This coming 5th May 2009 is Cinco De Mayo (which means “5th of May” in Spanish). It is a national holiday in Mexico and is also widely celebrated in US.

To celebrate this special occasion,  I would like to share with you this free ebook :

In this ebook, you will learn about the history of Cinco De Mayo, learn Cinco De Mayo songs, make Cinco De Mayo crafts and lots of yummy Cinco De Mayo recipes for you to try.

You can download the free ebook here

Do feel free to share about this free ebook with your friends & happy Cinco De Mayo!

When throwing a baby shower you are not obliged to give party favors to your guests. But still, it would be nice to hand out a memento of the special occasion. Worried that you might spend a fortune buying ready made baby shower party favors? Then why don’t you just make the party favors yourself.

Below are some creative ideas for baby shower party favors.

1.Buy baby bottles, baby socks or even cloth diapers (if you can still find one) then fill it up with assorted goodies like candies and chocolates. After filling the items, you could tie cute little ribbons around them. The items would prove to be useful. Some of the guests may even give them back after a few weeks.

Baby Gift Set Socks by Trumpette - Boy Socks (Set of 6) 0-12 mos

2. If you bake then you can prepare cookies (choco chip, butter, sugar, oatmeal, etc.) in the form of baby bottles, baby rattles. Babies and other baby related shapes. You can package the cookies in colorful plastic or paper wrappers.

Train Cookie Cutter

3. As you probably already know, candles are a big bit among women. That why they probably would be a big hit for the guests on your baby shower party. Buy scented votive candles. These candles are usually sold in sets to make them cheaper. Then decorate the candles with ribbons. Colors of course will depend on your personal taste or to the theme of your baby shower. Of course it would usually be blue if the baby is a boy and pink if the baby is a girl. The candles smell great and they would even look great when they are wrapped. Candles are an ideal party favor for any occasion since they mix very well with any theme.

Baby Candle

4. If you have a green thumb and likes plants in general then maybe you can give away some of plants in your garden. All you have to do is buy some small seedling pot. Graft a stem on some plant and plant them into the pot. This type of party favor is symbolic since your gusts would be obliged to take care of the plant just as if they have their own babies. You could also buy coffee mugs or wine glasses and a bunch of flowers. Then put a flower in the mug or glass as if they are flower pots. This baby shower party favor would definitely be a big hit.

5. Baby bath items like baby soap, baby shampoo, baby oil, baby lotion, etc. can also be a big hit among your guests because they can be either used for their very own babies or for themselves if they are single. You can also include other bath accessories like sponges, loofahs, scrubbers, small towels, etc. You can arrange the items in mini baskets or hampers. Then tie a ribbon in front of it for it to look cute.

Lambs & Ivy Mini Cake Yum Yum Baby Gift Set in Pink

6. You could baby stuff made of fabrics like cloth diapers and bibs then paint them using craft paint. Make colorful designs such flowers, animals, insects, cartoon characters, cars, clowns, candies, etc. The end product can be use as a decoration or as a hanky.

Two-sided reversible baby Double Dipper Bib

There you are, six creative homemade baby shower party favor ideas that your guests will surely love. Who knows, you might end up making a business out of your masterpieces. Remember, all you need is some creativity and crazy ideas to make these baby shower party favors.

Baby shower cakes are sometimes referred to as ‘diaper cakes’ or ‘baby cakes’. What’s the difference between them? Baby shower cakes are the actual cakes that can either be homemade or bought from the store. While ‘diaper cakes’ are baby shower basket cakes that consist of different baby items.

‘Diaper cakes’ may be a real cake decorated with baby diapers and assorted baby items. Or ‘diaper cakes’ may also be made of real baby diapers that are arranged like a layered cake. The decorations of the ‘diaper cake’ consists of a variety of baby items for the newborn.’Diaper cakes’ are wrapped in cellophane and tied with adorable ribbons for a finished look. Like the scrumptious baby shower cakes, ‘diaper cakes’ make for interesting conversation during the baby shower party.

Homemade baby shower cakes

To prepare a diaper cake, all you need to do is carefully stack rolled diapers into several levels (having three levels is suggested). You may use laces and ribbons to keep the diapers in place. However, make sure that you did not tie the diapers too tightly together to prevent them from being deformed. Deformed diapers will be useless and will just end up in the garbage bin. The diaper cake can also be placed as a table centerpiece.

