When it comes to melting my heart an adorable smile from a little baby will get me every time. I can't resist babies - especially smiling babies.
One of my all time favorite doll designs is my "Baby Nicky" doll. He's a baby shower centerpiece doll that I designed based upon my grandson "Nicky" who had the most wonderful, curly head of hair as a baby that you could ever imagine. I just LOVED it and would love to swap hair with him.
If you've been following my Linda's Blog you know that "Baby Nicky" has been involved in a lot of what goes on in "The Dollie Storage Room." That's not hard to understand as he's a fun loving doll and is very popular among the other "dollies."
When I was designing new patterns a couple of years ago I wanted to design some more baby shower centerpieces and favors or ornaments to compliment "Baby Nicky." So, I ended up designing a bunch of centerpieces and favors.
I wanted something for the centerpieces that would capture the guests attention at a baby shower and decided that a baby boy and baby girl doll around 16" tall each would be perfect. Something that could stand alone on a center table or individual tables and be easy to make.
I also wanted the centerpiece to look soft, cuddly, warm and inviting so I decided to create my dolls out of some old flannel pillowcases that my sister had given me. You see, in our family we never throw anything away that could be used in sewing or crafts. So, as you might expect I get a LOT of stuff. In any event, the old flannel pillowcases were perfect for the two baby centerpiece dolls I had in mind.
After the centerpieces were designed I decided that I wanted to design some FUN baby shower favors. Again, the key was they would be easy to make and could end up being ornaments for the guests to bring home. Plus, I wanted a variety of different kinds of favors that could be made.
While thinking about what to make for favors I again thought about my grandson, Nicky, who was born 31 weeks premature. He had spent 9 weeks in a special care nursery and I remembered that the nurses would wrap him in a swaddling blanket which allowed them to easily carry him around. They always looked like they were carrying him around like a football.
The nurses taught all the family members how to bathe, feed, and dress Nicky so I learned how to wrap my grandson in a swaddling blanket. So, I thought maybe a baby shower favor with a baby head sticking out of a swaddling blanket would be cute.
Then I decided I wanted to create baby head favors that could stand alone and decided to use wooden spools and terracotta pots as the base.
I have to admit that I just LOVED making the baby heads on pink and blue spools. I had wanted something that would make everyone smile and when you're looking down on them you can't help but laugh. I was laughing my head off while creating them and when my husband saw the finished heads lined up on the table he started laughing as well.
I thought they would definitely make for a very enjoyable baby shower and could picture a room filled with tables and a baby head favor holding the place setting for each guest. I figured the guests could take them home to function not only as a pincushion but as a nostalgic reminder of a wonderful baby shower.
So, my baby shower line of patterns and e-patterns was born. Ever since then I have wanted to create a line of baby shower decoration products. Coordinated decorations that would fun and easy to make. Cozy and intimate - just like an old fashioned baby shower.
I can remember baby showers that I went to years ago that were held at a neighbors house or a girlfriends house. We would decorate the living room and invite between ten and 20 guests, We'd make all the decorations and all the finger food and would sit around while our "mother-to-be" opened the presents. We'd play a few games and some of the experienced mothers would tell stories of their various pregnancies. There was always a LOT of teasing going on and you could hear us laughing for hours on end. It was always a delightful time.
I wanted to re-create that atmosphere. To design baby shower decorations that would all compliment each other. That were fun and easy to make. I also wanted to combine my dolls with graphics of my dolls, as well as create baby shower graphics I could use for printables and fabric. And, for baby products.
So, I designed centerpiece doll patterns, easy to make e-printables using graphics of my baby shower dolls and favors, cut and sew doll and favor ornaments using the baby shower graphics, coordinating fabrics using the baby shower graphics for baby shower decorations as well as for making baby shower presents. Just about everything you could think of for a delightful baby shower except the food.
With all I've done by now you'd have to agree I LOVE babies. I also LOVE finding all sorts of ideas for creating baby shower decorations as well as gifts for babies and mothers-to-be. As a result, I set up two Pinterest boards for all the wonderful baby ideas I've found. One is for baby showers and one is for baby gifts.
I just LOVE babies and old fashioned baby showers. If you do, too I hope you find the tutorials, video's, patterns and how-to's helpful.
If you love my Baby Shower Tutorials Video's, Patterns, Printables & How-To's board please follow my board by clicking on the link above.
I also love ideas for baby gifts. If you do, too I hope you find the tutorials, video's, patterns and how-to's helpful.
If you love my Baby & Baby Gifts Tutorials, Patterns, Video's and How-To's board please follow my board by clicking on the link above.
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