CJ loves parties - not just attending them, but using her resourcefulness to help plan them. This spring she created a baby shower with a literary bent: This shower was for a special couple that is adopting their first child. The colors were brown and green based off of the nursery. Given that both parents are avid readers, I chose an Owl and Books theme (owls to add whimsy and because they seem bookish to me).
I encouraged guests to bring a children's book instead of a card and included a bookplate in the invitation for them to write a special note on. My favorite parts were the owl cupcakes, the children's book cupcake toppers, the "alternate titles" game, and the onesie stenciled in the same owl motif.
CJ has made some party downloads available for free on her blog Pink Tea ("guess the title" game, favor tags, owl stickers and bookplates) where you can also read more about this bookish baby shower.
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Looks like a fun baby shower! I love the theme and all the thoughtful details you did to go along with it!
Oh my.... those cupcake toppers are so cute! What a lovely way to celebrate a new baby:)
Our bookclub threw us a surprise book shower, it was awesome. Everyone brought either a book they loved as a child, or a book they loved to read to their kids. Our son started off with a great & very personal library!
Is that an antique egg holder used as a cupcake holder or actual cupcake holder that looks vintage? love it!
WOW! What a fabulous idea! We have nearly all of these books in the picture...love it!
As a children's librarian, I say "HOORAY!!!" Great ideas here - esp love those cupcake toppers :)
I may have to steal the mini-book cupcake toppers for my daughter's next birthday party!
We JUST had my daughter's first birthday party last week and it was also book themed! We did all food from books (green deviled eggs and ham, muffin and cookies, strawberries and jam sandwiches...all from various children's books), had a dramatic book reading from "The Cat in the Hat" and had reading blankets on the grass with pillows and books for the children to enjoy. Everyone came dressed as their favorite children's book character. We also made party banners by photocopying the front covers of children's books (many of the same ones you used) and cutting them into triangles and stringing them. It was a big success! Where did you get the mini books on the cupcakes??
I love it! Another fun book-related shower ideas is using a picture book as a guest book. You could also create a game where you have to match book titles with authors and illustrators or match famous lines with their source book.
Haley @ http://aslanslibrary.wordpress.com
This is a fantastic idea. Thanks for the whimsical take on a nerdy theme! Absolutely love it!
This totally rocks! We had guests bring something educational to our first baby shower which made for a good blend of nursery decor items with a learning element tie-in, books, and and cute pink dresses (can't rob someone of their right to purchase a pink frilly dress for a baby girl). Those flags on the cupcakes are just too cute.
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I am going to ask for this for my next birthday party! Why should babies have all the awesome fun? :-)
My book club has also done this for members who were expecting. It's nice to share the book(s) you remember as favorites from when you were a child.
I LOVE this idea and may adapt this for my daughters upcoming 5th birthday!
Even the napkins are pretty!
My friend the book editor had a baby shower at her work, and the gang made onesies with the covers of the books she edited. You could ask everyone to do that with their favorite children's book...
Can anyone tell me where I can get those cupcake picks? They're beautiful!
We are having a book themed baby shower for my sister, in which guests are asked to bring a book in lieu of a card.
Some concern is being brought up by guests; they are wondering how to control the books people bring so that my sister doesn't get 5 copies of the same book. We didn't want to provide people with a list of books because we asked people to bring a book that is meaningful to them ... what is your suggestion as to how to manage this?
AND WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE BOOK CUPCAKE TOPPERS? I NEED THEM!
Michellejenn - what a great idea! I doubt there is any way to manage what books guests will bring, and as you said, you want people to bring what is meaningful to them. Why not donate duplicates to a local school, library, or women and childrens' shelter? I don't see how anyone could be offended by that.
@MichelleJenn: I would also remind your sister that having multiple copies of books isn't such a bad idea with a little one--the little one will likely chew up a bunch of books during teething, and it's always nice to have spare copies for grandparents' houses, diaper bags, and so on. If you get the same book in different versions, like a board book and a paper back, the child can hold one copy while the adult reads another.
All that being said, there's only so many copies of "Goodnight, Moon" a person needs. You could steer different guests towards books on different themes or genres--ask some guests to bring a book about animals, others to bring an alphabet book, etc.
Can you tell me where you got the book cupcake toppers? Did you make them or is there a website to order them?
I would also like to know where you got the book cupcake toppers. Thanks.