Booties and Blankies and Binkies, Oh My!

I love babies. I love their booties and blankies and binkies. All those tiny, sweet-smelling things that go along with babies and their mamas make me smile. But before the baby, comes the Baby Shower. Who doesn't love a Baby Shower? Silly games, pretty packages and finger food. Not to mention the excitement of knowing someone you love is about to bring a new life into the world. It's simply magical.

So, naturally, when I received an invitation to my cousin Bekah's baby shower, my pulse quickened  and I immediately went into baby shower mode. What's the theme? Where's she registered? How soon can I go shopping? And just as important, what snacks or treats will I bring?

I called Bekah's mom, Aunt Fran, to R.S.V.P. Yes, we will be there. Turns out, she was hoping I'd be up for trying my hand at a watermelon baby bassinet. Of course, I said yes!

Usually, I will do a dry run to see how the actual project will turn out. This time, I just went for it. It had to be done the day before the shower because any sooner and the fruit would not have been very fresh. I was excited about making this and waiting for the day before was hard to do.

I chose a watermelon that was uniform in shape and had a sort of flat bottom. I tied some curling ribbon around the melon both horizontally and vertically to get straight, even lines and drew the shape to be cut out.

Using a very sharp knife, I cut out the wedge. I removed as much melon as I could and cut it into cubes. You could use a melon baller too {I just couldn't find mine}.




Next, I sliced up a cantaloupe and cut out stars using a small cookie cutter. Then, I added strawberries and grapes and all of the fruit was put back into the "bassinet".

For the baby I used a naval orange and drew closed, sleeping eyes with a sharpie. First, I tried using slices of bell pepper for the eyes but didn't like the way it looked. Using items I picked up at the Dollar Store, I added a headband and pacifier. The pacifier was inserted into a hole I made using a paring knife. 

Finally, using a length of white eyelet ruffle, some tulle and scrap booking grommets, I added detail to the raw edge of the watermelon. And there you have it, a Watermelon Baby Bassinet!

You Can Do It!