The Perfect Baby Shower - Creative Tips on Baby Announcements, Food Ideas and More

Organizing a baby shower can be fun and exciting. When you first learn that a new baby is on its way, you can't help but be excited. Images of those ten perfect little toes, those sweet, angelic smiles, and all the fun you are going to have as the child grows up can't help but run through your mind. Before that time comes, however, it is up to you to organize the perfect baby shower.

As with any party plan, lists are extremely helpful. By creating categories, you can help yourself stay on task and avoid missing important details. Your first task is to create a guest list and select a date for the happy event. As you create your guest list, you will quickly realize that there are two categories of people: those who will be able to attend the party and those who will not. While there's no sense in sending baby shower invitations to people who will not be coming, they are sure to be delighted when they receive your baby announcements.

Creating Unique Baby Shower Invitations

Once you have your guest list, you can gather a few family photographs and get online to create truly unique baby shower invitations and baby announcements that fit with the mommy-to-be's style. While all invitations include the important information of what, when, and where, baby shower invitations can be made extra special by turning them into photo cards that will be treasured for years to come. Family photos, wedding pictures, and photographs of any siblings all turn good baby shower invitations into unique and memorable mementos for family and friends.

By creating online photo cards for your event, you can be as creative as you like with many different layouts, designs, fonts, and colors to choose from. The baby shower invitations and baby announcements that you create will be unlike any other. This is also the time to decide whether or not you will be using a theme to coordinate your gathering. Themes are an excellent way of navigating through all the necessary decisions related to any party and baby shower invitations can help set the tone for your event. Consider choosing colors that coordinate with the party decorations and even the baby's new nursery.

Deciding On Decorations And Menu Items

Popular baby shower decorations include baby animals, ABC's and 123's, fairytale characters, and Mother Goose, but today's moms aren't limited to traditional decorations. It may be a good idea to take a cue from the new mommy -- some may prefer a more sophisticated theme.

Finger foods are always a good idea for a party and a baby shower is no exception. Party hosts who are looking for something unique and healthy for the mom-to-be can even carve a baby carriage out of a watermelon and fill it with fresh fruit for an edible party centerpiece. Other ideas include pink and blue candies, such as M&Ms (available especially at Easter or directly from the company), and cute, cut-out cookies in pink and blue hues.

Pink and blue drinks, such as wine coolers, can also help party hosts stay with the baby theme. Of course, don't forget about the mommy! Even though she can't enjoy a wine cooler, party hosts can have sparkling cider in a special glass just for the guest of honor.

Entertaining Guests

Your guests can be their own entertainment with just a few simple activities that are as much fun to watch as they are to participate in. One of the most delightful and rewarding shower activities is to have each guest write their 'best parenting advice' on a card, which is then placed in a basket. When gift opening time comes, have the mother-to-be pull a card from the basket and read it aloud, followed by the author presenting their gift. The cards can later be put together into a booklet that will be cherished for generations. The messages are very often humorous and/or heartwarming.

Fun games include filling a baby bottle with candies, such as M&Ms and having guests guess how many are in the bottle and the candy bar game where guests try to guess which type of candy bar is melted into a diaper. The results are often hilarious!

Another fun baby shower game is modeled after 'The Price Is Right.' Shower hosts can purchase 10 baby products that Mommy is sure to use after the baby is born, such as Dreft detergent, Oragel, baby shampoo, wipes and diapers. Each guest guesses what the items cost and the person who is closest without going over wins a point. The guest with the most points at the end wins and of course, the new mommy gets to take home all the useful products!

Another game designed to keep guests engaged while Mommy is opening her gifts is baby bingo. Each guest is given a blank bingo card to fill out with items they think the guest of honor will receive. Each time a guest is correct, they mark their card and the first to bingo wins.

Party guests will often appreciate small tokens to remember the special event. Some creative ideas include a CD of songs related to the joys of parenthood or candy bars wrapped with special wrappers celebrating the new baby. Parents-to-be can even send out special thank you baby announcements adorned with the ultrasound photo.

A baby shower is a fun, wondrous event. With a little creative planning, party hosts will be able to plan a celebration the parents-to-be will remember for years to come.

How to Make Your Own Printable Invitations for Any Occasion

Even with modern technology like email and cell phones, printed invitations have remained the most common way to let people know about your upcoming party and will continue to remain popular due to the timeless rules of party etiquette. Invitations can be a major cost, especially for large parties, like weddings and some baby showers. However, with a little creativity and time, you can make your own printable invitations, even if you have no artistic skills.

