Weekend Pajama Party: Sugar & Spice Baby Shower!

I was honored to throw a baby shower for one of my favorite people in the world last weekend!  Katie is having a baby girl in September and wanted a soft and delicate feeling to the decorations and theme.  She decided on "Sugar and Spice" with an emphasis on sugar!  You can't go wrong with that. 

This cotton candy inpspired wreath was hung on the front door.  The rosettes were made from tulle (lots and lots of tulle) and held in place on a styrofoam wreath with corsage pins.  There was zero gluing involved, which I loved.  Click HERE! for a tutorial on my new favorite wreath.  :)

Next I made this matching topiary, using the same technique on the roses. 

I added strips of green tulle in the back of the rosettes for the look of leaves, and it added a delicate contrast. I'm not gonna lie, this little creation was hard to say goodbye to. 

Since the new little bundle of joy will be as "Cute as a Button", the guests each glued a button onto a "M" for baby Megan. 

The shower was open house style so we didn't play any of the traditional shower games, but this gave the guests something to work on for baby Megan's room.

Another little activity the guests were asked to do was with this Blessing Tree. They were asked to write some words of love, wisdom, or advice to Katie or baby Megan to hang on the tree. 

I made these puffy tulle pom poms as a simple garland to add detail to the gift table. 

They were SO easy, so keep your eyes open for an upcoming tutorial.

I LOVED the idea Katie came up with.  Like I mentioned before, it was open house style, but we wanted people to stay and chit chat, so Katie put together this onesie station. 

She bought a variety of onesie sizes, paint, and stencils and let everyone show off their creativity with personalized onesies from baby Megan's newest and greatest fans. 

It was such a cute idea to have the "artists" sign their names as a reminder of this fun day!

I also loved the holiday themed ones! I was a huge fan of this in lieu of games.

WARNING: Just looking at the rest of this blog post may cause cavities! 

Proceed at your own risk!  :)

"Sweets for the Sweet" was the theme of this candy bar.  Guests munched on candy and took a handmade paper box to go as a "thank you" for coming.

The boxes were made using the Cricut cartridge "Boxes, Bags, and Tags" (the first edition, not the "Boxes, Bags, Tags & More").  They are a really easy and custom DIY box for a variety of party favors.  I made the paper rosettes out of vellum which gave them a softer look.  Click HERE for a rosette tutorial.

The apothecary jars and smaller glass jars gave the candy bar an old time feel.

All of the candy was purchased at Gygi's, a super classy party supply store that has more than your average candy and baking selections.

One of my favorites were the giant pearlized gumballs.  ElleBee was sweet enough to let me use her gumball machines.  Click HERE for the tutorial she used to make them.

I got ahead of myself with the party favor, candy bar.  If you thought that was a sugar rush, get ready for the food, treats pure yumminess the guests indulged themselves on.

Katie's amazing neighbor, Rachel, baked all of these deliciously crazy treats!  A picture is worth a thousand words, so enjoy!

I know, right!?! 

 There was an insane amount of to-die-for food!
 These mini champagne styled glasses were one my favorites.  They came from our local Partyland.  The edges were dipped in Karo syrup and then dipped again in pink baking sugar from Gygi's.  The striped straws also came from Gygi's.  I told you, I'm kind of a fan!

Here I am with my gorgeous friend, Katie! (she's on the left)

It was so much fun planning this shower with her!  She will be an amazing mom, and I'm thrilled for her! 

I hope the next baby shower you throw is just as fun as this one!  Hopefully you got some good ideas you can use at any type of party to

make the world a cuter place! 

Have fun!

Cindy Jane
P.S. Click HERE to see some of Katie's baby announcement photos!

Weekend Pajama Party: Paper Rosette Tutorial

 

Oh, Baby!  I got to help throw a baby shower for two of my friends at work this week who are both expecting boys.  We had the shower in the library at school so we had an owl theme...owls like to read books, right?  I love paper rosettes but had never made any.  Well...I'm kind of an expert now, and they are super easy and fun to make for any party.

What I Used:

12x12 paper (double sided is best)

Martha Stewart scoring board (If you don't already have one, get one!)

hot glue/glue gun

Give a Hoot Cricut cartridge (for the owls)

The proportions for this rosette will make a 10 inch diameter rosette...the medium sized one in the trio.  Sorry I didn't snap pictures of the owl rosettes as I made them...they were a true pajama craftin' project.  :)

Step 1: Using one piece of 12x12 paper, cut three 4x12 inch strips.

