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Planning A Worm Themed Birthday Party

As we mentioned for a hot minute back in this post, Clara picked her party theme this year. What does she love more than monkeys, ice cream, firetrucks, and the mailman? Worms.

So the first thing on the party agenda was settling on a date (this Saturday the 12th, two days before her actual b-day on the 14th) and figuring out the guest list (our closest family and friends totaling about 30 people, ten who are kiddos under the age of four). Then it was the fun part. Invitations! We made three versions of them before picking our favorite (yes, making invitations is our idea of a good time). For the first one we used some shots from her 22 month photoshoot and although we loved the shapes and the fabric and that cute smile, it just didn’t have any worminess.

Clara Invite Alternative 1

So we played around some more and came up with this guy, who runneth over with worminess:

Clara Invite Alternative 2

As cute (and worm-ish) as we thought it was, we just kept playing around (yes, we’re nerds, and we only get to do it once a year) and came up with this more graphic – and just as wormy – alternative:

Clara Invite Final

Third time was the charm. Yes, we made chevron worms (maybe worms are the new chevron?). Of course we thought any of the options above would be great (and some folks might prefer #1 or #2 more), but we just loved those three little worms inching their way onto the number two with our smily girl in the middle of the number and the promise that “there will be worms.”

So we ordered just enough to send out to our crew, and even saved $15.77 thanks to googling around for a Winkflash coupon code:

Invite Coupon Code

It ended up being $1.58 per invite including an envelope ($28.54 for eighteen 5 x 7″ invites on matte card stock – not photo paper). Which isn’t  pennies, but definitely was a nice discount from the original price of $2.19 per invite. As for why we went with Winkflash, we used them for last year’s invite and were really happy with them. A lot of services offer templates for folded cards but it’s hard to find postcard-ish offerings that are completely blank (so you can upload your entire design without them putting a frame or some type around it).

And when they arrived? Love! They do such a good job- no weird printing lines or cheap-o feeling – we liked going with the larger size (5 x 7″) and the thick matte card stock paper. So that’s probably more than you’ve ever wanted to know about a two year old’s party invitation, huh? Haha.

Invite Here

But now for the party deets. Of course we’ll be back with a post after this weekend’s festivities, but just like last year, we thought a little sneak peek of our supplies might be fun (here’s last year’s). This is our table o’ stuff, some of which we had around already, like the yellow napkin dish ($2 from a thrift store a few years back!) and the fabric banner I sewed for Clara’s first birthday (we’ll re-use the runner I sewed too) along with a paper one I made for that party as well and some cute bird napkins we grabbed from Ikea about a month ago (birds like worms, right?). Some of the stuff is new of course, like the plates, worm-ish candles, some balloons and streamers, some paper lanterns, etc (all hailing from Party City or Target).

Invite All Stuff

Oh and see that pink arrow in the top left corner of the picture above? It’s pointing to this ice tray that we picked up at Ikea last month, because we thought we could even make some worm-ish ice. Or fill it with jello and make little jello worms.

Invite Ice Cube

So that’s on the agenda along with blowing up some polka dot balloons and some worm ones too (there is close to zero actual worm paraphernalia at Target and Party City, so when we saw worm balloons we couldn’t believe it).

As for all of the worm-related ideas, here’s what’s on our crazy brain dump list:

  • Make pipe cleaner worms to hide outside for a worm hunt
  • Make a grass runner with gummy worms (or plastic worms) on it
  • Collect paper towel rolls for some sort of worm craft…
  • Use streamers taped in little swags to look like worms (maybe across the beams in the living room and out on the patio somehow)
  • Serve apples with a gummy worm coming out and other worm-ish snacks
  • Cut peppers, cucumbers, and cheese into worm-like sticks and serve with dressing (worm crudité? how fancy)
  • Skewer grapes or other sliced fruit onto straws (less pokey for the kiddos than skewers)
  • Worm pizza (we’ll serve regular pizza for adults but put some cooked spaghetti on the slices for the kids)
  • Worm dogs (these are just hot dogs, haha, but we could make ketchup or mustard eyes and a smile)
  • Make white frosted cupcakes with oreo “dirt” sprinkled on top with a gummy worm (we thought about “dirt cake” or “dirt pudding” in a mason jar but it’s just too messy and hard to eat for all the 2-3 year olds)
  • Worm jello (we could just toss some gummy worms into jello sort of like a jello mold but instead of fruit it’s worms…)

Who knows what we’ll end up doing (definitely not everything!) but it’s fun to write down a bunch of things to see which ones stick. Oh and check out the favors I love so much that I assembled them a full week before the party. Nerd alert.

