Bagel Bar Ideas for Brunch or Breakfast

If you’re hosting a football party, the food is what everyone remembers most. From easy appetizers to bite-size snacks, having simple, crowd-pleasing options makes game day feel effortless.

These football party food ideas are easy to prepare, fun to serve, and perfect for keeping guests happy from kickoff to the final play.

Easy Football Party Appetizers Everyone Loves

• cheeseburger sliders (you’ll see a fun, mini, open-face style below too!)
• Rotel Dip
• Slow Cooker Meatballs
• Crockpot Grape and Jelly Little Smokies
• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Cream Cheese Corn Dip

Best Food for a Football Party

• Cheese boards – See how to style a cheese board
• Finger foods like pinwheel sandwiches, Italian sliders, or these weiner winks
• Popcorn – See how to make homemade microwave popcorn
• Cookies – like these No Bake Cookies or these strawberry cheesecake cookies

Easy DIY Football Party Ideas

Throwing a football party for your friends and family, doesn’t have to be super expensive, or complicated! With a few DIY football ideas, you can turn an afternoon or evening of football, in to a celebration.

First… “Take it to the House,” and score with your biggest friends, by hosting a football viewing party in your own home, instead of footin’ the bill at a public place. Turn a small corner or space in to the center of the party.

Use a table that you already have on hand, (or a dresser, bookshelf, anything that would hold the party snacks!)

A piece of white foam board, can go a LONG way when it comes to creating a DIY backdrop for your party station. Grab inexpensive card stock, a chalk marker, glue dots, and one or two of those super affordable green “grass,” mats at a local store, like I used to cut out the football at the top of the backdrop!
I found my grass mats, for only a couple of dollars, when I was at Walmart buying the ingredients for my “Open Faced Cheeseburger Sliders.”

DIY “Score” Football Banner

With the card stock, you can easily cut a 12×12 piece of card stock, in to 4… and create a banner to say whatever you like! I chose to keep mine small and simple. “Score,” for the green, and I found a sheet of brown that made the perfect little square football “ends,” to the banner. With a chalk marker, I was able to easily & quickly draw the “laces,” on the football. For the letters, I used my Silhouette machine, but you could easily draw those on with a chalk marker as well!

Keeping on with the cardstock theme, my sweet friend Kate, from 300 Ninth, introduced me to how easy it was to create “play book,” signs out of black card stock and a white chalk marker. Talk about easy, and affordable decor! I absolutely love her easy DIY crafts and recipes!

DIY “Astroturf,” Coasters

I couldn’t help myself when I saw the green “grass,” rugs in the store, thinking about how FABULOUS they’d look under each bottle of Coke Zero. This tied in the “astroturf,” look, and gave it a “pop,” of color on the table.
Cutting small squares out of the rug, for the coasters, was as easy as it sounds. Just “cut,” in to squares, and you’re done.

DIY Paper Snack Cones

You won’t BELIEVE how I ended up making these DIY paper snack cones! I had small, square, brown envelopes laying around, that needed put to good use. I simply rolled one bottom corner of the envelope, all the way to the opposite top corner of the envelope, and sealed with glue dots. Then, I grabbed my white chalk marker, drew “laces,” on them, and they were ready for popcorn!

If you’ve been following me on Facebook lately, it’s no surprise to you, that I’ve been a bit obsessed with learning how to decorate cookies with royal icing. The professionals just make it look so easy, and I was determined to give it a try the other day. A football party seemed like the BEST excuse to practice on yet, another batch of cookies, so little football sugar cookies were a MUST.

Now for the MAIN EVENT….

Mini Open Faced Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

 The cutest and easiest, impressive appetizer for the party, were my Mini Open Faced Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders! These little bite size burgers are stacked with the toppings of your choice! Although, “mini,” the little burgers, leave a BIG impression!

Video Tutorial & Recipe Below…

Mini Open Bacon Faced Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

(Quantities of ingredients, depend on burger size you choose, and your topping selections.)

• 1 “sleeve,” of RITZ® Crackers
• 1 lb. of Ground Beef
• 5 Slices American Cheese, but in to fourths
• Toppings of your choice. {I used my Smoked Candied Bacon, recipe, and leaf lettuce}

Directions:

Roll out ground beef, like you would to cut sugar cookies. Using a small round circle “cut-out” (I used the opening of a small parfait glass, but a small bowl may work. Just make sure it’s about the size of a Ritz® Cracker), cut out small round burgers.

Cook the burgers in an electric skillet on 350, for 5 minutes, until the juices ran clear. (You could easily cook these mini burgers in a skillet on the stove top too! Cook until browned on one side, flip, and then remove when juices run “clear.”)

When the burgers have finished cooking, place a square of cheese on top, allowing it to melt.

Top a Ritz® Cracker, with mini cheeseburger, and begin layering on the desired toppings.

Insert a toothpick (or party pick, like I used to be a little more festive), in to the top of the toppings, securing the toppings to the burgers.

Mini Open Faced Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders Tutorial:

Photo Guide to Building the Mini Sliders

Adding the Cheese…

Add your desired toppings & serve!

This football party was incredibly fun to put together. I’m actually thinking a Football Viewing Party, will need to become a habit in our home, so I can put together all kinds of cuteness, more often. 😉

Camping Party: A camping party theme for kids of any age! This party theme is so much fun with easy DIY decor and your little campers will love it!

I am THRILLED to share with you, one of my latest party themes…a Camping Birthday Party for indoors.

If you love kids party ideas, then you’ll love the Nautical Birthday, Milk & Cookies Playdate, Woodland Friends and the ice creamy party that I’ve styled!

This is one of my favorite party themes for an afternoon of fun or for a slumber party for boys or girls!

Don’t forget these slumber party ideas if you’re nailing down the perfect one for your kiddo!

Camping Party Ideas

This camping party theme is ideal for any age boy or girl! You can really turn it into a sleepover, or you can just “pretend,” it’s a sleepover, with the younger little guys and gals.

Plus, you can have fun making your own invitations for the party using Canva!

Can you imagine how excited the kiddos would be if they were able to wear their pajamas to a birthday party!?

Shopping online the other day, I fell in LOVE with Pottery Barn Kids, and the tents and sleeping bags that they had. I knew a camp-in sleepover HAD to be my next party theme.

A camping-themed party is such a fun way to entertain your party guests! Plus, what kid doesn’t enjoy sleeping in a sleeping bag?!

Camping Birthday Cake

My creative ideas started flowing, and I knew I wanted to create a “fire,” as a cake topper, to carry on with the camping theme.

Various candies and sweets made a yummy, perfect topper.

I used:

• Nutty Buddy
• SweeTarts Ropes

and just layered them on top of a pre-made cake! You could easily use any flavor of cake that you want, but I used a white cake with coconut frosting to match the theme of the table!

You could also make a s’mores-themed cake or s’mores dip with marshmallows, a chocolate bar, and graham crackers! What’s a camping trip without s’mores!?

I found these mini easels and set them up to inspire the kids when it was time for them to paint!

The kids loved (and maybe fought over) the yummy logs and fire.

Camping Party Foods

Camping party food ideas can be so fun to plan, and there are a lot of ideas to choose from. Here’s what I used for this kid’s party!

Carrot Cake Cookies, stuffed with vanilla icing perfectly complimented the sugar rush that I was going for. You could also make one of my favorite easy cookie recipes for your camping party, like these Rocky Road Cookies!

S’Mores Trail Mix

I brought out these trail mix s’ mores cups with teddy grahams, chocolate, and mini marshmallows., and served them in cute little kraft bowls!

Trail mix is a classic camping party food and making a trail mix bar is another great idea! Including chocolate chips, graham crackers, pretzels, nuts, marshmallows, etc. would be a great way for older kids to get creative.

Easy Hot Chocolate

And see this deliciousness? The kids had a blast mixing chocolate milk, which I quickly zapped in the microwave and turned in to hot chocolate, perfect telling (and reading) stories around the campfire!

To add to the fun, I filled adorable glass jars with the hot chocolate! You can use cute mugs with mini marshmallows if that’s easier!

Camping Birthday Party Activity + Party Favors

Every party needs a little hands-on activity, right?

But turning a hands-on activity into perfect party favors works even better!

Allowing the party guests to paint their own birdhouses, and take home, is the perfect all-around party idea!

Friendship bracelets, finger paints, tie-dye shirts, etc would all be great DIY camping party favors. That way, the kids are entertained during the party and not sent home with junk!

Supplies Needed for Birdhouse Party Favors:

• Wood Birdhouses
• Paint for Kids
• Paintbrushes for kids

Camping Party Games & Fun

A room FULL of tents can lead to a crazy amount of fun for the kids.

But so can hours and hours of games like Hide and Seek, and getting cozy in the sleeping bags…. cuddling up around the “fire,” for storytime, is something the kiddos also love!

How do you host a camping party?

There are a couple of different types of camping parties you could host. You can host an indoor camping party for younger kids or a backyard camping party for older kids!

Tents, sleeping bags, and decorations can be set up indoors or outdoors! Camping party food can be easy snacks for indoors or you can roast hot dogs and marshmallows for an outdoor party!

