DIY Party Loot Bags

Well it's official...my little baby boy is 1 year old. We recently celebrated with a Teddy Bear Picnic themed birthday party. In keeping with the theme, I put together these cute (and super simple) loot bags.

Source: Simply Sophisticated Events

 

Filled with outdoor toys like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, bouncy balls, kazoos, and stickers, these loot bags were easy and inexpensive to put together. All you need are paper lunch bags, a stamp and ink, and some ribbon. The great think about these loot bags is that you can customize them for any event you might be hosting. By changing up the stamp and ribbon, you can use them as favour bags for a bridal or baby shower, lunch bags for a picnic-themed party, or even doggy bags for a dinner party.

The first step was stamping the paper bags with a "thank you" message. I chose to use black ink because it would show up on the brown bag best. But you can definitely think outside the box on this step and match the ink colour to your theme.

Source: Simply Sophisticated Events

Next, I used a single hole punch to punch out two holes so that I would be able to thread the ribbon through to keep the bag closed and make it easier to carry.

Source: Simply Sophisticated Events

After filling the bag with all the toys, I threaded the ribbon through the two holes and tied a simple double knot. I chose to use grosgrain ribbon, but there are quite a few options you can use to tailor the look to your event's theme. I think this would look great using raffia, twine string, leather cord, yarn, etc. You can also add a personalized name or favour tag at this stage.

Source: Simply Sophisticated Events

Source: Simply Sophisticated Events

So three easy steps and you have cute, personalized favour bags that can be used for multiple occasions.

I'll be posting more ideas and pictures from my son's Teddy Bear Picnic themed party so check back soon!

Q & A: Unique Drink Ideas

Q: I am throwing a Mother's Day brunch this coming weekend and I'm not sure what type of alcoholic beverage to serve. Do you have any suggestions for something fun?

 A: Our favourite go-to alcoholic beverage for that special brunch, shower, or outdoor meal is pink wine, also known as rosé. Often forgotten, rosé wines offer food-friendly versatility. Served chilled, it pairs well with fruit, quiche, cheese, food from the grill, seafood, salads, and more. It's pink colour is the perfect way to inject some fun and colour into your Mother's Day brunch.
 

Christmas Candyland Baby Shower

More pictures from Bump Smitten can be found here.

*Images courtesy of http://www.Blog.BirdsParty.com

Garden Spa Baby Shower

What struck me the most about this baby shower, was the beautiful, vibrant floral centre pieces and lavendar cookies. What do you think?

Garden Spa Baby Shower is courtesy of Bump Smitten. Visit their blog for full party details.

Real Baby Shower: Little Pink Birdie

View the rest of the pictures and shower details here.

{Real Parties} A TomKat Studio Special

We're always on the lookout for baby shower ideas that are chic and modern, but still feel like a baby shower. Check out this adorable shower designed by TomKat Studio. Sweet Owl Baby Shower, was featured on their blog last month and featured yummy looking treats from The Cookie Jar and Sweeties by Kim and photographed by Sierra Studios Photography.

{Real Party} Baby Shower Meets Garden Spa

Anyone who knows us girls here at Simply Sophisticated Events, knows that we share a few guilty pleasures, spa days, a good glass of wine, a nice flower arrangement, cupcakes and anything sweet.

This baby shower featured on Bump Smitten embodies all of our guilty pleasures. If we were invited to this party, we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves, we'd be so excited!

Thanks to Bump Smitten for featuring this Garden Spa Baby Shower, we will forever be inspired by this party.

Baby Shower Theme: Bedtime Story

Thanks to the Hostess with the Mostess for featuring this amazing baby shower on their blog. We love the bedtime story theme, the decor ideas are super cute and are perfect for a gender neutral shower . . . what do you think?

All images are courtesy of The Hostess With The Mostess Blog.

{Real Party} Baby Shower Meets Coco Chanel

Today's Real Party shout-out goes to the talented Mili Ghosh of Memories in Motion. This elegant, fashion inspired baby shower is sure to be any mommy-to-be's dream come true. From the pearl wish tree, to the coordinating pink treats and trinkets, we think you'll be inspired to create your own glamorous event.

