Baby Shower!

As far as I remember I have previously mentioned that I'm organising my own baby shower. We have ordered our vintage invitations on Zazzle website, all the wall and table decorations, entertainment (e.g. bunting, table centrepieces, photo props, prediction & advice cards etc) I decided to do myself.

I must say I was slightly nervous about the whole thing as I wanted my baby shower to be better than I have ever done (organised events) as it's my own, once in the life time event.

The evening before the Baby Shower I was told that we are not going to have a proper Baby Shower cake which upset me a lot, but I did say I'm extremely organised right?! I had 2 letterbox cakes from BakerDays which were kindly sent for me to try them. Well, actually I was sent 1 cake but it was with incorrect wording and design, therefore BakerDays sent me a replacement cake which was perfect.

BakerDays is a cake website, you can order a cake for any occasion, pick from a selection of designs or create your own (i.e. choose a size, flavour and add a special message and design).

"We have developed an almost unlimited selection of cake designs with messages that can all be personalised to create a unique centre piece to any occasion. We are also able to produce your own special designs.

Creating your very own Personalised Cake has never been easier!

All our cakes are made specially to order and shipped in rugged packaging and we guarantee it will arrive safely and on time".

I have received a letterbox cake, which is a 5 inch round cake suitable for 3-4 portions. I think it's such a great idea, cake comes in a tin with a card from BakerDays and balloons or love hearts and a card, it was packed in a small box which can fit through a letter box, I even didn't have to open a door to a postman or be at home!

Letterbox cake can be perfect for a couple, a small party or maybe even a surprise present for someone, we had 5 people tasting 1 cake. It was a simple sponge cake but even after being almost 4 days in a tin it was still fresh and tasted very nice.

Design wise with the first one it was a bit of a cock up, and to be honest with you I was slightly disappointed as I specified which design and what wording I wanted on a cake, end result arrived with a wrong design, which wasn't even on a website at the day of my order, the background was yellow-ish colour which was weird as on a website it looked white.

 But the second cake was perfect, see for yourself.

I would recommend cakes from BakerDays but do make sure (maybe even several times, which to be fair I didn't do as didn't expect any problems) that BakerDays have your cake with correct design and flavours so you or someone else won't be disappointed with it.

So cake was sorted (even though I was disappointed with a person who offered to bake a cake and then pulled out), some of the food preparations I shared with in laws and oh my we had lots of food, now we are left with no space in a fridge at all and still 2 tables full of different snacks, at least it will last us a week!

As for drinks, we had a variety of pop drinks, juices and wines, I had a special bottle of Eisberg alcohol free Chardonnay wine for myself.

"Eisberg alcohol-free wine is made in exactly the same way as your favourite wine, but with one difference. At the end of the process the alcohol is gently removed using one of the world’s most advanced processes, leaving all of the flavours of the wine, but none of the alcohol.

There are four variations in the range: A refreshingly aromatic Riesling, a crisp Chardonnay, a juicy succulent Rosé and a fruity red Cabernet Sauvignon.

Suitable as an accompaniment dining with friends, or enjoying on its own, Eisberg contains 0.05% alcohol and only 34 calories per 125 ml glass, making it a great alternative to calorie laden booze".

I was sharing a bottle between myself, my mother in law and one of the guests who was driving. What I have noticed straight away is that for me it tasted like a normal wine, at first I wasn't even sure if I should carry on drinking, for other non-pregnant guests it tasted like a fruity Shloer.

As I have stopped drinking alcohol 3 months prior to getting pregnant and never had a sip of alcoholic drinks during my pregnancy trying Eisberg alcohol free wine was a completely new experience for me. I have tried non-alcohol wines before but they tasted more like a pop drink, Eisberg is completely different you won't spot a difference. Great alternative for mums and mums-to-be, those who don't drink alcohol or those you would like to have a drink but driving.

If you are tempted to try here is a little bit more about the range:

CHARDONNAY The perfect party tipple. A fruity, non-alcoholic white wine with soft vanilla aromas and crisp apple flavours and a hint of honey on the finish. Best served with: Chicken and salad dishes.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON A rich, non-alcoholic red wine with deep ruby colour and aromas of cherries and plums. Best served with: Lamb or beef dishes.

ROSÉ A refreshingly juicy, non-alcoholic rosé with succulent aromas of ripe strawberries and a hint of cherries. Best served with: your favourite spicy food.

RIESLING A fresh, aromatic non-alcoholic white wine with honeyed aromas of rosy apples and juicy melons. Best served with: Fish or chicken.

You can buy Eisberg alcohol free wine in Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda, Nisa Local, Londis, Budgens, Spar, Ocado, Bargain Booze, Slurp.co.uk

Entertainment wise we decided as a baby shower is not a traditional english event to keep it that way. 

We had a scramble game, consisted of 15 codified baby related words; baby shower variant of "pin a tale on the donkey" game- 3 pictures of a baby which we placed on a wall and baby bottle stickers, all guests we divided into 3 teams and were given baby bottle stickers where they had to write their names so we can pick the winner. I decided to take part in this game as well and I must say that being blind-folded is not so nice, but we all had so much fun! Then we decided to divide our party, I have invited all ladies upstairs where I offered to listen to my baby's heartbeat by using doppler and to do some bump painting.

Both of these experiences were quite emotional for myself and my female friends and family. I would say bump painting more so for myself, I had few designs on my phone which I showed to ladies and they picked a cupcake one. To create a masterpiece we used Snazaroo face paints. 

"Snazaroo face paints are specially formulated to be gentle on the skin and are fragrance free.

all Snazaroo face paints are manufactured using only ingredients fully compliant with EU & FDA toy and cosmetic regulations and are non-toxic. Snazaroo face paints are all water-based. This makes them as easy to get off as they are to put on. Simply remove with soap and warm water; there is no need for scrubbing or harsh removers".

Ideally I wanted my bump to look slightly bigger to capture our special time, but what ladies have created was fantastic! 

I was lying on a bed as ladies thought it would be easier for them and me. They have agreed who draws what and as the painting was drying quickly it was easy for them to swap roles or sides and it took us around 15 minutes to finish  my bumpcake. 

I think Little L enjoyed it as well as the only party of the cupcake I could see-cherry started moving which was fascinating to watch and after the cupcake was finished ladies started singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" to my moving cherry which made me cry a little. Such a special moment which I will never forget!

I can't thank enough all guests for their contributions and when I feel less “hangover” I will thank them for lovely present and evening!

Disclamer: I was provided with BakerDays Letterbox cakes, Snazaroo paints, Eisberg alcohol free wine for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions are honest and my own.