Gender Reveal Party Idea: What's the Scoop?

I know, I know...It has been FOREVER since I said I would post other gender revealing party ideas! But fear not, I haven't forgotten - just been busy. Now that I have some breathing room this week, I thought I would go ahead and post one of those ideas. NOTE: that the photograph and craft above were done hastily in an effort to illustrate one of the ideas below (plus I did not have pink playdough like I originally thought - so I substituted pink marshmallows). I am sure there are piles of you crafty crafty's out there who could do a much better job if you were actually going to throw this party (which I did not, thus the scrounging around for materials that were on hand)...

So without further ado, gender revealing idea #2: What's the Scoop?

(Number 1 was the classic "What Will it Bee" theme)

Invitations:

Idea 1: Buy up those small individual containers of ice cream (the really small ones that come in a package of multiples) in advance and let your family chow down! Wash out and keep the containers and when you are ready, fill them with balls of purchased or homemade playdough in blue and pink (both together) so that it looks like a small ice cream container with scoops of pink and blue ice cream inside. Next, get a plastic spoon and stamp or draw with a marker a question mark on the scoop of the spoon and wrap a small slip of written invitation with details around the handle of the spoon and tie with a gender neutral ribbon. Wrap up each small container in cellophane and tie with ribbon, attaching the spoon to the ribbon on the outside and a little tag that reads "What's the Scoop?" You could even have your kids add real sprinkles to the "ice cream" or punch out some pink and blue confetti or confetti that matches the paper on which you wrote the party details. Then pass out to your friends and family! Also, if you want to add more pizzaz - you could always wrap a piece of fun craft paper in pink and blue or gender neutral colors around the outside of your small container and attach a little question mark charm that you purchase or make yourself (I am thinking of bending wire to fashion something like that).

If you can afford even more expense, you could buy those little clear plastic condiment containers (check the kitchen utensil aisle at places like Walmart - I think they are roughly a dollar each). Some of them look a LOT like a miniature bowl you would put an ice cream sunday in (at least they do to me). Or you could purchase an ice cream scoop for each family you plan to invite and wrap your written invitation around the handle, tied with a bow and a tag with the theme on it.

For a cheaper version of the ice cream container idea - whenever you go to Sam's or Walmart and they have a sample day, eat every sample you can that comes in one of those small clear containers and keep the containers. After a while, you will have a nice stash of containers for invites! Or you could just find out where they buy those cups and purchase some yourself.

Idea 2: Need an even cheaper idea? Print out ice cream coupons that you make yourself saying something about: a fun time and free ice cream sunday for each family member or friend. Mail or hand out personally!

Idea 3: Another variation of invitation would be to purchase ice cream cones and roll up your written detailed invite and place inside the cone. Top (or leave it just the way it is) with a roll of pink and blue swirled playdough. Glue a circle of fun print paper to the front of the cone with a question mark on it. Wrap the entire thing in cellophane and tie with gender neutral ribbon and tag with the theme on it.

Decor:

1. Hang colored pom poms from the ceiling. For a fun experiment - try mixing shades of blue and pink together when you are making each pom pom (see my idea on the pom pom bumble bee in an earlier post). Or just hang varying shades of pom poms in those colors around the rooms. You could also try stringing them on a ribbon and hanging them with a brown paper cone attached at the bottom so they look like ice cream cones hanging from the ceiling.

Or you could take extra plates you have and draw or stamp question marks on them and glue them back to back (so if they spin with a breeze - people are not staring at the back of a plate and wondering what it is) and glue those to a ribbon/string with a paper cone on the bottom to look like hanging ice cream cones. You could also do something similar with all the fun patterned craft papers out there. Just don't go too crazy with a huge variety of papers - I would pick maybe one or two patterned pieces (and stick to those for any other decor or background ideas as well) and maybe one or two main solid colors. This might be the least expensive option especially if you pick these papers up when they are on sale - I think the major craft places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby tend to have sales on their papers at least once a month perhaps?

2. Banner - make smaller pompoms and string them along a banner string - attach a brown paper cone (or REAL cone if you can manage it with your hot glue gun or super glue) to each and add a circle to each cone with a letter printed on it to make up whatever you want to say...

Or you can just make paper circles and attach paper cones with your banner's greeting.

3. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE those large ice cream containers and turn them into holders for napkins, utensils, and yes - even flowers!

You can also turn ice cream cones into small vases for flowers to sit in. Just make sure you line the inside first before adding water or floral green foam or else your cones might not remain nice and stiff the whole time.

4. Perhaps keep one container available for baby name (flavor) suggestions...

5. Ice cream scoop babies: wrap some scoops in cut up baby blanket pieces so they look swaddled - place in a bed of ice in the middle of the table and add a rounded scoop of vanilla or chocolate or whatever color for the face in the scooping part. Add features with candy or frosting or other decorations. You could also just use playdough if you don't want to mess with the possible melting situation.

6. Balloon ice cream cones: get some balloons in the colors of your party to be the "ice cream scoops" and then glue them very carefully to paper cones you make yourself from brown construction or butcher paper. Place these around the room!

Food:

If you are going to have an ice cream bar, load it up with different flavors and toppings which allow guests to make their own fun concoction (if expense is a problem, just stick with basic vanilla and purchase several basic toppings - your guests will enjoy the treat!).

Need labels for your party? This person has GENEROUSLY made ice cream labels and offered them for FREE on her blog!! How neat and sweet is that!! They are adorable and decorative...and did I mention FREE!!!

http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/post.cfm/diy-ice-cream-parlour-make-your-own-sundaes-buffet-concept-for-wedding-or-party

So now all you have to do is decide whether you want to keep your labels simple (just list the toppings) or add some amusement to them by coming up with little ideas that tie your theme together with ice cream. For example:

Nuts (how Mommy feels after those first few sleepless nights) or "Diaper Creme" (whipping cream), etc.

The Big Reveal:

Now this could be done before or after guests eat depending on when and how you want to let everyone know about your new baby's gender.

Idea 1: Bring out a container of ice cream that you or a friend has loaded up with the color that lets everyone know what your baby will be. Make sure that the guests cannot tell what the color is from the outside. I suggest a plain white container with a large question mark written or stamped on the outside and decorated according to your color scheme for the evening. Give everyone a blindfold and then scoop out a little taste for each guest. On the count of three, let them eat it and see if anyone can figure out what the color is before actually seeing it (for example: blueberry for a boy and strawberry for a girl. Or something boyish like rocky road with additional blue marshmallows you add yourself or peaches -n - creme - think complexion - for a girl with some pink swirled in).

Idea 2: Borrow a homemade ice cream maker if you do not have one yourself. Before the guests arrive, you or a friend (if you are keeping it a surprise for yourself as well) add the ingredients for vanilla ice cream plus some generous amount of appropriate blue or pink food color. Depending on the ice cream maker - you may need to figure out a way to seal it from sight while the ice cream is being churned to avoid spoiling the surprise. Then have guests spend the evening helping you make the ice cream. When it is time to eat - reveal the color and let guests add their toppings. If they have already eaten ice cream and this is the last event - spoon some ice cream into styrofoam containers and send home with guests for later enjoyment as a party favor.

For this idea, you can also probably find directions online as to how to make your own ice cream maker from scratch using just a tin or container that guests shake up or roll around all evening until the ice cream is ready.

Idea 3: Baked Alaska! Just use the appropriate color of ice cream and cover it with a generous layer of meringue (at least I think that is what it is) and bake according to instructions. When it is done, let the new parents or some honored person in your family (perhaps a great great grandfather or grandmother) cut it open to reveal the color.

Idea 4: I am not sure this would be possible - but perhaps you could order an ice cream cake from a local bakery just as you would with a normal cake and tell them to put the color ice cream or icing of the gender inside the cake. Make sure they know what it is for so they understand the color needs to be hidden so it will remain a surprise until the appropriate moment!

Okay - so there you go! Ideas for a What's the Scoop gender reveal party... And if anyone happens to use this idea - I would love to see pictures of it!

If you want more suggestions for this idea or need help with anything - I can offer free assistance from afar as needed or as possible since some weeks are rather busy for me. Just e-mail me and I will try to respond when I can.

Pink & Chocolate Baby Sprinkle

Is there anything better than pink in a variety of shades mixed with dark chocolate (and I DO mean the kind you eat as well as the color...) to celebrate a baby girl? I know, I know... It is a color scheme that has been used over and over for showers and weddings - but hey, it works - and quite beautifully I might add! Why mess with a classic, right?

