I love the way bird themes and imagery can be used to naturally illustrate new beginnings. The birth of spring – or a new baby. Robin egg blues with pale pinks, soft and fluffy feathers… these combine to create whimsy that is extra perfect for gender reveals.

Here, birdcages, nests and wooden eggs make cute centerpieces for tables, as well as food and beverage displays. The fun secret: these wooden eggs open – perfect for your big announcement. I painted the inside and out in contrasting colors of pink and blue and slipped a gender revealing feather in each. Nestle eggs inside additional nests and sprinkle at the base of the centerpiece (and throughout the party).

Hand-painted little birdhouses hang from branches above. You can purchase these little houses for just a dollar at your local craft store. A few strokes of paint and they come to life. Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t help imagine tiny bird families fluttering in and out of these fairytale homes.

When it’s time to announce your baby’s gender, open the eggs to reveal the feather inside. This is such a sweet way to announce the news.

Click here to check out all of Motherhood’s gender reveal clothing perfect for your party!

Laura Himmelein is the owner of Party Cake Party Cake, an event design and styling firm specializing in birthdays, bar/bat mitzvahs, showers and other milestones.

Ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated with Matryoshka (Russian) nesting dolls. One wooden doll with another little doll nestled inside… and so on and so on. My mother had a big, beautiful set that my grandmother had brought back with her from a trip to Russia. I loved to play with it. Opening each doll, lining them all up in a row, seeing how tiny they could get… it was mesmerizing.

It got me thinking what a delightful and unique gender reveal these dolls would make. A quick Google search turns up hundreds… many in traditional red and yellow lacquer but also in vivid purples, blues and greens – you name it. There’s even a little Darth Vader nesting doll; open it up to a little Storm Trooper that opens up to a tiny Boba Fett. I kid you not. But, I digress.

I found the most perfect blue and pink set. All for less than my weekly Starbucks budget. Of course, in order to make it worthy of a gender reveal you need the perfect “reveal doll.” You’ll want something that complements the collection to be tucked inside the middle doll, the most important one! As an event designer, I love being crafty, but I confess, I don’t have a lot of patience for crazy complicated techniques. Little baby peg dolls were the answer. A little paint and some eyelashes and BAM – you have an adorable baby doll ready to nestle inside its mother doll. See what I mean? These dolls are unique and eye-catching when it comes to revealing your baby’s gender.

What I adore about this is that you can build your entire party around these beautiful, ornate dolls. Tuck a small vase of flowers inside the bottom half with the top perched by its side for a playful centerpiece. I used the extra peg dolls to create the cutest cupcake toppers: little girls and little boys in blue and pink.

Have fun with the signage too, by giving your guests a hint of what’s to come. Happy gender revealing!

Click here to check out all of Motherhood’s gender reveal clothing perfect for your party!

Laura Himmelein is the owner of Party Cake Party Cake, an event design and styling firm specializing in birthdays, bar/bat mitzvahs, showers and other milestones.