Invites Favors1

One of Clara’s favorite things to play with outside is our watering can (filling it with leaves, rocks, sticks, you name it) so when we saw cute green ones at Ikea for 99 cents we grabbed one for each kid (hoping they’ll like them just as much as our girl does). Then in the toy aisle we came across tiny stuffed worms for 49 cents each! Just kidding, they were snakes, but we cut off the pointy red tongues and voila: happy little worms. We also tossed a bottle of bubbles in each watering can along with an orange or pink scoop from Target (50 cents each). Brown tissue paper (aka: dirt) finished things off and gave us a spot to stick our scoops full of worms. We’re so excited for Clara to see hers. We’ve been hiding them all (I made them during a nap and stashed them all in the guest room) so it should be a pretty good time when she realizes that everyone gets a watering can, bubbles, a scoop, and a worm of their own at her party.

Oh and look at these candles we found at Tar-jay. Wormy, right?

Invite Napkins

This = a typical trip to Target. We thought grabbing two outside balls for kids to play with on the patio might be a good idea. And of course Clara picked her two favorite colors (orange and pink – which are one of the reasons we picked those colors for things like her invitations and her streamers).

Invite Target Balls

So that’s the deal with party planning. The basic gist is that I’m wishing we bought one more watering can, scoop, and stuffed snake worm so I’d get one of my own. I’m totally 30 going on 2.

Invites Favors2

Any party prep going on for you guys? Do you have any tips for keeping it simple and fun? We generally like to order food (something inexpensive but crowd-pleaser-ish, like pizza) so we’re not slaving over the stove all day. But cooking is my mom’s favorite thing, so she’d rather cook for thirty people and just grab ready-made invites. So there’s definitely more than one way to get your par-tay on. Can’t wait to share pics from this Saturday! And we’re building Clara something for her b-day. Something big. Ok, I’ll just tell you – it’s a dollhouse!!!!!!

Dollhouse Started

So excited to share the breakdown with you guys when it’s done (as expected, we’re just getting started so we’ll be working overtime!). And now for the general trite mom statement (but it’s painfully true). Oh my gosh,  how is my baby two already??? Dude, she was just turning one like three months ago.

Psst – You know $herdog loves her some Eminem, Snoop, Dre, and Biggie, but the new Karmin CD is uh.mazing. Seriously. Anyone else in love? I’ve been “YouTube in love with them” for a while (since this) and adored when they were on Ellen. Their new songs make me want to finish that dollhouse double-time (while pausing for a few obligatory dance breaks).

Comments

  1. Kerstin says

    Worms in the bed – that’s more like a nightmare for me. But Clara’s worm obsession is really cute and your party ideas, too!

    Reply

  3. Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate says

    That sounds great!

    My younger son’s 3rd birthday had a gardening theme, and I made a “dirt and worm cake” which was just chopped up Oreos mixed in with chocolate pudding and then refrigerated overnight. It was served in a new plastic flower pot using a new plastic trowel. (Not the healthiest, but certainly the dirtiest.)

    Of course, it featured many gummy worms.

    Happy birthday, Clara!

    Katy

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Love that- so cute! We debated worm cake (or small mason jars of it) but thought the 2 year olds might have a hard time with it. Maybe if Clara demands a worm party again in a year or two. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Gem says

      We did that, except we put a fake flower in it as well and alarmed all our friends by appearing to eat from the plant. But I wouldn’t recommend it with kids around on the off-chance that they decide all other flowerpots contain edible chocolate…

    • HeatherM says

      My cousin makes a similar dish, and serves it in a sand bucket with a sand shovel.
      My 8-yr old nephew loves all things gross, and so I made him worm-themed cupcakes: simple chocolate cupcakes, with gummy worms poking out of the chocolate frosting on top. And of course I sprinkled extra gummy worms on the cupcake tray too- he loved i!