My friend really liked the colors AND she has a sweet spot for dark dark chocolate (nice because it worked so well with the color scheme). So what is a girl supposed to do when her friend expresses such desires? Why, throw her a baby "sprinkle" she hopes her friend would be proud of!!!

I held a brunch for her and several friends and family. The handmade invitations had the underlying theme of "a blossom of love from the Father above". Thus, I had roses and rose petals scattered all over the place - including the walk up to the door where guests were met with a pretty pink feathered boa and welcome sign. I also interspersed ribbons in the pink and chocolate theme with blossoms on them in different places.

Once inside, guests were invited to fill out a name tag, write in a handmade advice book for the baby, as well as sign the guest "book" which was the mat surrounding a maternity photograph of the mother. Then the guests could help themselves to a "Momosa" - non-alcoholic version of Mimosa (basically just orange juice and ginger ale mixed together, and I added a drop of pink or red food coloring to add some intensity and "rosiness" to the color). I also had "Baby Soft" Sangria (non-alcoholic) and a water bar (with slices of lemon and cucumber) available.

Games (My friend is a game fanatic so I knew we had to have some):

Baby Scrabble - paper scrabble boards for each guest made up of the baby's name. Guests were then given envelopes of paper tiles and given time to come up with words associated with baby, pregnancy, etc. Highest score wins!

Who Has the Best Ducky? (my friend has a soft spot for rubber ducks...) - basically a game of luck. I would ask questions like: who was born on their exact due date, who weighed 10 pounds or more at birth, etc. and the women who fell into those categories would get an opportunity to fish around a small tub of rubber ducks. I had predetermined which duck would be the "best" duck each time so that no one duck would be the "best" in a row. Then if they picked the right duck - they received a prize. This was an ongoing game throughout the shower - we would just stop and I would ask some questions and the ladies would take turns picking out a duck and hope to win a prize.

Candy Bar Game - Thanks to http://simplycreativeinsanity.blogspot.com/ I learned of this game. If you visit her blog, she can tell you more about it! :)

The baby "sprinkle" brunch menu:

Petite four cheese and cheese/broccoli quiches

Breakfast parfait (layers of granola and yogurt and whipped cream)

Apricot and mustard glazed sausages (find it on epicurious.com)

Cranberry apple chicken salad on top of homemade honey walnut bread

Fruit stems (think fruit kabobs)

Dark triple chocolate cake (find it on epicurious.com under "triple chocolate celebration cake") - this also doubled as my Charm Cake (more on what that is later in the week).

Baby "sprinkle" decor:

In addition to those items and pictures shown above, I had vases of roses in pink and slightly orange pink shades. I added some pink food coloring to the water for a "rosy" touch.

A slide show was playing in the background showcasing maternity pictures of the mommy-to-be taken by a local photographer.

A fun "blackboard" hung over the fireplace and on it was written in pink chalk the quote:

"Little girls are precious gifts wrapped in love serene. Their dresses tied with sashes and futures tied with dreams."

Prizes for games were located on the mantel and tied with chocolate or pink ribbon or located in a pink gift bag nearby.

What does a girl do when she does not have any nifty little card holders to showcase labels of food - and little or no time to make some? Why she buys foldable placecards of course! Mine had a pink border with flowers and I added a chocolate bow after I had run them through the printer. Voila! Cute labels for food that did not cost me a fortune - I think I got them for a dollar on sale!

And for the grand finale: In honor of my dark-chocolate-loving-friend, I had a dark chocolate treats bar set up where the women could choose from such eye-opening delights as dark chocolate truffles, dark chocolate coconut clusters, dark chocolate walnut truffles, etc. - you get the picture - it was YUMMY!!! But isn't dark chocolate always? Once they chose their treats, they could place them in a cute little pink box and tie it up with pink ribbon - or they could just eat it right there... Honestly now, what would you have done? :)

What Will It "Bee" - extras....

Remember those pom pom bees I mentioned in the "What Will It Bee?" party? Well, I thought I would post a picture of one because pictures, as they say, are really "worth a thousand words". I made a few of these and had them hanging above one of the tables, as well as some paper flowers (see here for the Ruche tutorial: http://shopruche.blogspot.com/2010/02/diy-wall-decor-from-ruches-lookbook.html) hanging at different levels with the bees.

