wrote this post about the pros and cons of having a themed baby shower. So what if you don’t want a theme? Just stick to a colour such as pink for a girl or blue for a boy etc. If you decide you do want a theme I have an entire page dedicated to theme ideas! Just check out the Theme Thursday page!

So what will it be for you, theme or no theme? Let me know in the comments below =)

Bye for now!

Hayley x

 

Baby Shower Basics: What venue?

Good morning! Welcome to part two of my Baby Shower Basics series. If you missed part one you can read it here. So now that you have decided who will be hosting the baby shower, you need to decide where it will be held.

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Most baby showers are held at the home of whoever is hosting. Emma hosted her baby shower at home, you can read her story here. This is the most popular option but there are others:

  • Meet at a favourite cafe or coffee shop- This one works well for a small, informal baby shower
  • Hire a local community centre- If its going to be a large gathering this may be the best option but it may be expensive!
  • Go outside! Meet in a local park for a picnic- Although in the UK this one can be a bit risky, pray for good weather!

 

When deciding where to hold the baby shower, think about these points:

  • How many people will be invited?
  • If holding at home, have you got enough space?
  • What is your budget? Have you got enough to hire a hall/community centre?
  • Will the location be easy for the guests to get to?

 

Hope this has helped, if you have any points to add please comment below! Part three will be posted next Thursday.

Hayley x

 

 

 

 

 

My Baby Shower: Emma from Life is Peachy

In December I “email interviewed” Emma from Life is Peachy! Here she shares her Baby Shower story with us. Thank you again Emma!

What year was your baby shower?

I had my baby shower in February 2013 – I started planning it in the new year!

 

Did you host your own baby shower or did someone do it for you?

I hosted my own – I’m a little bit of a control freak about organising things and I love organising get togethers!  I think, with hindsight, I was a little too tired to take on some of the work when it actually came to the day (it was just under two weeks before my due date) – but I’m a glutton for punishment!  My friend Amanda helped to put invitations together and put a few things in place.

 

Tell us about it! 

I invited about 20 people and 14 made it. I have the smallest house in history, so we were all cramped into my little lounge.  I just had a vintage wooden rocking chair delivered that morning, so I was sat pride of place rocking away, whilst my friends and family were all sat around me.  

I didn’t have a theme, I went with quite a simple tea party – pink lemonade in teacups, pink wafers, sandwiches, the lot and served everything up on my vintage rose china set.  I used to run a vintage tea party business, so I loved putting everything together – I had some help from a few of my friends who came up early on the day.  I wanted something really relaxed and informal – it was an opportunity to get all my friends together from the various places I had lived and loved as I really didn’t know how often I would be able to see them, once the baby was born.  I made a playlist of some of my favourite music (I kept it pretty low-key, no Marilyn Manson on this occasion) and just sat, ate, laughed and chilled out with people I loved.

I guess the only theme was really ‘Daisy’ – we knew we were going to have a little girl and we knew we wanted to call her Daisy.  So I made invitations with little Daisy buttons attached and made each visitor a fabric bracelet, with the same button on.  Our cupcakes had wafer daisies on also.  It was quite cutesy, but Daisy already felt like such a big part of our life and I’m glad we went with that idea.  About as glad as we were when she was born – and was absolutely, definitely, a girl!

One of my favourite bits of the shower was the wishing tree I made.  I had seen the idea on Pinterest and, with each invitation sent out, I sent a blank luggage tag and asked each person to fill in a piece of advice about becoming a mum.  On the day I hung the tags on several little branches in a vase and kept it up, right until I gave birth.  I kept all the advice I was given, it will be such a great thing to look back on in years to come.

 

Most important question- Did you have a good time?

I had an amazing time, Some of my closest friends traveled miles to come and see me for the day – having moved to Nottingham in 2012 with my partner, I miss these guys the most!  I love nothing more than getting all my lovely friends and family together and it was so emotional to have everyone there.  I had some incredible gifts for Daisy from everyone – it was really special and something I’ll remember forever – even before Daisy was here she was an important part of our lives!

It was always touch and go whether or not my Mum would be able to make it, but she was able to catch a train on the morning and spent the evening with me as well.  I was so chuffed that she came to the shower too ( she lives in Somerset), I don’t think it would have been the same without her!

