The Shower Diva: Where Fun Reigns!

Answer:

Dear Olivia,

A puppy-themed baby shower? Oh, it's so easy and what fun!

How about throwing a "What Are Little Boys Made Of?" shower! Why, this party practically plans itself!

Start by carrying the well-known nursery rhyme straight onto your invitations:

"What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails

That's what little boys are made of!"

You can make the invitations yourself by buying colorful stationery and matching envelopes that feature puppies. Stationery that carries out pale blue and brown tones is very trendy these days, especially when dogs are part of the motif. Type the party information in your computer wordprocessing program, do a test run on a plain piece of paper, then once you have the spacing right, run off as many invites as you need.

If that isn't doable, visit your local copy store. They can print your puppy invitations for you at a very reasonable price. Or, visit your local stationers for puppy-themed shower invitations. If you enjoy hand writing invitations, these will fit the bill. The shower invitees will appreciate that personal touch. It really looks like you've gone the extra mile.

Of course, if you would like to hire professionals, you can turn to my favorite baby shower site: BabyBingo.com and ask them to create invitations for you. They've done this with many satisfied customers. They'll even carry the created them onto personalized favors for you. Just because you don't see it on their site, doesn't mean they can't go the extra mile for you...at no extra charge!

Next, make your shower planning easy - and super fun - by getting a puppy-themed party kit! Celebrate.com has a fabulous puppy themed set done in blues and brown!

One of their kits accommodates only 8 guests, so if you want to choose that option be sure to order as many kits so that each guest has one of everything. The advantage of box party sets such as this one is that you get a full compliment: dinner plates, cups, forks, spoons, activity placemats, 16 napkins, centerpiece, solid-color tablecover, mylar balloon, 18 assorted balloons, 50 yards of curling ribbon and 3 rolls of 81' crepe paper streamers in 3 colors, cake candles, confetti and thank-you notes.

This particular kit seems economically priced, too.

Here's another adorable puppy party themed kit from Birthdayinabox.com Of course, the little one hasn't arrived yet so it's not really his birthday, but the festive doggie party pack fits the nursery motif even down to the colors. On this same site, you can order a Puppy Cookie Cutter -- now how cute is that!

Don't forget music! Your theme song could be "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by the Baha Men! Here's a link to the song on YouTube. This one features all kinds of dogs, some in cute costumes! Why not email this song to mom-to-be -- I think she would get a real "howl" about it!

In terms of party food, this is one shower where you can throw dieting to the winds! Serve "Man" Food!

• Sloppy Joes
• Hamburgers
• Pizza
• Potato Salad
• Chips and dip
• Veggies and dip
• Ice Cream and toppings

And don't forget those Dog Bone shaped cookies! Get your Wilton Dog Bone Cookie Cutter from one of my favorite stores: wilton.com

If you're looking for decoration ideas, go all the way. Don't worry about going overboard. If you see "dog" anything anywhere, and you can afford it, pick it up. Seed mom-to-be's house with little dog toys, statues, pictures, balls, a frisbee, a leash and chew toys. If you can find little tiny dog figures, buy a bunch and hide them around mom-to-be's house so that she keeps finding them for months to come!

You can make a Dog Bone Mobile inexpensively and hang it over the serving table. Pick up plenty of baby blue and brown ribbon at your local fabric store and Voila! You've got a top of the line attention getter! Here are some instructions on how to make the mobile.

Another fab touch is to give Mom-to-Be a puppy-themed diaper cake. It makes a great table centerpiece too. Check out this Dalmation Diaper Cake.

If you feel like going "Snoopy" check out: Baby Snoopy Baby Cakes

E-Bay is also marketing puppy-themed diaper cakes, so do a Google search if you want to check out E-Bay's products. You could just as easily (and maybe more economically!) make your own puppy themed diaper cake for Mom-to-Be. Pick up a medium- or large-sized doggie bed at Petsmart, a stuffed toy dog, and get loads of diapers. Arrange the diapers in the bottom of the bed, then top it off with the stuffed toy dog. Trim the diaper cake with by using pale blue and brown ribbon. If you can find a blue and brown pillow for the bottom of the doggie bed, fantastic!

Publix stores are featuring ready-to-order party cakes that are unique and awe-inspiring. Check out this Shaggy Dog Cake if this one isn't to your liking, take a trip to your favorite bakery and work with them on coming up with the perfect puppy-and-baby themed shower cake. Does Mom-to-Be have a favorite breed of dog? Then, that's your ticket. The shower theme can be focused around Baby-to-Come and mom's favorite canine! Of course, when it comes to the cake, you'll want the baker to use pale blue and brown colored frosting!

Happy Showering,