Knoxville Tn Baby Shower Ideas

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Hosting a baby shower or diaper shower? Think beyond the traditional cheesy baby shower games and check out this baby shower idea – onesie decorating!

Over the past few months I have shared my excitement for one of my closest friends who is expecting her first baby! Since this was such a major milestone in my friend's life, and something she has wanted for years, I couldn't be more happy for her.

Several months ago, as soon as she confessed to me she was pregnant (something I knew WAY before she officially announced 🙂 ), I immediately started planning her baby shower. I wanted her baby shower to be picture perfect and a celebration of not only this exciting time in her life, but a celebration of her as well.

Since my friend, her Mom and all of our friends who would be attending the baby shower are super crafty, I knew I wanted to host a craft inspired baby shower… a onesie decorating baby shower!!

Personally, I'm not a big fan of cheesy baby shower games, and since all of us friends get together about once a month to have "girls night" in the form of a craft night, decorating onesies was the perfect baby shower activity for us!

In case you are like me, and are looking for non-traditional baby shower activities, I thought I would share some tips and tricks for hosting a onesie decorating baby shower. As the baby shower host, I provided all the supplies for decorating onesies. To appeal to the various skill levels of the baby shower attendees, I provided a variety of materials for decorating the onesies, with the main focus on iron on appliques and stenciling with fabric paint. Below I am sharing a list of supplies needed for a onesie decorating baby shower, as well as directions for DIY fabric appliques and stenciling using fabric paint. Below the tutorial, I am sharing some additional tips and tricks for making this crafty baby shower a success!

Baby Shower Idea – Onesie Decorating:

Supplies:
Plastic tablecloths
Onesies (one per guest and assorted sizes)
Fabric adhesive/bond
Fabric in assorted colors/patterns
Die cut machine and die cuts
Stencils
Fabric paint
Embroidery floss (in assorted colors)
Sewing needles
Pin cushions and pins
Buttons
Ribbon
Fabric markers
Fabric stamps
Ironing board
Iron
Paper plates
Foam paint brushes/pouncer
Painters tape or spray adhesive
Small pieces of cardboard (cut to fit inside the onesies)
Scissors
Large round or rectangle tables and chairs (and plently of room for crafting)

Directions:
For DIY Appliqued Onesies:

1. Before the shower pre-wash and dry onesies and pieces of fabric (do not use fabric softener). Iron onesies and fabric pieces, if needed to remove wrinkles.

2. To attach fabric adhesive/bond to fabric pieces, preheat iron to wool setting. Place adhesive, paper side up on the back (or wrong side) of the fabric to be bonded. Place and hold iron on paper side for 2 seconds. Do not glide iron over paper, but lift and press iron onto the next section. Repeat iron pressing over the entire surface until the fabric bond is fully adhered. Allow material to cool.

3. Cut fabric backed with the adhesive paper into small square pieces and feed through a die cut machine with desired die cuts. Alternatively, you can trace a stencil onto the paper adhesive backing and use scissors to cut out the desired shapes by hand. (Make sure you flip stencil over and trace the design backwards, if needed.)

4. When ready to adhere fabric cut out to onesie, peel off paper baking and place fabric cut out, adhesive side down, on to onesie in desired location.

5. Press and hold iron for 10 seconds on each section of fabric applique until entire piece is bonded.

6. To ensure applique stays adhered to onesie after multiple washes,applique MUST then be sewed down (either with a machine or by hand) or adhered by piping fabric paint over the edges of the fabric applique that meet the onesie. If using the fabric paint option, place a piece of cardboard inside the onesie to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the backside.

7. Allow fabric paint to dry fully and then wash onesies again with baby safe detergent.

For DIY Stenciled Onesies:

1. Before the shower pre-wash onesies (do not use fabric softener). Iron onesies to remove wrinkles.

2. Place a piece of cardboard inside the onesie to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the backside Using painters tape, secure stencil onto onesie in desired location.

3. Pour a small amount of fabric paint onto a paper plate. Dab a foam pouncer into paint, dabbing off excess paint (pouncer should have just a thin layer of paint). Dab paint onto onesie over the stencil covered area, with firm stamping movements. Try not to smear the paint around, as it will bleed paint under stencil and create a messy design.

