Last year I had the true privilege of helping give a warm welcome my sweet little nephew, Graham. The shower I threw my brother and his wife was a labor of love, and tailored just for them and the things they love–mainly fishing. Fishing for them is a big family activity, so hosting a fishing baby shower for them was a no-brainer.
About the time I started planning this event, I was also learning to paint in watercolor. I took a little inspiration from my classes and painted all the graphics for the shower and tweaked them with a little graphic design on the computer.
This shower was a bit untraditional for me, as we did not have this event at home. We were at a restaurant with only an hour to set up and very limited space to work in…and the space was 3 hours from my house. If you find yourself in a similar situation for party hosting, I highly recommend focusing your decorating efforts on two or three points that have a big impact. I had to bring everything with me in one car (plus my husband and kids), so I couldn’t do a lot of extras.
For this fishing baby shower, I spent a fair amount of time handcrafting paper reed centerpieces and assembling a small dessert table. Backdrops were not do-able here, and I had to be prepared for whatever tables and arrangements the restaurant had on hand when I showed up…flexibility was something I had to have in spades that day!
There are a few affiliate links to things I actually used in this party in this post. They cost you nothing but help me keep this site running.
Fishing Baby Shower Tablescape
Every little fish at this shower was hand painted–then hi-res scanned to make some pretty cute artwork for the party. With wooden slices as a base (buy them here), I bought a few “real” looking grasses at the craft store and placed them in some rope-tied vases and accented with a fishy frame and a few bobbers (buy them here). The fake grass was pricey, so I did supplement those with a project I’ll show you in a moment.
The vase I used is easy to make, and you can find the tutorial for the jute-wrapped vase here (I do love to recycle party props!) The frames are equally easy to create; they cost about a dollar at Michael’s, and I did some creative staining to make them the color I wanted. You can find the instructions and a free fish printable to make these weathered wood frames here.
Aged metal containers and boxes sprouted bouquets of paper reeds to supplement the faux grasses. All lined up down the table, they really created a wonderful atmosphere in the restaurant.
I made a small area for the party favors as well–just some stained scrap wood, more of the reeds and a watercolor painting.
More hand painted water colors went into making the favor tags. For the favors, I used the tutorial here. Since there were so many childless couples at the shower, the airplane bottles of booze went over quite well. We also had containers of gummy worms available for those who didn’t want bourbon to take home!
Sadly, I didn’t get a better shot of the banner–it was one of my favorite pieces. Really love how the watercolor art all worked with the pennants.
Fishing Baby Shower Entertainment
After I guilted my brother into letting me throw a shower, the first thing that was established by the happy couple was that there were to be absolutely NO BABY SHOWER GAMES. Especially since it was going to be co-ed.
I didn’t mind so much; I’m not big on guessing the baby food-type games, either. We did want the guests to have a little involvement with the event other than eating and watching presents being opened. Everyone was asked to fill out a card for Baby G with some wishes for the future that we read out loud later in the party. There were a few jokers in attendance, so this ended up being poignant and well as entertaining!
The other bit of guest-involvement that I set up was a this guest sign in. I painted a few fish and asked everyone to sign their names or leave a note on the artwork as they came in. After the party, I put the glass back in the frame and all that love now hangs in baby boy’s room. Which is conveniently decorated with lots of vintage fishing themed stuff.
If you LOVE the watercolor printables here, shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to talk to you about customizing a set for your event! This set would work equally well for birthdays of all ages.
Next up: the dessert table! See details on the sweet fishing-theme treats made just for this party!
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Anna
Saturday 25th of May 2019
Would love to buy a sheet of the sign that says "worth the bait" .
Becky
Monday 14th of January 2019
Did I miss instructions on how to make the reed centerpieces? I am in pick up line at preschool so I may have overlooked it.
Paula
Friday 8th of October 2021
You know, those centepieces really are one of my favorite projects ever, but i went about it so willy nilly when i was making it i never bothered with a tutorial. I used a block of florist foam for the base, and cut a few different shades of green paper freehand for the leaves. I hot glued the bottom of each reed to a cut bamboo skewer. Beyond that it was just a lot of shaping of paper with my fingers until they all looked how I wanted!
Alexandria
Friday 8th of October 2021
@Becky, I was looking for it too!
Erin Roberts
Tuesday 9th of May 2017
This shower is perfection! Every detail is perfect and your watercolor art is beautiful! Great job! Erin https://theeverydayevents.blogspot.com/
Paula Biggs
Saturday 13th of May 2017
Thanks so much, Erin!
Lisa
Sunday 2nd of April 2017
I am in love with this shower. Not knowing what tables and space you'd have to work with would have STRESSED me out! Love the watercolors too.
Sandra Garth
Friday 31st of March 2017
It's not always about having lots of "stuff"; it's about working with what you have. Driving three hours to the venue, setting up in a small space and working on a budget? I would have been one nervous Nellie. This isn't a theme that's often used for a baby shower and you aced it! The framed printables really stand out as do the fishing props. Congrats on a successful event and I'm looking forward to this special baby's first birthday party!