Baby Photobook Options

Owen is almost 5 months and I've been wanted to create some custom books for him to read.  He LOVES books so I thought it would be cute to make a customized book for him for Valentine's Day.  

You have the option of creating photobooks through Tiny Print’s sister site, Shutterfly which is where I created my custom book.  I love the photobook options they have to choose from along with the sizes and quality of the paper and images.  I have created previous photobooks from them and absolutely love how they have turned out.  

Here are some of the cute options for creating a baby photobook.  There are ABC books already started so you can pop in pictures for each letter.  I went deeper and created a custom ABC book for Owen  using my own alphabet (A for About Owen, B for Ball, C for Cousins).  Here are some cute pictures of my photobook for Owen.

Here is a template for the ABC book where you can easily pop in pictures and change the text if you want something quick and easy.

ABC Book

 I love how you can custom things just how you would like, I chose a template and then went to their huge database to choose which fonts, backgrounds, and more that I wanted to use in my photobook.  For Mother's Day I'm thinking about creating a Grandma Brag Book.  This would be so cute to give both grandmas so they can see the cute pictures of Owen!

Grandma Brag Book

For his first birthday, I'm excited to create a "First Year" book for Owen.  I love this template with monthly images to add for each month.

Year of Firsts

Another one of my favorite photobooks is the Pregnancy Journal.  I took pictures each week of my pregnancy and think it would be cute to put it together in a book for Owen to read.  

Pregnancy Journal

With over 20 different options for baby photobooks and 200 different photobook template designs in total (from marriage, anniversary, and more), you can find which photobook you want to create and share memories with. Other personalized photo gifts like these photobooks can be found here.

How to choose your baby shower theme

With so many baby shower themes, it can be hard to pick just one or know what the mommy-to-be would like.  A shower doesn't necessarily need to have a theme, but I wanted to put a list together of different inspiration for you.

Here is a list of baby shower ideas to help spark your imagination and give some ideas of the kind of shower you can have or throw!

Inspired by nursery theme 

If you have a themed nursery, it could be a great idea for a baby shower theme.  Whether it be a nautical theme, sports, ballerina, princess, etc, that could be a good base/inspiration for your baby shower.  Color of nursery can also be a great inspiration because, first of all, the mother-to-be already loves those colors (because she used them in the baby room) and different decorations from the shower could later fit perfectly in the room (from my shower I used a sign and some pennants and pictures which matched my nursery perfectly).

Inspired by color 

Beyond just the pink and blue colors, colors that are favorites of the mom could look awesome and be an inspiration for the shower and the decorations you will have.

Time of year 

Design a cute theme around the time of year is another idea to spark your imagination.  Is it wintertime and you want a cute "Winter Wonderland" type of theme, or maybe not a theme but cute wintery decorations? Same with the other seasons and incorporating maybe colors or decorations around the time of year is an idea. 

Animal Inspired

From "Rocking Horse", "Rubber Ducky", "Mommy to Bee" are cute animal themes along with others to have at a baby shower.  Or if the mommy-to-be has a favorite animal that might be a cute base for inspiration for a baby shower.  I know owls are super cute right now to incorporate into not just baby showers but nursery designs, wall art etc. 

Play on words

My baby shower theme was "Baby and Co" like Tiffany and Co.  There are also clever themes that are play on words such as "Ready to Pop" and "Oh Baby" are super cute.  You can get clever and even use the mother-to-be name to create a clever baby shower theme.

Favorite Baby Books or Nursery Rhyme

From Dr. Seuss to Mother Goose, you can design your baby shower theme around your favorite baby book or nursery rhyme.

Adventure/ Fun themes

You can choose from so many fun themes whether it be a carnival, hot air balloon, princess, trains, candy theme, etc. What are things that could be fun to incorporate or things that you really like?

Food

I love food.  Food can be so inspiring, if the mother-to-be has a favorite dish or dessert that can be a good inspiration for a theme as well.  If they want fish served at the shower it could go in the direction of a nautical or beach theme, or if they want candy or cotton candy served it could be a cute carnival theme.  

Destination Theme

Choose a location, it might be where the baby will be born or a special place to the parents to be.  It can be general like a beach or travel theme, or destination based like France or Italy.

Baby Cardigan Onesie

My little guy was my model for baby cardigan onesies I put on my Etsy shop.  He was so good and I'm definitely going to make him a few for this fall/winter.  I love the colors I found, here are some pictures!  If interested my Etsy is Stylish Baby Trends.

Successful Baby & Co. (Tiffany) Baby Shower

Last week I had the best time at my baby shower. The theme was "Baby & Co." kind of like Tiffany & Co. and I loved how everything turned out! Even before we knew we were having a boy, I saw these designs on Pinterest for this kind of shower and loved it! Here are some fun pictures from the shower.

