Theme Thursday: Flower Power

This weeks theme is perfect for anyone expecting a baby girl!

Invitations 

How sweet are these personalised invites from Priceless Kids? I love the colours and the cute floral print!

Decorations

I love this idea of making flowers out of different sized balloons! Image from Pinterest, unfortunately I couldn't trace the source.

Food

These fruit kebabs are cut into flower shapes and would make a fantastic table centerpiece. Photo from Baby Care Answers.

I have chosen the next photo for two reasons, firstly because the table is beautifully presented and fits right in with the theme. Secondly because it is simple buffet food that is easy to make. Another unsourced Pinterest photo.

  

 Favors

I have already featured these favors on my Star themed post but they perfectly fit the flower theme too. These plantable stars have flower seeds sown in so that each guest can grow their own flowers to remind them of the baby shower! Available here

As always, let me know if you decide to have a Flower themed baby shower or if you have any ideas for future Theme Thursdays!

Hayley x

Baby Showers: Theme or no theme?

When planning a Baby Shower, there is a whole plethora of things to think about. Invites, decorations, food, favors, the list goes on. So before you drive yourself mad, there is one question to ask yourself and/or the expecting mother who the party will be in honor of: Will there be a theme?

Once you have answered this question, it is much easier to plan the specifics. So what are the pros and cons?

Pro theme:

• Having a themed shower can be a lot of fun
• Can make the shower a more memorable occasion
• If the gender of the baby is unknown, a unisex theme can be more interesting than having everything in neutral colours

   

A theme can be a lot of fun!

Theme cons:

• A theme can mean spending a lot of time searching for coordinating decorations, tableware, invitations etc
• Some people may not want the added stress of choosing and implementing a theme

So what will it be?

If you decide you would like a theme, check out my Theme Thursday page for tons of ideas.

If you don't want a theme then simply stick to a colour, for example pink for a girl, blue for a boy, lemon/cream for unisex.

Or if you would a theme but don't have time to do all the running around check out my animal themed Baby Shower Kit. Everything you need is included and the introductory offer is still on!

Hope this has been useful! So what will it be for you, theme or no theme?

Hayley x

Theme Thursday: Prince/Princess

This week the theme is prince or princess so there will be a lot of pink or blue! Although you can adapt the theme to any colour you wish =)

Invitations

I have picked my two favourite invites, one for a boy and one for a girl =) Photo's and links are below. Both are personalised and printed off from your own printer.

Gorgeous pink invites from Freshly Squeezed Cards

Blue with chevrons from As You Wish Creations

Decorations

You can make your own tissue pom pom decorations in blue, pink or whichever colour you are using. These look so effective and are quick and cheap to make! The tutorial is here

Food

Here are some of my favourite examples of prince/princess/royal themed food from the interweb =)

Princess finger food from Kara's Party Ideas

Prince sweetie centerpiece also from Kara's Party Ideas

Crown sandwiches from Betty Crocker

Party favors

Here is a link to a fab free printable! Use it to make your own cute favor boxes. Just add a thank you note and some sweets/treats and you are good to go =)

Free printable here

As always let me know if you try any of these ideas or if you have any suggestions for future themes!

Hayley x

Theme Thursday: Sweets

Today's theme is Sweets! This theme is particularly good for girls, "Sugar and spice and all things nice!". Of course there's no reason you can't do this for a boy too!

Invitations

These invites from From Head to Toe Designs are so adorable. I love the funky colours and stripes! These invites are personalized and you print them from your own printer.

Decorations

This is such a simple but brilliant idea! Attach balloons to sticks and wrap with cellophane to create giant lollipop decorations. Just add colourful banners or paperchains and you're done! Photo from Indulgy

Food

This theme is the perfect excuse to indulge your sweet tooth! Here are some great ideas and examples.

Sweets galore from Style Motivation

Pretty pink food from Miss Milli World

Party Favors

Why not have a go at making your own washcloth sweets? I made several of these for a friend and they were well received =) Simply roll up two baby washcloths and wrap with cellophane and ribbon to resemble sweets!

As always let me know if you try out this theme or if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays =)

Hayley x

  

Theme Thursday: Cars

Today's theme is cars! Perfect for a baby boy, although there's no reason you can't throw a cars baby shower for a girl too!

Invitations

These car postcard invitations from Hindland are so cool. They are personalised and you print them from your own printer. I love the chevrons and the cute car image!

Decorations

What about making some racing flags to hang on the walls or getting red, yellow and green balloons to symbolize traffic lights? It can be as low key or as over the top as you want! Here is an example from Catch My Party

Food

These car cakes put the biggest smile on my face. I don't think I could bear to eat them! They are mini cakes with smarties for wheels, being driven by a shortbread teddy! Amazing idea from Paperblog!

Favors

How fab is this idea for party favors? Take mini baby bottles and fill with sweets. Attach a thank you note around the neck of the bottle and you're done! Idea from Catch My Party

As always let me know if you try any of these ideas or if you have any suggestions for future themes!

Hayley x

Theme Thursday: Circus

This weeks theme is Circus! I really loved researching this one, so many great ideas!

Invitations

I adore these personalised printable invitations from Hello Love Designs. I just love the vintage style and the cute wording!

Decorations

This theme is the perfect excuse to go over the top with the decorations! Just buy or make colourful bunting, flags, banners, paper chains and balloons. Go crazy if you want to, after all it is the circus! Here is a fab example from the De Su Mama blog

Food

When I was researching this theme last week, I fell in love with all the brilliant ideas for Circus themed food! Here are the links to my favourites!

Mini circus food from To Be Consumed

Fab ideas from Making it Sweet

Party Favours

As simple as they come, popcorn boxes! Fill with little treats and thank you notes. Photo below from Beau Coup

As always let me know if you try out this theme or if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays =)

Hayley x

Presenting: The Baby Shower Box!

Over the last few years Baby Showers have greatly grown in popularity in the UK. However planning a Baby Shower can be very stressful and time consuming. Choosing a theme, planning, budgeting and hunting for matching decorations, invites and tableware, the list goes on! Another common problem is finding suitable Baby Shower wares, as many shops don't stock them or have a very limited range, especially if the gender of the baby is unknown!

When I started Theme Thursday and started trying to source themed Baby Shower wares, I was astonished by the lack of choice on the high street! It seemed that if you wanted a themed shower you either had to go down the DIY route or source everything online. But a lot of people don't have the time for that! Not to mention the hassle and cost! However I think I have come up with a solution. Allow me to unveil my newest product:

The Baby Shower Box!

The Baby Shower Box contains everything that you need for the perfect Baby Shower for up to 16 people! No stress, no fuss, just provide a venue and refreshments. Everything that you need has been sourced, gathered and packed into a beautifully presented kit! The theme for this kit is Animal Crackers and everything in the box coordinates to the photo shown below. This adorable theme is suitable for both boys and girls, perfect if the baby's gender is a surprise!

So what is included?

• Invitations
• Balloons
• Table cover
• Table centerpiece
• Plates 
• Cups
• Napkins
• Hanging decorations

So now for the important bit, the price:

I have sourced the materials to assemble four of these kits. They are the prototypes so I will be offering them for an introductory price of £25 including free postage. If the kits are a success and I make more they will not be offered at this price again! The RRP of making a similar kit yourself is approx £28 not including P&P so you will be saving money as well as time and effort!

If you would like to order a Baby Shower Box or would like more information you can email me at nappycakesandgifts@hotmail.com or message me through my Facebook Page. I will require a £10 deposit to secure your slot, the rest to be paid when the kits are ready to be posted. There are only four slots available at this price so don't delay! =)

If you are planning a Baby Shower for more/less than 16 people do still get in touch and I'll see what I can do!

Bye for now,
Hayley x     

Theme Thursday! Bee

This weeks theme is particularly suited for expecting mothers who are not finding out the gender of the baby. Then you can call it a "Whats it gonna bee" baby shower! Geddit? ;) Sorry for the pun!

Invitations

I really like these personalized printable invites from Shy Socialites. They are so bold and bright! They are personalized to suit baby showers or birthday parties. Brilliant idea!

  
Decorations

Unsurprisingly the key for this themes decorations is black and yellow! Balloons, banners, bunting, paper chains, you can be as low key or as over the top as you like! I love these paper flowers/pompoms from the Party Frosting Blog. The little bees are so cute!

Food

I stumbled across so many fantastic ideas for themed food, I wasn't sure where to start! Here are some of my favourites.

For general buffet food with a Bee themed twist, check out this fab post from My Ramblings

For the most adorable bee cake pops, check out this amazing tutorial from Little Miss Sweet and Spicy! I don't think I could actually bring myself to eat them, they are so sweet! She also shows you how to make ladybird cake pops... How I wish I had found this when I was writing my Ladybird themed baby shower post!

Last but not least, I almost squealed when I saw these... How perfect for a bee baby shower? They would also make a great table decoration... before they are gobbled up! Donut beehives from Girl Inspired!

Party Favors 

A really simple party favor idea is attaching thank you notes to mini jars of honey for your guests to take home. Such a "sweet" idea! Sorry, I really must stop with the cheesy jokes!

As always, let me know if you decide to have a Bee baby shower or if you have any ideas for future Theme Thursdays!

Hayley x

Theme Thursday! Under the sea

This is another theme that can be used no matter what gender the baby will be. This week it is Under the sea!