Cream Peonies With Leopard Safari Diaper Cake - 2 Tier

Lil Princess Diaper Cake
Present this unique gift to the King and Queen and you’ll surely be a hit in the royal court. Their new little Princess will look adorable and love showing off her Princess toys and accessories. …

Baby Cake Pan
This aluminum Wilton cake pan is shaped like a baby stroller perfect for baby showers! Use it to make an adorable baby cake with just one package of cake mix or your favorite cake recipe.

Gift baskets are very popular today and indeed a wonderful idea which can either be purchased made-to-order or ready-made. Or, you can do it yourself by putting together all baby items that you like for the baby. Here’s how you can make one:

1. Know first the size of the basket that you will use. A very large basket may be difficult to fill, so a medium sized is recommended. Usually, craft stores sell baskets of different sizes, shapes and colors. Shredded tissue paper and raffia make great fillers to be layered at the basket’s bottom, alongside with baby towels and blankets.

2. If you do have a large basket, you can easily fill it up by choosing bigger items as well, such as crib comforters, stuffed bunny or teddy, pillows or crib bumpers.

3. Take into consideration the baby’s gender, what really the baby needs. For a first baby, there will be many things that he will need. Having to look at a baby registry if the mom to be has one, can help a lot, since you will know what the baby really needs. If there is none, you could always ask the mom what else she needs for the baby.

4. Consider having a theme. You can load the basket with everything pink for a baby girl or everything blue for a baby boy, or everything having a “pooh” or a dinosaur design. A bedtime theme basket filled with story books, music CD, blankets, pillows, pajama, musical crib mobile and a teddy bear can be a wonderful idea. Be creative and let your imagination soar.

5. Another way of being creative is instead of using a basket, a baby tub, a diaper bag, a small laundry basket or a trunk can also be used.

6. For a tub, you can fill it with baby bathing accessories, such as soaps, towels, bubble bath, powder, baby shampoo, lotion and bath rubber toys.

7. For the trunk, you can fill it with baby’s keepsake book, monogrammed items, receiving blankets, heirloom items, a picture frame and an inspirational book all about mom and baby. You can also place a little inspirational note containing all your wishes for the baby. This will add a more personal touch to your gift.

8. For the laundry basket, you can fill it with cute slippers, diapers, baby comb and brush, booties, and baby clothes.

Personalized Traveling Baby Gift Basket

Hi! Check out the latest FREE ebook from Fun Learning Express :

Please download it here

Enjoy!

** Download & Play FREE Holiday Games **

Hi! Are you looking for some unique and fun decorations for this Thanksgiving? Here’s some holiday crafts you can make with your little ones :

Have your child trace around his/her hand and you can turn the drawing into a turkey. The thumb is the head and the fingers are the tail feathers. Add skinny legs and bird feet, feathers and other details like the wobbly loose skin around the neck . Then have your child colors the picture. To make the drawing looks colorful, color the tail feathers in rainbow colors.When done, your child can cut out the turkey and hang them on the wall.To have more fun, make a flock of these turkeys by involving everybody’s hands in the family, then you can display your “Turkey Family Tree” on the wall or you might even want to frame it!

Here a sample picture of the traditional, wild turkey :

Another Thanksgiving craft you can make with your child is Turkey door decoration. Draw a large turkey drawing on a cardboard paper (or you can use the back of the cereal box), and cut out a large number of colored feather shapes. Have each family member writes on a feather something he or she is thankful for before attaching them as part of the turkey’s tail. Repeat until all the feathers are used, and hang the turkey on the front door to greet visitors with a message of gratitude.Make a sign to accompany the turkey that says “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!” or simply “Be thankful!”or “We’re thankful for you!” or whatever you like.

Children love making paper chains. Let your child make a paper chain in fall colors as one of their holiday crafts. Using 9 by 12 inch crafts paper, cut the paper in half across the long side and cut the halves into one inch thick six inch long strips. Use a stapler to attach the ends of the strip into a circle. Loop the next strip into the circle and staple it. Continue the process alternating colors of brown, red, yellow, and orange. When the chains are long, you can drag them along the ceiling or stair rail. If you did not make the Turkey Door Decoration, your child can write something they’re thankful for on each strip of paper before adding it to the chain.

I’m sure your visitors will be delighted to see these unique and homemade crafts by your child! Have lots of fun!