Finding out a close female friend or relative is pregnant and expecting is always an exciting turn of events. The first few weeks following a pregnancy announcement are filled with a flurry of activity, phone calls and emails and letters and squeals and exclamations of excitement. But after the initial novelty and excitement of the announced pregnancy wears off, family members and friends of the pregnant woman will start to think ahead to the upcoming arrival, and wonder what part they can play in helping the new mother adjust to motherhood as easily as possible. A lot of women consider motherhood as the true essence of womanhood, of what being a woman is all about. Conception is joyous, and waiting for the baby to be born is a time filled with excitement, anxiety and impatience. But no matter what emotions are present, it's important to remember that motherhood is something worth celebrating.

Baby showers are a great way to share in the excitement that the pregnant woman and her partner (if he or she is present) is experiencing. It's also a wonderful way to help her gather the tangible items she'll need to take care of herself and her baby once the baby is born. Baby showers are very popular among pregnant women and their friends and family, and present the perfect opportunity for those attending the shower to buy unique baby shower gifts.

There are many ideas for unique baby shower gifts, but which ones work for you depends largely on the pregnant woman and how she plans on caring for and parenting her baby. For a pregnant woman who plans on breastfeeding, a breastfeeding basket filled with breast pads (useful for catching excess milk), nipple cream and receiving blankets would be a great idea. For a pregnant woman who plans on formula feeding, bottles, cans of formula or gift certificates would make for appropriate baby shower gifts.

Some of the best unique baby shower gifts are the ones that will be most useful for the mother-to-be. Extra diapers (these can be given in the form of diaper cakes, which basically display diapers in a fancy manner), pacifiers, bottles, gift cards to baby stores, onesies and other new baby essentials are great for any baby shower. More expensive but definitely appreciated items like cribs, car seats, swings and even strollers are lavish but cherished unique baby shower gifts. Novelty and decorative items are also adorned.

As a mother of three and unique baby shower gifts enthusiast, Kim Green shares her insight to finding unique baby shower favors.

Are you looking for the perfect alternative to traditional party favors? Well you guess what you may have just found it in the form of personalized cocktail favors.

Do you have a wedding to plan for? Are you in the middle of planning a coming of age birthday party such as a 21st? Maybe you are responsible for ensuring everything is organized for an anniversary party. If any of these ring true or you have any form of celebration coming up you need to get some personalized cocktail favors as they can add the perfect touch and act as a great way of thanking the guests for coming to the special occasion.

So what exactly are these personalized cocktail favors? They are drink mix favors, which give you a single serving of a cocktail such as margarita or cosmopolitan. They come sealed in a white gloss pouch and contains 11 grams of the powered drink mix. Margarita and cosmopolitans were chosen to be used in these personalized cocktail favors due to the fact that margarita is the No.1 selling cocktail in the world and cosmopolitan is the best selling within the martini cocktail variety.

Margarita is said to induce a sense of paradise, which reflects the laid back lifestyle of a tropical retreat. A cosmopolitan is known as the sophisticated cocktail which is described as being sexy and sweet. These cocktail pouches are available in pretty much any theme that you choose for your wedding, birthday, anniversary or general party celebration.

Even though you are only presented with two flavors for the personalized cocktail favors you are able to choose from a wide variety of packaging that best reflects what your celebration is all about. Some examples of the different themes that you can purchase personalized cocktail favors in are as follows; Las Vegas, the perfect couple, peach and roses, party balloons, bundle of joy, personalized happy holidays, personalized birthdays, beach theme and a fiesta theme. These count for just a few examples of the vast amount of themes that you can get personalized cocktail favors in. No matter what the theme is of your wedding or party you will find a personalized cocktail favor that is perfect for it.

Personalized cocktail favors are a fun and stylish way for you to thank guests and to make the wedding party favor even better have you thought about teaming the personalized cocktail favor with a mini cocktail shaker to get that added touch. How about presenting personalized cocktail glasses ready for your guests to pour their personalized cocktail mix into. The options that are open to you with these personalized cocktail favors are huge. You even get a range of options to how you are going to present the personalized cocktail favors to your guests.

You can place the pouches inside of glasses that are set up on the tables or you could place them in a bowl in the centre of the table ready for your guests to take, alternatively you could simply scatter the pouches around the table so they cover the surface.

However you decide to go about it just make sure that your personalized cocktail favors match the theme of your special occasion and that they are clearly available for your guests to take as a reminder of the day.

Sandra Canfield is owner of Accent the Party. Visit Accent the Party to find more of the latest trends and ideas in wedding party favors such as personalized cocktail favors.

Giving The Perfect Gift...

We ALL have a common dilemma.