*Images courtesy of Pizzazzarie

Spring Is In The Air: Free Printables

It's hard to believe it's Spring with this wacky Ontario weather however, we refuse to give up on our favourite season. So, we're sending you all warm thoughts (literally) and a cute printable party pack we've just stumbled upon. OK, so it's not like this will make the weather nicer or warmer, but this free printable is pretty cute and did we mention it's free? That's got to take your mind off the weather . . . no?

This book-themed baby shower printable party pack was designed by Rifle Paper Co (for the May 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine) and include baby shower invitations, bookplates, and a cute little bookmark.

Not hosting a baby shower anytime soon? You can use the bookplate and bookmark to accompany your favourite childhood classic or, use them as a prize for the Easter Egg Hunt you're hosting this weekend. The kids will love it!

Find the free printables here.

{Photo Source: Rifle Paper Co.}

{Real Party} Co-ed Baby Shower: A New Trend

Whoever says baby shower's are frilly, girly affairs and have no place for boys may want to check out this ultra-modern co-ed baby shower by Leminga Events and Andrea Taylor Studio, featured on Occasions Magazine. Taking into consideration the age of the parents-to-be and the bride's choice to buck tradition making her shower co-ed, they chose to host a brunch, and used yellow and purple to help accent their baby footprints theme.

Take a look at the photo's below courtesy of Andrea Taylor Studio and Occasions Magazine. 

For even more pictures from this baby shower, please visit Occasions Magazine.

Celebrity Baby Shower Secrets

It's no secret that one of our very own planners is totally celebrity obsessed. Luckily, we were able to channel her obsession to track down how a few celebrity moms celebrated the birth of their babies via baby showers.

While not everyone can afford to throw an official celeb style event, we couldn't resist sharing some gossip from Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Garner's showers in hopes you can pick from one or two ideas to make your shower a little more chic.

Gwen Stefani - In 2006 Gwen, along with her rock star husband Gavin Rossdale, celebrated the arrival of their first baby with a couples baby shower. The shower had a lamb theme and gifts were given from West Hollywood baby boutique Petit Tresor, where she was registered.

Jennifer Garner - When Jennifer was pregnant with daughter Violet, she was blessed with not one, but two baby showers. The first was hosted by her hometown Charleston, Virginia a few months before her due date and all the gifts were donated to a local charity. Jennifer's second shower was more private with close friends and family. Inspired by the name Violet, her theme colour was purple and as guests presented their gifts to Jennifer, they each recited a poem or told a story about her and Ben.

Stay tuned for more celebrity baby shower secrets!

*Source: Plan the Perfect Baby Shower

Baby Shower Spotlight - April 2010

I am especially thrilled to be sharing our second Baby Shower Spotlight with you today, as it was in honour of our very own Jennifer. I remember the day that Jennifer told me that her and her husband were expecting their first child, my first thought was, “How soon is too soon to throw her a baby shower?”

Bucking all baby shower traditions, the theme of this evening soiree was sophisticated modern in tones of blue and brown. This colour combination is one of my favourites, and matched the décor of the nursery perfectly.

When planning any type of party, we love using décor pieces that can be used afterwards by the guest(s) of honour. Trying to keep the nursery in mind, I chose items that would blend well with Jennifer’s existing décor.

And blend they did. I’m pleased to announce that the baby blocks, picture frames, basket, and stuffed bear have now all taken up residence in the baby’s room. 

Our mom-to-be’s not-so-secret obsession with celebrity gossip put me on the hunt for a fun baby shower game. I was thrilled to find the Celebrity Baby Names game by Swanky Chics. Not only was it the perfect game to play, it even matched the décor of the shower.  Lastly, we busted out the How Big is Mommy’s Tummy tape to take turns guessing how big Jennifer’s belly had grown.

With all the food out, everyone managed to still save some room for the mini chocolate cupcakes. They looked so pretty set out on the cake platter that no one wanted to be the first to dig in, so Jennifer took care of that problem!

At the end of the evening, favor packages of home baked cookies, made by one of our very talented friends, were sent home with each guest.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening, filled with lots of laughter and amazing memories. I can’t wait to meet their new baby boy!

*All photos taken by Simply Sophisticated Events.