When it comes to baseball-themed parties, other moms might pick up some baseball-shaped plates, hang a few team banners, and call it a day. But when it came time for Deanna Talwalkar to throw her son's seventh birthday bash, the creative mind behind Mirabelle Creations wanted something truly out of the park.
The party planner put on her DIY hat and created a slew of backdrops and decor that brought the classic theme into the 21st century. This included a red and white color scheme that also represented her son's favorite team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. "Even though we live in Kentucky, his favorite team is the Los Angeles Angels," Deanna shares. "One of our friends, Scott Downs, was a pitcher with the Angels, so my son loves them."
Scroll through to see how this Southern mom pulled off a party honoring a West Coast team.
Deanna decorated each guest's chair with a paper baseball featuring his or her name and number.
The baseball theme provided Deanna with great dinner inspiration. She served hot dogs and soft pretzels as the main dish.
It wouldn't be a baseball party without popcorn and peanuts! Deanna also made fruit kebabs using bat-and-ball skewers.
These plates may look store bought, but they were a total DIY project. Deanna purchased plain white ceramic plates from the local dollar store, used permanent marker to draw baseball seams, then baked the plates at 350°F for 20 minutes to set the ink.
"For the dessert table backdrop, I cut white paper napkins in the shape of home base," Deanna shares. "Then I stapled them onto a sheet of plywood, overlapping them to make a solid white but textured backdrop."
These Oreo cake pops really scored with the guests.
Deanna decorated her homemade red velvet and blue vanilla cupcakes with custom toppers.
These white-chocolate lollipops were the perfect after-dinner treat.
While most of the treats were homemade, Deanna purchased these sugar cookies from Peapods Cookies.
Deanna made a large cake for guests but created an miniature version for the birthday boy.
Guests were gifted with Cracker Jacks and Big League Chew — the perfect baseball treats.
"Our son had a great day," Deanna shares. "Sam was so excited about the ballpark-inspired snacks and desserts." But his favorite part came during gift time, when family friend and former pitcher Scott Downs brought a baseball signed by Sam's favorite player, Mike Trout. What a way to end a perfect day!