“M” is for monograms. From the invitation to the favors, this event should be drowning in letters. If the baby already has a name, use his or her first initial as the anchor piece; if not, use mom’s. Modernize this classic baby shower with a current color palette like teal and lemon, tomato and tangerine, or mint green and watermelon.
The Invite: Set the stage with an invitation like this customizable one from Iomoi. $148 for set of 40, Iomoi.com
The Decor: Starting with the cocktail napkins (design your own at ForYourParty.com), everything should be monogrammed. Get a bag of balloons in your theme color, paint on mom’s or baby’s first initial, and tie one on the back of each chair. For your centerpiece, line up martini glasses filled with jelly beans in the signature color. Tag each glass with one letter to create whatever message you’d like. Make the tags yourself with heavy card stock, scalloped-shaped scissors, and stamps (we love the letter stamps from Three Designing Women). Thread a thin ribbon through a hole punched at the top of each tag and let the ribbon hang into the glass so the jelly beans hold it in place. Put tags on each side of the glasses so guests on both sides of the table can enjoy the masterpiece.
The Food: Set up stations: “C is for Cocktails” and “M is for Mocktails,” “T is for Tea Sandwiches,” “S is for Salad Bar,” and “P is for Pretzels” (featuring warm pretzels in the shapes of all the letters of the alphabet).
The Cake: Skip the traditional monogrammed cake and order these Mini Monogrammed Brownie Pops from Beau-Coup.com. Set them out on trays lined with fabric in your signature color to complete the party look.
The Game: Fill a baby bottle with small cake decorating letters in the appropriate initial. Have guests estimate how many letters are in the bottle, write their guess on a piece of paper, and hand it to the host. Winner (closest without going over) gets a “W is for Wine-ners” bottle of wine. Materials: baby bottle, edible letters, paper, pencils.
The Favors: Using the letter stamp set purchased for the centerpieces, hand-make stationery for each guest. Buy loose flat cards and envelopes (available at any stationery store), stamp five cards with each guest’s first initial, and secure with a matching ribbon.
Navigate forward to interact with the calendar and select a date. Press the question mark key to get the keyboard shortcuts for changing dates.
