Chenille. Milk glass. Peonies and ranunculus. A vintage party must include decorations of fabrics, flowers, containers, paper, and banners made with texture. They also need to include festive foods and beverages that accentuate the beautiful colors and textures of the decorations. Every time that I have planned baby showers with a vintage theme, I have found the theme to be one of the loveliest of all.
Decorating for the Vintage Shower
Since many of my friends have had babies lately and I have the perfect house for a party, I have been the regular baby shower hostess. Since my threw together my first shower with a romantic, vintage theme, my friends have continued to ask me for more. There are so many vintage baby shower ideas that can be customized for boy babies or girl babies, as well as the ever popular reveal parties.
These are a few of my favorite ideas for vintage showers:
●Vintage glass. The best part about vintage glass is that it never has to match. Whether you have a collection of old milk glass, canning jars, vaseline glass, violet glass, or any type of glass that looks well-loved, you can put pieces together all over your house and create that old-world look. I like to fill little glass vases with single stems of flower or greenery. I also try to stack them in varying heights or place them on mirrors for a little added sparkle.
●Romantic flowers. Flowers that have size and a bit of a droop to them add style and life to vintage baby showers. These flowers, like peonies, ranunculus, lily of the valley, Queen Anne’s lace, tea roses, begonias….think soft, luscious petals. Avoid the Asian flowers like big lilies and orchids as well as tropical flowers that have modern look to them.
●Shabby chic planters. When you have collected the perfect flowers, you need the perfect planters and vases. The Shabby Chic look is the best way to display them. I usually find my planters at local antique shops, but if I cannot find what I want, I make my own from thrift store and garage sale finds. Old ironware, canning jars, earthenware, and anything else that you find attractive and vintage in appearance can become a planter for the plethora of flowers you will be scattering around your home. If you need to make your own, simply invest in white paint and steel wool. Paint your container, let it dry, then rough it up with the steel wool. Easy as pie.
●New trends. Vintage baby shower ideas have been taking on a life of their own and there are some new trends that have added to their appeal. The first is burlap. This scratchy brown fabric makes an interesting tablecloth, especially with pink flowers decorating it. I also love the fabric banners that have been popping up on social media and flash sales sites. They are really easy to make, especially if you use clothes pins and cut flags of your favorite fabrics. Use a stiff starch to keep them from flapping too much. Otherwise, remnants of ribbons and scraps tied to a natural fiber string look interesting, too.
●Old trends. These good old accessories always bring the vintage vibe to life: doilies, painted bird cages, floral tea cups, cake stands, old baby furniture, galvanized steel tubs, and cupie doll faces. Most moms-to-be choose pastel colors or faded colors. The vintage look is somewhat eclectic, so if you have a bunch of different colors, some steel brings everything together.
On to the Food
Once I have the decorations decided upon, I then can move to the food. The cake is my favorite thing to order. I usually choose something textured. For example, if I use a lot of chenille fabrics, I will make the cake look like chenille. If it happens to be begonia season, they will be all over the cake. I make sure the cake has a vintage look with white frosting as well as either some blue or pink depending on the baby’s gender.
I also love to have finger food like tiny sandwiches, anything with cucumbers, and color-coordinated candies in the vintage glass that I have collected. (Candies also look lovely in old apothecary jars.)
Time to Talk
I’m not typically one who likes to plan games at my baby showers, simply because they take away from the conversation. Women love to talk, so I like to give them plenty of time. In order to encourage conversation, I will create seating areas where groups of three, four, or five women can sit together at one time. When the events are in the warmer months, I will arrange seating space in and out of doors. However, if I do have a game, I ask each guest to bring a baby picture of themselves and we try to guess who is who.
Wrap Gifts in a Useful Way
We do come together to see the mom-to-be open her gifts, but I usually put the gifts inside of an old crib or wooden playpen with the beads on the side. I ask my guests to wrap their presents in beautiful baby blankets, burp clothes, and other fabrics that can be reused so we are not throwing away wrapping paper.
With the vintage ambiance and the lovely aroma from the flowers, you cannot go wrong with a glorious baby shower filled with beautiful antiques, rich fabrics, sparkling glassware, and wonderful guests.
About the author: Christine J. Williamson is the co-founder and writer for I'm Super Mommy Blog. She is blessed with two amazing boys and a great husband, and 100% Love blogging at I’m Super Mommy Blog. Connect with her on Twitter! Cheers!
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