This is a perfect shower idea for a boy or girl AND it's gender neutral enough to work for the mom-to-be who doesn't know if the baby is a boy or a girl! When challenged by Oriental Trading to design an entire baby shower around their new collection of plates and umbrella themed napkins, it was obvious that the theme would be. I was inspired to use the creams, blues and tan colors found in the napkins as the baby shower's color palette. The napkins were printed with raindrops, umbrellas and rain boots so I decided to use those items as the main decor element of the shower's decor.
The Dining Table When looking for items to decorate a dining table, think outside the box and use items in unexpected ways. These DIY Ceramic Teddy Bear Banks were the perfect color of cream that matched the party plates perfectly and when left unpainted, they have a modern look that I was going for. Instead of using these as a DIY activity, which is their normal use, I used them as place card holders to display monogrammed place card sticks that I personalized with the initial of each guest in burlap letters. Send these home with each guest after the shower for a cute party favor. 
The napkins were such an inspiration for the shower, that I decided to use them in the table decor as well. I placed unpainted DIY Ceramic Boot Planters filled with baby's breath flowers on top of the luncheon napkins as table decor and used the beverage napkins on top of the stacked plates at each place setting to bring in a pop of blue to the table. Finish off the place setting with the dinner napkin to tie all the colors together. 
My FAVORITE part of the table is this DIY Raindrop Umbrella Centerpiece made with DIY White Umbrellas. Click here for step-by-step instruction on how to make it. It is such a wow factor! I again, re-purposed these white cake plates as instead risers to add height to the Raindrop Umbrella Centerpiece and as a platform for a cute teddy bear that added to the whimsical feel of the table. Altogether it all works together to make a stunning centerpiece for a baby shower. Finish off the rest of the table with these easy to make DIY Felt Clouds on Sticks. Click here to see how to make these. Placing the clouds on sticks allows you to use them in a variety of ways— as centerpieces on the table or how fun would they be to use as photo props when taking photos with the mom-to-be! 
Watercolor Guest Activity I'm not a big fan of playing typical games at baby showers. Instead I like to offer an adult craft or activity that we can do together to have fun. This watercolor guest activity was perfect and painting parties are such a trend right now. I used a bar cart that I have in my house to create a portable Painting Craft Cart full of Watercolor Paint Trays, 9x12 watercolor stretched canvases, Ball® Mason Jars to hold water, Canvas Apron and Watercolor Brushes for each guest. The finished art pieces can either be taken home by each guest or given to the mom-to-be as artwork for the baby's nursery. How sweet is that! 
Serve a Signature Watercolor Rock Candy Fizz Drink I love the extra detail of serving a signature drink at parties that matches the theme and color palette of the party. For baby showers, I normally create a non-alcoholic drink so that the mom-to-be can enjoy it as well. Be sure to check out my post here on How to Make This Rock Candy Fizz Drink. The rock candy colors the clear drink just like watercolor paint! How perfect is that drink to go with this shower! 
Send Guests Home With a Sweet Treat Using some paper raindrops I used to make the Raindrop Umbrella Centerpiece, I embellished these fabulous cotton candy bags to match the shower. These make great party favors and you don't have to deal with the mess of making cotton candy yourself! 
I hope this has given you ideas on planning your next baby shower for yourself or a friend. These ideas could also be used for a kid's party too! Be sure to check out my my step-by-step tutorials to make the DIY Felt Clouds on Sticks, DIY Raindrop Umbrella Centerpiece and Watercolor Rock Candy Fizz Drink seen in this shower.
