the very hungry caterpillar themed birthday party

*all photos taken by Tracy Van Dam www.tvdfotos.com  (Thank you Tracy for the amazing pictures)

My daughter just turned 1 and we were so excited to celebrate her birthday with The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This is a book she has enjoyed since she was an infant and it is one of my all time favorite books to read to my children. As soon as I decided I wanted to use this theme for her party, there were a million ideas that ran through my head.  I immediately though of all the vivid colors I could use and how fun it would be to plan this party. My friends, family and I had a blast putting this party together (thank you)! Take a look at what we did!

We had rented out a hall for my daughters 1st birthday party so we had a lot of space to work with. I got Tissue Fans, small
and large, cut out streamers, and had Honeycomb Balls all over in lime green, green, red, cream and yellow to match the main colors in the book! (Thank you Jina)

For each table we did different center pieces.  Every other table had something different. One table had the Number 1 Metallic Silver 40in Balloon  gold or silver with colorful paper balls as an accent and the other table had a caterpillar with green paper balls for the body and red paper ball for the head. It looked amazing! We made our own eyes with construction paper for the caterpillar and used black pipe cleaners for the antennas!

For the entrance we had two tables set up.  The first table had a poster, made by a great designer, that had my daughter’s milestones, and favorite things written all over it.  We also had a donation box for Rady children’s hospital(this was what we opted for in lieu of gifts) where donations were given to the children that were in need.  Lastly, I placed a hardcover copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, that acted as a guestbook, and had guests’ sign it with a sweet message for the birthday girl!! The other table was set up with party favors.  In each Anchor Hocking 2-Gallon Heritage Hill Jar with Glass Lid I put a different favor and had the kids pick which two of the favors they wanted.  I filled one jar with packets of Fruit Snacks, 0.9 oz Pouch, 80/Box, which represented the fruits the hungry caterpillar eats through in the book, and in the other jar I bought Detailed Toy Butterflies (One Dozen Assorted Breeds) figurings and tattoos.  Additonally, each child got to go home with a Pop-out Fruit Tote Bags that folded up into a the shape of different fruits.  The guests loved this because it was very practical and they can use it for anything!

We also used a lot of balloons to decorate! We got gold colored balloons in letters to spell out my daughters name and also got Qualatex 36″ Round Latex Balloons (Lime Green) and Qualatex 36″ Round Latex Balloons (red) to make a large caterpillar as a decor on the floor.

I brought her high chair to the hall, so she was able to enjoy her cake and decorated the high chair with the caterpillar (which my friend Juanita made, and she said it was very easy to make). I got our cake from a local baker here in san diego and she did an amazing job.  Not only did it look great, it was also delicious!! The fondant was not as sweet as usual so it was great for the kids.  I also, had mini cupcakes with colorful frosting that were the main colors from the book. (Thank You Juanita)

For food we hired a local taco company to make fresh tacos and a local South Indian food company to make fresh food on site as well.  For appetizers I had a variety of Indian food and Mexican food, which my sister in law made tent cards for. We also made our own chalkboard signs with a menu of what was available (Thanks Jaime).

For the kids entertainment, I had set up activity tables with “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” coloring pages, and a make-your-own-caterpillar art project.  We also hired a company to put on a bubble show, which was a huge hit with the kids!!  And of course we had a bounce house available, which is always a fun way to keep the kids entertained.

What a fun event of planning! My daughter enjoyed it very much and my family and I are very thankful for all the help and all our family and friends who attended from near and far!  Thank you!  Hope you enjoy planning this party as much as we did!

* Would love to hear your inputs and ideas!