This well known baby game was extra sweet at Ann’s shower because it was something played at her mom’s baby shower when she was pregnant with Ann. We created a calendar with dates surrounding Ann’s due date – each guest wrote their name on the date on which they thought Ann’s baby would be born.

Done in our shower colors it made for great shower decor and more importantly was a lovely keepsake for Ann that will serve as a reminder of the guests who attended her shower and a wonderful memory of her mother.

–Kristen, Liz & Heather
PS colors: chocolate & fuchsia, fig & gravel, peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads!

Since Ann is our go-to person for brilliant baby shower game ideas, it was challenging to think of something new she would not have seen before. Sticking with our sweet theme, we came up with a Sugar & Spice Timeline where everyone had to guess the year in which famous candies were born. A simple game card and a basket of the highlighted goodies (which also served as the prize for the winner) is all it took!

–Kristen, Liz & Heather
PS colors: chocolate & fuchsia, fig & gravel, peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads!

As part of Ann’s Sugar & Spice Baby Shower we found a few easy ways to take the candy theme beyond the refreshment table, creating wonderful paper accents for a touch of sweetness on every table.

Pink candy pieces were included in floral centerpieces and Read the rest of this entry »

When our resident Hostess with the Mostess announced that she was pregnant with her first child, nearly everyone at Paper Source squealed in delight. Not only was Ann the perfect candidate for motherhood, but she was also deserving of one spectacular celebration. After all, she had planned so many events for friends and loved ones – it was time to shower her with something special.

Only problem: What do you do for the woman who has done everything?!

Three of us (from non-creative departments) volunteered for the challenge and quickly realized we were in for a treat. After sourcing inspiration online we decided on a Sugar & Spice Baby Shower theme and a perfectly pink color palette.

Since charming treats and refreshments would serve as our main party elements, we concentrated on the buffet table itself as the focal point of the room. We filled the table with sweet (and a little salty) old-fashioned candy and snacks displayed in various glass and white ceramic containers. We dressed our tables with rolls of solid gift wrap in Blossom and Strawberry, and printed place cards matching our invitation style to mark each food item.

Treats included Read the rest of this entry »

Our dear coworker Ann recently gave birth to her first child – a very sweet baby girl! Little Maggie arrived earlier this month, which gave us a chance to revisit Ann’s very special Sugar & Spice Baby Shower thrown in late summer. We enjoyed planning this event so much that we wanted to dedicate a blog series to her special day.

Check back all week as we walk through concepting an original baby shower theme, creating accents, developing a baby shower game and folding in a bit of sentimental charm. It was an event to remember for a woman who has created many memorable events for others. Be sure to save room for a daily helping of sugar – it’s sure to be a delicious read!

–Kristen, Liz & Heather
PS colors: chocolate & fuchsia, fig & gravel, peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads!

I am expecting my first baby in seven short weeks. It is a truly amazing time. I have loved sharing (possibly over-sharing) details with my family, friends and coworkers. A few weeks ago, family and friends threw me a butterfly-themed baby shower in my hometown.

Because I’m a Paper Source employee and former invitation designer, my hostesses felt some stress when coming up with an invitation for the event but, after a bit of collaboration, we came up with the most darling idea using our die-cut butterfly cards. (Note: Layout was a little tricky, but we just kept testing on white printer paper until it was perfect. Then, we used removable double-stick tape to attach the butterflies to a full sheet and fed them one-by-one through the printer.) At the shower, there was a matching banner and little butterfly gift tags to tie the entire theme together.

I was also introduced to a great new baby shower game – Midnight Advice. A tiny, newborn diaper was given to each guest. Read the rest of this entry »

I have come to appreciate a good baby shower game. If done well, it’s a great way to get all your guests involved. Not to mention, a nice transition from the eating portion to the gift opening portion of the shower. I knew for this baby shower that I wanted to get my friend’s husband involved because he is such a character. I learned of a game called Daddy Knows Best, where you ask the father-to-be a series of questions, then have the mother-to-be try to guess his answers at the shower. The game is simple, but I wanted to create an experience that would be fun for everyone.

I made game cards for each guest with two sections – first they would predict how many of Daddy’s answers Mom would guess correctly; second they read through the list of 12 questions I had asked Daddy and tried to guess his answers for themselves.

Once guests had filled out their cards, it was time for Mom to play the game. A spiral bound book made using our new Zutter machine contained all the questions and Daddy’s answers. It was much more interesting for me to flip through book than to have read the answers off a page, and my friend loved being able to keep the book once we were finished. Read the rest of this entry »

Gender neutral baby showers can be challenging because the obvious themes and color schemes aren’t good options. For my dear friend Laura, I went with a theme that would honor her love of reading and her mother, who is a librarian in our home town.

With a little planning it was easy as ABC.

I love creating extra special invitations – it’s such a treat for your guests and we all love the feeling of receiving a delightful surprise in the mail. The invitation itself was simple – I added baby blocks at the bottom and printed my own ABC envelope liners (my favorite part). But what made this particularly fun for guests was that it arrived in an 8.5″ x 11″ envelope because also included was a scrapbook page for each guest to complete. Sometimes bigger is better and an oversized baby shower invite?…that’s unexpected.

Playing on the alphabet theme we mailed each guest a scrapbook page with one letter (we happened to have just the right number of guests to make this work). With an instruction card we asked them to design a page in the theme of their letter with baby related words, parenting advice or memories of Laura. We left it very open-ended and encouraged them to be creative. There is some risk when doing a project like this, as you never know if your guests will have the time or creative energy required. But, I must say, I was SO proud of everyone – the ABC pages were absolutely adorable.

B is for Babysitter – with a list of important information to prepare for sitters

N is for Neighborhood – with a map of where the baby will first live marked with the parents’ favorite spots

U is for Ultrasound – with a place for Laura to slide in an ultrasound picture

So creative, right? And visually stunning whether painted, drawn, or collaged… Read the rest of this entry »

Recently I shared some baby shower ideas with you, and I wanted to show you the final piece to this creative puzzle. I created a keepsake album of the baby shower with a collection of paper t-shirts decorated by our guests and photos from the shower. It was a labor of love, but something I am so happy to provide for my friend who would never have done this for herself. A scrapbook project like this does take some planning, and along the way I was reminded of a few things that made this process a little easier.

As you’re planning a baby shower, remember to save items for your album – a clean copy of your baby shower invitation and in this case blank paper t-shirts that everyone received in their invitations.

Save items from the shower itself that will add to your album. I saved game cards from our Baby Jeopardy game Read the rest of this entry »