Hi, friends! Happy almost weekend! Things are finally calming down a little around here. Our holiday weekend was a super busy one. As you can see, we threw a camping themed baby shower for my cousin. It was really more of a “sprinkle,” as this is their second boy and didn’t need much. But still, any excuse I have to decorate and plan a party I’m totally okay with!
My cousin’s first son had a bear/outdoorsy theme to his nursery, and since the two boys will have to share a room, we wanted to keep the theme going. I made a few cute wall decor items for their wall which I will share next week. They are SO easy and SO cute! You’ll have to check back and see what I made. We wanted to keep the outdoor feel and go with a camping theme for this shower.
The first thing I knew I wanted for this shower were stumps to act not only as decor, but food stands. We have a bunch of construction going on behind our house and there were trees that were just cut down, so I asked a few of the workers if they could cut me some stumps. So nice of them to do it, and they worked perfectly! And it was free! Double yay!
I cut burlap scraps for under the stumps as to not scratch the table. I found moss at the dollar store and sprinkled it around the table for some more added flair. I had made mason jar candles last summer for our patio, so I used those as well for a little extra lighting. I also had been collecting pine cones from around the neighborhood to use in the decor. I was totally that crazy person hoarding pine cones underneath the stroller as my daughter and I went on walks each day. But hey, it was totally worth it. I laid the pine cones around the table and other places.
My sister not only made the invitations, but also all the cute little wooden-looking food labels as well. They worked perfectly on the table!
Since the shower was in the evening, we chose to make it a dessert shower. As far as food, all desserts were s’mores related. We made no-bake s’mores bars, s’mores cookie bars, and a s’mores skillet dip! It was all to die for, I’m telling you.
Oh, hello marshmallow chocolate gooey-ness. You were de. lic. ious.
Aaaaaand no camping party is complete without dirt cups. Especially with colorful chewy sweet worms!
So, I had this genius idea of using small brown paper bags for the banner. I just stenciled on a letter, and hung it from clothespins on some twine. So free and so easy! Did I mention it was FREE?
With all those hoarded pine cones I had (I was becoming obsessed and collected a few too many!), I wrapped twine around the tops with a little dab of hot glue and made a really cute pine cone garland. This may double as some fall decor this year, too. I love when I can reuse stuff!
I’m really happy with how the table decor came together. My sister also had cute little wooden trees that we added in the back, too. I love when we find things around the house to use!
For favors, my sister made a cute little tag that read “take a hike!” with a graphic of a hiker. I stapled them on a little baggy filled with different kinds of trail mix. You can’t have a camping themed party without a little trail mix! BONUS: you can also print these little favor tags at the bottom of this post!
I know a lot of people like having coffee in the evening with dessert, so we thought we’d have an iced coffee bar! We had both decaf and regular coffee for people to choose from.
I really wanted to use mason jars with chalkboard labels as cups, but we didn’t have enough jars. So, I found these Etch-it cups that we etched all the guests names on. So easy, and they kind of look like chalkboard labels!
For creamers, we put different flavors into mason jars for people to use in their iced coffee.
The shower was a huge success, and we had so much fun planning and decorating! I love seeing all the ideas that go on in my head play out in a party. And, not only was this theme easy to execute, it really was super cheap! Besides the food, we had most of the decor in our houses or it was easy to make. My cousin was thrilled, and she will be blessed with her sweet little Winston come tomorrow! We’re so excited to have another little cousin to play with!
If you’re in need of invites to throw a camping themed shower yourself, my sister has an Etsy shop called Printables of Love and is selling the invites she made!
As promised, you can download and print the “take a hike!” favor tags below, by clicking on the image. They will print 6 to a page. Enjoy!
Have you ever thrown a camping themed party before? What were your favorite details?
I link up at these fun parties, and Motivation Monday,
This is so cute, Amanda!! I love party themes that are unique and non-traditional and this one is adorable!
Amy | Canary Street Crafts recently posted…DIY French Grain Sack Pillows
Thank you so much, Amy! I do too, and it’s so fun decorating for unique themes! Thanks so much for stopping by today! 🙂
Stopping by from the Creative Exchange link party. Love the theme! The favors are great, “take a hike”, LOL
Thank you so much, Melinda! Ha, yeah we thought “take a hike” would be a cute way to share favors! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by today, have a great rest of the week!
Such an awesome theme, Amanda! Especially love those stumps! I’m sure they will come in handy for fall decor! 🙂 The food looks delish too:))
Thanks, Kendra! Yes totally, great idea, the stumps would look great for fall decor!! Now to figure out where to put them… 🙂 Hope you have an awesome weekend!
omg I love this party Amanda! I love camping and woodland themed anything! You did such an amazing job! It’s so cute and the food looks incredible! Wish I had been there to eat it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Shelly recently posted…5 Minute DIY Vintage Industrial Pendant Light
Thank so much, Shelly! Oh my goodness, the food was SO good! S’mores ANYTHING is totally delicious. 🙂 Thanks for visiting, hope you have a fabulous weekend!!
Such a cute theme! I love all the s’mores food and those favors are just perfect. Great job 🙂
Katie @ Little House of Four recently posted…{Knock off} Anthropologie B & W Hooks
Thank you so much, Katie! The favors were a big hit, we thought having trail mix would be a perfect addition! Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
This is seriously such a cute idea! I love everything, but especially the stumps to hold the plates of food. Pure genius!
Kara recently posted…DIY White Picket Fence Sign {with Wreath}
Thanks, Kara! The stumps were totally my favorite part, too. It really added something special to the table! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Friday. 🙂
I’m a sucker for a theme! This looks amazing, love it all!
Alexis AKA MOM recently posted…Going Back to School
Very cute! I, too, love the creative process required for planning and executing a great party!
Thank you, Carol! Absolutely, it’s always fun to see the end result! Thanks for stopping by to visit! Have a great Friday. 🙂
This is such a unique party theme! And, no bake smores? I need to check those out! I also love the font you used on the iced coffee bar cups!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom recently posted…2014 Autumn Bucket List and Curly Crafty Mom Meal Plan, Week 27
Thank you, Carrie! Those no bake s’mores were seriously ridiculous. SO good! My cousin actually wrote the names on each cup, she does a great job! Thanks so much for visiting! 🙂
I loved all your original ideas, but especially thought the paper bag banner idea was fantastic! I also loved how you gathered so many decorations (for free!) from outside!
Lisa/SyncopatedMama recently posted…A Bundle of Books for Just a Few Bills? Yes, Please!
Thank you, Lisa! The paper bag banner was so incredibly easy, and it looked pretty cute, too! I love finding free items to decorate with! 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting, hope you have a great week!
This is such a neat idea, thanks for sharing at the #WWDParty.
Antionette Blake recently posted…Super Foods for Seniors | Tummy Tamers
Thank you, Antionette! Have a great week! 🙂
What a cute idea for a shower! I know so many people having babies soon, and a lot of them are having boys! I will have to keep this idea in mind. Thanks for sharing with Hump Day Happenings!
Jenna @ A Savory Feast recently posted…Hump Day Happenings #27
Thank you, Jenna! This is totally a perfect (and easy!) boy shower theme for sure! Hope you have an awesome day. 🙂
Thanks for linking up to Teach Me Tuesday last week. You are very much appreciated! Hope to see you again this week! http://3glol.net/2014/09/15/teach-tuesday-21/
Have a great week!!
Bobbi recently posted…Teach Me Tuesday #21
Thanks Bobbi! Have a great week!