Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Our Baby Diaper Cakes




This post is at the request of our wonderful clients who are curious to know how the Baby Diaper Cake looks wrapped in tulle. Many Diaper Cakes come wrapped in cellophane wrap which makes it hard to carry and doesn’t look as elegant as soft tulle. Our Baby Diaper Cakes are wrapped in tulle and tied with silk ribbons. Above is a sample picture of a custom designed cake we did for a pair of delightful twins.

Finest Blossom – Baby Clothing Bouquet




Baby clothing bouquets are a wonderful alternative to the usual flower bouquets. This unique baby gift is an assortment of baby clothing, receiving blankets, bibs and so much more. They are accented with silk flowers and leaves to give it a ‘traditional’ bouquet look.

Like our Baby Diaper Cakes, our Finest Blossoms- baby clothing bouquets can be custom designed using your colours and keeping your budget in mind.


Finest Blossom - Baby Clothing Bouquet : Available at Finest Expressions- Designer Gifts & Gift Baskets

Mom's little Helpers


If you are a family member or a close friend of the family, involve the older siblings in making mom a baby shower keepsake. Depending on their age group, help them make finger print cards or a little family scarp book. Let them participate in making something in the kitchen or with party decorations. Not only will mom be touched that her other babies helped with planning this celebration but the children will feel more involved with the pregnancy.

We also does custom gift basket for the sibling. Above is a sample of one we did for a very special big sister! Contact us if you'd like to have a custom made gift basket for that wonderful older sibling(s)!

BabyCake - Yum!



Absolutely beautiful and delicious cupcakes from BabyCake will make a wonderful addition to your baby shower dessert table.

They come in mouthwatering flavours such as Velvet Underground, Choco Funk and Polar Bear. These ‘bundles of heaven’ can be ordered online at http://www.babycake.ca/index.htm or by visiting their parent restaurant, kubo Radio at 894 Queen Street East.

Friday, July 25, 2008

How to Be the Perfect Grandma: Rules of the Game




There is a grandma in every family and we have a few at Finest Expressions as well. So when it was time to give one of our grandma's a gift for her birthday, we found this cute book with all the inside secrets on how to be a perfect grandma. The grandma feed back has been that its full of ideas on how to enjoy your grandchild, to be actively part of his/her life and how to deal with the parents as well.

About the Author

BRYNA NELSON PASTON is an overjoyed grandmother of six, aged three to ten, whom she calls “the music of my universe.” Formerly an editor of the Jewish Times (Philadelphia), she has written for numerous national magazines and newspapers. A graduate of Penn State, Paston lives in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Source: Amazon.com

Available at www.amazon.com

Product Of The Month - Baby Gift Basket




Precious Baby Girl - Gift Basket


Pink, pink and more pink! Our deluxe Precious Baby Girl gift basket comes with:

• 1 Receiving Blanket
• 2 Washcloths
• 1 Pair Socks
• 1 Coin Box
• 1 Body Suit
• Plush Elephant Toy

A perfect baby gift for a precious baby girl.

Available at www.finestexpressions.com

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Couples Baby Shower



It’s becoming an urban trend to have co-ed baby showers so both the parents-to-be can celebrate the arrival of their unborn child. If you are considering to throw a couples baby shower, the best place to start would be asking the couple if this is something they would enjoy. Once they give you the green light, go ahead and compile a guest list with them. Keep a balance of men and women so the father-to-be feels comfortable.

Try to keep a neutral theme, one that both the sexes would enjoy. Here are a few good choices to consider:

-Tropical Theme

-Beach Theme

-BBQ Theme (See Summer Baby Showers post below for details)

-Jungle Theme (Check out our Jungle Safari Diaper cake*. It will make a perfect centre piece for the baby shower!)

-Color theme – You can work with contrasting colours such as pink/brown, blue/brown or yellow/white. However, go easy on the pink for all the men’s’ sake!

You could play traditional games but adapt them to your couples baby shower. Non-traditional choices would include charades, movie trivia or Taboo. If playing games doesn’t fit with your crowd, keep a casual setting where guests mingle, catch up and share their baby stories.

Stick with simple ideas and you will deliver a fun couples baby shower that all your guests are sure to enjoy!

* Jungle Safari Diaper Cake - $110 – Available at www.finestexpressions.com

New Baby Diaper Cakes & Gift Baskets!


We are really excited about our latest designs of diaper cakes and gift baskets! They are in trendy colours and unique styles. Do check out our unique diaper cakes and baby gifts at www.finestexpressions.com

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Cynthia Rowley Designer Tote



We just couldn't resist posting this little piece on our blog! Illinois native, Cynthia Rowley has designed these trendy and gorgeous baby diaper bags or as they call them "Designer Totes".

DESCRIPTION
Shiny Patent Leather
Grosgrain Ribbon Detailing
Personal Notebook Blotter
Multi Easy-Drop Full Size Pockets
Matching ThinsulateTM Insulated Double Bottle Case
Coordinating Zippered Pouch
Fold Out Changing Pad w/ Head Rest Cushion
Zipper Enclosure
Dimensions: 15.50" L x 5.50" W x 10" H

Tip Of The Day : Baby Shirt Signing



Tip Of The Day

At your next baby shower, have guests sign a baby shirt instead of a guest book! It looks adorably cute and will make a wonderful keepsake for many years to come.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Online Baby Showers



Online Baby Showers are quickly gaining popularity in North America. In today’s world where families and friends are spread all over the globe, it’s a wonderful way of staying connected and celebrating the upcoming birth of the new baby. In other situations, mom-to-be might be confined to bed-rest so this might give her a chance to socialize and enjoy her shower while lounging in her P.Js! It can supplement the traditional baby shower or it can be an exclusive event in itself.

