I’m that Pinterest mom. I spend months scouring the inter webs for a good theme and pin all the ideas.

Then, I spend each weekend leading up to the party tackling one or two crafts and spending way too much on Amazon Prime.

The result? I get a much needed creative release and my kid’s parties turn out pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. I love doing this even though I realize it’s a bit over the top at times.

My son only turns one once! So I included my daughter to help pick a theme and she was really into that (annoying) baby shark (doo doo doo doo doo doo) song so we went with…

The Big One! (Get it? The Big shark but it’s a first birthday. Kinda clever…lol)

Birthday invitations

I’m in marketing and know my way around Photoshop, so I whipped up to invites after a quick google image search.

Come for a BITE! (The theme starts early!)

A shark infested welcome wreath

This was so simple! I bought these plastic sharks off Amazon and picked up a white foam wreath from the craft store.

My daughter and I painted the wreath blue using dark blue and teal paint. Then I busted out a hot glue gun and went to town just placing and gluing until it was covered.

The last touch was cutting up one of the leftover invites to bring the baby shark theme into the part’s entry point.

Sea-themed food options

We opted to cater most of our party food from our favorite local sub shop P’Sghetti’s but that didn’t stop me from adding some creative additions, including:

• “Sub” marine sandwiches
• Shark chum (mostaccioli)
• Shark bait (snack mix)
• Seaweed (grapes)
• Marine life (fruit)
• Ocean water (punch) – not pictured!

And, of course, all the goldfish anyone could eat!

Decadent desserts

The dessert table was my favorite thanks to Cake Pops by Angela…

Although my niece and I made the shark cupcakes the day before the party just because… 😊

See the little fingerprints? My sweet 3.5 year old got curious and tattled on herself when I asked who had their fingers in the cake. At least she’s honest! 🤣

Sharky guest gifts

I ordered some shark stickers, shark tattoos and these cute shark bracelets and paired with blue jelly beans, blue M&Ms and a couple shark gummies to make these cute sharky guest gifts perfect for littles and bigger kids alike.

Traditional first birthday decor

I picked up some blue fish netting from (shocker) Amazon and printed a bunch of photos straight from my phone to my local Walgreens.

Michaels sold precut pennant-shaped cutouts that worked perfectly for my son’s “one” high chair sign. We also went balloon happy, buying the $30 tank from Walmart and blowing up bundles of shark-printed balloons to add some festive fun to the house.

We also ordered these simple shark hanging banners for added flair.

Not pictured is a pennant banner that hung from our fireplace that included one photo from each monthly milestone. I got a little picture happy, but they change so much in their first circle around the sun. It’s so fun to see the transformation all at once. 😍

Baby shark shirts

Last but certainly not least, I made us all matching shirts using my Photoshop skills, a printer, some dark tee-shirt transfers, cotton shirts from Michaels and my trusty iron.

All in all, this was one of my favorite parties we’ve thrown yet! Our friends and family all had a good time and there was just enough sharky goodness to appease my Pinterest-obsessed self.

If anyone else is looking to throw The Big One, let me know! I’m happy to re-home my shark-infested wreath. 🦈 😊