Looking for Bridal Shower Ideas?

Are you a hostess looking for a special way to put together an upcoming bridal shower? Why not consider a theme? That way all your efforts will be coordinated and the result will be beautiful.
Sometimes, the bedroom and the bathroom are forgotten when people buy gifts, and the kitchen gets the lion's share of the gifts! So, why not do a Bed and bath theme? Or if you would like to include the kitchen, why not a bed and breakfast theme? Once you have the theme figured out, the ideas will flow freely.
Depending on what you consider would be the budget that is available when you put all the guests together, ask the bride-to-be if there is a special gift she is hoping to get and maybe all of you can get together and pitch in for that one special gift.
If she doesn't, just either pass around a list of suggestions or let each guest bring her own gift suited to the theme. Or, if the bride has registered for gifts at a store, go and check out what she has listed as her wishes for the particular area of your theme and secretly agree with the guests to fill out those gifts, if possible or to give her things along those lines. That way you'll save her from getting a lot of things she doesn't need or want, or too much of the same thing.
Choose invitations that follow the theme you have chosen for the party.
As wedding favors, you could give away lovely candles of all shapes, small bottles of cologne, or little gift baskets filled with a combination of hand-crocheted washcloths, bath oils, shower gels, miniature soaps, bath salts and even a nice foot brush. For your game prizes, you could choose a gift certificate to a crafter's bath shop in an amount you feel is affordable.
When it comes to gifts for the bride-to-be, you have plenty of options: sheet sets, a nice comforter for their bed, monogrammed towels, scented candles, special lingerie. Again, there are so many possibilities for your guests to choose from,that if the bride is aware of the shower and has registered at a local store, you may want to include her list of requests for the area covered by your theme when you send out the invitations.
If you are choosing a bed and breakfast theme, cookbooks, a sandwhich maker, a food processor, frying pans, and nice kitchen gadgets can be interspersed with cute crocheted towels in her kitchen colors, or crocheted potholders can go with sets of pots and pans. A person who gives her a toaster, could add a nice crocheted cover to the gadget, again, in the bride-to-be's kitchen colors.
If you are holding a Tea Party Bridal Shower: Start the party at teatime and serve fancy sandwhiches and rolls. To decorate the table, put silk flowers in crocheted teacups or purchase a beautiful crocheted and handpainted teapot, like one I have available for you here. After the party, you can give it a s a special gift to the bride-to-be for her to decorate her kitchen or breakfast nook.
Talk with the guests, if you have a group of crafters among them, see how many things could be handmade among the gifts that could be added to the list of things she's already expecting. For example, If you are holding the bed and breakfast theme party, you could think of dish towels, crocheted aprons, placemats, napking holders (someone buying silverware might add handmade napking holders or crocheted "pockets" for tableware.)
Whether you are holding a bed and breakfast shower (which gives you a lot of options for gifts for the bedroom or for the kitchen) or a bed and bath party (which again will give more latitude since you are not confined to either room and can buy for either), you could combine thick purchased towels with crocheted hand towels, you could add crocheted lace to store-bought towels to make them special. Pile them into bundles and wrap them with pretty ribbon or put them in a basket with scented body lotions, nice soaps, bath gels, loofah sponges, bath salts and fragrant bath oils, with this beautiful Mediterranean-Style Pineapple and Shell Lace Mitt! You'll my FREE pattern below:
Mediterranean-Style Pineapple and Shell Lace Mitt
Materials: Sports weight cotton, color of your choice and size "F" hook.
Pineapple--Front side of Mitt:
Row 1-Ch 10, dc in 2nd ch from hk,ch2, 2 dc in same ch space, ch3, skip 2 ch, 7 dc in the 3rd ch,
ch3, in the last ch space, make 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc. Ch 4, turn.
Row 2-In the ch 2 of previous row's shell, do 2 dc, ch 2, 2dc, ch3, on top of the 7dc-middle shell, do 7 dc with a ch 1 in between each. Ch 3, in the middle of the last shell from previous row, do a 2 dc, ch2, 2dc, ch 4, turn.
Row 3-In the middle of the first shell, make 2 dc, ch2, 2dc, then ch3, now make 1 sc in between the dc in the ch1 space of prev row, then make a ch 3, and repeat across the central 7-dc shell (5 ch-3 spaces made). Ch3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc in last shell of row. Ch 4, turn.
Row 4-2 dc, ch2, 2dc in the middle of first shell as before, ch 3, in the middle of the first ch-3 sp, make 1 sc, ch 3. Rep across. (4 ch-3 spaces made). Ch 3, 2 dc, ch2, 2dc in the middle of last shell of row. Ch 4, turn.
Row 5-Make first 2 dc, ch2, 2 dc shell, ch 3, now in the middle of the first ch-3 space of the pineapple, make 1 sc, ch 3, then in the next ch-3 space, make 1 sc, ch 3, rep across the pineapple (3 ch-3 spaces made). Ch 3, Make your last 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc shell in the middle of the prev shell. Ch 4, turn.
Row 6-Make first shell of 2 dc, ch 2 , 2 dc, ch 3, in the middle of the first ch-3 space of pineapple, make 1 sc, ch 3, then in the next one, make 1 sc, ch 3, rep across. (2 ch-3 spaces made). Ch 3. Make the last 2dc, ch 2, dc shell of row. Ch 4, turn.
Row 7- Make first shell as before, ch 3, in the middle of the 1st ch 3 sp from prev row, make 1 sc, ch 3, skip the next ch 3 space and go straight to the middle of the 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc shell of prev row and repeat it. Ch 4, turn. (Pineapple is formed.)
Rest of Mitt's front: Row 8-Make your first 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc shell. ch 4, 1 sc in the middle of the only ch 3 space on top of your pineapple, ch 4, 2 dc, ch 2, 2dc in next shell. Ch 4, turn.
Row 9-Make first 2dc, ch 2, 2 dc shell, do not make any chains in next ch 4 space from prev row, across from central pineapple, 2 dc ch2 2dc (with no ch sts in between) rep on the other ch4 space of prev row. Make your last 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc shell of the row.
Rep this row 5 more times. Sc all around twice. Fasten off.
Back of Mitt
Row 1-Ch 24, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook and across row. Ch 3, turn.
Row 2-1 dc in first st and across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 3-1 sc in nfirst st and across.
Rep rows 2 and 3 for a total of 21 rows from row 1 to last.
Sc all around. With right sides facing each other and wrong sides facing you, sew all around. Fasten off.
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