Step 2: Score each paper at 1/2 inch.

Step 3: Fold the strips accordion style.  It's the same technique I used when I was little and would fold papers into fans during church.  :)

Step 4: Line the papers up and glue them together (keeping the accordion pattern)....

....until they look like a lampshade.

Step 5: Press down in the center until it looks like this.  Don't be afraid to force it down. 

You can't break it!

Step 6: I cut out a flower shape on my Cricut and hot glued a flower to each side to keep it together.

If you get the double sided paper, it's a fun bonus if you hang them from the ceiling. 

Here's the view from the back.

See how fun and easy?!  I cut out some owls using the Give a Hoot Cricut cartridge for the baby shower ones and I glued them over the white flower.  This made them extra sturdy.

Here's a cheat sheet for the paper sizes I cut and the diameter of each paper rosette.

Aqua: Finished rosette = 14 inch diameter

Uses four 6x12 inch paper strips (2 12x12 papers)

Orange: Finished rosette = 10 inch diameter

Uses three 4x12 inch paper strips

Green: Finished rosette = 6 1/2 inch diameter

Uses two 3x6 inch paper strips

I kept the owl motif going and made some extra mini owls as cupcake toppers.  :)

I made the banner out of burlap, cloth, and paper letters.  The burlap blocks are 6 inches and the damask cloth blocks are 5 1/4 inches.  I used spray adhesive to stick it all together.  :)

If you haven't already made some of these paper rosettes, I hope you'll give them a try! 

They definitely make the world a cuter place!

Have fun!

~Cindy Jane

No Sew Burlap Ruffle Banner

I know Valentine's Day is only a few hours away, but I'm a last minute kind of girl and I have to share this weekend's project!  This banner was really easy to make and the style would be perfect for Valentine's Day or a baby or wedding shower.  Plus, for my fellow sewing-phobic friends out there, the only sewing involved was a few stitches with a needle and thread.  Plus, I used burlap and scrapbook paper from previous projects, so it was free!  (That never happens to me!)  Here's how I did it.

Materials:
Burlap
Cardstock
Spray adhesive
Needle
Hot glue
Cricut for the letters and the inner paper triangles

Step 1:  I had 2 yards of burlap, and I cut out 3 strips that were 2 inches wide.  Since you'll be ruffling it, 6 yards makes only 6 feet of ruffle.  Click here (and scroll down) to see my tips on cutting burlap in a straight line.  (It's a lifesaver!)

Step 2:  Take one of the center threads and pull it.  Your burlap will start to ruffle. 

When you get about halfway through, pull on a thread at the opposite end and start the ruffle from the other side. Repeat on your other strips. 

Step 3: I cut around a 6 inch triangle I had cut out on my Cricut, leaving some extra room around the edges.  I wasn't worried about being precise on this part.  (I used the George & Basic Shapes cartridge and the triangle is Triangle 2.)

Step 4: Cut out 1 inch strips for the side ruffle.  (I suggest cutting the side ruffles in lengths no longer than 1 foot to help keep the side ruffle perky.)  Follow the same steps as above to make these shorter ruffles.

Step 5: Hot glue the ruffles around the edges of the triangle.

Step 6: Add the paper triangles and letters inside the burlap triangles.  They should fit snugly in the center.  I used Elmer's Glue Spray Adhesive to secure them and it worked perfectly.  The triangles are 5 & 1/4 inches using the same Cricut cartridge and font as above.  I used the Songbird Cricut cartridge in 3 inch letters for the word.

Step 7: Sew the length of the banner together.  I used a string of burlap for my thread and you can't tell it's pieced together.

Step 8: Center your letters and stitch them together!  I also stitched each end of the burlap shut so it didn't come undone.

I think I might be more excited to pull this out for a wedding shower than Valentine's Day!  It would be so cute to make a personalized one for the bride and groom too!  Now I just need one of my friends to get engaged.  : )  Let us know your creative ideas for one of these fun banners!  They definitely make the world a cuter place!

Have fun & Happy Valentine's Day!

~Cindy Jane