#tbt: Library Baby Shower

In the spirit of Back to School, I’m loving the opportunity to reminisce about some of my favorite school-themed parties I’ve thrown. Last week I threw it back to a Kindergarten Kick-off and today I’m excited to share the details of a Library-themed Baby Shower I threw for my brother and sister-in-law a few years ago.

My sister-in-law has always been a book lover, so this theme seemed like the perfect one to shower her and my brother as they awaited the arrival of my niece.

To set the tone for the party, I sent out these invitations (designed with Photoshop and printed at Costco).

I found an awesome alphabet set of coasters, cups, and napkins and incorporated those into the decor. I also used library cards to label the food. The colors were muted brights with gray.

I decorated the mantle with baby photos, Little Golden Books, and some decor I found at Hobby Lobby. My mom made a ribbon wreath and I loved having that as the centerpiece of the mantle.

At the entry table were a guest book and name tags (the guests were from all different friend groups, so that was an easy way for people to remember each other). To keep with the theme, each guest also included their favorite book on their name tag.

For the guest book, each guest used the Polaroid camera to snap a picture of themselves with the book they brought so that in the future Gemma could put a face to a name. There were also library cards for the guests to include a note with their photo.

For the party activities, there were alphabet coloring pages and a book trivia game. There was a prize for the trivia game winner (a Barnes and Noble gift card), and  the alphabet pages were turned into an alphabet book. (You can find other ideas for party activities here!)

The food was simple appetizers and cupcakes, and all were labeled with a library card.

For the party favor, guests took home chocolate-dipped pretzels.

Gemma’s library is well stocked for years to come, and she got some great baby items, thanks to the generosity of all the guests.

It was such a fun shower and so exciting to celebrate as we all eagerly awaited the arrival of my niece!

Party on!
JW