Start with a different sort of invitation to announce the cowboy baby shower theme. Cut out a cowboy hat shape from brown construction paper and embellish it with a baby blue ribbon and little silver beads at the crown. Glue it onto a sheet of baby blue paper that has the wordings of the invitation printed in a corner. Finish off the invitation with chocolate brown ribbon glued down two sides of the paper. Ask the guests to come in cowboy attire or in denims.
Keep the room décor in the same color scheme. Blue and brown balloons can be bunched up together and be easily decorated some more with cutouts of boots and horses in the contrasting color stuck to them with double-sided tape. Instead of a banner, hang up a clothesline and use old-fashioned clothes pins to hang a baby blue layette, a baby blue checked infant's shirt, and a baby cowboy hat for the little buckaroo to use.
Set a cowboy hat and boots as the centerpiece of each table. Put a vase in one of the boots and arrange a few heads of blue hydrangeas inside. Scatter a few blossoms around the table and ring the whole arrangement with blue votive candles in clear shot glasses. Anchor the entire group with a baby blue or brown bandanna spread open underneath.
If you can find blue spatterware to serve the food, use it! Anchor the buffet table with a large plush horse accented with a baby blue ribbon or baby blue bandanna tied around his neck. Little bouquets of blue and white hydrangeas scattered around the food are easily assembled points of interest. If you can manage it, hay bales would make the perfect buffet table for this cowboy baby shower theme.
For the food, a cowboy stew served in a large black cauldron makes a filling main course. Round out that stew with baked potatoes, biscuits, and corn on the cob. Salsa and chips make a delicious accompaniment. You could add hotdogs and ribs to this spread, too. A pretty salad of tomatoes makes a colorful counterpoint to all the food. And for drinks, serve iced tea in large mason jars. Use a soup ladle to pour out the tea. If blue borage flowers are in season, put a few in each of your ice cubes for an unexpected touch of color.
For dessert, cowboy cookies and a chocolate cake are in keeping with the theme. You can simply embellish the chocolate cake with a baby blue ribbon or make a focal point by putting a clear glass plate at the center and topping it with either a horse plushie or a pair of baby cowboy boots. Little baby blue candies like Nerds can be scattered over the cake to tie it into the whole color scheme.
There are lots of western-themed games you can play. You can start with a trivia game of famous cowboys that hit the silver and TV screen and other cowboy facts. There are a lot of cowboy trivia websites out there, so take advantage of them.
Another game is the diaper roundup. Have two large picnic baskets of baby supplies, including a cloth diaper and safety pins. Make it a showdown between two guests. The first person that can rifle through the basket and properly wipe, powder, and diaper a baby doll wins the game. If you want to make it more challenging, you can add a few “junk” items in the basket, like a bottle of glue or a roll of scotch tape.
Prizes for the cowboy themed baby shower are jolly ranchers, licorice
whips, bandannas, and gum. For favors, you could package up assorted
goodies in a bandanna tied up “hobo style.” or if you're
feeling up to it, decorated cowboy boot-shaped cookies would be
a truly personal touch.