There are companies that offer online baby shower packages that included:

Emailed Invitations
Message Boards
Live Chats
Photograph Albums (online)
Online Baby Shower Games

There are a lot more features offered by different companies so it’s best to do your research before making your pick.

The other option is to organize all aspect of the party yourself instead of going for a packaged deal. You could send out free e-vites, set up a free home page, blog, Facebook group, Flickr album or MSN chat.

Don’t let the physical distance between mom-to-be and her loved ones get in the way of this celebration. This is an opportunity for you to make her feel supported and get her family/friends involved with the pregnancy.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Second Baby Showers


So you threw mom an amazing baby shower, she got loads of wonderful gifts and the baby arrived. Now fast forward to a couple of years later and its time for baby number two. As a best friend, sister or mom do you throw another shower?

Some people feel that the first baby is the only one who should get a baby shower. Others believe every first deserves a shower, i.e first boy, first girl, first baby with new husband etc.

Then there are people like us who love parties! So go ahead and throw the second time (or third or more) mom a shower. Try any of these different themes to make it extra special:

Diapers & Dishes – Baby Shower


This theme is quickly gaining popularity with second-time moms. All guests bring diapers or dishes for the parents-to-be. Diapers are an essential with all babies and dishes refers to freezable meals that the parents could use in the hectic weeks after the baby. Tip: Take our simple yet beautifully designed diaper cakes instead of just a box of diapers. A 3-tier diaper cake includes approximately 100 diapers and is decorated with ribbons and flowers so it can be used as a centre piece for the shower as well.

Spa – Baby Shower

A shower that is focused on pampering the mom with relaxing spa treatments. You could hire a professional to give manicures, pedicures, facials or massages.

(See previous post for details)

Mom’s hobby centered - Baby Shower:


Some moms love cooking (like one of our Finest Expressions moms) so throwing her a home cooking party might be a great surprise. If she is into a particular book or movie, working with that theme could be fun as well.

In conclusion…Whatever theme you choose, the key is to have fun whether it’s the first, second or third baby shower!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Spa Baby Showers


There are tonnes of baby shower themes that you could work with but one of our favorites is the spa themed shower. What could be a better way to treat the mom-to-be then to have her pampered with pedicures, manicures and massages*? The best part is that you and all the other guests can enjoy some spa treatments as well.

There are various mobile spa facilities that offer complete spa services at homes. Each guest could choose one treatment such as manicure, pedicure, facial or massage. You could even try getting a Henna tattoo artist to add an exotic touch. Belly casting can also be included in the spa themed party.

For the decor, think of your last spa visit and you what you enjoyed the most. Scented candles, soothing music and of course fresh flowers.

The menu for this theme is fun, easy and healthy. Try fresh fruits such as melons, strawberries and cherries. A platter of veggies and dip would go wonderfully as well. A few light sandwiches and an assortment of fruit juices would complete the food table.

You could get mom a spa basket of her own to enjoy after the event. Check out our Bath and Body gift baskets for more ideas or give us a budget and we will design a basket using your theme and colours.

*Be sure to check which massages and spa products are suitable for pregnant women.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Summer Baby Showers


We are in the middle of summer and if you are about to throw a baby shower, its a beautiful time to do so! So many fresh ideas and settings that you could work with to create an unforgettable event.
How about throwing the special mom-to-be (or parents-to-be) an outdoors baby shower? Complete with a BBQ menu, summer drinks*, and even outdoor games. Work with bright colours and use the summer blooms as inspiration. As a centrepiece for the big (or small) party try our Harmony Baby Diaper Cake**. The 2-tier cake has 65 Pampers diapers (size 1). Its accented with creme mums and high-quality gross-grained green polka dot ribbon. Wrapped in tulle and tied with silk ribbon it will make a beautiful centrepiece for a beautiful shower.

*Be sure to have some non-alcoholic drinks for the mom-to-be!
**Harmony Diaper Cake- $64.99. Visit us at www.finestexpressions.com to place your order today!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Botanical Paperworks - Baby Shower Invitations


Sometimes picking out baby shower invitations is as hard as picking out wedding invitations! When we were researching for unique and creative invitation ideas we came across this amazing product from Botanical Paperworks. The Canadian based company found by a team of mother and daughter, offers baby shower invites that you can plant and grow wildflowers! The hand-made plantable seed paper is called Garden Greetings. You can customize it with your choice of seed paper and stripped ribbons.
Check them out at http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com and be sure to visit their blog!

Welcome Note...



We are very excited and thrilled to have finally launched our Finest Baby Showers and Gifts Blog! It took a lot of research and planning but we are finally here.

A little introduction...Finest Expressions - Designer Gifts & Gift Baskets is a family owned business that opened its doors in 2007. We absolutely love every aspect of gift giving including product selection, designing and colour coordination. However, its receiving those compliments and thank-you notes from our thrilled customers that we enjoy the most! There are so many exciting aspects to putting a special gift together and we take pride in offering our clients the very best. From top notch quality products to uniqueness and creativity of each gift, we take care of it all.

Our blog will not only be a showcase of our products, but it will have tonnes of useful information about baby shower trends, themes, other baby product reviews and so much more.

We hope to be your complete resource guide for hosting hit baby showers and getting baby gifts that the parents will truly appreciate.