4. Using a small paint brush, go over any small areas that the foam brush didn't cover.

5. Allow paint to dry for about 15-20 minutes before peeling off tape and gently removing stencil.

6. Allow paint to fully dry (for at least 24 hours) then set paint (to make it machine washable) by gently ironing over painted area with iron set to medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes (do not use steam!).

Tips: Spray adhesive works better than tape to firmly hold down stencil and prevent paint from getting to undesirable areas. If reusing paint brush or foam pouncer, wash and dry thoroughly before using with next colored paint to prevent bleeding.

Tips for hosting a onesie decorating baby shower:

• As the host, I purchased onesies in a variety of sizes and styles (most plain white and short sleeve, but some with long sleeves and some with basic patterns, like stripes/polka dots). Another option would be to put a note on the baby shower invitation letting guests know that there will be onesie decorating at the shower and inviting them to bring a onesie and/or any special decorations they might want to use.
• In addition to onesies, burp cloths and bibs are great for decorating!
• Wash, dry and iron all onesies before the shower.
• To save time at the shower, I adhered the adhesive backing onto the fabric pieces before the day of the shower. I also, pre-cut some generic shape and some specific designs using a die cut machine. For the specific shapes (the car, owl, etc.) I placed all the pre-cut pieces for each of these designs in individual plastic sandwich baggies.
• At the end of the shower, take a picture of the party guests holding their onesies and/or have them initial the tag so the Mom to be remembers who made each onesie.
• Allow for 2-3 hours for the shower. We found that allowing guests to mix and mingle and eat snacks at the beginning, then opening gifts and saving the decorating until the end worked best (that way guests could leave once their onesie was decorated, if needed).
  
  

We had so much fun crafting and decorating onesies at my friend's shower. And even if you aren't attending a onesie decorating baby shower, you can still decorate your own onesies and gift them to a Mom-to-be! In fact, since I was so busy being the host at the shower, I didn't have time to decorate my onesie the day of the party. I decided I would decorate a few onesies at home and package them up with some Huggies Little Snugglers Plus diapers (that I picked up at Costco) in a baby bath tub with other new born necessities (wipes, baby wash, bath toys, etc.) to gift to my friend when we go to visit her and the new babe once he is born! This is a great gift because all new parents need lots of diapers and bath time items, plus you are gifting a special hand crafted gift that the new Mom will always remember in the form of the decorated onesie!

Since I have hosted many baby showers in my day, I know that diapers are always one thing parents with infants need a lot of. I always try to incorporate diapers into the baby shower décor (by using them to create diaper cakes/wreaths) and always give a box of diapers and wipes as part of my baby shower gift. Since diapers can be expensive, I always pick some up at great prices at Costco while shopping for other baby shower supplies, like food and paper goods. Huggies Little Snugglers Plus (only available at Costco), in sizes Newborn, 1, and 2, are designed to help keep baby's skin clean and healthy with the Leak Lock® 12 hour protection. Huggies Little Movers Plus (also available at Costco) come in sizes 3, 4, 5, and 6 and are designed for older infants that are on the go!

Currently parents can stock up on Huggies Little Snugglers Plus (Sizes 1 & 2) at their local Costco warehouse or online for $37.49 and $31.49 after $6 discount and free shipping (offer valid 9/1 to 9/25). Huggies Little Snugglers Plus are available at select warehouses and online at Costco.com in Newborn sizes for $29.99. Parents can also stock up on Huggies Little Movers Plus (Size 3, 4, 5, & 6) for $42.99 or $36.99 after $6 discount and free shipping (offer valid 9/1 –to 9/25).

One last tip for hosting and attending baby showers: try to gift parents diapers and/or clothes in an assortment of sizes. Since babies grow so fast, they won't be in newborn, size 1 diapers, or size 0-3 months clothes for long, so gifting larger or an assortment of sizes is best. Also, for new parents, don't open the diaper boxes until you actually need them! Again, since babies grow so fast you may not even need newborn size or will wake up one day and your little one may have grown over night! Many stores, like Costco, will allow you to exchange unopened boxes of diapers for the next size up, which is great since diapers are a necessity!

For more baby shower and parenting tips click here! And to find the Costco store in your area, check out this store locator!

Knoxville Tn Baby Shower Ideas

Source: https://www.kitchen-concoctions.com/2016/08/baby-shower-ideas-onesie-decorating/

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