Activities for Camping in a Tent

There are tons of things the happy campers can do inside the tents! Reading books, telling stories, watching movies, card games, board games, etc.

Tents are an easy way to keep the kids entertained because it’s something fun and different for them! A great idea to keep them busy for longer is to have them put together the tent as well!

Camping Decorations

Camping theme decor can be so fun, and most of them can be used for other items later! I love a good everyday party item that can be used over and over.

We get SOOO many compliments on this fun tent. It doubled as decorations for the camping party and the kids love playing with it long after the party is over. But little decorations mattered too. They were:

• Blankets
• Pillows
• Wooden logs (for a fake fire)
• Birthday banner
• Kaleidoscope

The bear. I couldn’t resist, THE BEAR. The kids went NUTS over how big he was, and loved wrestling him! Still to this day, he’s a favorite wrestling partner in our house!

Need gift ideas? This is a great list of toddler boy gift ideas!

Who knew a camp-in sleepover, would make it so easy for the kiddos to get ready for bed?!

Add some fun by encouraging guests to wear their favorite pajamas, even if it’s not an overnight party!

Love Party Ideas?

Me too. You can see all of the fun parties I’ve styled and hosted to get more ideas!

Favorite Things Party: “In Bloom” | The ULTIMATE girls night party you have to host this year.

It’s come and gone, and the Favorite Things Party for 2016 is in the books. With a month of preparation, color coordinating, drink experimenting, and other pretty little details… the party turned out exactly like I had hoped, with the bloom-themed setup.

The Invitation:

It all started with the “wow,” factor that I wanted to create this year. The invitation. If you missed the post highlighting how and what I hand-delivered to my guests this year, you can see all the boxed invitation details.

The party was hosted in our backyard, and the way our home is laid out, I wanted the guests to know the best way to get to the back yard, without having to walk through the house. I thought if the chalkboard wouldn’t catch their attention, this humungo coral balloon would!

Greenery: Hobby Lobby

The weather was absolutely perfect, and the sun started setting not long after the party began, so it created the most beautiful lighting!

The invite mentioned “Sweets & Sips,” and boy did we have an abundant supply of both. I believe the words “Sugar Coma,” were used a few times, at the end of the night.

Dessert Table Details

Early Party Planning Tip: If you find yourself “stuck,” in getting started with the party planning process, simply look for that one small detail that captures the way you want your party to look. (Like the flowers were for me.)

Then, use those flowers to match color schemes, send to your vendors, etc. It will make the planning process a lot easier and will reduce the amount of “mismatched,” craziness that can happen when the party details really get to flowing.

Flowers and Garland: I found all of my flowers & greenery garland: Hobby Lobby.

(If you’re planning a party like this, far enough in advance, keep your eye out for the weekly sales on flowers, and stock up when the time is right!)

Paper Flower Backdrop: I honestly couldn’t imagine this backdrop WITHOUT the paper flowers. They were the perfect touch, and really gave the back the “pop,” it needed. I ordered my paper flowers from Declare the Hope Project, a mother & daughter team, where 100% of the proceeds go to help children in Haiti.

Paper Flowers: Declare the Hope Project

White Backdrop: I found a shower curtain online at Houzz that captured EXACTLY what I was looking for. I attached this to photo backdrop poles, and my backdrop was set!

The Sweets:

Flower Cupcakes: I couldn’t believe my eyes when Jenny with Cookies and Frosting, delivered my cupcakes. They were STUNNING, and exactly the “look,” that I was hoping they would have. She absolutely nailed it. Wait until you see what else she did for me…

Cupcakes: Cookies and Frosting

Flower Cake Pops: If you’ve been around here a while, Sweet.Sassy cake pops are old news. I use her for every “cake pop,” needed event. When I sent her an example of what I wanted the cake pops to look like, she didn’t disappoint…

Cake Pops: Sweet.Sassy

Mini Chocolate Pies: Cookies and Frosting went ABOVE and beyond, to make the perfect little mini pies. I couldn’t believe how adorable and delicious they were!!

Mini Chocolate Pies with Cookie Cups: Cookies and Frosting

Raspberry Lemon Tarts: Speaking of adorable and delicious… the little tarts were to die for on the table! Lemon just so happens to be my favorite dessert. Wait until you see the other goodies that came from Sarah’s Cake Shop…

Raspberry Lemon Tarts: Sarah’s Cake Shop

Dessert Shots: Yes, these are tiramisu dessert shots. Words cannot DESCRIBE how much deliciousness was in one cup!