1. The first step is designing your card. You can use a simple word processor like Microsoft Word and if you want, you can go to the Adobe's website at http://createpdf.adobe.com to convert your file into a pdf file. Select the proper dimensions and print out a sample on some plain white paper just to make sure it is the right size.

2. Next, you will want to find the proper card stock to print out your invitations on. Your local office supply store will have these and you can purchase them inexpensively there.

3. Use the word processor to insert text boxes with the words you want on your invitation. Play around with the fonts and text color.

4. There are many sites that offer free clip art and pictures that you can use for your invitations. Just do a search for "free clip art" on the search engines and you will find many sites that provide these services for free. Browse through and download the pictures you want and then insert them into your card at the desired location.

5. If you use a background image, make sure it does not obscure the text on the card. Ideally, background images should be watermarked. Most word processors will allow you to select background images and make them watermarks. Another alternative is to click on all the text boxes and give them solid colored backgrounds.

6. Need a catchy poem or verse? Once again, you can search the internet for related verses. For example, if I am making baby shower invitations, then I can search for "baby shower poem" or "baby verse" and any other related phrases.

7. Save the master copy of the finished card and print out a sample copy on plain paper to see what it will look like. If it looks good, then you can start personalizing each card and printing it out on card stock.

8. If you do not have a color printer, then create a personalized copy for each guest and save it as a separate file on a disk. Take the disk to your local print shop and have them print out a invitation for each guest. Some print shops may even print out the invitations for you if you give them the guest list and template. A print shop will cost more than printing them out yourself, but probably less than buying invitations from somewhere else. Plus the product should look very professional and they may even have the right card stock available. Additionally, print shops can do engraved invitations as well, which are good for upscale occasions like weddings.

Some other guidelines include try to stick to a central theme, don't try to use too many pictures and colors, and compare your card to others at card stores to get a feel for what a good invitation should look like. Remember that most invitations are simple and have just a few graphics and maybe one verse. As you can see, there are infinite possibilities when creating your own party invitations and not only is it a fun project, but will also save you money.

25 Tiny Gifts - Ideas for a Stocking, Surprise Jar, Surprise Ball or Advent Calendar

I love finding many tiny surprises in a gift, and it would be lovely to be able to give a gift like this to someone. The problem is finding enough small and interesting items. Of course, one could fill the whole calendar, stocking or surprise gift with small, edible items, like candy, chocolate or chewing gum, but that's not as much fun as finding something different from your gift.

I also love giving gifts, so I have been thinking about what I could put in gifts like this. I decided to share a generic list of items that are good for anyone. Choose something from all of the groups, several items from a few groups or all items from one group. Just choose the style and colors according to the receiver.

Key rings

Even though one gets key rings as ads from all sources, there seems to be always need for some more. It isn't unusual that even children are carrying keys today.

Brooches, pins and buttons

My 18 years old niece collects buttons and pins and her back bag is filled with them. A brooch doesn't need to be flowery and girly.

Magnets

I love fridge magnets and buy these as souvenirs and mementos. Magnets are nice for a magnetic memo board too.

Decorated clothes pins or clips

Clothes pins can be used as clips to keep papers together or to hang notes on the wall.

The receiver's initial

It could be a metal key ring, wooden shape or embroidered badge.

Candy, chewing gum, other edibles

Edibles are a quick and easy way of satisfying the gift opener, and the only way to appeal to taste buds.

Teabags, small packs of coffee or cocoa

If your target likes hot drinks, you can add a couple of portion packages of his/her favorite drink.

Miniature packages of cosmetics

Boys aren't usually very interested in this kind of things, but could use a small bottle of moisturizer or cologne. Girls are usually happy about a tiny bottle of nail polish or perfume, but here too, choose the gift according the receiver. Tomboys won't get glad about girly stuff. This is also a good gift for travelers.

Lip balm

There are neutral packages of these too, and even boys can have dry lips.

Tiny case of tiger balm

I carry a tiny, red tin of tiger balm in my handbag all the time. I like the visual package and I think tiger balm can be used for many purposes. The tiny tin lasts surprisingly long time.

Small case

Small, sewn case can be folded into a very tiny item, and these are very useful, to hold together your cards and tickets; to protect and personalize your iPod, MP3 player, Game Boy, mobile or other gadget or for other purposes, like for paper tissues or feminine sanitary accessories.

Flash drive

Another small and useful item in today's computerized world.

Stationery

If the gift receiver likes "back to school" items or stationery, add erasers, pen sharpeners, miniature pencils, pens, crayons or colored pencils in the package.

Rubber stamps

Especially children love rubber stamps and stamping.

Tiny craft supplies

If the receiver is a scrapbooker or works with altered books and art journaling, there's a lot of different supplies that can be put into small places, like brads and embellishments. Also beading and sewing have many options for small items.

Stickers, scraps, ephemera, stamps, tiny artwork

Pretty, funny, colorful pictures, pictures of the receiver's favorite subject, can be fun to get, even when one doesn't use these in their craft or art.

Vintage toys, miniatures and figurines

It seems the items were smaller back in time. I remember these tiny plastic horses and cows from my childhood, tin soldiers, small cars and other such things one could find inside Easter chocolate eggs. When I was little, a friend of mine had an Advent calendar with a tiny plastic toy in each calendar box, and I remember being very envious. One can find a box of diverse items from flea markets and car boot or garage sales.

Tiny toys

They do make small toys even today, like plastic animals or marbles.

Tiny Stuffed Animals

These are especially suitable for the outer decoration of the gift, peeping out from a stocking or hugging the surprise ball.

Miniatures

Visit a store selling items intended for doll houses or miniature railways and you'll find a lot of tiny things to hide inside a surprise ball or Advent calendar.

Worry dolls

Worry dolls are tiny, Guatemalan dolls made of wood and yarn. They are traditionally used to transfer the owner's worries and nightmares into the doll and thus removing them.

Jewelry

Jewelry can be very small items, like rings, pendants, chains and earrings.

Charms

You could give someone a whole charm bracelet in an Advent calendar. Give the bracelet itself on Christmas.

Polished stones

In some New Age stores they sell polished stones. These are very pretty to look at and nice to hold, and usually inexpensive.

Matchbook items, like matchbook notepads, sewing kits etc.

I have seen matchbook notepads, matchbook games, matchbook sewing kits, matchbook nail files, matchbook art, matchbook poetry, matchbook candy favors, even a matchbook first aid kits.

Lottery tickets

I would like to find a scratch ticket from the surprise present.

Gift cards and money

You can always give the receiver a gift card. If the gift card doesn't fold into small enough, you can add a note with instructions on how to find the gift card or just telling that the gift is a gift card.

Self-made gift cards are also an idea.

If you can't think of anything else, give money. Especially children and teenagers appreciate this present very much.

How to Celebrate the Spring Equinox

The Spring Equinox has been an important time of the year for many cultures throughout history. Equinox literally means "equal night", and the Spring Equinox is the time when the day and the night on the equator are of equal length.

This astrological event has traditionally been celebrated as a great time of rebirth and renewal. It usually falls on March 20th, and the next day marks the first day of Spring.

There have been a few recurring symbols throughout history which represent this event. One of these is the egg. The egg represents rebirth and the potential of the new season. Many people celebrate this time by hard-boiling and painting eggs.

Another common symbol is the rabbit. Rabbits are very quick at reproducing and renewing themselves, so humans have always looked to them for fertility guidance. Giving a bunny to your friend as a gift during this time is an excellent idea.

Finally, flowers have been a common motif throughout history. This is the time of the year when flowers finally begin to bloom after spending the winter dormant. If you live in an area where the flowers have already begun to bloom at this time of the year, then a great way to celebrate is to go into the fields and pick a bunch of flowers. You can bring them back to your home and create many different craft products out of them. If flowers haven't begun to bloom yet, you can usually order some from a flower delivery company. There are very few things that can light up the face of your loved-one like a carefully designed flower arrangement.

Another great way to celebrate is by wearing the traditional colors of the Spring Equinox. These include pastel colors and green.

You may have noticed that many of these celebration recommendations match the celebration of Easter. This is no accident, since Easter is the dominant form of celebration in our culture. There is little coincidence that the celebration of Christ's rebirth occurs at this time.

However, it was recommended not necessarily mean that you hide the eggs or the bunny hide the eggs. There are many different myths, rituals and traditions that have developed around these basic icons. They date back thousands of years to ancient pagan cultures, and most of our modern cultures, the practice of them.

Traditions To Be Kept Alive: Give Christmas Cards This Season

Probably there would be no one who would say that receiving cards on Christmas does not make him or her, happy. It remains the one personalized means of wishing family and friends on the occasion especially if you are unable to make it in person during the time. Although there are e-cards which people send to their distant relatives on Christmas but it is nothing like an actual card. This year you could add a little twist in the story by creating such cards by yourself for your family, pals and associates and send them over on the occasion. Do not let traditions be forgotten rather infuse life into them simply by using creative and innovative ideas. Christmas is one of those occasions when people get together to be with their family and enjoy the time. It is cards where you could express your thoughts and feeling to people by wishing them Merry Christmas.

