Parenting & New Baby Advice Blog

Archive for the ‘Baby Blocks Theme’ Category

The square shape of classic wooden baby blocks make them the perfect inspiration for a baby shower cake.  I’ve put together the collage of cake ideas below using photographs from Flickr (see links to the individual cakes underneath the collage).  I hope that they give you plenty of inspiration if you are trying to create your own baby block themed shower masterpiece.

Creating a set of 4 block cakes can be accomplished by simply baking an 8″ or 9″ square layer cake and then cutting it into quarters to make perfect squares.  I’ve found that it is easiest to dirty ice the squares and then cover them in fondant to get a smooth appearance. If you color and roll the fondant out, you can easily create letters, numbers and other shapes to put on each side of the cake blocks.  The other option is to use colored icing to frost the blocks and then use a piping bag to pipe on the letters and numbers for each side.  No matter which option you use (fondant or icing), your guests will be impressed with your creativity.

Image Resources:
1. Baby blocks cake, 2. PINK BEAR BIRTHDAY CAKE, 3. www.cupcakeenvy.com, 4. Baby’s Block Cake, 5. brown and blue bears and baby blocks themed baby shower cake copy, 6. Jock Christening, 7. 1st birthday, 8. baby blocks cakes, 9. Baby Shower Cake (La Torta)

I have found a number of shower favors that will match your baby blocks theme perfectly, but my absolute favorite are our “New Baby on the Block” sticky notes.  The notepads are tucked inside a block-themed dispenser that is decorated in pretty pastel colors that will work for either a boy or a girl.  Another great set of favors are the block themed gift boxes that come in blue or pink and can be filled with chocolates, jordan almonds, mints or even bath salts.  To pay special tribute to the mother-to-be and send guests home with a tasty yet memorable favor, you can order personalized mint tins with a block-themed logo.  Simply add mom’s name and the shower date to your order and choose from 8 candy flavors to be included inside the tin.

If the baby has already arrived, ask the new mother for her favorite photo of her new baby and make copies for each guest.  Slip a picture into a block-themed photo frame and watch the guests’ eyes light up when they realize they each get a frame to take home!

If you’ve already found a great favor for your shower and want to add the block theme to it, we offer personalized baby blocks favor tags that can be purchased in sets.  Each tag includes your guest of honor’s name and her shower date – you can also substitute the baby’s name and birth date if he or she has already arrived.

With a few helpful hints, decorating for your baby blocks themed shower can be as easy as 1, 2, 3!  You can find block-themed partyware or decorate tablecloths yourself with colored paper “blocks”.  Order a fitting block-themed baby gift and use it as your centerpiece, or purchase alphabet blocks and stack them around the guest tables.  The alphabet blocks can even be used for a game during the shower – have guests stack blocks as high as possible with their eyes closed or use the blocks to spell out baby name suggestions for the new mom!

By adding a little creativity to your menu planning, guests will be able to enjoy block-themed food at the shower.  Cube up melons and serve them in a square dish.  Cut sandwiches into squares and serve with cubes of cheese.  You can even serve a block shaped cake by stacking 3 9×9 square cakes on top of one another, then frosting and decorating to look like a block.  Finish with punch that has a giant ice “cube” rather than an ice ring, or add a little jiggle to your dessert with jello cubes.  Who knew that hosting a block-themed baby shower would be so much fun!

Almost every child has a fond memory of playing with blocks – either stacking them up and knocking them down or spelling out words with them.  So a baby shower with a blocks theme seems like a fitting choice for nearly any mother-to-be!  From invitations to decorating to food and the cake, it will be fun to create your baby blocks themed shower!

There are a number of invitation styles that will work well with your theme, you can choose a custom baby shower invitation as shown above or make your own invitations from scratch.  Simply cut pieces of construction paper twice as long as they are wide, then fold in half and decorate to look like a block.  Or use photo shop software to arrange the wording of your invitation across a row or stack of baby blocks.  You can even sketch out your own stack of blocks, then scan it into a computer or copy it onto multiple invitations!

Something you may want to include on your invitation is to ask each guest to wrap their gift in a block-shaped box.  Then you can creatively stack the gifts to create a fun “block” display!  You can also find square plates or block-shaped streamers to decorate your guest tables – which will be square of course!

Find a large box and fill it with block-themed baby gifts such as a baby blanket with block-themed fabric, a set of blocks for when baby gets older or a personalized baby blocks photo frame.  You can also find block-themed gift wrap to tie everything together.

We’ll explore even more block themed ideas – including food, favors and decorating – in the coming days.