We all have so many occasions and a multitude of reasons to find and give a perfect gift, for a birthday, a holiday, a wedding, as a reward, or to recognize an achievement.

We want to know what your what your top 3 frustrations are when shopping for people.

Take our free online poll and let us know.

A present given at a baby shower is a way of expressing your excitement and support for the expecting couple. The best present to give is a gift that the parents need on a day to day basis to aid in the caring of their new found joy. Gift baskets are a creative and simple way of giving them all they need in a functional and attractive manner.

One way of presenting the basket is to arrange it to fit a specific theme.

Using a hamper or laundry basket would be a good accent to including a variety of clothing, socks, hats, shoes, undershirts and nursing blankets.

Another theme could be storing all the bathroom essentials; shampoo, soaps, lotions, towels, wash clothes, bath toys and diapers in an infant-sized bathtub. Another type of basket could include all the essentials in a baby care kit a new mother would need such as a thermometer, medical measuring spoon, water-filled teething rings, nail clippers, comb and brush.

A different way some people prefer to present the basket is to mix all the useful items together in one basket. For example a basket could include diapers, clothing, and toys for an infant all in one. Or you could arrange a basket that could benefit the baby for a variety of months with different size diapers and clothing, and toys to benefit an infant up twelve months.By doing this your gift basket will have a lasting effect on the parents and the infants needs.

A gift basket is also very practical when a large group of people are giving one present together. Instead of having one large present from everyone a gift basket would include several different things that the new parents will need. Baby gift baskets can even work for older ages such as toddlers. A great gift idea for a toddler would be to include items in a training potty for the child. You could include things like pull ups, or underwear for the toddler's potty training needs.

The importance of the baby gift basket is in the way it is presented. The basket must be put together in a neat and appealing way to fill its full potential. Making a basket is the best way to tie all the items together while still adding your personal touch. A baby shower gift basket is the best all around gift you can give on this special day!

The author Jason Azevedo says here about baby shower gift baskets. It is a beautiful way of expressing your excitement and support for the expecting couple, he says. He even mentions of gift baskets that can work for older ages such as toddlers. More information is available on

Party favors are so much fun; they are fun to give and they are fun to get. Along with the party invitation, the party favor is one of the most likely items to be reserved as a keepsake. Making sure that you have the best party favors is a little stressful, but it should be fun.

Things to Consider when Choosing Party Favors:

Type of Event

What kind of party are you throwing? This will effect the type of party favor you need to be shopping for.

Guest of Honor Preference

Whatever the event, make sure that the favor is something that your guest of honor will like. Adult humor and potentially offensive party favors should be reserved solely for those whom you are completely sure will appreciate them.

Budget

How much money can you spend on the favors? There are many companies out there that specialize in unique party favors, and they can get costly. If you have a small budget for party favors, consider choosing favors that you can make yourself; if you need to go to a company, let them know up front what your budget is so that you don't waste time looking at items you cannot afford.

Ideas and Suggestions:

Baby Shower

Baby shoes. If you know the sex of the baby, pink or blue baby booties can be handed out. Each guest could receive a booty stuffed with a small individually wrapped chocolate truffle.

Mini baby bottles. Novel baby bottles can be filled with jelly beans or M&M's and handed out to guests.

Small Child's Birthday Party

Mini watercolor sets. Small watercolor sets with mini paintbrushes can be handed out, as well as white construction paper.

Themed blow outs.

Many party supply stores sell blow outs and noise makers; choose one that coincides with the child's theme for ease.

Older Child and Teenage Birthday party

Candy-stuffed party hats. Take generic paper party hats and fill them with small individually wrapped candies.

Stickers.

These can coincide with the theme as well. Many supermarkets and party supply stores offer a wide selection of specialized stickers.

Graduation

High school: Mini photo tins containing the grad's picture create individualized mementos for guests.

College

Create specialized favors depending on the grad's major. For instance, if the grad is an English major, glossy index cards with the grad's name, picture, and graduation date printed on one side and then a famous author's saying on the other. If the grad is a journalism major, a newsletter or front page of a newspaper can be printed up and handed out to guests. Information contained on the page could be funny childhood stories, or pictures of the grad growing up.

Use your imagination, be creative! Use as much personalization as possible to make your party favors unique. Keep your guest of honor in mind; think about what he or she would like while you choose the party favors. Just about anything can be made into a great party favor, and as long as you have a good time, your party favors will be memorable.

Ms. Party Ideas loves parties and enjoys writing for Party Ideas Parade

You might be interested in reading these articles: Halloween Costumes

or Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Win the favor

Everyone looks for making his or her wedding day special. While some focus on the décor, others focus on the entertainment. But with some simple wedding day favors, you can make it a memorable day even for your guests. Below are a few tips to add magic to your wedding day.

