And just like that, all of the first birthday parties I’ve been planning are over! I’m not going to lie, I’m a little disappointed. I live for that last minute rush. You know, the night before the party when I cram in everything I was supposed to be crafting for the past few weeks. Without that rush, do I even exist? Who needs a birthday party planned? I’ve got plenty of spare time.

The other two first birthday parties I helped with were out of town, so I wasn’t able to attend (and be the annoying photographer taking photos of her own work). But since this third one was within driving distance, I grabbed my camera and set off (of course I had a few bags of party decorations as well). To be fair, I did take plenty of photos of the birthday boy as well. And here you thought I was just in it for my own benefit.

Our friend’s had decided to throw a Hungry Caterpillar themed party for their son’s first birthday. This one was a little new to me, I hadn’t seen many parties done with this theme (which makes it all the more fun). There were so many things we put together, where to start?

Table Centerpieces: I bought plastic pails (Dollar Tree/Walmart), place mats (Dollar Tree), and basket fluff (Dollar Tree). I printed the “Hungry Caterpillar” circles on labels, cut them out and stuck them to the buckets. I did a simple Google search for the book images, and cut them out as well. Stick them to a kabob stick, and stick into the bucket!

Happy Birthday Banner: I put together a simple Happy Birthday banner for the party. You can download the banner here. Cut out the letter circles, the back triangles, and use glue dots to adhere the circles to the back (making them stand out a little more).

Highchair Banner: I stopped in at my local fabric store and just grabbed some fabrics that I thought fit well with the theme. Since my Joann’s didn’t have actual Hungry Caterpillar fabric, I had to improvise. You can download the “One” Tag here.

Cake: I couldn’t post about this party and not share the cake. I wish I could say I was talented enough to make the cake for this party, but alas, my talent stops somewhere. Our friend’s sister though, now she is talented. She’s made the cakes for all the kids parties we’ve been to, and I’m blown away each time. I may have hinted (not so subtlety) that I’d exchange decorations of her children’s parties for a pretty cake!

Welcome Door Sign: You can print a nameless version here. Cut out the circle and caterpillar separately, then use glue dots to pop the caterpillar out. I backed my circle with one layer of green paper, and then another with orange (and used fun scissors around the orange to make it a little more interesting).

Silverware: The brighter colors the better! Put them in a bucket like the centerpieces, and wrap them with little napkin rings. If you’d like to download a nameless version of the napkin ring, you can do so here.

The Mantle: I saw the caterpillar balloon on Pinterest, and it looked easy enough! We hung the balloons from the ceiling after using crepe paper to create a backdrop. I bought frames from the Dollar Tree and spray painted them red and blue. My friend found a Hungry Caterpillar frame to finish it all off! She bought bubbles, and we printed a wrap for each one. I’ve included a nameless version of this too (you can add your own name in Picmonkey). Or you can also use the napkin rings for this as well!

Fruit Banner: I went to Google and saved images of all the fruit from the book. I cut them out, strung them on twine, and created a cute banner to hang from the mantle.

Overall, it was a pretty cute party if I do say so myself. The cake was probably my favorite part, but then again, I’m sure it was everyone’s favorite part! Who doesn’t love cake!?

Party Planners: If you have any questions about fonts or images that I used, just ask!