Baby Gardner believes in the power of compassion and has adopted a new mission to donate a portion of every sale at Baby Gardner to various children’s charities.

We’ll be adopting one children’s charity per year. A different charity recipient will be chosen each October. Information about the selected charities will be available on the Baby Gardner website. Customers can see where funds are going and find out how they can further help these worthy causes.

Baby Gardner’s first charitable recipient will be St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The mission of St. Jude is to advance cures for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. No child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.

“Children have always been our focus at Baby Gardner. Thanks in large part to the support of our customers, Baby Gardner’s focus can now reach further to those children in need. Together we’re giving back.”  — Deanna Gardner, owner of Baby Gardner

To celebrate our birthday, we’re partying with our bloggie friends! How about FREE SHIPPING on every order placed on our birthday? Pretty cool party favor, right? Just enter code BIRTHDAY4 when checking out. (Offer good today only so don’t be late to the party!) Head on over to the shop!

Let’s start with the invite. Our exclusive vintage shower invitation depicts Daddy Bird and Momma Bird sitting on a wire — making it a great choice for a couples shower (or the more traditional girls-only shower).

Our exclusive “Growing the Nest” party banner is over-the-top adorable with colors of raspberry and blueberry. A perfect choice for baby girl or baby boy. Crystal glitter letters, scalloped papers and decorative trim add to its charm.

Pair up our banner with coordinating cupcake/food toppers and favor bags. Fill bags with mints, petit fours or any other small favors. Personalize the scalloped card on each bag by writing baby’s name or the the name of each guest.

More to come! There’s so many more ways to carry out this Vintage Nest theme. We’re working on a vintage nest corsage for the Mom-to-Be to wear during the shower and save as a favorite keepsake. We’re also working on a vintage nest wreath to welcome baby — makes a unique shower gift from the hostesses to the guest(s) of honor. Hang in baby’s nursery after the shower.

Here’s a few other ideas to use in your Vintage Nest baby shower theme:

• Create a vintage focal point for your banquet table using a small bird bath, bird house or decorative birdcage.
• Hand out blank cards (index card size) to each shower attendee with these words printed on it: “A little birdie told me…” Ask each guest to write a note to baby sharing a special memory or fact about the mom- or dad-to-be. For example: A little birdie told me… when your dad met your mom it was love at first sight. A little birdie told me… your mom loves to eat peanut butter straight from the jar. Ask guests to place their cards in the couple’s “nest egg.” The nest egg could be a large twig nest placed on a guest book table. Be sure to label it so the guests recognize where to place their cards. Present the “nest egg” to the parents-to-be at the end of the shower.
• Jordan Almonds (in the appropriate pink, blue or neutral) work great as “eggs.” Place them in twig nests on the banquet table or create miniature versions for each place setting if the event is a luncheon or dinner.
• Create a baby shower game using an egg timer. Call it “Time for Baby” or “Ready to Hatch”

Vintage Sand Pails & Shovels

Vintage Baby Food Jars

Vintage Child’s Wardrobe Hangers

Vintage Baby Rattles

Vintage Squeaker & Rubber Children’s Toys

Vintage Teddy Bears

Eventually I had the opportunity to try my hand at my own altered art piece when updating our blog masthead. First, I set out looking for a really cute vintage photograph with a baby buggy and found this one (below left) on eBay. Then I grabbed one of my cute vintage greeting cards in my endlessly-growing stash (below right).

And presto-chango (and some work in Photoshop), voila! The new Baby Gardner Baby Bloggie masthead was born!

I’m drawn to the idea of reinventing vintage photography — reinventing the past, so-to-speak. Modern and artistic touches added to vintage photography have created a whole new art form that’s soaring in popularity. Here’s some other examples of altered art and hand-tinting I heart…

A few years back I blogged about a vintage photograph postcard that landed me in a heated bidding war. You can read that story here. We eventually altered that photo to create our one-of-a-kind Vintage Stork baby shower collection (at right).

Granted, vintage photography can sometimes border on creepy, but when you see examples of vintage photography like these, you can’t help but be inspired. The fact that the past can be reborn and treasured in a brand new way is just fascinating. Think about these little personalities from so long ago that will remain forever young in these photos and treasured in new ways for generations to come.

Raised in A Barn:

Here’s another treasure from my stash of vintage coloring books. Farm-themed nurseries with a vintage twist can open up a world of creative possibilities. This embroidery pattern could find itself on pillows or bedding. Stitch little one’s name on the side of the barn (something like “Aidan’s Farm”) and you could have a one-of-a-kind art piece for the nursery wall.

Click on image for a larger view.

It’s everything you need to host a vintage first birthday party: party banner, cupcake toppers, and petite favor bags. And if you need just a little extra push, may we show you these? Our First Birthday Party Hats add an extra touch of sweetness to classic snapshots of baby eating his birthday cake.