Colorful flowers work well as a shower decoration.
Decorations transform a plain room into a beautiful location for a baby shower. The decorations set the tone for the shower and help carry out the theme, if one is chosen. Party stores sell shower decorations, but you can put together your own decor to save money and create a personalized look. Does this Spark an idea?
Banners
Welcome the mom-to-be and guests with a banner. Forget the cheap foil banners available at party stores. Instead, make your own, using several kinds of fabric or decorative-paper triangles. Cut out enough triangles to go over the buffet table or along a wall. Make each one 8 inches or so on one side and 12 inches or so on the other two sides. Vary the fabric or decorative paper as you go. When you're done, you can leave the triangles as they are or stamp or stencil them. Another option is gluing baby shoe or bottle shapes on the triangles in contrasting colors or patterns. Hang the triangles from a string suspended above the buffet table or along a wall. If the party's outdoors, the triangles will flutter nicely in the breeze.
Flowers
Flowers add a classic, feminine touch to baby shower decor. You don't need to cover every surface with floral arrangements to make an impact. Make a few bouquets as focal points on tables and serving areas. Choose pink flowers for a baby girl and blue flowers for a baby boy. If the mom-to-be doesn't know the baby's gender or isn't telling, mix pink and blue flowers, or go with yellow. Match the containers with the shower theme, or use containers you already own. For a casual shower, arrange the flowers in a glass canning jar with a ribbon tied around it. To save money, order the flowers in bulk and arrange them yourself. Another option is buying small potted plants and arranging two or three flowers in each. The mom-to-be and guests can take them home as keepsakes.
Photos
Incorporate photos of the mom-to-be. Gather copies of several pictures of the guest of honor, taken as her pregnancy has progressed, and put them in frames for the cake and guest tables. A cute alternative is using baby photos of the mom and dad-to-be. If your budget allows, blow up one photo of them as a couple, have it transferred to canvas, and use it as wall decor. Your guest of honor can take it home and hang it on her own wall when the party's over.
Paper Lanterns
Paper lanterns add a whimsical decorative element to a baby shower. Look for inexpensive globe-shaped lanterns at dollar or party stores. Choose plain lanterns in a color that matches the rest of your shower decor. If you want, decorate the lanterns with stickers or paper cutouts. Suspend the lanterns around the room.
Clothesline
To dress up the walls, hang up a mock clothesline. Use clothespins to attach baby clothes. You can buy the baby clothes and give them to the mom-to-be when the party's over or borrow them. To use the clothesline as both decoration and a game, ask guests to bring baby photos of themselves. Clip the photos to the line, along with the clothes. Then have guests guess the identity of each baby.
Tags: baby shower, along wall, Another option, baby clothes, baby photos, blue flowers, buffet table