 

Anything else to add?

As much as it is an American tradition – I would always recommend a baby shower for anyone who is expecting.  It was such a great experience, lovely to have your nearest and dearest around you looking forward to the new arrival.  I felt really special and loved just as I’m sure little D did too!

 

Thank you Emma, sounds like an amazing baby shower! If you want to share your Baby Shower Story, comment below and I will email you the questions =)

Hayley x

Baby Shower Basics: Who should host?

Welcome to my first post for the Baby Shower Basics series! Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing posts covering all you need to know about planning and hosting a baby shower. So if you are expecting or know someone who is, keep checking back, I’m here to help =)

So post one covers the first thing you need to decide when planning a baby shower: Who should host?

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If you are the expectant mother you can choose whether to hold your own shower or let a willing volunteer do the honors. Lets have a look at the pros and cons of hosting your own shower.

Pros

  • You can make all the decisions
  • No surprises! You are in control
  • You don’t need to find someone who wants to host a shower for you
  • You can make your shower very personal to you

Cons

  • Some people think that if they hold their own baby shower, it looks like they are asking for presents
  • No surprises! This can be a pro or a con depending on your viewpoint
  • Your are in control. Again could be a pro or con!
  • Depending on how far you are into your pregnancy, you might not want the stress of hosting!

 

Just to be clear, I’ve included the first con because a few people have said that they were worried that if they hosted their own shower it would look like they just wanted presents. Personally I don’t think that guests would think that, I think there is nothing wrong with hosting your own shower but it is down to your preference. If you would rather someone else took charge, see if your mother, sister or a friend would like to host it for you.

On Saturday the lovely Emma from Life Is Peachy is sharing her baby shower story and yes she hosted it herself! So do check back for that =)

Bye for now!

Hayley x

Leftover Turkey Casserole

Happy Boxing Day! 😉 I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

I have started a tradition (this is the 4th year) when I cook “Leftover turkey casserole” for the family on Boxing day. I’m not much of a cook but this recipe is really easy. Last year I realised that the website the recipe was originally on had disappeared (luckily my mam had had the foresight to write it down!) so I decided to share the recipe here, as it really is delicious and a perfect way to use up leftover turkey.

Leftover Turkey Casserole- Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 16 oz mashed potato
  • 8 fl oz  cold water
  • 8 oz diced cooked turkey meat
  • 5 oz grated cheddar cheese
  • 5 oz dry stuffing mix
  • 5 fl oz double cream
  • 5 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • Pinch salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and spread the diced turkey over the bottom of a casserole dish.

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Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flour then slowly add the cream and water, stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper and stir over a low heat for five minutes. Remove from heat and pour over the turkey. Cover turkey mixture with the grated cheese, then the mashed potato (yes, potato on top of the cheese, the cheese melts into the sauce and turns it into a fab cheesy sauce!)

Melt two tablespoons of butter and add the stuffing mix, then spread the mixture on top of the mashed potato. It should look like the photo below.

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Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until crispy and golden. Put a baking tray under your casserole dish as sometimes some of the sauce starts to boil out. I found this out the hard way and spent ages scrubbing the bottom of the oven!

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And that is it! Cheesy, potato-y meaty goodness with a crispy crumb =D

Enjoy your Boxing Day and if you make this let me know what you think!

Hayley x

#CraftBlogClub Secret Santa

I am a member of the twitter based #craftblogclub. Craft Blog Club is for anyone who is interested in crafting or runs a craft blog. Ran by the lovely Emma at Life is Peachy it takes place every Tuesday from 7-8.30pm. Just use #craftblogclub to join in! Emma organised a Secret Santa, so here is what I sent and received.

I had to make a gift for Caroline from Tea Is The Answer so I decided to have another go at paper cutting. The phrase “Time For Tea” seemed fitting, so I traced the letters, cut them out and framed it with a contrasting sheet of pink paper. I apologize for the bad photo, its so hard to get good light in the winter!

