Baby Watermelon Carriage

I'm not going to lie.  Planning for a baby shower is fun!  Not only is it fun, but it's hard not to get carried aways sometimes.  That's just my nature.  I love to plan. 

Last week my coworkers and I threw two baby showers in one day.  The shower in the morning was one she knew about and it was at our work site in DC.  The afternoon shower was the surprise shower and it was at our headquarters.  They both turned out really nice!  For the morning shower we had breakfast items.

There were bagels, croissants, a meat and cheese tray, fruit, and juice. 

  

The afternoon shower was equally as gorgeous. I wish I took a picture of it because we had quite a spread (everyone brought a dish) and the cupcakes we ended up ordering were to die for. 

I really wanted to make a baby watermelon carriage for the morning shower because I had seen a picture of it on the Internet and thought it was hilarious.  Of course I talked myself out of it thinking it would be too hard to do before the shower.

Then, I thought I'd just check out an online video of how to make the carriage (online videos and YouTube are so helpful with their tutorials).  Well, low and behold, I wanted to make the carriage again!  And it worked out quite well because the video I picked was so helpful.  Basically it's like carving a pumpkin.  I haven't carved a pumpkin in years.  But after this project, I am definitely carving some pumpkins this fall. :)

The peach is the baby!  And the orange slices are wheels.  The grapes are rims.

Supplies:

1 large watermelon

1 quart of strawberries

1 bag of red grapes

1 pineapple

2 oranges

1 peach

2 romaine lettuce leaves

bamboo skewers

melon baller

medium carving knife

large spoon

permanent black marker

long tray

*This is best made the night before the shower or the morning of

*Here is the video tutorial.  The only difference between my watermelon and the one in the video is the handle.

About.com Video Tutorial

Directions

1.  First, cut a thin strip off of the bottom of the watermelon.  This will keep it in place and from rolling off of the table.  Place the watermelon on the tray.

2.  Pick the narrowest end of the watermelon.  This is where the handle will go.  Turn the watermelon so the longest side of it is going horizontal and the narrowest end is to your left.  A quarter of the way down the left of the watermelon, start etching in a vertical line.

3.  Then etch a shorter vertical line an inch and a half to the left of the first vertical line with one of the bamboo skewers.  With the second line, draw a half of a crescent so it looks like a smile or a C. 

4. At the first vertical line, etch on the outside a horizontal line going towards the other end of the watermelon and stop 2 inches from the end.  Repeat on the other side so it looks like a half of a rectangle.

5.  Starting at the other end, begin drawing loops that look like C's and connect the two lines.  It should end up being 4 or 5 loops.  You are finished outlining what you're going to carve.

6.  With the medium carving knife, carve up and down along the lines.  Be careful when carving around the handle.  The only carving that needs to be done is the crescent and the top vertical line going to the right side of the watermelon along with the loops.  Do not connect the two vertical lines, or there won't be a handle.  Cut several pieces in the middle of the watermelon so they can be taken out easily.  The best place to start to pop out the pieces would be the middle of the watermelon.

7.  Once all of the pieces are out, scoop out the melon with the melon baller and put it in a bowl (it will be put back in the watermelon once it is hollowed out).  This may take awhile, but be patient.  Once the core is taken out, take the large spoon and scoop the rest of the watermelon out only scrapping to the white edge of the watermelon.  Warning:  you may have to tip the watermelon over in the sink to get all of the excess juice out.

8.  After the watermelon is hollowed out, it's time to attach the wheels.  Cut up thick slices of the oranges.  The thicker the slice, the more studier the tire will be.  Then place them at the length it looks correct on the watermelon.  With another bamboo skewer, poke it through the middle of the orange slice going through both sides of the watermelon.  Repeat at the other end of the watermelon.  Once the orange slices are attached, place a grape through the skewers so they keep the orange slices in place.

9.  Cut additional skewers in half and place them at the top of the watermelon.  Place grapes through them.  With kitchen scissors, cut off the access skewer on the wheels and the skewers on the top of the watermelon.

10.  Cut up the strawberries and pineapple and place the watermelon, grapes, strawberries, and pineapple in a large container until the shower.  There will be some leftover fruit and it won't all fit in the watermelon!  Place the extra fruit in a separate container and refrigerate both containers.  Cover the watermelon with saran wrap and refrigerate it as well. 

11. On the day of the shower, place the fruit in the watermelon.  Then, take the peach and draw a face on the nice side of it.  Take two of the lettuce leaves and wrap it around the back of the peach so it looks like a blanket.  Insert the peach in the carriage.

Can someone have another baby so I can do this again?  JK.

I also made a baby shadow box for the shower.

I found the shadow box at Michael's.  It's best to use one that has velcro on the back so the pictures can be moved and can easily be attached.  The shadow box came with strips of velcro, too, that can be attached to the back of the pictures.

I took several pictures and glued matting on them so they'd stand out more.  Then I cut up the strip of velcro and stuck it on the back of the photo to place in the frame.  The baby stickers were purchased at Michael's and Target.  In the middle of the frame was an invite to the surprise afternoon shower.  The invites were adorable since the shower was bug themed.  

Would I help plan a shower again?  Definitely.

Tips to keep in mind for a baby shower:

1.  Paper products and supplies can be purchased at any dollar store.  They can also just be one or two colors of the shower.  I always buy more than what is needed.  Nothing is more embarassing than not having enough plates and napkins for everyone.

2.  Etsy is amazing for any banners, confetti, or food picks.  My coworker found some really neat stuff there as decorations.

3.  Have everyone bring their favorite side item so it doesn't become too overwhelming (for work baby showers).

4.  Prizes for the baby shower games can be purchased at Michael's for really cheap.  I found some spa socks, a sleeping mask, manicure kit, and sporty items there (if you have men at your shower).  You can also try Bath and Body works when they have their mega sales. 

5. Always double check the venue of the shower a few days before the shower (just to verify if it's still available). 

6.  Have one or two people help plan the shower.  Then, they can toss ideas back and forth and can help in the planning.