Event management -- Planning a Baby Shower

Birth of a baby is the biggest event in the lives of expecting parents. Leading upto this is the shower for mommy to be. I planned a budget friendly baby shower that my gueststhorughly enjoyed and liked . I think you can go really elaborate and spend a big amount . Or you can stay within a tight budget, be creative and crafty.either way you can end up with a spectacular baby shower. (Of note I chose the later route ) Here are some party planning basics that were on my checklist . I think these helped to make the celebration a success. 

1.Invitations

I kept it simple since it was a casual baby shower .I used evite.com . I picked up a design that spoke to both the would be parents ( and of course the one that was free ).



2.Theme

Since I had to arrange a gender neutral baby shower I chose yellow and green. These two colors came to mind immediately since the baby is due in spring. The colors were an interpretation of sunshine in the lives of the parents to be .

3.Decor

Since we had a fireplace as the focal point at the venue of the baby shower I decided to adorn the mantle. I had two similar vases with fresh yellow flowers on either end of the mantle. With my love for crafts I made these pompoms. I had planned to make a large garland with onesie cutouts to hang from the mantle. But we could not use tape or push pins as per  the rental hall agreement. So I used the readymade garland from party city. And then added the small onesie garland that my friend made. I also personalized the mantle decor with gifts that the mom had already received.

Table decor looked so co-ordianted with the theme. Center piece for the tables was my favorite project. Not original but definitely worth DIY inspired by pinterest. And again my theme color yellow co-ordinating perfectly here. 

I had some cut outs of baby related things like stroller, pacifier etc all over the hall to add to my decor. 



4.Games

We played very traditional baby shower games. We incorporated the theme colors in every way we could while creating supplies for the games. We had some personalized papers and notes to write advice for parents. We had fun playing the following games ...
Baby Bingo
Price is Right
What's in your purse
Spotters
Guess the Gender
.
"Guess the gender" was a huge hit. My crafty friend made these girl and boy cutouts. We had all guests take a picture using the cut outs, predicting the gender of the baby to come. It was in a way the "photobooth."

5. Food

Food is a huge part of any Indian gatherings. We had catered delicious homemade Indian food. Keeping in mind the theme colors I also had  grapes, pineapples and orange juice.The kids enjoyed the fruits as well. (Not to mention having Costco membership certainly helps when your guest list is long ).

I had nailed down the details of the baby shower two weeks before the event. I already had all the decor, return gifts and food orders taken care of. Planning every single detail helped hugely. In the end the baby shower was spectacular and everyone was engaged and well entertained. I enjoyed the event myself as well. So what is your take when it comes to arranging a baby shower ? How do you plan a party ?

Dare to be Bare - Face it !

Yesterday I was visiting my hair dresser. All of a sudden out of nowhere she asked me why I did not use makeup. Without a thought I replied stating that I loved my face the way it is. Not that I am lazy but I just never wear makeup on daily basis. This conversation made me immediately think about the #Iwokeuplikethis selfie posted by Beyonce a few years ago. And till date this wave has not died down. 
Everyone likes transparency and I so root for authenticity. I personally feel that there is nothing more beautiful than a completely bare face. No make up. Just raw real beauty. It makes you feel confident and beautiful than you ever could. There is nothing wrong with a smoky eye or bold lip or any make up for that matter. But being just as comfortable without it is the key. After all what matters is to be the "refreshingly real you ". What do you girls think ?

Diwali Gift Hamper 2016

This year I was very busy aroundDiwali time. work and home commitments gave me very little time for Diwali preparations. I also was hosting our neighborhood Diwali party in addition. and the guest list included more than fifty people. So coming up with last minute ideas for gift hampers was a bit unnerving. I sort of grew up with the tradition of giving hampers to neighbors on Diwali. So even the thought of skipping the hampers this year made me uncomfortbale. Finally in the end I managed somehow to check off all things on my list. Everything came together from decorations and lights to the homemade faral and party preparations. Just in time I shared the homemade faral with my neighbors packed into this hamper. I aslo added some goodies in ths form of "hand painted panatis ". staying up late past midnight to paint these panatis was totally worth it.My neighbors enjoyed the yummy treats and the clay goodies. And just like that i bonded with my neighbors even more with the hamper and at the party. Wishing everyone a happy diwali and a prosperous new year.

My Cup of Coffee on National Coffee Day

As always I randomly came across this while surfing the internet " 29th September is national coffee day". I did not even bother to look up the history behind this. All I could think of was a blog post . By now ( if only you read my blog )  you would have noticed that caffeine has largely been a part of my blog posts. Why not ? It has been and still is an integral part of my daily routine . Caffeine is what wakes me up and keeps me going everyday .
 
As I thought more and more  about this national coffee day I had a flash back of fun filled coffee moments in medical school .  Just like  " Koffee with Karan " I have my version of " Coffee with Doc Becks " . Reflecting on my caffeine addiction over years I thought of my friend Doc Becks from medical school . Doc Becks has been my "partner in crime", "a witness" , " helping hand " and " my long lasting friend " in every single important and not so important moments in medical school.  Doc Becks has accompanied me during my each and every visit to  Ashwini canteen ( local coffee shop ) during my med school years. Even recently when my family visited Doc Becks for lunch in India the meeting aptly ended with fresh home made filter coffee by Doc Becks . Incase you all are wondering Doc Becks is not a caffeine addict at all. Infact Doc Becks once told me that I should start a " chai company " and may in fact end up being an international business tycoon some day . May be !

