I'm on a lots-of-kids site and a lady posted her shower story/pix that were so neat! Being her 5th baby (I think) she didn't really need anything so what she did was invite her friends and their daughters over for an afternoon tea. The mom-to-be made the cake (which was absolutely beautiful!), her dd got to decorate (mom picked out the supplies), the little girls got to dress up and attend what is usually a grown-up event so that made them feel very special. They brought sewing machines and turned prefold diapers into sweet burp cloths using fabric scraps to trim the sides of the diapers. It was so lovely! The moms got to visit while the little girls got a party. Most of the moms did bring a gift but it was not expected as the focus was more on the girls than anything.
I thought that was so neat.