hwtm icons row

REAL PARTIES: Baby Gone Wild Baby Shower

Quick Jump To » Comments

modern baby shower Bye-bye pastel booties and teddy bears; hello bold prints and vibrant colors for baby-to-be! Today, guest blogger Amy Belle Isle recaps a recent “Baby Gone Wild” baby shower she designed that is nothing short of fabulous!

Plastic pacifiers, baby-related stickers and creative centerpieces are all you need to turn a little zebra print into a co-ed baby shower suitable for any hip parents-to-be!

The Inspiration: Zebra print. Can you tell? I know…it’s subtle. Zebra got even wilder with the addition of the fabulously fun colors in the “Rings” pattern platters and napkins from French Bull.

modern baby shower

Party Favors: These little wild thangs were simple pillow boxes filled with chocolate and then embellished with strips of zebra gift wrap from Michaels, chartreuse circle stickers from Paper Source and super cute baby-related stickers from Archivers .

modern baby shower Centerpieces: Don’t be intimidated by the thought of creating a centerpiece. A shallow dish, some Oasis floral foam, reindeer moss, a couple of bunches of flowers are all you need to create a focal point for your table that is sure to impress your friends! This one just happens to get a little fancy with this pregnant wire form to suit the occasion.

modern baby shower Wanna know one of the simplest ways to get a lot of bang for your buck? Lanterns, lanterns and more lanterns! Lanterns in bookshelves, lanterns on tables, and, in this case, lanterns on painted dowel rods secured in a tall vase filled with styrofoam. Add in the huge zebra lantern from World Market and look at what an entry hall statement this wild beast was! (These would make fantastic table centerpieces, too, because guests can actually see each other around them. Just make sure you weigh down the bottom of your vases. Décor-induced injury is a major party foul!)

Special thanks to Kristen Munson (social media info you need to know) and the talented Julie Enstall (awesome St. Louis photographer for your next party) for being such great hostesses. Congratulations again to the Durbins (check them out…seriously) and thanks for inspiring us all to live life a little more fabulous.

Thanks so much for the fantastic inspiration, Amy! I love the idea of tailoring this theme for an adult celebration such as a milestone birthday or bachelorette party by simply swapping out the baby-themed decor with more adult-oriented details. This would even be cute for a graduation party – especially since the black would tie in well with traditional grad them colors!

46 Comments

  1. Karen April 9, 2008 at 11:28 am

    soooo cute! I’m loving zebra right now – and it’s very cool and “outside the box” for a baby shower indeed!

  2. kristen April 9, 2008 at 11:31 am

    As the hostess of this soiree, I seriously suggest that anyone looking to do any type of party, hire someone like Amy (if not Amy herself) to do it all for you. Amy did the food purchasing, food preparation, party favors, and all decor. I was able to enjoy the party and serve my guests in style and stress free. It was amazing and I totally enjoyed myself.

  3. amy * stem * April 9, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Thanks, Jenn for once again doing your magic. You know just how to post stuff to make it look its best!

    Thanks for the comment, Karen and Kristen, you know I think you were a dream! I dig your “why not hire someome else to do it” attitude. :)

  4. hoganfe April 9, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    How fun and cute – love the zebra!
    mary
    hoganfe handbags

  5. Mindy Rives April 9, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Hi there! My name is Mindy Rives from Dallas. I love this theme…so cute! I actually hosted a couples baby shower for my cousin and his wife this past weekend…we did a “daddy” theme and it turned out really cute. Check out my blog for pictures and ideas…www.mindyrives.blogspot.com. The blog post is called “April Showers.”

    I love your blog by the way…I check it everyday!!

  6. Kati April 10, 2008 at 6:45 am

    What an awesome shower! Amy’s work is amazing! I love the zebra print – I’ll have to link this up w/ the zebra print feature I did the other day.

  7. ellen April 10, 2008 at 7:16 am

    This is just way too cute!!! I’m a huge fan of paper lanterns too – they make such a big impact – especially in zebra print! :)

  8. Scary Mommy April 11, 2008 at 5:49 am

    Love this idea, wish I new a cool mom to be to throw a shower for!

  9. Caleigh April 26, 2008 at 8:13 am

    I love personalizedpartyinvites.com to make party invitations. They always turn out beautiful and everyone loves them!

  10. Kenya May 5, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    Any ideas for a female 30th “All White Attire” party. Decorations, finger foods, and table decor????

  11. stacey May 9, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    Thank You!!! I have been looking everywhere for this theme for my friends shower, everything else was so cheesy. Thanks for the info- I love it!!!!

