A Wintry Woodland Baby Shower

One of the best things to happen last year was the birth of our newest niece, Emmalyn! This is my only brother (and sister-in-law’s) first child, which means it’s my first time being an aunt on my side of the family and my parents’ first time as grandparents. Obviously, all these firsts brought a lot of excitement into our lives!

The funny thing is, Emmalyn was born about a month early, on the actual day I was planning to throw her baby shower! I’d been excitedly prepping all summer long and had everything pretty much ready to go before we learned she’d be arriving early. We decided that we’d give her a few months to grow and get used to her surroundings before considering whether we wanted to throw a “meet the baby” gathering instead.

As you may have guessed, we decided to go for it, and I’m so glad we did — not only because I had so much fun putting it together, but because we landed on a day in early December and this allowed our families to get together in one place and catch up before the holidays (while we see a lot of our family for Christmas, it’s usually pretty sporadic), share laughs, and of course, enjoy some snuggles and smiles with the adorable guest of honor.

Inspired by a shower I went to earlier in the year, I decided on a winter woodland theme (it was initially a summer woodland theme) and because they’re kind of all the rage, the amount of ideas were overwhelming. I tried to keep it super simple and natural, buying pieces I could use in my everyday décor or break out frequently for future parties.

If you’re thinking about throwing a woodland baby shower yourself, here are some ideas you may want to consider!

Décor

When it comes to decorating for the party, don’t think big and flashy. Think, “what kinds of things would I see on a walk in the woods this time of year?”

Likely, lots of wood, greenery, feathers, rocks, and maybe a woodland creature or two! I stocked up on items like these and scattered them all throughout the house to tie each room together. Here are a few items to consider:

Wood Slices — I invested in a few wood slice slabs and serving trays for displaying goodies on, and love how they are timeless pieces that will work for many future gatherings. This wood slice cake stand is my favorite! | Shop now.
Twigs & Branches — A quick walk in the woods is all you need to gather a few handfuls of these elements.
Pinecones & Acorns & Rocks — If you don’t have access to an area where you can find these items, check your local craft stores or look online. If you want to get a little fancy, I found that spray painting a few of these gold gives them just the right amount of pop! | Shop now.
Greenery — I went with natural garlands (pine, white cedar) and had my tree up at the time which provided that fresh, forest scent! I also snipped a few branches from our evergreen trees and shrubs outside, and had baby’s breath peppered in mason jars throughout the house.
Feathers — I scattered these gold-tipped feathers all over, and used them, along with pinecones, to create a garland for our fireplace. | Shop now.
Woodland Creature Ornaments — Craft stores are full of woodland creature ornaments (think deer, squirrels, rabbits, hedgehogs, owls, and so on) that you could place in your displays, and use later as fall or winter decorations throughout your home! | Shop now.

I also utilized a lot of twine, natural brown card-stock paper, and burlap for things like signage and garlands to keep consistent with that woodsy feel.

Food

In addition to the standard “party” foods, like fruit, veggies, cheese, and crackers, consider setting up a trail mix bar! This was the biggest hit at our party and is a great “gift” to send your guests home with.

We also put together some infused waters, making sure to use plenty of herbs to bring in the greenery element.

There are so many options out there — have a look at Pinterest for seasonal mixes.

I went for an easy, purposely imperfect cake for this shower, and sprinkled it with a bit of Rosemary, powdered sugar “snow,” and some forest friends I found here.

To tie the whole food-display look together, I placed some winter greenery (some snipped from store-bought garland, and some from our own trees) as well as green herbs (sage, rosemary, mint), twigs, and feathers all around the serving trays!

In the summer months, I think using fern leaves and Queen Anne’s lace or other delicate, neutral flowers would be really lovely.

Games & Favors

I wasn’t really feeling up to doing any super intense baby shower games, so I opted for making my own printed paper games that guests could do at their leisure.

I found the free woodland creature images here, downloaded some cute fonts, and whipped them up in Photoshop! Towards the end of the party, we all gathered together to share our answers.

I used those same images to make some little cards that were placed around the house, with sayings like, “Stay Clever, Little Fox,” and “Be Brave, Little Bear!”

Finally, if you’re wanting to give your guests a favor (or game prize) that ties into the woodland theme, consider sending them home with some kind of plant or flower. We had purchased succulents in the summer, which were still looking good come December, so that’s what we gave away. We had also considered giving dwarf evergreen trees! I think a woodsy-scented potpourri, candle, or essential oil gift, a small birdhouse, or a woodland ornament would be perfect for a winter party, too.

Gifts for Baby

If you’re wanting to tie your gift for the baby (or parents) into the woodland theme, I promise you’ll have no trouble finding one!

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

I also (at the very last minute) decided to make a scrapbook for Emmalyn, which had a forest-animal theme (similar to this one), and purposely left two pages in it blank. I then made a sign asking guests to help us finish the book by using our Instax camera to take a photo with her and sign their name on it before placing it on one of the pages! This would be a sweet keepsake even if baby has not arrived yet – consider having everyone write a little note to baby, or take a group photo and sign your names. Get creative!

I’m loving all the woodland-themed party rage right now because it’s such an easy look and feel to pull together, and because so much of what you invest in is easily used outside of the party, in your home or in baby’s nursery!