This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. This post was sponsored by Starbucks as part of an influencer activation. I received compensation and complimentary products to facilitate my review. #StarbucksCaffeLatte # MyStarbucksatHome #CollectiveBias
Now that fall is here, it’s time to put away the summer sunscreen and flip flops and dust off my favorite boots and cardigans. With the days getting a little shorter and the winds carrying cooler temperatures, nature is ready to bust out the most gorgeous shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. I am totally looking forward to cooler days ahead, nights by the fire, and warm mugs of my favorite hot coffee. I always love an excuse to celebrate, so last week I decided to throw a sweet “Hello Fall” party to help ring in the new season!
When planning my parties, I always like to have one central theme. I wanted this one to embody the spirit of the changing season, so when I discovered the new Starbucks® Caffe Latte K-Cups® Pods at my local grocery store, I thought it would be perfect to build my party around. After all, a warm cup of coffee is one of my favorite drinks of the season!
I never drink coffee without some kind of flavoring, and I’m a big fan of the “fancier” coffee drinks so these new Caffe’ Latte K-Cups® are right up my alley because they are made from milk. They come in 3 signature flavors (Caramel, Mocha, and Vanilla) which are perfect for any time of the year, and 2 seasonal flavors – Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha. (Yes, that Pumpkin Spice.)
So, that’s my party theme, and now that I have explained why, let’s talk about this gorgeous setup! I absolutely must use my picnic area as much as I can in the next few weeks before it gets too cold to be out there, so of course that is exactly where I set this up. During this time of year, there is something about the way the light filters through the trees in this exact spot that blankets everything in the dreamiest shade of warm magical haze, and I tried to play on that when setting up my party table.
I wanted to keep things simple, clean, and seasonally appropriate, so I started out with a make your own coffee station. I whipped up an adorable instructional sign to direct partiers what to do, and from there guests grab a mug or cup, choose the Starbucks® Caffe’ Latte K-Cup® pod flavor of their choice, and then finish it off with a variety of add-ins if they want to.
Since these K-Cups® only take two steps, they are perfect for using in coffee bars and when guests want a personalized fresh coffee experience. All guests (or the designated Keurig operator) need to do is pour the flavor packet into a mug, then brew the K-Cup® pod and stir. Voila!
Snacks were kept at a minimum since this was more of a beverage party, but I made some super simple apple and pumpkin pie pops, then wrapped them in clear plastic so that guests could grab and go if they wanted. I also set out a basket of apples that the kids and I had picked at a local orchard a few days before the party.
I kept the decor in line with the simplicity of everything else, with easy DIY touches and a few plastic pumpkins and leaves creatively set out. These candles were super easy to make – I used two large mason jars, filled them with white beans, added a battery powered tea light to each one, and then tied some raffia around the upper edge. Doesn’t it look great?
For activities, I stayed within my theme by having a mug decorating station with paint, tissue paper, glitter, and Mod Podge to seal everything. I love decorating mugs with tissue paper because the end result is so pretty! To do it yourself, all you have to do is paint on a thin layer of Mod Podge, position scraps of tissue paper on the surface, then paint over once more with a thin layer of Mod Podge. It will dry in 20-30 minutes.
Lastly, I stuffed extra mugs with K-Cup® pods and coupons so that everyone could have their own box of Starbucks® at home! These new Caffe’ Latte K-Cup® Pods are available nationally at your local grocery store.
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