A Baby Sprinkle - Party Favors & Umbrella Cookies

Here we are on day 4 of 7... I already feeling like I'm digging for content, but then I remembered these photos I took last month and never put a post with them!

My girlfriend Alyshia was expecting baby #3 in early February.   Little baby Joshua was a little bit of a surprise, and Alyshia and Greg had already given away most of their baby gear.  Her friend Rebecca and I decided to host a "Sprinkle" to get Alyshia and Greg a few new essentials for bringing home baby Joshua.

Rebecca and I hosted the event at a local Mexican restaurant (Their tag line is "Mexican with an attitude," perfect for Alyshia, amiright?).  We had a huge table and shared queso and guacamole as a group.  Everyone ordered their own drinks and dinner.  

Rebecca organized a little activity where we all wrote notes of encouragement to Alyshia to read in labor.

After dinner Alyshia opened gifts.  

The "sprinkle" was super easy and fun. The perfect girl's night out meets baby shower.

Don't you like all the pictures of the party I remembered to take?

::crickets::

So my responsibilities for the baby shower were the favors and the dessert.  Hooray!  I love tiny crafts!  Alyshia had specially requested I make decorated cookies for her, so that was a no brainer.

For the party favors I had envisioned something in mini mason jars, but dang, those are more expensive than I would have guessed. So off to Target I went.  I had tons of blue Sixlets leftover from another shower, so I needed something to work with that...

YAY Target Dollar Spot.  I found these little square and circle containers.

 And these sticky pom-poms.

The clearance section of the stationary aisle had these bundles of bakers twine 2 for $1 (what?!!, yes I bought extra!)

And VOILA!  Little candy treat boxes.  They were perfect and delicious.

I used this same color scheme to decorate the cookies.  I thought I'd had a baby onesie cookie cutter, but I think I only have it on Pinterest and not in real life. Thank goodness I had remembered the umbrella cookie cutter I happened to have in a months-of-the-year cookie cutter set.  

 I used the sugar cookie and royal icing recipes from The Decorated Cookie. It is Oh-My-Gosh delicious.

I piped the outside with a #2 tip and flooded with a #4 tip.

 I used a #5 to pipe the arm and handle of the umbrella.  I also used some shimmer dust mixed into a few drops of golden grain to make the silver shiny.  (Note: Any high-proof colorless alcohol will do to affix shimmer or sanding sugars)

 The umbrellas were perfect for a "shower" or even a "sprinkle"  -  And the handles made the perfect "J" for Joshua :)

I added some course sanding sugar to look like rain.

I put each cookie in a cellophane bag and tied it with a silver twist tie.  And that was it!

I really wish I had a picture of Rebecca's Diaper Cake Centerpiece, but it was incredible! And she used a bottle of wine called Josh as the center part of the diaper cake. What a great surprise :)

We had so much fun hosting this party for Alyshia.  My only wish I that I had remembered to take pictures AT the party!