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I received a scented hanging heart, a crocheted rose bookmark and a knitted bow brooch and a fox brooch which is already on my coat =D

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I love them all but I particularly love the fox brooch! The builders working on a house in my street also like it… When I walked past they spotted it and broke into a rousing chorus of “What does the fox say?” Lol!

I don’t know who sent me my goodies, if it was you then thank you! =D I guess all thats left to say is Merry Christmas so…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hayley x

Alice tea party baby shower ideas

This weeks Theme Thursday will be the last one for the foreseeable future, as I am going to move on to a different blog series in 2014. All the theme ideas from the series can be found here. This weeks theme is a little different and would be a real talking point at the baby shower! So here are my tips and ideas for an Alice in Wonderland tea party baby shower.

Invitations

These invites from Miragreetings are just fantastic! They are personalised and then printed from your own printer. These invites can be used no matter what gender the baby will be and the illustrations are adorable!

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Decorations

While I was doing my research for this post, I stumbled across so many fantastic decor ideas, here are some of my favourites!

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I love this idea! Create a confusing signpost, just like in the book, using a post, some cardboard and paint or felt tips! Photo from Hostess with the Mostess

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This is a perfect example of how to decorate a table for a tea party! Candlesticks, doilys and pretty flowers, what else could you need? Photo from Tea Party Foodies

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How awesome are these!? Unsourced photo on Pinterest but you can make your own card men with a pack of cards and a little creativity =)

Food

Typical tea party food such as sandwiches and cupcakes is all you need! For an extra Alice in Wonderland touch, add “Eat me” and “Drink me” labels.

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Photo from Pinning Lynda

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Photo from Party Plan

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Photo from Saddleworth Shindigs

Party Favours

Simply attach “Take Me” labels to party bags and fill with thank you notes and little treats. Photo below from Anders Ruff

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Volunteers needed for future blog series!

Earlier in the week I wrote this post about some ideas I have for 2014. One of my main goals for this blog is to provide more resources and information for people planning baby showers. I also want to give the blog more of a community feel by including readers opinions and experiences. So I’m going to need some volunteers…

Could it be you?

Firstly I am going to start a feature called “Put it to the panel” when three people will be asked their opinion on a topic, for example “Should men be invited to a baby shower?”. I will email the topic to the volunteers, then post their responses, with a link to their blog, twitter account etc (If desired). Anyone can take part in this, you don’t need to be a parent or have hosted a baby shower.  

I would also like to hear your stories and experiences:

  • Have you hosted a baby shower? 
  • Or perhaps someone hosted one for you when you were expecting?
  • Did you have an unusual theme?
  • Or held the shower in an unusual place?
  • Did you invite men or children?
If so I would love to hear from you!
 
You can contact me by leaving a comment below or emailing me at nappycakesandgifts@hotmail.com
 
Hopefully 2014 will be an exciting year!
Hayley x

Looking forward to 2014

The last few months seem to have flown by! Christmas is almost upon us (eek!) and after that its goodbye to this year and hello to 2014!


So before we descend into the madness that is Christmas time, I decided to post some of my aims for myself and the blog for 2014. If I write them down then I have to at least attempt to complete them! You are all my witnesses 😉

Photo from Fit Fab Cities


First up, I need to find volunteers for some blog topics I have planned. I need people to interview, people to give their opinions/debate on certain topics (most of them baby shower related) and I need some parent bloggers to question about various things. If you would like to volunteer please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you and explain everything properly =)

My next goal kind of links with the one above. I want to provide a lot more information about baby showers: How to plan one, how to be a good host, games, alternatives etc. Baby showers are still very new in the UK, so I would like to turn this blog into the go-to place for information for Brits planning baby showers =) A big goal I know, that’s why I want to get other people giving their opinions and experiences on here… Besides, I can’t do all the talking 😉 

On the business side of things, I plan to keep going to craft fairs and events and get my name “out there”. I’m also going to try to get better at juggling social media. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, oh my!

This Christmas Santa is bringing me a camera. I currently use my phone to take pictures… No more! Once I get my camera I’m going to re-photo everything on my Facebook page and join Instagram (I’ve wanted to do this for ages but my photos aren’t good enough!). Then I can start putting nice photos on here =D

So those are my aims, what are yours?

Hayley x