Guess what?! I’m going to be an aunt to a little baby girl – and I am over the moon about it!

I love babies. I love parties. I love hosting. And, I love being FRUGAL!

I am so excited to host a baby shower for my sister in law and fill you all in on what I’ve been up to these last few weeks. (I’m also a fabulous procrastinator and happen to do some of my best work under pressure – which basically means, if I can do it, you can do it too!)

Celebrating the new mama-to-be & honoring the arrival of this new baby with a shower has been such a blessing. It’s funny how doing something for others can almost be a good kind of selfish. You feel so good about doing it that it doesn’t even feel like your doing it for someone else’s benefit… I don’t know about you… but, I LOVE that feeling. “The BEST part… I didn’t have to break the bank to host the party. The Shower cost me UNDER $100!” So it was seriously no big deal to do this for her!

Throwing a beautiful, thoughtful celebration or shower, doesn’t have to cost you an arm & a leg – With a little help from my cousin who came over to help me cook the night before & a few food contributions from guests (No shame in allowing help), it was a total, low-budget success & I want to show you exactly how I accomplished that so you can do it too!

⇒ Rather than spending money on renting an event hall, I hosted the shower at my home. I kept the guest list on the smaller side by inviting women only (sorry dudes) It was a great excuse to get a move on my spring cleaning, too! (My boyfriend says, “You should throw a baby shower every spring!”) HAH. He’s a clever one isn’t he? 😉

⇒ I purchased specialty paper at an office supplies store for $6 to print my own invitations using a FREE printable design. I also used $1 envelopes from the dollar store for my invites & favors. I made baby blessing favors for the guests with tea lights from the dollar store that cost $1 for a whole bag.

 Baby Blessing Favors Read:

“This is a gift for you today so, when mama goes into labour, you can help light baby’s way… With the flicker of the flame, please say a prayer in Peyton’s name.”

Brunch style –

By inviting guests to bring their favorite brunch style dish (not required by any means but people love to feel helpful at times like this), I only had to provide some finger foods, snacks, drinks, etc.

Hosts’ Approx. Total Food Cost Only: $76.64

⇒ I attempted to arrange the cupcakes into a girly pink bow & displayed the DIY baby blocks I made here, which double as a gift to take home for baby. The elephant place cards used to label food were only $0.17 at TJ MAXX!

⇒ My son’s art easel made a great sign ?

⇒ Coffee table Center Piece (Pictured Below) – Mini Robin eggs cause’… Easter. Recycled Jungle-themed card from my baby shower used as décor. Recycled baby pins from my shower & table runner made from $0.50 roll of burlap garland.

⇒ DIY Baby Onsie Banner recycled from my shower – Made from scrapbook paper & pom-pom garland. Metal BABY sign $1 thrift store find & recycled from my son’s nursery when he was a baby. I DIY’d this Set of “Little One” signs for mum to take home and use in my niece’s nursery. If those are out of your realm of creativeness you can always custom order something similar on etsy – supporting mom-run businesses is a passion of mine!

GAME: “Nappy Night Time Amusement”

⇒ I purchased a $10 package of size 1 diapers that guests wrote silly, encouraging or amusing words on for the new Mama & Papa to enjoy during their frequent upcoming midnight diaper changes. (The basket & chalk board were items I had at home)

⇒ My most exciting upcycled gift was this ole’ glider chair some friends bought for me when my son was born. With a broken spring in the seat & a small irremovable stain on the cushion, it was left to collect dust in our storage room for the last 2 years. Since I’m on a mindful kick to purge stuff we don’t need, I finally asked my boyfriend to fix the spring & had handmade covers made for the cushions, footstool & throw pillow by the one & only Mamma Made Children’s Boutique – My go-to for anything hand-sewn & ultra adorable!  The glider made the perfect “guest of honor” chair during the shower & will now be a comfortable resting spot for mama & baby for many nights to come in their nursery.

⇒ On the invitations, I encouraged guests to bring a book with a personal note in lieu of a card to help start baby’s library. The elephant & giraffe book ends & books were a $5 total yard sale find. Given the nursery theme, I couldn’t pass up this $0.25 wicker elephant basket I scored at a yard sale & filled with personal care items for baby.

When you get the news of another family member or girlfriend who’s just about “Ready to Pop”, don’t be intimidated by hosting them a shower yourself. The thought & love you pour into the celebration will top any gift you could buy at a store & you’ll feel great about treating the expecting mama to a day all about her.

Plus, no one will ever know that you pulled it off on a budget under $100 – Unless of course your like me & super proud of being ultra-frugal & can’t help but brag about how LITTLE money you spent to pull it off 😉

Made With Love,