But what is special with wedding favors? Simple! It makes your guest feel special and they feel they are cared and loved. It also acts as a part of your wedding decor. And when everyone will be looking happily at his or her wedding favors you cannot imagine how happy you will be. It lets them relax and it can act as a means to let them start their interaction. Above all, these wedding favors will help them remember you whenever they see these mementos.

Whatever you give your guests make sure it matches your personality. Your favors do not need to be expensive; however you should add your own unique touch.

Wedding favors are really one of the best ways to make the event memorable to the guests. Just gift something to thank them and make them think of your wedding day whenever they see it or use it. You can give interesting things like Chinese Buttons, Love Chopsticks or some Asian Brocade Snap Purses. In fact Asian gifts are a good choice as after all, Asia with all its oriental mysteries, has been fascinating the Western world for centuries.

One obvious gift that you can offer is food. You can choose anything popular especially chocolates and candies. Or you can give some area specific food to add some spice to it. For example, you can give Vermont maple syrup or hot salsa in Texas. You can also treat them with some wine or gift something homemade that has your special touch.

Whatever you do make sure that they are thoroughly entertained. You can arrange for songs. In that case, you can make a list of songs to be played and arrange them according to their theme. However, the songs based on the theme of marriage are more welcome. You can even go a step further and gift your guests a CD that you have specially made for the wedding day.

Another good idea is to make your own impression in the gifts. You can simply do that by stamping your own initials and the wedding date. If you are a creative person, you can innovate some gifts that will carry your own hallmark. Wrap them up in bright colored ribbons. You can put them on a table with a placard telling them to pick one.

If your budget is low, try to keep the expense well within $1 per guest. You can make your own gifts or can buy some candies and wrap them tastefully. They are for sure a cheaper option.

On the other hand, if you can afford, you can go for gifts like seashell, small julep cups, miniature baskets, customized bottles or jars, mini terracotta pots and many more. Finally whatever you choose make sure that you select a gift which is uniform for all guests. Select something which is special, unique and add a smile to your guests face.

Regina Watson is author of this article on Wedding Favor Ideas.

Find more information about Wedding Favor Tips here.

W Creates A Paradigm Shift in the Art of Giving

New Online Luxury Boutique Shares the Secrets to Thoughtful Gift-Giving

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 2008) – Wishwrap, www.W is the next generation

of luxury boutique that elevates the art of giving to new levels of whimsy and thoughtfulness.

Playfully coined "Wishwrapping", online shopping with Wishwrap is targeted to everyday people

who believe in the power of details to refresh the common forms of gift-giving. The only online

gifting resource of its kind, W guides buyers through the process of creating a special

wish, in the form of a practical and luxurious gift presented with all the characteristics of that one

sentiment to bring the wish to life. When a gift has been Wishwrapped, it means that it has been

handpicked with the recipient in mind, luxuriously wrapped, and bestowed upon with a wish to bring

back the sentimentality and excitement of giving and receiving.

"The inspiration behind Wishwrap is the idea that gift-giving is about expressing thoughtfulness and

acknowledgment of a relationship to show you care. With our signature Wishwrapping, the whole

package emotes the same sentiment to reinforce the message, and connect people in a

meaningful way," says Wishwrap Founder Manisha Kothari.

Part consumer guide, part gift-concierge, W is a fully customizable online gift store

that gives buyers a selection of high quality gifts to suit any recipient for specific occasions, or

simply giving 'just because'. Wishwrap's success in gift-giving lies in the complete presentation.

Once a gift-giver identifies a special "Wish" to convey a particular message, Wishwrap packages

the gift with individual care and attention in their signature gift bag or box and accompanying gift

card to make a lasting impression.

Wishwrapping is giving the gift of inspiration with a Dream Big Pillow or journal. The gift conveys

the wish and the custom packaging reinforces the sentiment. Celebrating a new job? Give the wish

of prosperity with the Bamboo Bowl of Abundance to stimulate growth and success.

About W

Based in San Francisco, W is a specialty online boutique created by Manisha Kothari

with the goal of inspiring a gift-giving rebirth by adding whimsy, luxury, and emotion in every aspect

from the gift itself, to the packaging, to the presentation. W is a collection of fine

quality gifts organized by occasion, price and even wish to aid givers in the selection process. The

site navigation is at once intuitive and fun. Once an item is selected, it is bestowed with a wish, a

special and personal message that inspires the presentation in Wishwrap's signature packaging,

entitled "Wishwrapping". To learn more about how to Wishwrap, visit