It wasn’t too long ago that I had to type this into a Google search:
I’ll spare you the key strokes if you, too, are unfamiliar with this acronym: it means Do It Yourself. Not in a No-I-Won’t-Help-You-Make-The-Bed kind of Do it Yourself!, but a Let’s-Be-Like-Martha-And-Make-It-Ourselves kind of spirit. This is the latest lingo for The Crafters and Creative Types out there.
You may be wondering (based on the title of this post), what m-DIY means, to which I will answer: Mostly Do It Yourself, extra emphasis on the M. This is a new acronym I’m trying to coin, mainly because I don’t always hit the standards of Full DIY, and I’d hate to misrepresent myself.
I recently had the pleasure of throwing a baby shower for my sister, and it was a great opportunity to do a little DIY-ing to keep my creative side happy, and shave off some of the cost that can come with showers. I have realized through the process of getting married and later having a child that anything marked as WEDDING or BABY has a 40-80% mark-up. Find just a plain white candle at the store? It may cost a couple of bucks, but once it even smells of a white veiled occasion, it’s at least seventeen-ninety-nine-plus-tax-and-your-first-born. This whole DIY’ing was great to cut out not only the middle man, but also the overly-priced-oh-but-it’s-for-baby-so-of-course-I’ll-pay-too-much mentality.
But, I digress.
What does a baby shower consist of these days? Typically, food, an activity or a few games, dessert, and gifts for the mother-to-be. I researched online to find other people’s baby shower ideas, and decided to write this post to share with other Would-Be Shower Throwers some of the things I attempted. I hope this is helpful to you!
Because you may not personally know all of the guests invited to the shower, you’ll want to offer a variety of food that can suit a variety of palates (think: vegetarians, people with dairy or gluten allergies, or your general picky eaters). I opted for easy to prepare, but delicious all the same.
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Pig-in-the-Blankets Crescent Rolls + Beef Sausages |
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Cheese Broccoli Quiche Find the recipe here, substituting broccoli for bacon |
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Veggies with Ranch // Yogurt, Strawberry & Granola Parfait Ranch was creamier than veggie dip (and already in my fridge) and I used recyclable cups for the parfait. |
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Chocolate, Chocolate Cupcakes with Blue Sprinkles Cupcake recipe here, chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe here |
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Decaf Coffee, Regular Coffe, Cream & Sugar, Orange Juice & Water Not as glamorous as the cupcakes, but oh so necessary |
I was left with one stipulation: NO GAMES, to which I said, NO PROBLEM! Instead, I opted for a fun activity that also could be both a great memento of the shower and a gift for baby: A Thumbprint Wishing Tree.
I found a great template for the tree at this site, traced it onto off-white cardstock, and then wrote a poem to accompany the tree.
This is a photo of the tree partially filled out, but it will be cute once framed and given to Mom-to-Be! (Photos to follow once the frame is finished!)
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| Wishes for Baby |
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Cupcake Display Stand Tutorial found here |
This flag banner was great to double as a decoration for the party and a gift for Mom-to-Be in case the nursery needed a splash of color.
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Pennant Flag Banner Tutorial found here |
To thank the guests for coming out, I made coffee cozies (you can find the tutorial here), and wrapped them around mason jars filled with homemade hot chocolate mix. I’m actually selling the leftover cozies I made at my Etsy Shop while supplies last! Check them out here!
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| Cozy Hot Cocoa |
I got the recipe from a friend of mine, but you can find a similar one here. Warning! Delicious Sugar Crashes may occur that will end in a much needed nap, but it’ll be the best nap you’ve had in ages, at least in my experience.
Have you had any m-DIY projects you’ve worked on recently? Had a successful baby shower? Share in the comments below!
The leftover hot chocolate mix is calling my name, so I shall say farewell for now. Don’t worry, I should be able to mostly drink it myself.
A quick shout out of CONGRATULATIONS to my sister, the beautiful mother to be. I can’t wait to meet my nephew!
~M
P.S. Overwhelmed by all the links? This may help:
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