Gift Ideas for Baby Showers
Baby showers are a fun way to celebrate the imminent arrival of a new bundle of joy. They also help get the couple started with some of the equipment necessary for taking care of an infant.
Pregnancy is an emotional time for first-time parents-to-be. A creative handmade gift for the mommy-to-be would be a thoughtful way to say, “I care about you.” You might want to try your hand at some of the projects in this chapter and pair a homemade gift with a practical gift (such as a box of diapers, baby booties, blankets, and so on).
Angels from Heaven
Edna Rumbold of Kempton, Pennsylvania, makes these lovely little angels to sell in her gift shop, D.E.A.R. Creations. They're easy to make and would be a perfect favor for a baby shower.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Moderately easy
What you need:
- Two-inch clay pots
- Pink and blue craft paints
- Paintbrushes
- Clear acrylic finish spray
- Glue gun
- Wooden doll heads (You can buy bags of these in a craft store with or without painted faces.)
- Spanish moss
- Fine-tipped black marker
- Pink stencil paint
- Pink stencil brush
- Eight-inch piece of lightweight wire
- Gold foil ribbon
- Tacky glue
- Natural color raffia
- Pink and blue satin ribbon
- Lace
- Paint the clay pots blue and pink and allow them to dry. Spray the pots with clear acrylic finish spray and allow this to dry.
- Using a glue gun, glue the wooden doll heads onto the bottoms of the painted clay pots. The upside-down pot forms the body of the angel.
- Glue clumps of Spanish moss onto the top of the heads with a glue gun to form hair. If your heads don't have facial features, make two eyes and a mouth on them with a fine-tipped black marker. Use two smudges of pink stencil paint to make rosy cheeks.
- Make circles out of the wire pieces to form halos that are 11⁄2 inches in diameter. Leave the remaining six-inch tail of wire on each halo to twist around the raffia wings. Glue the gold ribbon onto the wire circles and the upper two inches of the tails with tacky glue. You should have wire circles with six-inch tails and the circles, and a two-inch length of wire should be covered with gold ribbon.
- Form the raffia into thick bows (wings) and wire them together with the uncovered ends of the halo wire. Glue the raffia wings onto the back of each angel with a glue gun. The halos should protrude from the back of the heads.
- Make small bows from the blue or pink ribbon, and glue them onto the front of the angels at the neck. Glue lace on the bottom of the angel bodies.
Gifting Glitches
Do's and don'ts for baby showers:
- Do get together with the family and friends of the parents-to-be and decide on a time, budget, menu, and guest list.
- Don't get stuck planning and organizing the shower yourself. “Many hands make light work.”
- Do check with the parents-to-be about a guest list. Decide whether co-workers and neighbors will be included.
- Don't forget to make the shower special by making one of the shower gifts in this chapter.
- Do plan some games and prizes as entertainment for your party. For example, you could give prizes to the person who has been a parent for the longest/shortest period of time, the person who traveled the farthest to get to the shower, or the person who has known the couple the longest.
The parents-to-be will “bearly” know how to thank you if you make these cute knick-knacks to grace the package of a baby present. You can mix up the pink and blue colors or make them one color if you know the sex of the baby.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Easy
What you need:
- Wooden bear cutout (I found these at craft store.)
- White, pink, and blue craft paints
- Paintbrushes
- Four miniature wooden blocks (You could also use square wooden beads with the holes turned to the inside.)
- Fine-tipped black marker
- Glue gun
- Clear acrylic finish spray
- Thin pink or blue satin ribbon
- Small pink or blue satin rose
- Paint the bear white, two of the blocks blue, and two of the blocks pink. Allow them to dry. Make a face on the bear using the fine-tipped marker.
- Using the fine-tipped marker, draw the letter “B” on both blue blocks and draw “A” and “Y” on the pink blocks. Allow the blocks to dry.
- Glue the blocks together, spelling out the word “Baby” on the front. Glue the white bear onto the top of the blocks. Spray the entire project with clear acrylic finish spray and allow it to dry.
- Make a tiny bow out of the ribbon and glue it onto the neck of the bear. Glue a tiny ribbon rose onto the middle of the bow.
Light Up Their Lives
Gifting Glitches
Avoid giving heavily scented candles or potpourri to a pregnant friend. Consider making your own votive candles out of unscented bees-wax sheets. Place them in a pastel-colored gift bag along with this votive and a nice picture frame for the baby's picture.
A votive that resembles a bassinet would make a great gift, as well as party favor, for your next baby shower. You could place either candy or a candle in the glass holder.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Easy
What you need:
- Eyelet lace
- Tacky glue or glue gun
- Glass votive (I used a two-inch glass flower pot from the craft section of a discount store.)
- Blue or pink satin flowers
- Thin blue or pink ribbon
- A votive candle or candies
- Netting (optional)
- Cut a piece of eyelet lace large enough to cover a votive candle holder. With tacky glue or a glue gun, glue the top of the lace to the top of the candle holder.
- Glue pink or blue flowers around the top of the lace. Make a small bow out of the satin ribbon, and glue it onto the side of the votive.
- Place a votive candle in the holder or place the candies in a piece of netting. Draw up the ends and tie a bow around the gathered ends with the satin ribbon and place in the holder.
Take care of the mommy-to-be by making her this basket of pampering items to help get her through her final months. You might want to get together with some mutual friends to make this basket really special.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Easy
What you need:
- Soaps and bath salts
- Candles
- Body lotions
- Soothing CD
- Gift certificate to a beauty salon
- Wicker basket
- Crepe paper filler
- Shrink-wrap
- Pink and blue homemade bow
Gather the goodies and place them in a wicker basket filled with pastel crepe paper filler. Add some shrink-wrap and a bow to finish off your gift.
Life's Necessities
A basket of necessities for the newborn would be a perfect shower gift. There are so many little things that babies need—you shouldn't have any trouble filling this basket.
Present Pointers
Consider going in together with some friends to make a baby basket and include a gift certificate to a baby specialty store in your area.
Time frame: One to two hours
Level: Easy
What you need:
- Baby bottles
- Baby booties
- Baby socks
- Onesies
- Rattles
- Baby bowl and spoon
- Baby drinking cup
- Stuffed animals
- Wicker basket
- Pastel colored tissue paper filler
- Shrink-wrap
- Homemade bow
Gather the baby supplies and place them in a basket filled with pastel-colored filler. (You might want to try making your own paper filler using a paper shredder and construction paper.) Add shrink-wrap and a bow for the finishing touch.
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Great Gifts © 2001 by Marilee LeBon. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.