  12. Lindsay May 29, 2008 at 8:45 am

    There is a super cute stationery company called Luscious Verde that has very bold, saturated paper colors, very fashion forward designs and is a very custom – anything you can think of – kind of line. Anyone who is interested in bright bold designs should definitely check them out. I love them and have used them for several events!

    http://lusciousverde.blogspot.com

  13. brittany rogers June 17, 2008 at 4:27 pm

    hey… i was wondering where you got the zebra tablecloths and i really want some for my sweet sixteen… it would be great if you would help.

  14. amy June 25, 2008 at 8:38 am

    Britanny – I don’t know if you will still read this or not, but the zebra cloth is made from some fun, slightly fuzzy zebra fabric from Hobby Lobby. You should be able to find a zebra print at most fabric stores, if you aren’t having any luck finding pre-made cloths.

    If sewing isn’t your thing, just make sure and buy cloth wide enough that you can cut it and use no-sew tape to “hem” the edges. Or, leave the edges rugged if you want a really “wild” look!

    – Amy

  15. megan July 8, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    such a cute site!
    i love all of the zebra and bold colors…yay, no more pastels!

  16. Amber July 28, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    Love it! I’m thinking of doing something similar for my daughter’s 1st birthday. Any thoughts or ideas would be great! ~Thanks!

  17. Mandy August 14, 2008 at 11:23 am

    Love this theme, So cute!! I espically love the lanterns on painted dowel rods secured in a vase, but how did you attach the lanterns to the dowel rods?

  18. http://stemparties.blogspot.com/ August 14, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    Hey, Mandy – Amy here.

    Here are some directions I gave to another reader that emailed me about the dowel rods.

    (where I got the lanterns blah blah blah)…..I then just weighted down the vase with rocks and then place styrofoam inside. Then take some dowel rods (I painted them black), assemble your lanterns and “thread” the metal hook part of the lantern through the dowel rod. Stick in the sytrofoam and adjust your height accordingly. You may need to play with the heights and/or cut some dowel rods down to your liking. Next, just cover the top with some crinkled paper filler or moss. A couple of flowers in some moss would be really cute, too.

    Mine actually stayed perfectly happy threading the stick through the metal hook of the lanterns, but I had my trusty hot glue gun on hand in case I needed to reinforce them.

    I hope this helps. If you need more, let me know. stemparties@gmail.com

    have fun!

    • Stephanie December 10, 2010 at 6:25 pm

      Hello Amy, i was wondering where you found the zebra boxes? any online store that has them? i plan to use them as centerpieces and add flowers inside but i cant find them anywhere…

  19. JoDitt Williams September 29, 2008 at 9:20 am

    Love the all the great decorating ideas! I will have to start sending ladies here who purchase my Wildy Fun Baby Shower Invitations (in Zebra print and bright colors) so they can get great decorating ideas that will match their invitations. You can see my invitations at:

  20. Abby October 9, 2008 at 1:00 am

    Hi Amy,

    I love the “Baby Gone Wild’ theme. It’s such a great idea! I’m doing a very similar baby shower for my sister and was wondering where you bought the baby shower safety pins? I’m only finding plastic ones and nothing close to what you have. I would appreicate your help! Thanks!

    Abby

  21. Kat November 9, 2008 at 5:53 am

    I’m using this theme for a baby shower that I’m throwing my sister-n-law and it’s going to be so cute. Thanks for the idea! I know these weren’t used at the shower, but does anyone know where to find the hot pink plastic baby pacefiers? I would love to use those as napkin holders?

  22. jenn s. November 9, 2008 at 8:55 am

    Hi Kat –
    Here’s a link to the large pink pacifiers pictured above:

    I’ve seen the hot pink pacifiers pictured above in-store at both Michael’s and Party City, and here’s a link to a place that sells them online:

    2.5″ size:

    1.5″ size:

    Good luck with the shower! :)

  23. jenn s. November 9, 2008 at 9:14 am

    Hi Abby –
    I don’t think Amy saw your question earlier – sorry about that! It might be too late, but just in case, you can find safety pins similar to the ones pictured here by searching for “diaper safety pins” or “cloth diaper safety pins”.

    Here are a few places I found that might help:

    I think these might be the exact same ones Amy used:
    http://www.amazon.com/Locking-Diaper-Stainless-Steel-Colors/dp/B0012KUQPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1226250733&sr=1-1

    ***

    http://www.naturalbabyhome.com/

    ***

    http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Headed-Diaper-Pins-White/dp/B000TZYZJ8/ref=pd_cp_ba_1?pf_rd_p=413863701&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0014J2CHK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XRG31WQYSSWTJM62EMQ

    ***

    Hope that helps!

