Would like some advise please

**pollypurebred39** · 07-31-2009, 02:10 AM

This Saturday I am attending a baby shower. It is an unexpected invitation so I've had no chance to set aside funds for it. I have $ set aside in earmarked envelopes, I will not pull cash out from those even on a temporary basis (I do not want to risk not being able to put it back) We have an unexpected emergency car repair (no car= no job "pizza delivery") so that means no household money for perhaps several weeks or more depending on the size of this bill. We run a very tight ship around here, our motto is No New Debt, so I will not use a credit card.

Attending this shower empty handed is unthinkable, declining the invitation is not an option. At this very moment I have $1.85 in my handbag. I may have another dollar in change in my bedroom.

Help me come up with a gift for this shower. Anything creative you can think of? Something extremely cheap, but won't make me look stingy. I'm in quite a pickle.

Thanks

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 07-31-2009, 02:15 AM

A coupon for babysitting in the future. The new parents will need a night out a few months down the road.

Or, you can hit the dollar store and buy some powder and lotion. Put it in a pretty bag or wrap it up on a baby-related ad from the newspaper.

**frugalfranny** · 07-31-2009, 02:22 AM

Love the coupon idea.

Maybe a coupon for babysitting along with a 'food dish' coupon for during that first couple weeks when their butts will be dragging. List two to three dishes that you will make them and let her choose one.

Not sure I would go the $ store route for the baby stuff ....not lotion and cream anyway, as some mothers are 'real picky' about what they use. Maybe a rattle (or some such).......to tie up with the coupons.

**madhen** · 07-31-2009, 02:37 AM

If you have the yarn, you can knit up a pair of baby booties in about an hour. Or if you can sew, maybe take an old sheet or find one at a thrift store and hem it into a crib blanket?

I saw a really, REALLY cute box that had been made by gluing fabric to a laundry detergent box (the kind with the flip-up lid). Maybe use fabric you have on hand, or find some cute baby-type fabric, and make one of those - fill it with a small pack of disposable diapers and some HM baby wipes, baby shampoo, etc.

Depending on how far along the mother-to-be is, maybe you can give her a "gift" of pickles and ice cream.

Put it in a basket and wrap it up in cellophane like those fancy gift baskets full of food you get on holidays.

**mamamia** · 07-31-2009, 03:28 AM

Do you have a small basket and picture frame you're not using? If you have some baby style fabric and a little paint, you can paint the outter sides of a basket, and using the same color paint do the picture frame as well. Now take your fabric and line the basket.

Next, make a cardboard matte for the frame. Again, using the fabric, cover the matte with it. A little padding glued down 1st under the fabric, makes this even nicer. Just don;t "over stuff", or it'll be harder to re-assemble.

Next, if you have a little eyelet or other trim, glue it along the inside edges of the matte. Adding the same trim to the basket somehow would match it up nice to the frame as well.

Re-assemble your frame, tweak it here and there with things you already have in the house. With the few dollars you have, maybe find some sample sized items, and put it in the basket. Or, if you're feeling really ambitous, you could make a little doorknob hanger out of the same fabric, and somehow write SHHH! on it, and throw in as a small basket filler.

Another frame idea....make a double opening matte. Leave one side for a pic, the other side you could find a cute saying or short poem off the internet, add designs from some clip-art, etc., then print it out off the computer.

Well Polly, you seem very creative and resourceful to me

. I'm sure you'll come up with "something". Do let us know though. I'm anxious to find out what you'll do

Theresa- sorry so gabby...lol!

Didn't see the above post until I hit the submit button, but I LOVE the pickles/ice cream idea! I'm sure everyone will get a good laugh over that one

**Thevail** · 07-31-2009, 03:50 AM

Maybe a cute coupon book..

a coupon redeemable for 3 hours of "mommy time" to take a shower, do her nails, or just take a nap.

a coupon for 5 hours of "couple time".

a coupon for "a night out".

a coupon redeemable for one serious kitchen deep cleaning.

Not chintzy at all, and frankly they're the things your friend will need most, and want to ask for the least. New mom's have an awful time admitting that they would ever need a "break" from their new little darling.

Lace them together with appropriate colored ribbon or yarn if they know what they are having.
Maybe put a little quote inside the cover..

When the big party is over... real friends don't go home..they help clean up!

If you don't know the people well enough for that

A booklet of recipes for organic baby foods (easily found on the internet) to make at home along with helpfully printed instructions (also easily found on the internet) and a few of those tiny plastic condiment containers with the snap on lids.

**pollypurebred39** · 07-31-2009, 04:08 AM

Pickles and ice cream would have been a hoot! Shame she just had the baby. Family waited till after the baby was born to throw the shower.

I really wish I was more skilled with crocheting, so far the only things I have made have been a pair of slippers and right now I'm working on dishclothes, I have one completed. I do have a beautiful skein of baby yarn that requires a fat crochet hook I do not have. I can single and double stitch so I could pull something off if I got that crochet hook. I only hand sew, but if I think on it I may be able to come up with something I can hand sew real quick...Hmm.

Coupons are a good idea. I've got to see if we can hook up the working printer to this OLD computer.

And real friends do stay and help clean up! LOL!

I've got a garage full of half cans of spray paint, I've got baskets, I've got two frames, one with glass one without. I may still have some baby fabric, not sure how much. Got to dig through my stuff.

