One of the trends I reported from the CHA Shw (Scroll waaaaayyy down and you'll see it) was a lot of inspiration in baby themed crafts for gifting, decorating and dressing. Retailers can take some inspiration from two recent television references.
One was on the Gilmore Girls (ok, I confess, I like the banter).Lorelei, a woman known in her communicty for crafting, sewing and decorating puts together the baby shower to end all shows for her daughter's friend. One of the activities- all of the guests get to decorate a onesie.
So each guest got to decorate a little tiny onesie with paint. Here's where TV met reality. True to the reaction of most non-crafters but in a crafting situation, some got nervous and "messed" up. If this Inn thing doesn't work out- Lorelei could be a great teacher because she encourged Sally Struthers to turn her mistake into something cute.
Decorating onesies- CUTE idea for a baby shower and an example of how retailers can help create unique celebrations for parties. Stick with embellishment techniques that are bonded to the fabric- Fabric paint is excellent. How about computer generated images that can be ironed on. A little photo of Mimi + PopPop maybe? A photo of dad (or mom) that says My Hero. Or heat transfer letters for unique names? Tie-dyeing techniques. I would advise having extras on hand in case someone makes a boo-boo.
The other reference I saw was a teaser for an entertainment show on Tori Spelling's baby shower. If only I could have gotten a closer look there were lots of great gifty ideas to mine there.
I did get a good look at the Sippy Cup Cake that with rows of bottles and cups built up like a wedding cake and tied with wide ribbons. It didn't beat the cellophane-wrapped Washcloth Hoagie I got for my baby shower but it sure was practical!
Women who don't craft any other time love to make clever things for baby and bridal shows. When you see a cute idea, get a picture or sketch and come up with your own version. Display these cute ideas in your store and share them with your local media.
There's nothing better than helping people craft for a baby celebration, well except maybe to babysit later-. Have a great weekend- Beth