Hungry Caterpillar Party

This is the first year I threw a themed birthday party, and I'm very glad I did. My youngest celebrated her 1st birthday last week. It was a small gathering with immediate family. The party's theme was based on the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle; it's one of A's favorites. We own the board book along with a stuffed caterpillar toy. These turned out to be perfect party props.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

The week before the party, I combed through Pinterest boards for food, decor and party ideas -- believe me, there were PLENTY to chose from. Lucky for me, I wasn't the first mama to put something like this together. ;)

Here are a few photos of the festivities:

Found these free coloring pages for the party. Get your color on!

Instead of balloons, I used paper plates to create a caterpillar inching across the doorway. Gotta say, this was much faster than blowing up balloons. Plus, we're trying to stay away from balloons during the toddler-rearing years.

"On Sunday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie..."

Hungry Caterpillar Party | Themed Birthday Party Snacks | by CustodiansofBeauty.blogspot.com

Party themed finger foods. Easy peasy. The birthday girl loves pickles, too!

I printed out some of the food illustrations from the book to use in the table decorations. A bit of green grass from Dollar General, and a bucket from Target...total cost: $1.80 and wha-la! Nothin' to it.

Hungry Caterpillar Party | Cupcakes | by CustodiansofBeauty.blogspot.com

Honestly, I had high hopes for these cupcakes. (See, the caterpillar is eating through the apple. Do ya get it? ) They looked adorable on Pinterest. Just didn't turn out the way I imagined. The caterpillars (gummy worms) and the green leaves (fruit roll up) wilted. But, everyone enjoyed the cute idea and ate them all the same. Btw, I made the cupcakes from scratch using a no-egg-milk-or-butter recipe. That recipe is a keeper.

Enjoying her cupcake sans-caterpillar. The girl only has four teeth, how's she suppose to consume a gummy worm?

So, you may be asking... are there more themed parties planned for the future? Yes, absolutely. I might run with the children's book theme. Maybe throw a "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" party (I've got a Pinterest board growing with ideas already!)

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