The "Bee Surprised" drinks were just some Fuzzy Navel drinks, and I made up a quick label in the party colors to cover the original label and to match the theme. Then people could guess at what they were drinking. And at least one person at the party apparently guessed correctly!!
Were the labels done with professional programs, etc. - nope. You too my friend can make these if you have something like Microsoft Word or some word processing tool. Just write up what you want them to say and cut it out. Then add whatever extras you like! I added a small sticker of a bee and a little dashed bee trail with a pen or marker.

So are you getting sick of "bee" stuff already? Don't worry - I am already thinking of another gender party theme idea for someone else to copy and enjoy. I will try to post more on that at a later date...

More Gender Reveal Party Ideas To Come...

Stay tuned for more Gender Reveal Party ideas in the coming days.... Once my little mind got working, it seemed to just keep going and since there seem to be a lack of ideas when it comes to gender revealing parties, I thought I would share some and hopefully help someone else out! :)

What Will it "BEE"? Party

Our home was "buzzing" (I just couldn't resist) over the weekend as we threw a gender revealing Bar-"Bee"-Q for a family expecting a new little one. The pictures above will give you some idea of what we did.

And the cost for all the decor, etc. (not including food and drink)? Would you "bee-lieve" (Agh - someone stop me quick!) it was probably only around $15-$30? It is amazing what necessity and a little bit of creativity will accomplish... A lot of these items could probably be easily found or recreated from things you have in your own cabinets at home!!

Starting from the top:
* Ginger Honey: actual recipe should be on http://www.evanwilliams.com/
* Dezzzssert: cupcakes and cake with marshmallow fondant bees. Marshmallow fondant - incredibly easy to make - just basically marshmallows, water, and powdered sugar! Google it or find it on Wilton's website. The bee idea with nuts for wings I believe was on Martha Stewart's website.
* Complementary Crowns: we wanted to recognize the visiting queen bees from other "hives/families" so we made sure to distinguish them by offering complementary crowns at the entrance (made with elastic and a stiff kind of felt - check in your local craft store. I think we made all of ours from just one large sheet that cost around a dollar or less maybe?).
* Beehive Silverware Dispenser: yup - you read that right - my little last minute silverware dispenser. When life hands you an empty large cereal box, you get creative with it! Just paint or paste a picture on it and cut out the bottom front. Then dump your rolled bundles of silverware inside - I wrapped mine up to look "bee-ish" in a yellow napkin tied with black pipe cleaner - the ends curled to resemble little antennae.
* Beehive Pinata: this was how the family let people know what they were having. Found the pinata idea on a forum somewhere and then found instructions for this little pinata gem here - http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media.canadianfamily.ca/images/beehive-pinata_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.canadianfamily.ca/articles/slideshow/teddy-bears-picnic-invites-pinata/3/&h=350&w=300&sz=141&tbnid=68oU2NUf8K3boM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeehive%2Bpinata&hl=en&usg=__ARxjf9hVGYQ3KCdvYjmvZ8mkE_I=&ei=_Om_S8SlFMGonQflrqCyCg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CBUQ9QEwAw We filled the pinata with different shades of blue paper with the words printed on them"It's a...BOY!!" Other people might want to add candy or small prizes in the same shade of gender that is being revealed.
* Faux Blackboard: this was made using a piece of white foamboard painted black. I think the cost of the foam board was around a dollar or less at my local craft store (after a 40% off coupon).
* Drink Labels and Holders: I don't have fancy label holders but came up with what I thought was a cute and maybe even better idea as it went along with the theme. Take one jar (could be store bought or just a leftover clean jam jar) and add water with about three drops of yellow food coloring. Tie with ribbon and/or raffia around the top and you have a cute label holder that looks an awful lot like a jar of honey! Then add your labels - I made mine with craft paper (purchased when the paper went on sale) and pipe cleaners. And just so you know - we had other drinks which were non-alcoholic as well - like our non-buzzed (non-alcoholic) lemonade! :)
* Baby Picture: if there are other children in the family - why not add to the decor by asking them to draw a picture of their new sibling-to-be and framing it? This was the case here - I had the family's three year old draw a picture of what the baby would look like. Came out cute, don't you think?
* Flowers in "vases": want to know an inexpensive way to decorate a lot of areas but for very little? Wildflowers in cans - we are talking the kind of cans you probably open at dinnertime every night and then toss out without a thought to the metal treasures they are! I think these were cans of tomatoes and beans at one point. I just removed the labels, washed them out, and painted them white. Want to add a little more of a color punch - just add ribbon or craft paper or both.
* Banner: this simple banner was easily made using some craft paper (again purchased when it went on sale), computer, and craft scissors.

