Paper & Cake: Sail Away Party collection

sailboat place card, vase wrapper

How about this for a versatile party collection? Paper & Cake have unveiled their "Sail Away" themed printable party collection, and it is perfect for everything from Baby's First Birthday, to a Family Reunion, to a Bon Voyage Farewell to a Baby shower.

placemat, customizable invitation, cupcake picks, thank you notes, two styles of envelope

It includes more items than any Paper & Cake DIY party kit yet!

Customizable Invitations with Matching Envelopes
Door Sign
Pennant Banner “Celebrate”
Cupcake flags
Cupcake Wrappers
Paper Boats (can be used as place cards or general decorations)
Captain’s Birthday Hat
Cone Party Hats
Favor Boxes with Gift Tags
Thank You Notes with Matching Envelopes
Food Labels
Straw Markers
Pin Wheels
Craft Snack Boxes (which also makes super cute Hamburger Boxes)
Napkin Rings (can double as vase and/or candle wrappers)
Paper Lanterns
Placemats
Full Patterned Sheets

lanterns, snack boxes, straw markers, pinkwheels, favor box, gift tag, cone hats

pennant banner

Whew! And all this for only $10. Visit the Paper & Cake Printable Partyware shop today.

Paper & Cake ~ A Baby Shower

favor basket, napkin rings, vase wrapper, place card & cupcake picks

invitation, envelope, front door sign and gift log

We are really having a great time over at the Paper & Cake printable partyware factory (my tiny home office). Our team of designers are happily churning out collection after collection (totally true) of original and easy to use decorations.

This is just a sampling of our "Under the Sea" Baby Shower collection. In it, you will find everything you need for a party, including:

• Invitation + Envelope
• Pennant Banner
• Food label picks
• Cupcake picks
• Bottle Labels
• Cupcake wraps
• Placecards - tent style
• Gift log
• Game sheet
• Candle/vase wrappers/napkin rings
• Lawn sign/door banner
• Thank you notecard + Envelope
• Favor Basket
• Full sheet Illustrations - print on iron on transfer paper to make cute onsies!

cute toddler tshirt and onsies made with "Under the Sea" illustrations

Add your own cloth napkins and china for a special day that the Mom-to-be will remember forever. Visit our Etsy shop or the Paper & Cake blog for more information, and download this $8 collection today.

cupcake wrappers & cupcake picks with the pennant banner in the background

Baby Shower

I've been busy, you wouldn't know it from my lack of posting tho. Last week, my sister-in-law and I held a baby shower here at my house, for her sister, expecting her second baby. I know, I know, baby shower throwing etiquette states that second babies don't get a shower - isn't that sad? But because I am a third child of three, I think that all babies should get a party!

We planned this shower as a surprise, but, the father of said baby just couldn't keep his mouth shut and told her just a few hours before hand. He said he was "to stressed out about getting her to my house" to keep it a secret any longer. At least now we know he always tells the truth. It was a wonderful shower. The guests arrived on a Sunday midmorning to enjoy brunch together. On this menu was:

Breakfast Casserole (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Butter to grease pan
• 6 slices of thick cut, crusty white bread
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

meat version:

• 1 cup sausage, cooked and drained of fat
• 1 cup bacon, cooked and drained of fat

veggie version:

• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
• 1 cup diced mushrooms

In a small bowl, beat the eggs until they loosen up. Add the half and half, and green onions. Mix well, highly season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Butter a 12 by 10-inch baking pan. Line the pan with the bread, cutting and rearranging, if needed. Sprinkle the bread with either the cooked meats and cheese or veggies and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the entire pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes, uncover and cook 20 minutes more (or until the egg mixture is set).

Yogurt Parfaits

• yogurt
• granola
• fresh mixed berries

Set out ice cream glasses (or glass dishes) and parfait ingredients, and let your guests serve themselves.


We also had an assortment of store bought pastries, breads and fruit salad. To drink we always have coffee (even if nobody else wants it, I'll drink every last drop) and orange juice mixed with a sparkling water served in champagne glasses.

The Decorations were very straightforward - and actually I didn't buy anything except fresh flowers. I used my white and gold wedding china and cloth napkins (to save the planet!) We arranged three round "fish bowl" vases with the mother-to-be's favorite flower (gerbera daisy) and tied a bit of blue tulle to each vase. On the dining table I set out an array of baby items from when my own children were new. We used two each of engraved silver spoons and silver cups, two tooth fairy boxes, a ceramic figurine of a baby cradle and a "My first Piggy Bank". Just enough cute stuff to show the theme, and be elegant at the same time.

For the dreaded shower activity, we chose something memorable. We asked the guests to bring a bead or charm to make into a necklace for the mother-to-be. The idea for this necklace, is to use it as a focal point during labor, to encircle the recipient in love and community, to act as a reminder of her extended support network, and of the strength of the women in her life. She loved it!

So, all in all a very easy baby shower - hopefully it will be a easy birth experience for my sister-in-law as well.

"Green" Baby Shower

Knowing that I had given more than a few showers in my time, my mom friend Mary asked me today if I had any ideas for a baby shower she is putting together. The mom-to-be is very into living “green” and wanted that to be the theme for the shower. The party colors would not be your typical shades of pink or blue, but green and white.

After reading a bit about an eco-baby shower given for Sheryl Crow, I was inspired…this is what I would do:

Invitation

• Choose recycled paper or a “plantable” invitation made with handmade paper embedded with seeds
• Let people know that it is okay, in fact preferable, that their gift is gently used
• Encourage guests to wrap their gifts not in paper or a disposable gift bag but a receiving blanket or nursery themed fabrics

Food

• Buy local and buy organic!
• Use real plates/glasses/flatware instead of paper – even if they are mismatched

Decorations

• Purchase a bolt or at least several yards of white tulle – it is quite inexpensive and can be reused as décor for almost any party (drape it over entranceways, use it as a layer of table cloth, tie it in bows around chair backs, tie it around flower vases – it will soften the look of the party perfect for a baby shower, wedding shower or even birthday party)
• Stay away from traditional paper decorations
• Collect glass baby food jars and use as tea lights
• Choose new or heirloom baby toys as centerpieces
• Use greenery from your own backyard as floral arrangements

Activity

• Have each guest decorate a baby onsie or baby bib made of organic cotton, with organic or soy based paints

Party Favors

• Plant little individual terra cotta herbs/plants for the guests to bring home (use them on the tables as part of the décor!)
• Bake muffins and wrap them in a kitchen towel instead of a paper/plastic bag

Let me know how the shower turns out! And as always, shoot me an email if you need any more advice :)