Host a Pumpkin Patch Party

Pumpkin patch birthday party at Country Pumpkins.

Birthdays are exciting events for children but are sometimes overwhelming for parents.  How can you host a fun and reasonable party for a child?  Get outdoors!  Cooler weather call for outdoor parties at the pumpkin patch.  Here are some ideas to get you started.

First, find your party venue.  Seasonal spots for parties and events fill up fast!  Don't miss out and book as soon as you have a date in mind.  We hosted at a local spot in our area called Country Pumpkins.  They rent pavilion areas for $25 allowing a 2 hour party time and time for clean up and take down.  We had a covered area with seating and tables. 

Order invitations well in advance if you already have a time, date and location.  This is one less thing to do.  I made a special pumpkin patch themed invitation.  You can view it or even place an order on my Etsy shop.

I recommend getting your invitations printed at a local shop.  Printer ink can be costly and winds up being cheaper to just have large amounts of color copies printed professionally.  This is typically less expensive than one would think.  It cost less than $25 to print the invitations, thank you tags and recipe cards that I included with the treat bags.

When you are printing the invitations, think about printing the party favor tags or cupcake toppers.  I made some simple items that you could easily print and use.  I decided to make pumpkin shaped sugar cookies for a party favor.  These cookies were placed in a brown favor bag with the recipe for the cookies and a cookie cutter for parents to take home.  I use a sugar cookie recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.  These cookies are flavorful with hints of almond and decorate beautifully. 

Allow up to 8 hours for the icing to completely dry.  You can also make the cookies in advance and freeze without icing.  Take out of the freezer and thaw out before decorating.

Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies.  I used cocoa powder to make the brown icing for accents.

The sugar cookie recipe would not fit onto one card, so I made 2 3x5 cards.  I also included the link and reference to the blog where I found the recipe.

Thank you tags were attached to the bags as well to complete the party favor.

I used Hollar to purchase inexpensive cookie cutters for the party favors.  This is also a place where you can purchase party decor, paper goods, and additional seasonal items.  I really liked these cookie cutters.  The plain shape made decorating a breeze.  The plastic rim on the top of the shape is made to protect hands while cutting the cookie dough.

Pumpkin cookie cutters from Hollar cost about $1 each.

These treat bags also came from Hollar.  These are just the right size for a 4 to 5-inch cookie to go into for a favor.  I wrapped each cookie in a little wax paper before placing in the bag.

Sugar Cookie Print Out Page 1

Sugar Cookie Print Out Page 2

You can download the Thank You Tags with the pumpkin theme and use them for your party.

The cookie cutter and recipe are on one side of the bag.  The thank you tag was placed on the opposite side.  I used a hole punch to give me a place to thread the twine through. 

Cookie cutter and recipe attached to one side.

Thank you tag attached to the opposite side.

Party favors were placed on the table for guests to pick up at the party.  

If you prefer a different thank you, I have created a simple "Happy Fall Y'all" cut out that could be printed in place of the other thank you tags.

Beyond the favors and invitations, I selected paper goods that were colored to fit into the theme of the party.  I selected orange and green paper goods to use.  To jazz up our table and seating area, I made a burlap banner with our son's name.  To learn how you can create your own burlap banner, you can visit my post of a happy fall y'all banner.  I used my home printer to create this banner and fabric scraps for added color.

Happy birthday banner displayed on the back wall of the pavilion.

The food tables were easy for guests to make their plate of snacks.

The colorful decorations were happy and festive.

I used the same process to print a birthday sign to frame and have on the table as decor.  The framed sign in a piece of burlap that has been printed with some clip art and our child's name and his age.  Printing a framed sign on a piece of paper or cardstock would also be a decoration that anyone could do using a home printer and computer. 

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I finished my decorations by taking the leftover fabric from my banner and tying together for a colorful garland.

Decorating with burlap and fabric scraps is an inexpensive and festive way to decorate the tables and more.  The decorations and paper goods can be done well in advance of the party.  These were done a couple of weeks ahead of time.

Finally, food.  I decided on the following menu:

1.  Pumpkin shaped cheese ball with crackers and veggies
2.  Fruit tray
3.  Pigs in a Blanket
4.  Candy Corn
5.  Pumpkin Cupcakes

You can use any cheeseball recipe that you like for the pumpkin shaped treat.  Shape into a pumpkin and use celery leaves to make your stem and leaves.  Serve chilled with crackers, pretzel sticks, celery and any other favorite veggies.

The pumpkin cheese ball with celery leaves gave a savory option for guests.

Pigs in a blanket can be made with little smokies and crescent rolls.  If you want something a little more substantial, you could do a version with actual hotdogs.

Pumpkin cupcakes can be created using your favorite recipe or a box mix.  I selected to make a chocolate cupcake and topped with orange icing and added a little pretzel stem.  This was a classic chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing from Sally's Baking Addiction.  I doubled the recipe to have enough for all of our guests.  I used food coloring for the orange and green. 

I used a really wide icing tip to apply the orange.  It made for quick decorating.  For the green leaf accents, I used a flat narrow shaped tip to give a different shape. 

I find that homemade cupcakes and icing are so much more delicious that I can't help myself and make them from scratch.  But, if you are in a bind for time, Order them from a bakery or grocery store and pick them up.  Guests are going to love them either way. 

Start with your cupcake and apply a nice layer of orange icing.

Add the green accents for leaves next.

Pretzel sticks gave the final touch as a stem.

The pumpkin patch we visited had hay rides, play areas and a bucket train for children.  So, our two-hour window was filled rather quickly.  That is the best party of this kind of party.  The children can really spread out and play doing something that each child enjoyed.  I told guests when they arrived what time we would have cupcakes so that they could freely play and enjoy the pumpkin patch.

The bucket train is a favorite at the pumpkin patch.

In addition to the outdoor play area, there is corn the play in and a corn maze.

An outdoor themed party is a fun and easy party to throw.  Taking the party away from your home also keeps you from cleaning your home for a party that leaves you with another mess to clean up afterward.

We were able to set up in about 20 minutes since we were organized and had a plan for setting up and take down.

This party including invitations treat bags and food were less than $125 dollars.  Party expenses can add up quickly.  Don't let the Pinterest parties of your dreams scare you from throwing a theme party.  Anyone can do it.   With a little creativity and color, you can create a photo-worthy party for your child that everyone will remember fondly - even you!

This big boy loved having this party outdoors with his friends!

Our family loves being outdoors.  It gives us a time and space away from everyday demands.  Plan some time outdoors with your family for a party or just an afternoon outing.  It is always good for the soul.

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