MORE IDEAS...
** We had a name suggestion jar for those simply "buzz-sting" at the seams to let the parents know what they thought the baby should be named.
** We had little tissue paper pom pom bees floating above the table. For directions on making these pom poms - try Martha Stewart's website. I just alternated back and yellow for a striped effect and then glued on small pipe cleaner antennae and paper wings.
** A fun idea that did not come to fruition due to time constraints - favor bags for each family with honeycomb candy (recipe here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodscienceprojects/a/honeycombcandy.htm) inside or a kind of trail mix bar with items set out where each family can decide what kind of mix to make and take home (suggestions for bar: honey nut cheerios, honey grahams, honey graham cereal, honeycomb candy or other type of honey candy, etc.).

What Will it "Bee"?

I am about to throw a gender reveal party for a family. I wanted to come up with something a bit different and creative - alas, I was also taken by the cuteness of a bee theme that I noticed at least one other person using. Original or cute, original...or...cute.... Cute won out. :) Not that something original isn't cute - this bee idea just captured my mind and I began to "buzz" with ideas. :) Perhaps next week, I will try to post some of the other fun concepts I came up with for a gender reveal party theme because there just do not seem to be a lot of ideas out there that are non-traditional...

The picture attached is the invitation to the party. I also used "Paperless Post" invitations for some people.

Amy from Stem Parties...

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was desperately trying to find some creative ideas for throwing a baby shower for a dear friend. She searched and searched online, knowing that innovative ideas and people MUST be out there somewhere - she just had to find them. Her quest went on and on and on (had she been in a desert, this might be the point at which she would find herself on her knees with parched throat, still moving forward but ever so slowly).

Suddenly, one day - she stumbled upon it! An interesting blog authored by a creative person who loved throwing parties and putting thought into details. And the best thing - she was willing to share her ideas and pictures as well! Eureka!!!

I must say, for me, it was like striking a gold mine when I came across Amy from Stem Parties. Love her site, love the pics and ideas she posts, and love that she has links to other creative geniuses as well! Thank you Amy for breathing some life back into showers and festivities for me! :)

Her wonderful blog is: http://www.stemparties.blogspot.com/

The Humble Beginnings....

Every little blog, company and idea must commence somewhere, right? I recently began a small - hmm, maybe miniscule would be a better word for it since we only have four items on there at this point (LOL) - maternity/t-shirt design company on Etsy called "The Nature of Grace" (http://www.etsy.com/shop/natureofgrace).

The name comes from the quote by Goethe "It is the nature of grace always to fill those spaces which have been empty." Somehow that quote just seemed to encapsulate the idea of pregnancy and of adoption. And so from the humble beginnings of a quote was born our little company dedicated to the celebration of life given by God in all its many shapes, sizes, colors, and packages!! :)

So is this blog solely dedicated to the happenings of said company? By no means!! :) Yes, there might be a little plug for the company every now and then, but the main purpose of this blog is to share the incredible blessing and wealth of creativity I have stumbled upon in the blogs and websites of others, as well as fun ideas I might come up with on my own. These include but are not limited to - parties, homeschooling, and running a very small business/hobby venture.
So will I post every day or even every week without fail? Sorry to disappoint, but that is not the plan. Life keeps me quite busy as every wife and mother can understand. But when the occasion or an idea arises (and the laundry and dishes allow), I might just sit down with a cup of decaf and post some pictures or notes or ideas for others to see and share. Please, please, please - if you LOVE an idea I post, COPY it (except for maternity t shirt designs) unless otherwise stated. :) Some of my own homeschooling, party ideas and creativity often stem from the seeds of originality shared by others. I would ask though, that if you like something I have to say or an idea I posted - please provide a little mention of me or link in your blog or on your site. I would appreciate it!!! :)

Thanks for checking in and reading today! :)