  24. Cheryl Munoz November 15, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    what other pregnancy sayings can be used for the favor boxes i love this idea it is very different

  25. Roxy February 3, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    Hi- I am working on an invitation for a BABY’S GONE WILD Shower. Is there any tips for websites you know of for good the invitation wording ideas? I found some general wording I like but they don’t go with the WILD theme :-)

    Roxy

  26. JoDitt February 3, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Roxy,
    I just posted on my blog about some fun wording ideas for BABY GONE WILD baby shower invitations. Let me know what you think about the wording. Read about it on my blog at: http://www.JoyfulHeartDesign.blogspot.com

  27. Jess March 15, 2009 at 9:03 pm

    I love the pregnant wire form, I am going to order one but I was wondering what size you used? Thanks so much!

  28. Susan April 9, 2009 at 11:18 am

    Hi there i was wondering where you got the zebra tablecloths and the stickers. i ram giving a shower and this is a great party idea. it would be great if you would help.

  29. Ebonie April 19, 2009 at 5:51 am

    I LOVE the Zebra Print idea…..Wonder where she found the zebra prit paper lanterns. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  30. Katy April 21, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    AMAZING this is supurb!

  31. jenn s. April 22, 2009 at 6:28 am

    Susan – I’ve seen similar stickers in the baby section at a scrapbook store near me but it was a while ago. Your best bet is probably to check the baby section at a scrapbook store near you – or the scrapbook section of Joann, Hobby Lobby, or Michael’s.

    For the tablecloth – she actually made that using zebra-print material from Hobby Lobby. Quote form Amy: “The zebra cloth is made from some fun, slightly fuzzy zebra fabric from Hobby Lobby. You should be able to find a zebra print at most fabric stores, if you aren’t having any luck finding pre-made cloths.

    If sewing isn’t your thing, just make sure and buy cloth wide enough that you can cut it and use no-sew tape to “hem” the edges. Or, leave the edges rugged if you want a really “wild” look!”

    *****
    Ebonie –
    Amy got the zebra print lanterns at Cost Plus. I only see them available with a set of 3 different animal prints right now though – but that could still work for a “wild” theme – using all different types of animal print ;)
    http://www.worldmarket.com

    Good luck!

  32. Susan April 22, 2009 at 6:00 am

    Were can you find the stickers for the pillows? Can anyone give me this information? PLEASE
    I can’t see my feet anymore!

  33. Theresa August 8, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    LOVE this shower idea…want to use the pregnant wire form, can you tell me what size you used for the arrangement? Thanks!

  34. Sherry August 24, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Hi,
    I just love the zebra print baby shower, it is adorable. I thought some of the ladies who like that, may also like other ideas. I decorated my daughter’s baby shower using the Paris Pink Poodle theme. It was darling.

  35. Jazmine January 10, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    hey i was wondering where can i get all these decorations ?

  36. Ashley February 12, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    My sister in law and friends used this theme and several of your ideas for my baby shower in November! I absolutely loved it! It was so much fun! My sister in law is very creative and added some of her own personal touches! I will forever remember this very special day!

  37. Sherry February 15, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    Hi Ashley,

    I understood that your sister-in-law used the Paris Pink Poodle theme. If so, would you mind sending me some pictures? I like to see ideas that other people come up with. Glad you enjoyed it!

  38. Jamie Lehr February 19, 2010 at 8:38 pm

    What an adorable use of zebra print, which is so popular right now!

  39. Sandra Navarro November 2, 2010 at 3:04 pm

    Love this website!

  40. Stephanie December 13, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    Hello Amy, i was wondering where you found the zebra boxes? any online store that has them? i plan to use them as centerpieces and add flowers inside but i cant find them anywhere….

    .

  41. Maritza December 16, 2010 at 10:33 am

    Hi ,I went looking for that “huge zebra print paper lantern” at at Worl Market and I dont think they have it in stock anymore. would you know where else I can find it?

  42. katelynn February 16, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    Hi! Way late three years down the road commenting! however, where did you get the wire manican? ive seen the regular ones, but the prego ones? :) this is super cute and would love to use this idea!

  43. odette lopez June 9, 2011 at 11:04 am

    Every idea is so pretty that you go crazy wanting everything in hostess, simply clean & beautiful

Comments are closed.

hi there - meet jenn

Browse Party Ideas: