I am working on some blank books that people can use at baby or bridal showers and weddings as either a guest book and/or an advice book. Guests can write in their advice or stories and it can double as a guest book. During the shower or event, it can be used to record which guest gave which gift for future reference. Then everything about that special day is recorded in one spot.
I made one of these books for a friend's baby shower recently and it was fun to pass it around and read what others wrote as advice for a first-time mom. I am creating samples for baby showers, bridal showers and weddings and they can either be used as is or personalized with custom labels on the book cover and on the first page of the book.
4.02.2007
3.08.2007
Shower and Party Treats!
Frosted Chocolate-Buttermilk CupcakesMakes 12; Prep time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour
Dutch-process cocoa powder has a more mellow flavor and darker color than regular cocoa powder; it is available at baking-supply stores and many supermarkets.
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Light Cream-Cheese Icing
candy decorations (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard 12-cup muffin tin (or 6-cup muffin tins) with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, combine cocoa and 3 tablespoons hot water until a thick paste forms (this process intensifies the chocolate flavor). Add butter, buttermilk, egg, and egg white; beat until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth.
3. Scoop (or spoon) batter into prepared tin(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the light cream-cheese icing:
With an electric mixer, beat 3 ounces softened reduced-fat cream cheese and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. (To make without a mixer, sift sugar before stirring into cream cheese). Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread icing over tops. Decorate as desired.
Per serving: 180 calories; 5.3 grams fat; 3.1 grams protein; 30.6 grams carbohydrates; 0.7 gram fiber
Note: Neat and clean: To divide evenly, use an ice-cream scoop to ladle the batter into the muffin cups. This also prevents drips.
Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
3.01.2007
Baby Shower Games
By Brooke Schuman
Let's face it, sometimes baby showers aren’t all that fun. So if you're planning a baby shower how do you make sure your guests as well as the mother to be, has a great time? You play fun baby shower games of course! Here are some fun games to play.
How Many Safety Pins?
This is an easy but fun game, everyone has a piece of paper and writes down how many safety pins they believe are in the baby bottle. The guest, who guesses closest to the number of safety pins in the baby bottle, wins a prize.
Dirty Diaper Surprise
When everyone arrives they pick a diaper, as soon as everyone sits down, everyone opens there diapers, the one who picked the dirty diaper wins a prize. Use some mustard to make the diaper look dirty.
Baby Raffle Ticket
A nice thing to do for the mother to be is holds a baby raffle, sell raffle tickets for a dollar each. The person who matches the raffle ticket number wins a prize, and the money from the raffle goes toward the new baby diaper fund.
Baby Art
Buy onsies and fabric markers. Put the onsies on a magazine or cardboard backing, and have your guests draw on one or write a special message, or some advice for the new baby. This way the child can wear these when he/she is born, and the mother to be can keep these as a memento, of her baby shower.
Pin the Pacifier on the Baby
Just like pin the tail on the donkey except with a baby instead of a donkey. You can buy little party favor pacifiers and try to get the pacifiers as close to the babies mouth as possible. Whoever gets the closest wins the prize.
Baby Trivia
Think up some pretty tough questions about babies. Ex. What causes Jaundice? Split into teams and ask each team a question, the team that gets the most questions right gets a prize at the end of the game.
Guess Who?
Ask everyone who is going to attend the baby shower to bring a picture of themselves as babies to the shower. Place all the pictures on a table and have everyone guess who is who when they were babies. Who ever gets the most right wins a prize.
Baby Charades
For this game you are going to need to make cards with baby items on it. Ex. A crib or a rattle etc. Write these down, Split everybody up into teams and then play the baby version of charades. Have one person on a team pick a card but not show it to anyone, have that player go up to the drawing board and draw that item. It gets really funny because not everyone is good at drawing. Team with the most points at the end gets a prize.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brooke_Schuman
Let's face it, sometimes baby showers aren’t all that fun. So if you're planning a baby shower how do you make sure your guests as well as the mother to be, has a great time? You play fun baby shower games of course! Here are some fun games to play.
How Many Safety Pins?
This is an easy but fun game, everyone has a piece of paper and writes down how many safety pins they believe are in the baby bottle. The guest, who guesses closest to the number of safety pins in the baby bottle, wins a prize.
Dirty Diaper Surprise
When everyone arrives they pick a diaper, as soon as everyone sits down, everyone opens there diapers, the one who picked the dirty diaper wins a prize. Use some mustard to make the diaper look dirty.
Baby Raffle Ticket
A nice thing to do for the mother to be is holds a baby raffle, sell raffle tickets for a dollar each. The person who matches the raffle ticket number wins a prize, and the money from the raffle goes toward the new baby diaper fund.
Baby ArtBuy onsies and fabric markers. Put the onsies on a magazine or cardboard backing, and have your guests draw on one or write a special message, or some advice for the new baby. This way the child can wear these when he/she is born, and the mother to be can keep these as a memento, of her baby shower.
Pin the Pacifier on the Baby
Just like pin the tail on the donkey except with a baby instead of a donkey. You can buy little party favor pacifiers and try to get the pacifiers as close to the babies mouth as possible. Whoever gets the closest wins the prize.
Baby Trivia
Think up some pretty tough questions about babies. Ex. What causes Jaundice? Split into teams and ask each team a question, the team that gets the most questions right gets a prize at the end of the game.
Guess Who?
Ask everyone who is going to attend the baby shower to bring a picture of themselves as babies to the shower. Place all the pictures on a table and have everyone guess who is who when they were babies. Who ever gets the most right wins a prize.
Baby Charades
For this game you are going to need to make cards with baby items on it. Ex. A crib or a rattle etc. Write these down, Split everybody up into teams and then play the baby version of charades. Have one person on a team pick a card but not show it to anyone, have that player go up to the drawing board and draw that item. It gets really funny because not everyone is good at drawing. Team with the most points at the end gets a prize.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brooke_Schuman
2.28.2007
Bridal Shower Games
Bridal Bingo
Take a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper and make "Bingo Cards" with 25 empty spaces (5 across, 5 down). Write BINGO across the top, one letter above each row. Have the guests write in the gifts that they think the bride-to-be will receive. As she opens her presents, each guest will cross off that gift if they have it on their bingo card. As soon as someone has marked off 5 in a row, they get a gift. This can go on until the bride is done opening her gifts.
Box of Recipes
Have each guest bring one of their favorite recipes on a specific recipe card included in the invitation or have them write it down that day. The recipes are then compiled in a book for the new bride to start out her marriage.
Timer Presents
While the bride-to-be is opening gifts, set a timer to go off after 30-60-90 seconds. Each time the timer rings, a small wrapped item like lotions, candles, chocolates, etc. is given to the person whose gift is being opened. This was a good game for a shower attended by women of all ages.
Tissue Paper Veil
Give each guest 3 sheets of ordinary white tissue paper and 5 minutes to create a veil. After 5 minutes, the guests model their veils and the bride-to-be chooses her favorite and gives a small present to that guest.
Wedding Quilt
Have each guest design one square reflecting the theme of love at the wedding shower using ribbon, buttons, beads, etc. When each person finished I had them sign the square. Later, before the wedding, the quilt can be sewn into a quilt and given to the couple as a gift from everyone at the shower.
Advice Book
Using a blank book, have the guests pass it around and write down their best 'love and marriage' advice. The outside can be decorated with fabric or photocopied pictures of the couple or just their names and the wedding date.
Bridal Pictionary
Have a list of things to be drawn or just bridal-related categories to get the creative juices going. Put up a large board on an easel or a sturdy chair and use a large pad of paper and markers. Divide into two teams and play the game just like normal Pictionary!
How Well Does the Bride Know the Groom?
Have someone ask the groom questions about himself beforehand. Then at the shower ask the bride the same questions. If the bride's answer matches the groom's, the bride gets a prize. If the answer doesn't match, pick a guest's name out of a bowl/hat and give them a prize.
I Never...
Give each guest pieces of candy equal to the number of guests. You can use M&Ms, kisses, etc. Starting with the bride, each guest must confess one thing they have never done ("I never have ridden a bike" or "I never drank alcohol"). The confessions could get a little dirty, depending on the crowd! Any guest who HAS ever done what was confessed must eat one piece of candy. The guest who has the most candy left wins the game and gets a prize. You can also give a prize for the one who has done it all and has no candy left.
Take a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper and make "Bingo Cards" with 25 empty spaces (5 across, 5 down). Write BINGO across the top, one letter above each row. Have the guests write in the gifts that they think the bride-to-be will receive. As she opens her presents, each guest will cross off that gift if they have it on their bingo card. As soon as someone has marked off 5 in a row, they get a gift. This can go on until the bride is done opening her gifts.
Box of Recipes
Have each guest bring one of their favorite recipes on a specific recipe card included in the invitation or have them write it down that day. The recipes are then compiled in a book for the new bride to start out her marriage.
Timer Presents
While the bride-to-be is opening gifts, set a timer to go off after 30-60-90 seconds. Each time the timer rings, a small wrapped item like lotions, candles, chocolates, etc. is given to the person whose gift is being opened. This was a good game for a shower attended by women of all ages.
Tissue Paper Veil
Give each guest 3 sheets of ordinary white tissue paper and 5 minutes to create a veil. After 5 minutes, the guests model their veils and the bride-to-be chooses her favorite and gives a small present to that guest.
Wedding Quilt
Have each guest design one square reflecting the theme of love at the wedding shower using ribbon, buttons, beads, etc. When each person finished I had them sign the square. Later, before the wedding, the quilt can be sewn into a quilt and given to the couple as a gift from everyone at the shower.
Advice Book
Using a blank book, have the guests pass it around and write down their best 'love and marriage' advice. The outside can be decorated with fabric or photocopied pictures of the couple or just their names and the wedding date.
Bridal Pictionary
Have a list of things to be drawn or just bridal-related categories to get the creative juices going. Put up a large board on an easel or a sturdy chair and use a large pad of paper and markers. Divide into two teams and play the game just like normal Pictionary!
How Well Does the Bride Know the Groom?
Have someone ask the groom questions about himself beforehand. Then at the shower ask the bride the same questions. If the bride's answer matches the groom's, the bride gets a prize. If the answer doesn't match, pick a guest's name out of a bowl/hat and give them a prize.
I Never...
Give each guest pieces of candy equal to the number of guests. You can use M&Ms, kisses, etc. Starting with the bride, each guest must confess one thing they have never done ("I never have ridden a bike" or "I never drank alcohol"). The confessions could get a little dirty, depending on the crowd! Any guest who HAS ever done what was confessed must eat one piece of candy. The guest who has the most candy left wins the game and gets a prize. You can also give a prize for the one who has done it all and has no candy left.
2.26.2007
Gift and favor ideas
Hi! Welcome to my new blog for gifts and favors, to be published in tandem with my new website at www.favorcreative.com. In this blog I will talk about ideas for favors, gifts and different events. More info coming soon!
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