Dessert Shots: Sarah’s Cake Shop

Glitter Bites: I mean, the name of these sweet little gems were good enough to have on the dessert table. But when I tried one five, I realized I’ll never be the same.

Glitter Bites: Sarah’s Cake Shop

Glitter Donuts: Two days before the party, I was browsing Pinterest and saw the cutest glitter donuts. I thought, “I can do that.” So we did. “We,” because I had a good friend help me with these the day of the party. I bought white-icing covered donuts, and then applied edible glitter to the top of the donuts after brushing the tops with a bit of water, to make the glitter “stick.”

Donuts: Purchased from a local grocery store, “Schnuck’s,” and decorated by Fantabulosity {That’s us!}

Cannoli’s: I don’t know what it is, but for some reason when I host a “sweets,” bar, I always include cannoli’s. I believe it’s because they’re usually so color-neutral, that they’ll work on any style of table that I design.

Cannoli’s: Local Grocery Store, “Schnucks“

Favorite Things Beverage Bar:

I’m not even going to admit the hours that were put in to “taste-testing,” the beverages for this party. More than it should have been, (I’m sooo not a bartender) but in the end… I couldn’t have been happier with the way they turned out. I wanted color-coordinated drinks, along with a good “mix,” of different tastes.

Cocktails: We had one side of the table holding three signature cocktails.

Shop similar drink dispensers here: Drink Dispensers

White Cocktail Recipe here.

Coral Cocktail Recipe here.

Dark Pink Cocktail Recipe here.

Mocktails: For the non-alcoholic side, I simply put cucumbers, min, and water in one dispenser, and pink lemonade with watermelon in the other dispenser! Easy easy.

Each glass had a garnish, associated with each drink choice. Either pineapple, rosemary sprig, or these super cute swizzle sticks from “My Paper Romance.”

Peony Swizzle Sticks: I couldn’t BELIEVE how quick and awesome the communication was between the two of us. I messaged about the swizzle sticks, and they were literally shipped out within a day. Now THAT’S service.

Peony Swizzle Sticks | Drink Stirrers from Etsy

Cocktail Tables: The wine barrels came in super handy for cocktail tables. The gals were able to gather around, and place their drinks down, before they headed over to the photo booth.

I rented the wine barrels from a local party rental store, but believe I have my hubby in to buying me a couple. They have SO many uses!

Photo Booth:

It wasn’t your typical photo booth, and that was EXACTLY the way that I wanted it. Natural, flowey, and cheerful. My friend and I, tied the backdrop to the tree limbs with twine and clothespins, and then draped flower garlands over it, to tie in the flower theme.

I snagged a chair from our living room, and it suddenly became the photo booth statement piece. Perfect for sitting, and posing!

I saw the cutest photo booth sign on Pinterest, saying “Shoot it, Share it, Hashtag it,” and thought it was DARLING. So off I went and made a sign, that had the signature flowers from the invites and other party signs.

Look at these darling cuties…

Favorite Things Gift Exchange:

When the gals arrived, I had them place their gifts on the table, and fill their names out on three different sheets of paper. This way, when it was time for the gift exchange, we would be all ready to exchange!

Surprise Gifts!!!

This year, I wanted to do a little something extra, and surprised the girls with gift giveaways! Don’t worry… they were small items, but I still wanted to giveaway something, to add a little more “fun,” to the mix…

I kind of yelled “GIVEAWAY,” in my Oprah voice. (Again… the cocktails.)

I just gave away small items like my favorite notepads, thank you cards, planners, coffee cups, cake stands, etc.)

I may or may not have something up my sleeve for bigger and better giveaways for next years Favorite Things Party! 😉

Party Favors:

Macaron Jar Favors: We found the CUTEST little jars at TomKat Studio’s shop, and I cut out the word “sweet,” with my Silhouette Machine, and applied it to each jar.

Then, to add to the cuteness, I found Mila Sweets who made crazy-delicious macarons. She had the PERFECT color scheme to go right along with my party colors!

Macrons: Mila Sweets

Elderflower Liqueur Bottle Favors: On impulse, the day before the party, I found the most “fitting,” little elderflower liqueur bottles. They were glass, classy, and perfect. All of a sudden, we had a second party favor on the table. It was a “must.”

Wrap-Up:

I wanted this year to be the best yet. But I must say, with the 3rd “Favorite Things,” party in the books, there’s one thing that remains the same, every…stinking…time:

The girls.  When you get your closest group of gal pals together for a night of unwinding, getting pretty, and spending time together…

it just doesn’t get any better than that.

To see the other “Favorite Things,” Parties, you can jump over using the quick links below:

Favorite Things 2014

Favorite Things 2015