  4. Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says

    I really do love that the theme for the party is worms – it’s so original! I think those favors are going to be a big hit at the party (I sort of want to run to IKEA and get one of those watering cans).

    Can’t wait to see that doll house finished!!

    Reply

  7. jennifer says

    we just celebrated our daughter’s 3rd birthday and the theme was geenalicious. everything was green… tablecloth, balloons, flowers, plates, favors [an assortment of green candy], the cake [green cake with green frosting as requested by the birthday girl] and almost all of the menu. it turned out really well.

    she is also obsessed with snakes [they creep me out, but i embrace it for her… as long as a real one does not make it’s way into the house]… she thinks “they are beautiful”. my cousin bought her a giant stuffed snake and she opened it and exclaimed “it looks just like an anaconda!” everyone thought it was hysterical she knew what an anaconda looks like. it now lives in her bed with her other anaconda that we bought at the zoo and her baby snake.

    on a side note, i saw something online [i think on pinterest] on how to make jello worms using drinking straws. they looked creepily real.

    Reply

    • Melissa says

      I’m trying not to think about the snakes. I’ve seen those jello worms on pinterest. I’ve also seen Very Hungry Caterpillar themed parties on there that might have some adaptable ideas.

  8. Suzanne says

    Love it!! Can’t wait to see all the pics on Monday! We’re celebrating my daughter’s first birthday on this Saturday from 12-2pm as well! She turns the big numero uno on Monday, 5/14! We’ve never been so into a birthday party before!! Have fun!

    Reply

  10. Emma says

    SO much fun! Your party theme and accessories look amazing! Claire’s little guests are going to have a great time. Kids seem to love gardening and those party favors are way cool. Can’t wait to see the doll’s house. Good luck making the doll’s house deadline :)

    Reply

  12. RebeccaNYC says

    Best party idea EVER!!! Love the fact that the party favors are all Clara-approved! Sharing the things you love with friends makes the best gifts! xoxo

    Reply

  13. gia says

    Love it all! You got me inspired to get moving on my daugher’s 2nd birthday party, which is in 3 weeks. We are doing a scaled down BBQ party this year at home for family. I am hoping to re-use all my “pink” stuff from last year, while adding in touches of turquoise and yellow, like her invitation. She is obsessed with the wiggles, but I can’t plan a whole party around the wiggles… They are just too weird! So, my amazing cousin is going to do a wiggles cake for her! I also can not believe that she is 2! Time just flies by! PS- Any announcements for your book tour yet? I am hoping you come to NJ!

    Reply

  14. Ann L. says

    Ha! Love the worm party. Might I ask where you got the pink and white striped, orange polka dot and yellow paper lanterns? Those are the colors for my sister’s shower in a little less than a month and I NEED them. :)

    Reply

  15. Stephanie says

    My oldest is turning 10 on May 15th! Double digits! It seems like just yesterday I was planning her 2nd birthday with a Care Bear theme (she was obsessed). Her party is this Saturday also and we are going to deck it out in magenta, purple, lime, and aqua. I’ve got a lot of work to do still!!! Hope Clara has a great birthday party!

    Reply

  16. Janelle D says

    This is reason #197 why I want to have a baby: to host cool birthday parties. I could always do this with friends, but somehow I doubt they would appreciate my childish party favors. Haha.

    Reply

  18. Erika says

    It cracks me up that she is into worms! I’m 35 and still don’t like them, although I appreciate what they do for my soil :) I love all the party supplies, and especially the party favors – great idea!
    And the dollhouse?!??!?! OH I cannot wait to see the finished product!!!!

    Reply

  19. Tiffany B says

    Love it! The theme is so unusual and you made it into an awesome girly theme.

