Kodak Gallery has great ideas for gifts submitted by customers. One idea I loved involved creating a mini photo book for a baby shower.

Photo from: KodakGallery

All you have to do is ask guests to submit photos to you online and then create the book through their website. Request submission of photos on your baby shower invites. Then, when you get them add their pictures with space for guests to write little words of advice for the mom-to-be.

Decorate your baby shower with butterflies. There’s something so sweet and dreamy about butterflies. Use this idea board to inspire new ideas for the next shower you plan. It’s perfect for the moms-to-be who loves everything nature and girlie.

Butterfly Wood Plaque from Pottery Barn Kids

Butterfly soaps from ababyshower.com

Hanging Glitter Butterflies from The Company Store

Butterfly cookie cutters from Beau-coup

I love Hostess with the Mostess‘ ideas for an eclectic baby shower. This mix of stunning shades of blue glass with punches of red, orange and yellow turn traditional baby shower pastels into vibrant hues. I also love that she used tatoos as an unconventional source of inspiration. The entire look is sophisticated without losing the whimsical sense of fun that every baby shower should have. Tiny Prints also carries the perfect invitations to match this bohemian theme–I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a fun and fashionable mom-to-be!

If you’re planning a baby shower, here’s an idea for creating something memorable for the mom and dad to be. Have little note cards personalized with their baby’s name on it and leave one for each guest. If they don’t have a name yet, just personalize it with the names of the parents-to-be. Bring a handful of colorful pens and ask each guest to write words of advice or little notes to the new parents on them. These are sure to be a big hit with everyone and something that they can save, put into a scrapbook and treasure forever.

I went to another baby shower this weekend which was unusual in that the mommy-to-be requested that guests purchase eco-friendly gifts. It was exciting to hear that new parents are starting to get involved in the green movement! Here are some ideas from her shower that may inspire you.

1) Ask for a diaper service. Today’s diaper service is not the service of yesteryears. Gone are those dangerous pins which have been replaced with velcro. Most importantly, think of all that disposable diaper waste! Check out the National Association of Diaper Services for more information.

2) Buy organic products. There are a lot of adorable and surprisingly affordable organic baby clothes and products such as blankets. I saw some at Target the other day.

3) Request that friends and family purchase new organic or used products. My friend received hundreds (literally) of clothes from her family who gave her a combination of new organic things and used baby clothes.

4) Wrap gifts in recyclable paper or out of old magazines and newspapers. What a great way to make use of those old magazine subscriptions collecting dust in your home!

The nice thing about doing this is that you can feel good about contributing to the planet as you bring your little one into this world.

I am a fan of the Food Network with Giada De Laurentiis and Rachael Ray being my two favorite cooking celebs! That’s why when I heard that Giada was pregnant, I was curious to find out more about her baby. Doing a little research online, I discovered some really cool information about her baby shower that took place early this February. The Today show threw her a fancy get together including what else but a fabulous menu of braised duck pot pie and squash coconut soup. Yum!

A great idea at her shower you might want try is including an adorable childhood picture of the guest of honor (a photo of Giada as a child is shown below). You can check out the website yourself on MSNBC. But here are a few pictures from their website.

Giada’s baby shower
Source: http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/28/712450.aspx

Did you notice that a lot of wedding trends are now being adapted to create memorable baby showers? Here’s a list of ideas that have been re-purposed resulting in elegant and sometimes elaborate gatherings.

Decide on having an all girls event or having both parents-to-be and their guests involved. This will influence what type of activities you have. With all women, having a spa themed day would be perfect. Serve fun finger foods and pomegranate juice in martini glasses.

Create a scrapbook for guests to sign-in and write notes of advice and best wishes for the parents-to-be. Kolo has gorgeous books perfect for this occasion.

Have a color theme for the event. Go by either the bride-to-be’s favorite colors or if you know the sex of their baby, use hues of blue for boys and pink for girls. Another option would be to create your own color combination. Orange is a popular color right now and can be blended with red to add excitement or cooled down with blue.

Popular at weddings, a candy buffet would be perfectly sweet for this sweet occasion. Purchase candy jars, bulk candy, candy scoopers and mini paper bags for guests to grab these tasty treats to their hearts desire. I bought my jars, silver scoopers and paper bags at a craft store and you can buy wholesale candies on line. The most popular at our wedding was the mint chocolate malt balls we served which was so good, I wished I kept some for myself!

Match your theme with your invitations. Here’s a few popular shower invitations that would go perfectly with an orange themed wedding.

I’ve been getting a lot of baby registry links these days which are really cool. In a previous entry, I explained that these types of registries are similar to wedding ones. The couple adds things they’ll need to prepare for their baby and friends and family can go directly to sites and stores to find exactly what they want. A few sites such as Myregistry.com and ThethingsIwant.com offer couples the option of choosing items from various companies and online stores at one place. Then of course there are more common online registries for Target and Babies “R” Us with contents specifically from their store.

Regardless of which registry you choose, I’ve heard that the process can be overwhelming. One friend told me how shocking it was to find out just how much stuff a little baby needs. For all of you new mommies and daddies in the same boat, check out this article on Pregnancy.com for advice on how to make shopping for your new baby fun and not overwhelming.

Building on my last post about baby shower gifts, Tiny Prints also has another way to give the new mom in their life something unique and different. It’s a perfect time when she is at home with baby to chronicle every precious moment she gets to experience. This way she’ll remember and be able to share these moments with everyone she loves.

I’m talking about the Tiny Prints Lasting Memories Kits. They have one for boys and one for girls. The kit includes darling cards that prompt new parents to document all the new firsts in their baby’s life. These would work great as a stand alone gift or as a perfect add on to the stationery gift bag I mentioned in my last post.

If you’re looking for something to give the mommy-to-be, here are a few ideas that go beyond the typical baby bottle and diaper cake gift. One thing you could do is create a bag of goodies for the new family. Include address labels with the family’s name, cute gift tags for the new family to use on future gifts, and matching thank you cards. Put them in a cellophane bag facing out so all of her goodies can be seen.

These can be personalized, comes in different colors, and is a thoughtful way to make the mom to be feel special that’s a little out of the ordinary, and so very extraordinary!