Not sure why she doesn't want flowers, if her idea is 'romantic Europe' - flowers would be central to much of that feel. I would check with the banquet hall about restrictions on candles - many places do not allow open flames on the tables due to fire code, so your candles must be contained in some way. Here's one idea. Use a glass pillar candle hurricane as in the link. glass hurrican Make a base for it by taking a terra cotta flower pot saucer that is large enough to hold the glass hurricane. Use a terra cotta flower pot, turned upside down, to act as the pedestal base. Usually the pot will be one size down from the saucer size. Paint them black, then dry brush with bronze and florentine gold craft paints, especially on the rims of the saucer and bottom rim of the flowerpot (now upside down as base). Use silicone adhesive to glue saucer to bottom of flower pot. Get some vellum from the craft store, likely in the scrapbooking department. Measure it so that you can create a piece of vellum that will wrap around the outside of the hurricane, covering it completely top to bottom. Search on your computer for graphics that represents each city, and print them in black on the vellum. Add the name of the city in a pretty font, perhaps some other words or names of places as well. Wrap this around the outside of the hurricane. WHen you place the pillar candle inside (white, unscented), the light will shine through the vellum and make a beautiful glow. You could add some gold curliques or paint right along the top and bottom edges of the vellum using a gold paint pen to make a more elegant finish. You can rent round mirrors ( or the banquet hall may have them) to put under the pedestal to reflect the light even more. Despite your daughter not wanting flowers, I would think about buying some of the pretty faux garland that is out there now for the holidays, perhaps with some white roses or magnolias in it and some frosted gold glitter, to encircle the base of the pedestal. And I agree with marie - your daughter seems very clear on what she does and doesn't want. She is old enough to understand a budget, and should also be willing to help do the work to make the party happen and save money where possible. I guess I should be glad that I have boys, and that those kinds of parties aren't done in our area! LOL Hope she has a wonderful birthday, and that the party is everything she has dreamed of all these years!

Lisa, Some ideas from an "older" woman! Please take them in the vein they are offered, and do what you please. I'm not really that old, but I can get considerably grumpy at times, LOL. BTW, I just turned 50. The only baby showers I expect to be invited to anymore are for my son's wife if he ever has one, or one child of my very best friend. I know the idea of having the guests address their own thank-you envelopes is an idea that has taken off among the younger set - but seriously, as an "older person", I was shocked the first time it happened to me, and a bit offended, too! Reasoning - I've been invited, I've taken time to either make or shop for a gift, and the bride (in my case) or mother-to-be can't take enough time to write her own thank-you notes? Either thank me, or don't, but don't make me work for a thank-you note. I'd rather not have it. If you're going to be having a large number of older people, you may consider having (assigning) someone to fill out those envelopes, or have it done in advance, or just skip it. The older folks will be offended. And you or your daughter will all ready have the addresses if you've invited the people. Use a computer and print out the address labels in advance. Also, JMHO, favors are not necessary! I came for the party to "shower" the mother-to-be with a gift, and I really don't want a "thing" to take away. A thing means I have to store it, or use it, or pitch it - in other words, it puts an additional obligation on me. And a favor that is a food item will be left by more than 1/2 the guests - been there, seen it happen too many times. Save the money and start a savings account, LOL. If you absolutely must do favors, please, an unscented candle (I have asthma), wrapped in the tulle with a ribbon, but I don't want to have to throw out a plastic safety pin, diminutive bottle or other "baby" thing. And I will throw them out, and so will your guests! But I could possibly reuse the ribbon. I find it wasteful of both money and resources to stick little plastic things on gifts. I much prefer to be provided with a beautiful chocolate truffle to eat AT the shower - and one is enough. I LOVE, LOVE the idea of a clothesline on the wall to pin the outfits on!! I think that's brilliant! I also think the decorated onesies are a wonderful idea! Also great is the idea of having guests sign or draw on a quilt block. Have them all over-sized, with the freezer paper already ironed on. Draw the border, so they don't go into the seam allowance. Have fabric crayons or pigma markers ready, as well as some ideas for simple drawings from coloring books, or a list of "baby sayings" for them to write. As to the games - I'm not hard of hearing, but I also have little tolerance of shower games. I would not participate in a measuring of the mother's belly. I was 29 when I had my baby, and I was horrified when people at work wanted to touch my belly - and work people threw me a shower. Fortunately my DH worked at the same place, and he stopped them from playing that game. LOL. They still made me a fricking hat from all the ribbons, and insisted I wear it for a photo. I didn't like that either, but tolerated it with good grace. Bingo might be tolerable. Understand, all of these shower games started when it was giddy 18 and 19 year old girls having babies, and the people who attended baby showers were all the same age, and the only older people were the mums and grandmums. Friends of the parents didn't usually attend. They showed up AFTER the birth with a lovely blanket or outfit, several days after Mother and baby were home. So I don't know how old your DD is, and you have to consider both her and the audience. I was a good 10 years older when I had my first than my mother was. My sensibilites and preferences were too. Shower food - crudite and dip, fruit and dip, finger sandwiches if you wish, cake, punch, tea and coffee. Maybe a truffle. Please take this in the way I intend it - tongue in cheek for the most part, but also trying to save you some money. I would concentrate on nice food and drink, no favors, only one game at the most. Sit around! Eat! Open presents! Nothing more is required of a good shower. Hoping I didn't sound too grumpy, LOL. Mary

I am definitely a "3 ring binder with page protectors" scrapper. I started making these scrapbooks this way before I had even heard of Creative Memories and they work great for me. I definitely like the flexibility it affords me to move pages as I am organizing. Norma - I am in the middle of doing a heritage scrapbook of my maternal family. It sure is fun but a lot of work! Where have you gotten some of your ideas for arranging pictures on the pages? Do you have any advice for the heritage scrapper? I would love to hear any ideas and suggestions. I am looking for 5X7 embossed frames with rectangular centers but can't find any. They only carry ovals. Any ideas? Thanks! :-)

I bought a book a little while ago on teabag folding at my local scrapbook store. It included the special paper with it, plus the store also sells it by the sheet. This paper folding originated in Europe, supposedly as a woman sipped tea,she picked up her teabag envelope and fiddled with it until it turned into a star shape. Its kinda like origami, but you can make frames and 3-D flowers,etc. Some of the designs are more difficult than others. The book is by Design Originals. Here's a site - www.d-originals.com Patty