So far I pulled out what little scrap booking materials I have and I made a card with baby angels. The front of the card has a window cut out so you can see the baby angel. You open it and it reads Babies are Heaven sent. Was super happy to see those angel decals and lettering decals in my bin. Not even sure where they came from. I've only bought scrap book supplies for specific pages I've done. Very little else was bought with the exception of ribbon and a set of letters called clearly stamp set. Call me stumped???

**Thevail** · 07-31-2009, 05:08 AM

Using half of one flat twin sheet.

Fold it so that it forms 6 inch deep pockets, sew simple long seams up the edges, and at 6 inch (you'll have to measure it out so that it comes out evenly for your sheet) intervals to form lots of little pockets.

Use either the other half of the twin sheet, or another stiffer fabric and sew the "pockets" onto the other backing, and hem a curtain rod pocket into the top.

One curtain rod and you've just created a "baby stuff organizer" that will easily hang on the wall, or the closet door, or wherever you want to attach the rod.

It's great for baby socks, pacifiers, little hats, mittens, teething rings, small toys, etc, etc. etc.

If you're more talented and happen to have a small fabric suitcase you can make two of those only smaller and sew them into the inside of the suitcase. Mom will love it!

**2ndGenGranola** · 07-31-2009, 05:11 AM

One of my favorite gifts was a cute little wall plaque someone got from either the thrift store or a garage sale. It had a very sweet poem on it. What she didn't know when she picked it was that the author of the poem had the same first and last name as my grandmother who had passed a good 20 years before. I boohooed and boohooed for days. It felt like a big hug from my grandmother.

**pollypurebred39** · 07-31-2009, 05:50 AM

2ndGenGranola, What a lovely story.

Thevail, I am totally into that baby organizer. I've got to see what material I have and hopefully I can get it handsewn by Saturday. Liking that a lot. Now I've got to rummage through my fabric and see if I can pull that off. Great Idea!

**frugalwarrior** · 07-31-2009, 06:06 AM

I used to make padded photo albums. craft glue,album.lace,cotton batton.cereal box card board,baby friendly fabric. Gorgeous w/ spray painted basket. Offer to take pictures at shower. pm me if interested. Takes 1/2 yard. for full size album. Used musical chips but you don't have to. Could put in baby pictures of parents??

**Karen1** · 07-31-2009, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by pollypurebred39

This Saturday I am attending a baby shower. It is an unexpected invitation so I've had no chance to set aside funds for it. I have $ set aside in earmarked envelopes, I will not pull cash out from those even on a temporary basis (I do not want to risk not being able to put it back) We have an unexpected emergency car repair (no car= no job "pizza delivery") so that means no household money for perhaps several weeks or more depending on the size of this bill. We run a very tight ship around here, our motto is No New Debt, so I will not use a credit card.

Attending this shower empty handed is unthinkable, declining the invitation is not an option. At this very moment I have $1.85 in my handbag. I may have another dollar in change in my bedroom.

Help me come up with a gift for this shower. Anything creative you can think of? Something extremely cheap, but won't make me look stingy. I'm in quite a pickle.

Thanks

First start the "unexpected gift needed" envelope. Even if you put up to only $25 in it, you will be prepared.....LOL

I would only give the coupons if I really knew the person for babysitting and all that.....and it wouldn't be feasible for me cause I don't have time to babysit anyway...HA HA HA........but if it was close family type situations, the coupons would be wonderful!!!!

For me, I would bite the bullet, go to the dollar store, buy a pack of newborn diapers and a rattle and just make a bow and that would be it.

If you have several envelopes, you could pull $2-3 out of each and have enough for a small gift. On late notice for an invitation I don't think you are required to bring much anyway.

And on the computer you can easily fashion a small card to say congrats on the new baby!

Diapers and a rattle would be minimal expense since making something might take too much time if the shower is very soon.

hope some of that helps.

**WV_mom_of2** · 07-31-2009, 09:32 AM

Something I like to do for baby showers is get mom something. How about taking any money you can scrape up and going to the Dollar Tree and getting mom a gift instead of baby? Buy mom a nice bottle of lotion and a box of candy. Or maybe a bottle of bubble bath and a bottle of lotion. Then I'd put it together with a sweet card that says something like "Moms need pampering too" and a couple of homemade freezer meals.

**ladytoysdream** · 07-31-2009, 09:35 AM

You got some great ideas already.

Me, I would grab some yarn and knit up a few baby hats.
I have a knitting machine so I could do the main part quickly and would then have to finish the last rows off by hand, using regular knitting needles.
I have done quite a few for charity earlier this year.
I like to crochet and have done some baby blankets. But it is time consuming for me. I guess I should use a bigger hook though. It would go a lot faster.
The last baby shower I want to, I did a crocheted blanket and a few small dollar store items. Got a lot of compliments on the blanket.

**rsbs** · 07-31-2009, 09:55 AM

The best gifts I got after DD10 was born, were for ME!

Food (I'd been very strict on my diet & was seriously missing coca-cola & fast food... oh yeah - & cookies!

) and household help. New moms are exhausted - & they usually don't run out of help with the baby, so my closest friends would come & do my dishes... sweep my floor... & bring meals - it was heavenly!

If you are close enough (geographically & otherwise) I'd suggest adding those types of things to your "coupon book."
I don't remember who all paid a visit to me after DD was born, to see her, but I DO remember who helped me around the house!