And that little announcement is what inspired the theme for the baby shower I am planning: A Family Tree. After searching online for ideas on what I could do, I basically came up empty. The bad news is there weren't many people who went this route and, if they did, they didn't post pictures. The good news is this would be a fairly original and personal idea for a shower. Now the brain storming begins!
First I needed to find an invitation that would kick off the theme. I managed to find one that was perfect.
My online search also lead me to "diaper cakes." A cake made out of diapers and decorated to suit the theme of the shower. Of course there were no Family Tree cakes online. So I thought about it for a few days. I decided to print out little triangular cards and type baby traditions from each of the five countries the baby's great-grandparents came from on each one. My plan was for them to be a banner that encircles each layer of the cake, but new born diapers are too small, so I improvised. I also made little flags from the five countries to put on top of the cake. Now I need to fill in the cake with some colorful items. The baby registry already had hats, mittens, and socks etc. However, there were no baby toys on the registry. I bought a nice set of rattles and teething rings and got to work. These were also a little too big for newborn diapers, but with a little ribbon I managed to get them on. Here is the end result.
I am pretty happy the way it turned out.
My next idea was to create some work of art, maybe for the nursery. I came up with an idea of a family tree collage made from the maps of each of the five countries. Of course, the problem was finding a cheap enough atlas to cut up, and there would be no room for mistakes. So instead of buying maps, I decided to print them because not only was it cheaper, but I could make them different sizes and if I cut something wrong I would be able to print another. I printed my first set of maps and they were too small. I printed my second set and they were too big. And, like Goldilocks, I finally found the perfect size! I sprayed them lightly with hair spray to "set" the ink so it wouldn't smear when using Mod Podge over them. I got myself a nice 16x20 canvas and some scissors and went to work. This was the end result:
The top five large limbs represent the countries of the baby's ancestors and great-grandparents. The trunk is made up of the places where current family members live. The little heart in the center represents the baby. The little "plaque" at the bottom reads: "Family: like branches on a tree we grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one." I hope they like this tree and hang it in the baby's nursery.
Now I was on a roll. I had another idea that I wish I had thought of when my children were born. I decided to ask all close family members to write a personal, handwritten note to the baby. It could be any length about anything. It could be how they feel about the baby coming, words of advice or stories. I told them I would put all these letters and notes in a special box for the parents to take home, read and then save for some future date to give to their daughter when she was ready. A time capsule of sorts for her college graduation, her wedding or when she was having her first child. Imagine opening a box with letters from your great grandparents and grandparents and other relatives that were written to you 20 or 30 years ago? I hope my daughter and her husband will add their letters to the box before she is born.
Favors next. What could I give out that would tie all these ideas together? A little online search lead me to olive tree seedlings! Olives are an Italian favorite and the tree itself is fitting for the theme. I thought it would be an especially cute idea that the trees would be the same "age" as the baby, and if any one of them survived, they would be growing, along with her, for years to come. I will order these in a couple weeks as instructed by the seller. They will be sent out just before the shower. I made little tags of my own to hang on each on with the same quote that is on the family tree collage. Here it is:
My daughter's mother in law also picked up some wonderful favors to represent her son's side of the family, the Filipino side. She found some beautiful tea light favors made from capriz shells that are made in the Philippines. That was the perfect touch to our family tree theme. Here is what they looked like:
What's left? The gifts, that's what. I have a nice stash of crochet items that I need to take out, get photos and wrap. I found a couple of children's books for the baby that tie in with the theme. One book is Filipino bedtime stories for her dad's side of the family. The other book is about an Italian man who comes to America from Italy, with a shovel, and works very hard (like my dad).
My husband and I also decided to give them a "certificate" for a year's worth of baby diapers. I know that will be a big help and it's very practical. Did you know babies can go through about 3,000 diapers in their first year? Oy vey. We are also planning to set up a nice little college fund for the baby later in the year, because we all know how expensive that can be. We want our granddaughter to get off to a good start.
Two weeks before the shower and I decided to do a couple of little quilled cards. I made this one to go with a box full of crocheted blankets and sweaters that I made about two years ago. Here it is:
And this one I made for my younger daughter to give because
she got the baby a stroller and car seat . . .
And today is the shower, March 31st, 2019. The last piece of the party has now been picked up and I love the way it turned out. Ladies and gentlemen . . . I present you the cake!
The cake turned out better than I imagined and I was thrilled when I picked it up.
Everyone at the restaurant was very attentive to our needs, the food was very good and we had our own private room so we could mingle and chat between meals, opening gifts and dessert.
It really was a very special day and lots of warm memories were made for us all to treasure.