It might feel that sending cards might not make much difference however it remains one of the most effective tools to wish others and create an everlasting impact. Personalizing Christmas Cards is a fun task. You could select a third party tool which comes bundled with various features that would help you in giving your creations an appealing look. Wishing with cards is a way of showing gratitude and care towards the ones you love. They are not only meant for relatives and friends but also you could send customized cards to your business associates and clients. With the available utility you could use the pre-designed templates that are bundled in them which in turn would help you save a lot of time and energy. This is especially beneficial for all those who need creating a good number of cards. Every creation could be given a different look by playing up with various shapes, colors, graphics and text messages. Creating different cards based on the person to whom it has to be sent could be made since it would be wise to create a different looking card for corporate people and for family members a different pattern should be chosen.

Celebrating St Patrick's Day With Wonderful Greetings Cards

St. Patrick's Day is an Irish festival of fun and gaiety. Many people across the world celebrate this festival wearing green color cloth with a shamrock leaf on their hats or on any other part of their cloth. According to the legend, three-leafed clover was used by St. Patrick's to demonstrate the doctrine of the Trinity to his pagan audience in Ireland. The shamrock plant began considered to be sacred and considered as a symbol of the rebirth of spring. On this occasion, people send greeting cards to their near and dear ones for conveying their well-wishes. Create exquisite and unique greetings for St. Patrick's Day.

How to create greeting cards for the occasion
You can create numerous cards using greeting card templates and create printable or electronic cards. These templates are available on the Internet that provides guidelines for creating mesmerizing designs and patterns on the cards. While creating electronic greetings one can use tools that enable a user to incorporate animated images or graphics. A person can even integrate funny or personal videos in the electronic cards. You can even use pop-ups for the purpose of decorating the card. You can also use visuals or graphics such as images of leprechauns or the legendary 'Pot of Gold', shamrock and other such images. These images customize the cards for the festival of St. Patrick's Day.

A person can even create printable cards using these online or offline tools or templates. A user can select colors, desirable fonts, create images or graphics to create a memorable card. A printable card can be enveloped with sweet scents of fruits or fresh dewy perfumes.

In case you want to create handmade greetings, you can use dry herbs as decorations for the card. You can cut a large leaf into the shape of three-leafed shamrock. You can also sprinkle paint all over for making it visually emphatic. One can even paint a pot of gold or draw a leprechaun and write a memorable verse in the inside page of the card.

Whether you use tools or templates for creating electronic or printable cards or create handmade cards, you can give a free expression of creativity and imagination through several tips and tricks.

Costumes - History and Trivia

Costumes refer to distinctive style of clothing worn by particular classes or people from specific periods of time. More commonly costumes refer to the clothes worn by actors who are portraying particular classes or people from specific periods of time. Theatrical costumes, serve to tell the story about particular characters. The costumes give clues to the audience about the character's age, gender, personality and location. The costume designer is tasked with creating costumes that best represent either actual period appropriate clothing or costumes that capture the essence of the period in a more stylized aspect.

There are other types of costuming that is not related to theater, however. Consider the wearing of costumes for holiday celebrations. Costumes are a big consideration in celebrating both Halloween and Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras costumes range from the lavishly outlandish to the basic half-faced mask. Halloween on the other hand is a holiday almost completely devoted to the art of costumes. From the youngest of children to the oldest of adults there are costumes available to fit any need. There are even costumes especially made for almost every conceivable type of household pet. Traditional costumes for the Halloween holiday include monsters, vampires, witches and ghosts. Super heroes and characters from televisions shows are also common choices for costumes, especially among children.

Other holidays have some element of Costumes involved in them. People often dress up as elves or Santa for Christmas, or some may represent the Holy Family was a recovery of the night Jesus was born into a religious revival. You will also receive Kobold see Uncle Sam or the Easter Bunny at the mall during the month before their holiday special.

aka A recent trend in cosplay costumes. This included the creation of costumes and decorate rom anime characters, manga and video are createdgames. Like in Japan, the world of cosplay in America is becoming a very elaborate and competitive subculture. Conventions are held throughout the country, most often in conjunction with anime conventions, and contestants are judged based upon the accuracy of the costume as well as audience reaction to the runway show. Costumes have changed some over the past decades, but ultimately, it still comes down to choosing a character or costume that best reflects your own personality.