I’m going to be an Aunt again!!!
It’s been almost 6 years since there’s been a new baby in the family so we’re all a little excited over here. Excited because babies are obviously exciting and awesome. And excited because as an Aunt I get to enjoy all the baby cuddles and cuteness BUT without the sleepless nights and diapers. My sister and brother-in-law get to enjoy that part (LOL). Don’t worry sis you’ll do great and the brain fog from sleep deprivation combined with the emotional rollercoaster from postnatal hormones eventually dissipates. Many have gone before you and survived (some barely). Did I mention you won’t get much sleep in the beginning?
While my sister and brother-in-law still have their wits about them a baby shower was definitely in order. My sister looooves Halloween so it was only suitable that we throw a sweet Autumn/Halloween/Pumpkin themed baby shower. I don’t recommend spooky baby showers. Spooking the mama-to-be could bring on early labor and change the whole dynamic of the party. Keep it sweet.
Naturally we turned to Pinterest for the Pinterest party perfect inspo and themes. Duh. Who else gets sucked into the black hole of Pinterest perfect backyards, Pinterest perfect vacation destinations, the Pinterest perfect wardrobe, Pinterest perfect hairstyles (which I will never have), and food? Don’t forget the food. That’s where I hang out a lot. You can find me here (waves and smiles).
So with a little help from many fellow bloggers and online creatives who are not only creative geniuses but have some serious skillz when it comes to decorating, creating themed food, and crafting baby shower games that can appease a co-ed guest list the shower was fun and honored my sister and bro-in-law and their little pumpkin on the way.
Whether you are hosting a baby shower, a friendly (not spooky) Halloween party, or just a fun fall-time gathering where you don’t necessarily want to feed the party goers a full 5 course meal but want to satisfy your guests’ snack cravings with some crazy tasty food here are my recommendations and what I served during the party. Check it out!
Ummm…so HOW cute are these little broomsticks?! A pretzel stick, some string cheese, and a chive to tie it off. So basic but so genious and fun to eat. You can find the directions over at the blog One Little Project At A Time here.
Deviled eggs made to look like little pumpkins are obviously perfect for a fall-themed party. Find the deets from The Food Blog here. Note: I subbed Cholula for the Sriracha just to turn down the heat a little.
Parties usually have some kind of veggie tray so why not turn it into a jack o’lantern?! Thanks to Raising Jack with Celiac for the simple and genius idea! I also served the veggies with a side of this creamy Herb and Buttermilk Ranch Dip.
Tis the season for pumpkin and these pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from Erin over at Texanerin Baking are AMAZING! Erin calls them THE BEST Pumpkin Cupcakes and I can’t argue with her on that! They were definitely the hit of the baby shower and people were shocked when they found out they were gluten free because they are just so SO delicious. Erin tops her cupcakes off with chopped pecans but I sprinkled a dash of cinnamon on top of mine just in case we had anyone with nut allergies attending. I also tripled the recipe for our large group.
Here’s an easy riff on the classic caramel covered apple. Slice up your apples and serve with cream cheese topped with salted caramel. It’s ridiculously easy, a super tasty combo, and a lot more manageable to eat than a whole caramel covered apple. You can find the recipe for the salted caramel in this recipe by yours truly. : )
You can’t have a party without chips and dip! Serve an assortment of chips and crackers with this Smoked Salmon Dip with Dill & Capers. The dip is a huge crowd pleaser so be sure to double the recipe if you have a big guest list.
Lastly, let’s talk party punch. I’m not usually a big fan of punch but this Apple Cider Punch from Better Homes & Gardens was a winner. It’s a simple combo of 6 cups apple cider, 2 cups orange juice, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1 (750 milliliter) bottle of sparkling white grape juice. We had several children attending our party but if you are hosting an all adult party switching out the sparkling grape juice with some chilled champagne would be amazing too!
Alright, let’s talk baby shower games and activities. This is definitely not an area I specialize in so we handed this off to one of my sister’s close friends who knocked it out of the park with some awesome resources she found on Etsy and Amazon.
SweetBabyShower shop on Etsy creates printable custom party kits and shower games which not only provide some fun entertainment but are also creatively themed to match the style of your party. You can find the kits here.
Here are the games we played:
A table was also set up for a baby headband making station. Each guest picked from a variety of ribbons, bows, and flowers along with elastic bands to create a sweet little custom headband for my niece. It was SO easy to set-up since all of the components for the headbands were included in this kit. The only thing you need to have on hand is a hot glue gun and a table to lay everything out.
Then finish off your party decor with an assortment of painted pumpkins. My sister painted mini pumpkins in an assortment of pinks, gold, and silver while also scattering some naturally orange and white mini pumpkins throughout. Here are the instructions for the painted pumpkins from Oh Happy Day (which btw is an incredibly cute website for party planning and DIY inspo).
And that’s it! I hope you found some valuable fall themed baby shower and party ideas from this post! As for myself, I’m counting down the days until I meet my sweet little baby niece. Eek!
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This has got to be the cutest shower ever…Making those pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes for sure!
Thanks Jen! And oh my goodness, those cupcakes are just so dang good!