Scandinavian Lady Baby Shower Invite

Apparently I started the draft of this post and never published it.

I am 50% Swedish. Much of my inspiration comes from Scandinavian folk art. I love the lines, the simplicity, and the colors. This is the baby shower invitation I designed for my sister. I used the same invitation for both showers we held for her (way back in 2014!) only making minor changes to the date/time details.

My nephew just turned two. He was born Jan. 1, 2015, which goes to show how neglected this blog page has been.

Anyway, the entire invitation is hand rendered (hand drawn illustrations & hand lettering). I like to scan my hand rendered work into Photoshop/Adobe Illustrator to clean them up and turn them into vector images. That way I can fuss around with arrangement and sizing without worrying about nasty pixels!

Prior to adding digital color

Prior to adding digital color

Final

Baby Shower BBQ Invitation

Two of my first-cousins are pregnant with due dates a month apart: Erin is due July 22 and Hannah is due August 22. Literally, a month apart. My family decided to throw them a Double-Baby-Shower-BBQ in honor of the upcoming births. I've been head over heels for black ink on kraft paper lately, so I jumped at the chance to design the invitations. They are hand rendered with a touch of calligraphy. Invite reads:

Double Baby

BBQ Bash

Honoring

Erin and Kyle & Hannah and Nick

Baby Schumm: Boy, Target & Babies "R" Us

Baby Sohre: Unknown, Target

Then the Date, Time, Location, and RSVP contact info

Since it was a BBQ, I used symbols to represent the little baby bumps. Erin & Kyle know they are having a boy, so Baby Schumm gets a hot dog symbol. I think you all can guess why. ;)  Hannah & Nick have decided not to find out their baby's sex, so Baby Sohre gets a hamburger. 

The symbols by the registry information are baby bottles, in case you can't tell in the photo above. 

In addition to the invitations, my sister and I made "diaper cakes" for the baby shower. Diaper cakes are a fantastic idea for baby showers, and they are a double whammy, acting as both table decorations and gifts (you know they will need all the diapers they can get). 

P.S. In case you are confused as to what exactly a "diaper cake" is, I will explain. First of all, no, it is not actually a cake. You don't need flour, and you don't need to bake it in the oven (my husband was very confused when he asked what ingredients I needed and all I said was a box of diapers and some ribbon).

The steps are simple. Unfortunately, I don't have photos for this tutorial, but I will try to explain it the best I can without them.

Diaper Cake Tutorial:

Supplies: 1 box newborn diapers, ribbon (your color of choice, I like to mix it up a little), string or yarn, empty toilet paper rolls, and circular forming objects in different sizes (pots, baskets, anything that is round with a flat bottom).

1. Take your largest object, I used a pot. Start placing diapers along the inside edge of the pot, continue in a circle with the diapers overlapping (approx. 1 inch gap between diaper edges).

2. Continue to place diapers in the pot in a circular fashion, they will begin to spiral inward.

3. Once you reach the center, place the empty toilet paper roll in the middle of the pot to act as a filler.

4. This next step is easier with two people. Flip the pot upside down onto the table and slowly coax the diapers out of the pot, when they are 1/4 to 1/2 way out, tie a string or piece of yarn tightly around the outside edge of diapers so they will stay together.

5. Pull the diapers the rest of they way out, and you've got yourself the first layer of diaper cake!

6. Repeat steps 1-5 with different sized pots to achieve different sized layers, OR you can use the same sized pot and slowly, and carefully remove the outside layers to create a smaller size.

7. Stack diaper cake layers and tie ribbons around the strings to hide them.

Pro Tip: The diapers we used had color on the front side and were plain white on the back. We did some layers with the colored side showing and some layers with the white sides of the diapers showing. Alternate layers for a fun look. 

How to Ask for Money for a Bridal Shower Gift

Most people frown upon couples who ask for money for bridal showers, weddings, etc. However, sometimes it's necessary: maybe the couple already has everything they need, or maybe they are moving and would rather not add to the list of things they need to pack into boxes. The latter was the case for this bridal shower invite I was asked to design. So, how do you ask for money for a bridal shower gift, and not sound cheap or rude?

After searching online and finding numerous poems about "money trees" and other ideas I felt to be a little too cliché, I decided to put my English degree and creative writing experience to good use. The design below is the result. 

Instead of tip-toeing around the issue, I cut straight to the chase and flat-out told the guests the reason for wanting gift-cards and money vs. gifts. People don't like to be lied to, or tricked, and I figured honesty is the best policy. One thing you might notice is that in no place do I actually use the words "money," or "cash," or allude to it with the color green or mention of "growing leaves on their 'money tree.'" This allusion to money (or flat out using the word), is what I felt made the poems I found online so cliché. 

By simply asking for gift-cards, there is no need to actually use the word "money." It is implied that the couple doesn't want gifts, and if someone doesn't want to go to the store for a gift card, they will realize money is the next best thing (and what the couple really wants). You get the same end result without actually asking for it, and without sounding cheap. 

"We gather to celebrate

a gal and a guy who tie 

The Knot soon

and move in July.

Boxes are heavy,

moving is tough,

the bride & groom said,

We have enough!

To keep the move simple

so they don't get lost in

piles of boxes & bins

on their way to Boston

Let's shower them with gift cards,

because they're so small

and won't take up room in

the packed-up U-Haul."

It's important to mention that the couple was not completely opposed to gifts. In fact, it was the shower hostess' that decided to throw a gift-card-and-money-shower vs. a traditional shower due to the move.

The couple was registered at a few different stores which I included on the invitation to give guests a clue as to where to buy gift cards from. I also figured that regardless of what the invitation said, some people will end up bringing gifts anyway; they just always do.