Sweet and Fuzzy: The Panda Baby Shower

What person alive can resist a panda? The sweet-looking fuzzy giant with black eyes and black ears looks like a cuddly plush toy that anyone would want to pick up and hug. What better way to show off that sweetness than with a panda baby shower?

Obviously, the color scheme for this panda baby shower would be black and white! You could add accents of green (for bamboo) or red (for good luck). Other pretty colors you could use here are pink for a girl, blue for a boy, or turquoise for a unisex baby shower. Have bunches of black and white balloons with the accent colors all around the room. You can also use the same color streamers and confetti to finish it off.

There are many panda baby shower invitations available online but you could also design one of your own if you don't find one that you like. If you can find miniature panda bears, have each one hold a rolled scroll with the details of the baby shower printed inside. Secure the scroll with a ribbon in your chosen color scheme.

For setting the stage in the panda baby shower party room, remember that pandas eat only bamboo. Have potted plants of bamboo dotting the room. Plenty of greenery and a few exotic looking birds would be perfect accents for this theme. Use sisal mats for under the dishes and bamboo serving pieces if you can. It will definitely add to the feel of this theme. Or, any black lacquered serving pieces would also be suitable here.

Have another plush panda at the center of each table, holding onto a sprig of bamboo and adorned with a ribbon bow. Surround the panda with complementary colored massed flowers and set the whole arrangement in a black lacquer tray. Use the complementary color as your table cloth to allow the centerpiece to stand out.

As for food, anything black and white would be perfect! Have checkerboard sandwiches made with pumpernickel and white bread, black and white cookies, black and white bean salad (accented with chopped tomatoes and parsley), s'mores and oreos for dessert with black sesame and vanilla ice cream. Beverages could be black and white tea. Or cola and a colorless soda. Black and white food choices are usually an interesting challenge for the host.

Your baby shower cake could be of chocolate marble and of course decorated in black and white icing with a sugar panda topper on the very top.

Some simple games that can be played could be to guess the correct number of black and white safety pins inside a baby bottle. Or, call out things that are normally black or white (cell phone, tissue paper, etc,) and give prizes to guests that have them. You could also give a prize to the guest that has the most unusual black and white object in her bag.

Your favors could simply be black and white beaded bracelets that are packaged in sheer organdy jewel bags of your accent color.