So of course the Ung Drill frame has been used in this pregnancy for announcing our pregnancy, taking pictures of my pregnant belly, and now the baby shower.  I loved the Tiffany boxes on the fireplace and the pennants in the Tiffany Blue and Silver.

Here is a picture of the table without most of the food. We used white lacy tableclothes, and boxes with "Baby & Co" on them to stack the dishes at different heights. My favorite is the balloons in ombre tones.

Mmmm, Tiffany punch.  Blue Hawaiian Punch and Lemonade, it was SO good.  I think we might have added a little bit of yellow food coloring to get a good color.

Here is a side angle to the food table.  We had a light dinner of chicken salad and so many of my favorite goodies from chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels, cake pops, and more.

Here's a cute closeup of the frame with vinyl lettering on the glass.  

Some more pictures of the food table.

Cute diaper cake with Baby on it.

The balloons were tied at the different heights onto a pole which was behind the table.  Loved this cute backdrop!

My husband and I before the party. It was such a great time!

10 Cutest DIY Baby Boy Projects

Whether it be for a boy baby shower gift or DIY project for your newborn boy, here are my top 10 cute DIY baby boy projects that I want to work on.  All of them are so cute and clever and most of the connecting links will send you to the DIY instructions.

1) DIY Baby Bow Tie

No Sew Bow Ties are so easy to make and if you are bad or scared of your sewing machine, well, don't worry about that when you make these.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://www.kateanfinson.com/2013/03/22/tutorial-diy-no-sew-baby-bow-ties/

Here is another bow tie option I found online.  You can add a snap on a onesie and the back of the ties to make these adorable bow ties stay on your baby's outfit.  Love that idea.

Found online but didn't have a blog/website associated with it. 

2) DIY Football blanket

I think these football blankets are so cute! I love how the front is brown minky shaped football and the back you can add your favorite football team fabric!  Football season is around the corner and this would be quick and easy to make and a great idea as a floor mat for your baby boy as well.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2012/01/football-blanket-tutorial/

3) DIY Onesies

This by far is the cutest DIY onesie out there! Love the fabric they chose and the instructions walk you step by step how to get the right shape of onesie and put on the edge stuff.  So cute and an excellent idea when you have left over fabric.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://www.beadandcord.com/clipper/maddie.wang.1370101/diy-kids-fashion-10859/48442.html

Another adorable onesie idea is the onesie cardigan.  If you have basic onesies lying around that you want to add some spunk or color, this is super easy to cut your onesie and add the edge (can't remember the name) and the buttons.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://dieselinbloom.blogspot.com/2012/09/cardigan-onesies.html

4) DIY Baby Wall art

Do you have a cute theme for your baby boy's nursery?  Cars, planes, nautical, cowboy, sports.. whatever it might be, I love these cute ideas that you can incorporate with your baby's bedroom theme.

Using the first letter of your baby's name, you can add cars (like this picture below) or sports balls, planes, or whatever you would like.

Found online but didn't have a blog/website associated with it. 

I see these everywhere in nurseries. Find an alphabet online (or type it into Word) and change the color of your baby's initial and put his name at the bottom.  Boom, that simple!

INSTRUCTIONS: http://www.holy-craft.com/2011/12/handmade-baby-and-kids-crafts.html

5) Baby Stat sheet

Stat sheets are easy to make and you can make them in a variety of ways.  Using different fonts and sizing you can create a stats wall art with your baby's weight, length, date, name, time, and place.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://www.instructables.com/id/Baby-Statistics-Wall-Art/

6) DIY Baby Shoes

I love these cute little moccasins and the tutorial (listed below the picture) makes them so much easier than I expected.  There are so many cute leather fabrics to use and binding to make them stand out.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://domesticreflections.blogspot.ca/2011/07/summer-shoes.html?m=1

7) DIY Owl Baby Hat

Thought this hat was so adorable! I love the cute owl theme and this was my favorite hat.  Can't knit? Use the hat as inspiration and instead use a material like felt.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://www.instructables.com/id/Baby-Owl-Hat/

8) Floor playmat

There are so many cute playmats these days, I love the cute owl ones I see online along with other cute animals you can make.

From: http://iheartpears.blogspot.com/2013/07/ruffle-owl-mat-for-tummy-time.html

9) DIY Pee Pee Teepee

Pee Pee Teepees prevent you from getting wet when changing your boy's diaper.  I never realized how easy they were to make! You don't need a lot of fabric and can quickly whip these out and keep them in a variety of places like your diaper bag, changing table, different areas of the house where you change your baby.

INSTRUCTIONS: http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-laughed-out-loud-when-i-heard-name-of.html

10) DIY Monthly Onesie

These cute onesies can help you create cute pictures of your baby boy at every month during his first year.  I never knew how easy they were to make!