Talking of those good old college days I have to mention Ashwini canteen . Neither the ambience here is great nor the location is perfect . But this place is mesmerizing. The coffee served here is one of its kind . No one can beat that flavor . This place holds a special place in hearts of many GMCites. I am sure this place has been a witness to all important events in lives of GMCites over the years . All the make ups and break ups, fights and friendships, group meetings and study discussions happen here . It sort of is a site of historical importance when you are at GMC . Undoubtedly it will continue to be a testimony to many future events and people . I have visited it at all fun and not so fun times in my medical school years . Random evenings , weekend breakfast , day before diwali and even the day before final exams . Each and every moment at Ashwini canteen has a special place in my heart . I still cherish those fun filled times .  Doc Becks never refused , not even once to accompany me on my caffeine binges at Ashwini canteen . My dear friend has patiently heard stories of my stupid fights with some folks and has endured through all my superstitions of not passing the finals . Just few days later then to celebrate my excitement after passing with flying colors . All this happening at one and only Ashwini canteen . So here is my toast " a cup of coffee " for the friendship we shared and still share . Cheers Doc Becks .

It's Coffee O'clock

            "Sometimes having coffee with your best friend is all the therapy you need "

I read this on the internet and memories from our recent India trip quickly came to my mind. Me, my husband  (my best friend ) and baby K were on our way to meet some relatives in Maharashtra. The moment my husband spotted a CCD he immediately drove into the parking lot. It was 3 pm on a regular weekday. I was not just surprised but shocked. For a non caffeine lover this was totally "out of the league" kind of thing . 

CCD ( cafe coffee day ) is a standard chain type place. This particular location had lots of seating and was not too crowded given the time of day. The place had comfortable environment and we settled into a sofa near the window. We quickly glanced at the menu and ordered two cold coffees given the scorching heat outside. 

We had such a wonderful time at that CCD. We sat there, relaxed and enjoyed every sip of the coffee. We spoke about our first visit to CCD together 9 years ago . It was just after we had decided to get married. Our lives have changed so much since then. But my love for him, coffee and CCD is still the same. It was sort of an impromptu coffee date. As much as we enjoyed the time spent together at CCD we loved the coffee too. It was a nice break and good family time for three of us amidst the crazy busy India trip. 

On a regular weekday in USA at home my mantra is "If you bring me caffeine without having to ask then I love you more" . Now here we were in India ,on a weekday, with hectic travel schedules and meetings planned. Amidst all of this my dearest husband stopped for a cup of coffee with me ,at my fav place without even a second thought. What else can I ask for? After nine years of marriage this CCD trip was just like a perfect first date... "latte to love " all over again.

Diwali Gift Hamper 2015

Diwali is the festival of lights. Away from my country I still manage to create the diwali ambience inside my home. Every year I decorate my house with lanterns. I enjoy making lanterns. I make them in dozens  to hang them all around the house. I put lights and a big "aakshkandil" in the patio.  And of course diwali can never be complete without the sweet and spicy home made snacks . They are made in all Marathi homes worldwide. Nothing can beat the fresh yummy home made "faral". Like always this year too I made ladoos, shankarpali, karanji, chivada and chakali. The difference this year was that I packaged it with some creativity. I got the dollar store silver containers. I used cupcake liners to place individual items. Then placed these inside the container. I covered the container with cling wrap. I used homemade gift tag in the shape of a "panati ". I made it using a card stock paper I had at hand. I had fun giving the faral package alongwith a aakshkandil to my neighbours and friends. I also received a nice surprise gift with the faral from one of my friends.

Should I just say diwali gift hamper? Share your ideas to package faral next year. Until then wishing you all happy new year. Welcome 2016.

Pinterest Projects - DIY Tile Coasters

The tile coasters have been on my DIY- to-do-list for a long time. Of course I had seen them on Pinterest. These coasters are cute and cheap. Great idea to make the coasters for Christmas presents. These coasters are very easy to make but not quick. The process involves some time for Mod Podge to dry before applying the sealant.

Materials used -

1. 4-1/4″ square ceramic tiles 10 cents a piece ( from Home Depot )

2. Scrapbook paper ( in pattern of your choice )

3. Mod Podge

4. Spray Arylic Sealant

5. Adhesive backed felt pads (from  Dollar tree )

Total budget under 10$.  You can make multiple sets of coasters with various scrapbook papers.


So here are the steps involved -

1. I used the tile to mark the dimensions on scrapbook paper. I wish I had cut the paper a little shorter to show the tile at the borders. ( Well !Now I know when I do new batch of coasters )

2. Then with a foam brush I applied  Mod Podge onto the tile and laid the previously cut square scrapbook paper on it . The paper should adhere to the tile nicely. Smooth it out with your fingers as needed.

3. Again with a foam brush I applied  a coat of Mod Podge , this time over the paper.  I used my fingers to smooth out any bubbles that crop up, pressing out toward the edges.

4. I left the coasters to dry for several hours .

5. I finished  them off with a coat of spray acrylic sealer to make them waterproof. Since I used the glossy one it gave a nice shiny finish .

6. Finally added some felt on the back to prevent coasters from scratching my furniture. I added felt couple of days after the spray sealant coat.

And that's it ! I was very happy with the way they came out.  I could not wait to enjoy a cup of tea with my cup resting on these coasters.