    I saw these on Pinterest (You likely seen them). They would fit the theme too:

    http://pinterest.com/pin/67554063130635446/ or

    http://pinterest.com/pin/36169603227501617/

    Oh- we also have this sundae called “worms in dirt” that kiddos love at our local dairy bar. It is vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream, covered with orea crumbs and gummy worms. Sooo Delicious (26 going on 2 ;)

    Can not wait to see the dollhouse!

    Reply

  21. Lori says

    You guys are amazing! First a play kitchen, then a rock box, and now a doll house. You are setting up some seriously high expectations for your little girl :-)

    Reply

  22. Riki says

    You should totally make “worms in dirt” for dessert – think chocolate pudding, a layer of Oreo crumbs, and then gummy worms.

    A worm-themed party. Love it! Now I want to throw one for all of my adult friends.

    Reply

    • Riki says

      Aaaannnnd you mentioned why pudding doesn’t work. Sigh. I was too overcome by my worm-related excitement to read carefully.

      Have fun at the party!

  26. Sayward says

    I LOVE how you took the theme of worms and turned it into something cute and cheerful. This is almost as great to me as the fact that Clara loves worms, period.

    If there’s a talent portion or dance off competition during the party where you all start doing the worm, you know we need videos.

    p.s. I have the tray that matches your bird napins and I LOVE Karmin. They’re so cute. Have you watched her hair tutorials? I don’t have the energy to recreate the hair, I just love watching her.

    p.p.s. new target lamp?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, that lamp didn’t end up coming home- just came around in the cart for a while. I think we might go back for it though. Will share pics if we do! Haha. And as for Karmin’s hair tutorials, I’m in awe and totally can’t use a curling iron without burning myself.

      xo,
      s

  28. emily @ go haus go says

    LOL! I love the worms party! I had no idea there was wormy themed things out there! You’re starting a trend!

    Also, I just finished a in-my-style dollhouse in December. It was such hard work but very fun. It’s great for instant gratification. I can finish a room in 3-4 hours versus months it takes me in a real-sized room. The finished dollhouse is here. The best photos are at the end:
    http://www.gohausgo.com/2011/12/im-a-giant-the-dollhouse-is-complete/

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      OH MY GOSH, IT’S GORGEOUS! So inspiring! I love the red light fixture in the dining room and actually have the same black and white decorative paper to use somewhere! Love it!!!

      xo,
      s

    • Amanda says

      Are you kidding me?? That’s the coolest dollhouse I’ve ever seen! WOW! I can’t decide between the dipped legs on the table in the living room, the cork in the kitchen, or the hanging canoe. Seriously amazing!

  29. Danielle says

    You should have what my siblings and I fondly call dirt to eat too! It is a mixture of crushed Oreos and chocolate pudding. You add gummy worms to the top or mix it in with the dirt. It is delicious!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we called out that idea in the brainstorm list but thought it was too messy for all the 2-3 year olds. Maybe if she has another worm party when they’re older, haha. It’s totally delicious!

      xo,
      s

  30. Kelly says

    You guys are making her a dollhouse! That is so awesome. My dollhouse was definitely my favorite toy when I was growing up (other than my books)!

    I hope Clara’s birthday party is wonderful and I LOVE the worm chevrons– you all are so creative. I am also planning a party for the 12th to celebrate my graduation from my masters program. We’re doing a southern-style meal with homemade pulled pork sliders with coleslaw and butter pacan ice cream shooters.

    Reply

  31. Amy says

    So cute!

    We have the same watering can and “worm” from IKEA.

    If you slice hot dogs into strips and drop them into boiling water just until they start to curl, they look like worms. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I totally told John we should quarter them lengthwise to make them longer and skinnier but he thought I was crazy! Hahaha. I love the idea of boiling them to curl them!

      xo,
      s

    • Jenni says

      Yes! One of the kids I used to babysit loved it when his Dad made octopuses–you cut just strips out of about 2/3s of the hotdog (but leaving it intact) then boil it. Pretty cute (although kind of tricky!)

    • wilma says

      Actually, quartering them is a great idea–I didn’t know this, but hotdogs are one biggest culprits for choking in toddlers–quartering them will solve that issue (I was letting my 2.5 year old eat one when someone mentioned that to me, and it makes total sense!).