Invitations

I love these cute "under the sea" invitations from Sojoji. They can be used for girls or boys and how sweet are the little sea creatures?!

Decorations

The decorations for this theme are so simple, just buy or make blue and green streamers or paper chains, like in this photo from The Swell Dish blog

You could also try making blue and green versions of the tissue pom poms below. The look really effective and are easy to make. The tutorial is here

If I may also add a quick shameless plug... My Octopus nappy cake would make a fantastic table decoration ;) More details available on my Facebook page

Food

What more do you need than these awesome cupcakes from The Cupcake Tarts? They look too cute to eat!

Party Favours

Take small buckets and spades and fill with thank you notes and little treats.

Hope this has been helpful. If you have an under the sea themed baby shower, be sure to let me know how you get on! Also please leave a comment if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays!

Bye for now,

Hayley x

Theme Thursday! Stars

Hello! Welcome to my second Theme Thursday! I really like this one as its suitable for girls, boys and "surprises" ;). This weeks theme is Stars.

Invitations

There are tons of cute star themed invites out there in pink, blue or neutral. Here are some of my favourites:

For girls available here

For boys available here

Unisex available here

All are personalized and downloaded for you to print off yourself.

Decorations

What about making your own star bunting or banners? Alternatively the glow in the dark stars below are available in a range of colours and can be stuck to walls, placed on tables or given to guests as a party favour!

Food

Star shaped cakes, biscuits and crackers are readily available at most shops and supermarkets. For more star themed food ideas, check out this post from Sugar Aunts. Some photos from their blog below, fab ideas!

Party favours

Simply fill party bags with a thank you note and some treats. As well as the glow in the dark stars, I love the idea of the plantable stars below. Each star has flower seeds inside that you plant when you get home. Available here

Hope this has been helpful. If you have a star themed baby shower, be sure to let me know how you get on! Also please leave a comment if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays!

Bye for now,

Hayley x

Crafters Boutique

I am pleased to say that I got a lot done this weekend! One problem I have always had is "Where can I sell my nappy cakes?". Yes I sell them on Facebook but I mean an online market place for handmade goods. Folksy don't allow nappy cakes and Etsy is so huge that I know I would never be found on there. Well over the weekend I found the answer. The newly opened online market place, Crafters Boutique!

What is it?

An online market place where you create your own shop. But unlike Etsy, Folksy etc, you don't have to pay listing fees and commission. You simply rent your shop for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, then add as many items as you like! I have rented my shop as a premium seller for 1 month (£8) to try it out and so far I am very impressed. When my month runs out I'm going to change to a longer term, which means that it works out cheaper per month. As a premium seller, my items are showcased on the main page when listed and I have a chance of being in the monthly newsletter. There is a standard seller option as well but personally I think it makes more sense to get a premium membership. Full details and FAQs are on the Craft Boutique website. Whether you are looking to sell or buy, make sure you check it out!

So I spent a productive weekend adding items to my shop, as well as preparing for my craft fair next weekend! Here are some of the items I have added so far:

 For prices, descriptions and to view my other items, check out my shop.

Have a great day!
Hayley x

Theme Thursday! Ladybird

Hello and welcome to my first Theme Thursday! Planning a baby shower can be very overwhelming, so every Thursday I am going to take a theme and suggest ways to use implement the theme in decorations, food, invitations etc. This weeks theme is suitable for boys and girls, so it is perfect if you don't know what gender the baby will be! The theme is Ladybirds =)

Invitations

Invitations for this theme can be made easily and cheaply using a computer and printer. A red background with black spots is perfect! If you would rather buy ready made invites check out these cuties from Tweet Prints pictured below. These invites are personalized and downloaded for you to print off yourself. What a cute design!

Decorations

For really easy decorations, take a pack of red balloons and draw or stick on black spots. You could also make bunting or paper-chains using black and red paper. Or how about these hanging ladybird decorations for only £1.19?

Food

A buffet or finger foods work best. If you want the food to tie in with the ladybird theme, check out these fab ideas. They all look too cute to eat! 

Ladybird themed nibbles from Yellow Bliss Road

Adorable cheese ladybirds! Instructions here

Strawberry ladybirds recipe here

Games

How about a ladybird version of pin the tail on the donkey? Below are some photos of the game I made, it only took me 10 minutes! The antenna has a sticky pad on the back, the person who gets it closest to the top of the ladybirds head wins!

 Spot on!

Not quite...

Party Favours

How sweet are these ladybird bags?! Made by the aptly named Everything-Ladybug. Perfect to fill with thank you notes and small treats!

Hope this has been helpful. If you have a ladybird themed baby shower, be sure to let me know how you get on! Also please leave a comment if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays!

Bye for now,

Hayley x