Jungle Themed Baby Shower

I absolutely love hosting parties.  I love the ability to be able to be creative and crafty without overspending my budget!  I feel like I could just spend hours searching for ideas to match the theme of the party.

I had the opportunity to host my sister's baby shower last summer and it was a Safari/Jungle Themed Shower.  My creativity went into overdrive!  I did buy some pre-made decorations such as the banner and table cloths to match the theme, but then I made centerpieces and the cake to match.

For the centerpieces, I purchased beer glasses at the dollar store and hot glued an animal print ribbon around the top.  I used a matching button to cover where the ribbon ended.  I then hot glued wood jungle animals to the bottom of the glass.  On the day of the shower, I sent my poor husband out in the rain to cut multiple types of lilies from our garden to match the decor.

The shower was planned for the late morning, so I planned brunch food.  The food wasn't completely jungle themed, although, we did have a nice monkey cake!!  The table was full of bagels, crackers, breads, fruit, cheese, and french toast casserole.  We also served some hot dishes as well.

The cake was served later, but it was a safari themed cake with 4 different flavors.  I personally made the cake which cut down on the cost considerably!

One of the activities for the guests was to write a message to the baby on a piece of fabric with fabric markers.  There was 4 different coordinating fabrics that matched the baby's nursery as well as a 5th fabric with monkeys on it.  The 4 basic fabrics were used for messages.  After the shower, the fabric squares was then made into a quilt for a keepsake for the baby.

We also played 2 different games.  One game was a matching game of animal names.  One side had a list of baby animal names and the other column was a list of adult animal names.  Click here for the website I used for the answers.

The second game was a little more interactive and LOUD!  I created 20 different baby-related activities to perform.  Some of the activities included diapering a baby, putting together a baby bottle, reciting a lullaby, and answering trivia questions.  Each of these activities were put on a slip of paper and inserted inside a balloon.  The balloon was then blown up and tossed on to the floor.  Each guest selected a balloon and had to pop the balloon to find their activity.  It was a great game for laughs and fun!

At the end of the shower, each guest received a jungle-themed favor.  The favor was 3 Oreo cookies, each one dipped in coordinating colored chocolate (green, white, and brown) and then placed inside a small Ziploc bag.  I then made tags out of animal print and green paper to cover over the Ziploc part of the bag.  Holes were punched through the paper and plastic bag and the baggies were tied with animal print ribbon.

The party was a huge success and the mother-to-be was showered with love by family and friends!!

Blessings,

Jennifer