This past weekend I hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law. It was themed after Eric Carle's book
The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I was very thankful to have my other sister-in-law and friends of the Mom-to-be helping me with this. We divided up duties, and I got to do all the decor! Thanks to Pinterest, I found several cute ideas I was able to copy.
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We invited guests with
these cute on-theme invitations.
I made this Hungry Caterpillar welcome banner using cardstock and my
Silhouette Cameo to hang behind the chair where she would open gifts. I even found a font similar to the one used in the book! The red circles are 8" and the green circles are 6".
The paper lantern caterpillars are made using 10" red lanterns for the heads and 8" mismatched green lanterns for the bodies. I found the most affordable lanterns at the
Paper Lantern Store. These sizes are fine for a smaller space, but I wish I had used larger ones for these large rooms. I used
command hooks (3 lb. strength) to attach the caterpillars the ceilings so I wouldn't have to poke holes with tacks. The lanterns are strung onto fishing line. I used cardstock and my
Silhouette Cameo for the face pieces and feet!
I made the giant fruits by painting large swoops of paint onto posterboard (a glass of wine helped me be extra swoopy with my brush strokes, lol). I used the paintbrush I normally use for painting trim and baseboards, and several colors of acrylic paint I had on hand. After making all the swoops, I flipped the posterboard over and drew out the fruits, then cut them out. I traced a roll of blue painters tape for the holes. These were a great way to make large decor for a big room.
The diaper cake is made from about 60
Size 2 Earth's Best diapers (because they're plain white, the larger size helps make the cake larger, and I just really love this brand). I used
Goodnight Moon and
The Runaway Bunny for the book layer, and clipped them together with paperclips. I managed to find
Hungry Caterpillar ribbon to wrap them up, and topped them off with a few Eric Carle toys! I tried accessorizing the cake with mini versions of baby toiletries, but it looked too busy.
We asked the guests to sign a copy of
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as well as address an envelope for the Mom-to-be to use for her thank you notes. With 45 guests worth of thank you notes to write, she needs all the help she can get!
We also asked guests to bring a book to build the baby's library! I think he's going to be quite literate! The quilt is made from an Eric Carle 10 Little Rubber Ducks panel.
A family member made this amazing caterpillar cupcake display!
My other sister-in-law developed a delicious menu: yogurt bar, croissant bar (she MADE them at the house which made the house smell so yummy) with egg salad and chicken salad, pinwheel sandwiches, mini muffins, Duck Donuts, and a popcorn bar. She complemented the spread with a cocktail we named Peach Sparklers, which were made from peach puree, orange juice, and champagne.
Friends of the Mom-to-be created a draw-your-own bingo board where guests first filled out items they thought might get opened, then marked off squares as the gifts were unwrapped. They also broke up the gift portion of the shower with two games, one with nursery rhymes and one with children's books.
I really couldn't be happier with how the shower came together! It was cute, had great food, and fun activities. But most of all, it brought together this amazing community of women who are super excited to welcome this sweet baby into the world.
Hopefully some of these ideas come in handy if you're planning a Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower or Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday!