INSTRUCTIONS: http://brittanyleighpotter.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-baby-shower-gift.html

Baby-Name Reveal Party

At gender reveal parties, parents-to-be have become creative in finding ways to disclose the sex, and often learn the news right alongside their guests through practices like cutting a cake or releasing of the balloons. However, more and more, moms and dads reasonably want to know whether the child is a boy or girl right off the bat. Instead of offering your friends and family a celebration that divulges the gender of the baby, why not throw a party that reveals the chosen name? This is a fun spin on an otherwise traditional idea that will celebrate your little person as the unique individual he or she is.

Though parents find inspiration for baby names in everything from religion to celebrities, most traditional names and their spinoffs carry meaning. Why not use this significance as a motif throughout the celebration? For instance the name Ava means “like a bird”, so parents could have the invitations and napkins imprinted with this design, as well as themed mobiles hanging from the ceiling; Caleb means “whole hearted”, so heart shaped centerpieces could be situated on the surfaces along with heart-shaped cookies. An alternative to this is to create a theme around a famous individual or character who bares the same surname? Let’s say you are naming your unborn son Luke; parents who are Star Wars fans can feature R2D2 cupcakes, give out light saber lollipops and entertain guests with Star Wars trivia games; parents who are giving their children the name Robert might want to have a party inspired by the music of Bob Marley, complete with his soundtracks, Rastafarian foods and a beanie as a party favor.

Many names are passed down through generations and hold cultural origins, so perhaps honor these nations by serving the music associated with the particular country. Let the food reflect the nation as well and, depending on the particular legacy, a fun dress code could liven the atmosphere as well. For an extra touch, use flags to cover the walls and use the flag’s colors as your decorating palette.

Of course, you will want to build suspense for the actual name reveal. You can create a guessing game centered on the name. You can always go with your own version of Wheel of Fortune, have the guests break up into teams to play a round of “20 questions” with you, or hide the various letters that spell out the name in different places throughout the night so guests can find and piece them together as a group. If you would rather forego the games, perhaps design a snazzy banner, spell it out on top of pizzas using pepperoni or use Christmas lights to reveal the name on the side of your house.

Tell me parents, what are some fun ideas to reveal the name of your baby to friends and family?

Top Baby Registry Stores

What are the top places to register?  There are so many out there and many have free gift bags when you register as well (future post to come).  Here are some awesome ideas where you can register.

Top baby registry stores:

1. Babies "R" Us

2. Buy Buy Baby

3.  Target

4. Pottery Barn

5.  Bed Bath and Beyond

Can't decide on one or two places to register for?  Try MyRegistry.com.  You sign up and can pick any item online from any store and add it to your "My Registry." What I love is that you can put a "Add to My Registry" button as a bookmark (like the "Pin It" button on Pinterest) so if you are looking around and see something, a press of a button can add it to your registry.  You can also scan barcodes, add cash gift fund, and add items from Pinterest you might love.

Decorating onesies during baby shower

One cute idea to get guests involved in a baby shower is to have a onesie decorating station.  I think it's such a great idea and gives guests an opportunity to share their creativity.  

Cute onesie decorating station from: http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com

 Look how cute these boy onesies are.  You can get fabric decorating markers and stencils to have your guests decorated.  It might be a good idea to put cardboard in the onesies to not have the markers bleed through. 

Look at these cute onesies that were definitely made with stencils.  I love the different patterns instead of just plain onesies as well. 

From: www.chicaandjo.com

Another idea to make onesies is to use fabrics and other cute accessories like button, ribbons and more.  

From: www.ericandjodi.com

So many cute fabric patterns to use.  

From: http://www.chickabug.com

I love this idea to make onesies during the baby shower.  How creative will you get if you decorate plain onesies.  

100% certified organic cotton at Bungalow Bebe

Did you know that using organic cotton on baby clothes can be a healthier option for your baby than regular cotton?  

A huge percent of non-organic fibers are treated with pesticides and organic cotton is toxin free and has way less exposure to these pesticides   Baby skin is also very sensitive so the softness and durability of organic cotton is healthier and softer.  Lastly, regular cotton starts wearing after 10-20 washes, but organic cotton can hold up to 100 washes before starting to break down.

All of these reasons make me want to get baby products with organic fabrics.  I love Bungalow Bebe where all of their items from shirts and pants, to booties and hats are 100% certified organic  material which I know is going to last longer and be a healthier option for my baby.

At Bungalow Bebe, you can find adorable organic girl clothing with style and comfort.  

Here are two adorable outfits from Bungalow Bebe.  I love the style and colors they have for the girls clothing.  You can also find: dresses, pants/bottoms, one-piece, booties, leggings, and shirts for your little girl as well.

For boys organic clothing, they also have so many cute designs for your little guy to wear.  Of course everything is 100% certified organic material and super soft and comfortable. 

Look how darn cute this shirt and pair of shorts would look on your little man.  So cute for playing outside or just hanging around the house.  Those shorts are adorable and come in many colors I want to snag :)

So come and check out the high quality and affordable prices at Bungalow Bebe.  Right now check out some of their sale items as well! Enjoy 100% certified organic material for your little one.