      Also (and this is totally just because I love it, not because you would necessarily want to do it), but making a flannel blanket or pillow or something out of that awesome worm chevron pattern (in Clara’s room’s colour palette?) would (in my opinion) be super cute.

  32. Katie V says

    I literally laughed out loud at work when I saw Clara’s adorable face on #2, cropped like she should be saying, “But wait! If you order within the next 10 minutes we’ll double your order!”

    I love that you truely make the party about Clara & what she loves, regardless of what that might be. You guys will have a blast!

    Reply

  34. Morgan says

    Looks like it’s going to be an amazing, worm-filled birthday party! Only you two could turn worms in to a magical party theme! Can’t wait to see how it all comes together.

    Reply

  35. Elizabeth B says

    YES to Karmin! I also saw them on Ellen and fell totally Youtube in love with them and I’m SO excited that they’re making it big now!

    Good luck with the worm party!

    Reply

  36. cara says

    Very cute. Love the invite and stuffed worms. I am planning a ladybug themed party for my little girl’s first bday. it isn’t until november though!

    Reply

  38. Jill says

    I saw on Pinterest that if you make Jell-o in typical drinking bendy-straws, you end up with very realistic gummy worms, if you’re looking for some more homemade worm touches :)

    Reply

  39. Cassie Helwig says

    I found these http://www.instructables.com/id/Bowl-of-Worms-Anyone/ a while back that would totally fit in with the party!
    Also, I thought the dirt pudding would be super messy as well, but I made it when my daughter was 18 months for a family potluck and all of the kids (mostly around her age) LOVED it and it wasn’t any messier than any other pudding!
    The invites are awesome… can’t wait for pictures of the party!
    I’m planning my best friends’ baby shower and my second daughter’s first birthday party, both coming up in the next 2 months. I like to do everything. It’s obnoxious how much I take on. I usually screw around and make a couple things ahead of time and then have someone take care of the girls 2 nights before the party and finish making stuff which sipping rum and watching marathons of tv shows.

    Reply

  40. Brynn says

    You guys are so awesone and creative! It looks like its going to be a blast for everyone! Happy almost birthday Clara!

    Reply

  41. Jessica @ Quirky Bookworm says

    So cute! Eleanor’s 2nd birthday party was 2 weeks ago, and I had SO MUCH FUN planning it. I totally get the geeking out about party favors!

    And, we did the same thing and bought two bouncy balls at Target – but Eleanor couldn’t hold them both at once. Well done Clara! :)

    Reply

  43. Lisa says

    THE most unique party theme ever, haha! And definitely a challenging one, but you have some great ideas going! Just a word of caution for the little ones – if you have both gummy worms and plastic worms (fishing lures), make sure toddlers don’t try to eat the plastic ones!

    Reply

  44. KatyM says

    Love love love the wormy chevron pattern on the background of the invitations! If you would ever consider creating some fabric out of it on Spoonflower I would buy some in a heartbeat. And I can only imagine that Clara would delight in something wormy to wear. Fabulous party theme!

    Reply

  47. Thais Bessa says

    Own, I love simple party-themes. It is a breath of fresh air when in this day and age most things out there are so over the top and full of commercial characters! My daughter’s 2 years old party theme last February was simply rainbow, because she loves colours! :)

    I am loving the ideas, these cute worms even make me overcome my worm-phobia, lol.

    Reply

  48. Allison says

    Love this post! I’m already thinking about my son’s third birthday party in September, so I’m glad to see y’all are nerding out. One logistical question: I notice the party is from noon to 2, which seems like an ideal party time, but does it interfere with her nap? Or are you not worried? I want to have our party at a decent time for our guests, but our typical naptime is at about 12:30, and I was worried he might get grumpy. Would be curious to know if that’s an issue for Clara. Maybe I need to lighten up!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oddly enough Clara’s nap time is around 1:30 or 2, so we planned the party time around it (she can easily stay up til around 2:30 with stimulation – aka: cupcakes and all her friends, haha). I think if naptime is typically 12:30 we would have done a 2-4 party (which I think we might have done last year when he nap was different).

      xo,
      s

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