When I was asked to create a new baby shower theme inspired by the popular children’s book Goodnight Moon, I was pretty much “over the moon” myself! This theme was so much fun to work with because the book happens to be packed with tons of inspirational elements to build from – from the adorable pajama-clad bunny himself to other key “characters” like the cow jumping over the moon, the 3 little bears, and the lone red balloon.

I was also excited to have a great excuse to revisit the Bedtime Story baby shower theme from years ago. It was definitely time for version 2.0! As with that original theme, standard 6-ft banquet tables were first transformed into “beds” here, using inexpensive bed linens & pillows.  The rest of the theme was brought to life life utilizing key characters/elements from the book, playful patterns, vibrant colors, and Glue Dots galore!

We have 2 tablescapes to share, plus a dessert table, drink ideas, 2 DIY projects, and a decorated hutch. I REALLY hope you’re able to utilize some of these ideas for your own celebrations!

There are TONS of images to share, so in an effort to keep this post from being a mile long, here we go with Part 1: Tabletop & Decor.

The CREATIVE DETAILS…

Key elements: bunny,  cow/moon, bears, yarn (thanks to the quiet old lady who was whispering ‘hush’) yarn balls (which were batted around by the kittens), stars & moons

Color palette: vibrant colors inxpired by the book: red, green, yellow, navy blue, bright medium blue, black & white

TABLETOP

• Each table was first topped with a white linen then draped with a coverlet or sheet + matching pillow sham. (Both the dotted blue coverlet and the striped blue/white sheets sets were purchased on sale at Target for $12 – 20 per set, including the pillow sham. Ikea is another great resource for inexpensive bedding sets.)
• Navy blue and yellow napkins were wrapped vertically around everyday white plates and embellished with a band of contrasting ribbon. The ribbon was looped around the plate/napkin and secured at the ends (under the plate) with a Craft Glue Dot.
• I designed some “Goodnight Tea” and “Goodnight Thirst” labels to embellish the tea cups. You can download them for free right here. Each label was cut out by hand, leaving a little bit of the white paper border all the way around, then attached to the cups using Mini Glue Dots. {P.S. You might notice that I used 2 different styles of cups & saucers. I didn’t have 12 of either so each table is a little different – no sense in buying more when you can just mix & match!}
• Silverware was embellished with bright red yard to add another pop of color to the place settings. The ends of the yarn were secured with Mini Glue Dots.
• Wine glasses were dressed up with a decorative paper circle under the base. (I used a 3″ craft punch to cut these circles from the 2 striped paper patterns, which you can download right here.)
• Embellished votive candles holders pull double duty as both party favors and table decor. I purchased a 16-pack of simple votive holders from Michaels for $7.99 and decorated each one with a wide band of satin ribbon and a thin band of pom pom trim (both also purchased at Michaels).
• The center of the table was embellished with colorful yarn balls, which are basically sytrofoam balls completely covered in yarn. The ends of the yarn were secured with Mini Glue Dots and I attached some of the finished balls to wooden bamboo skewers to play on the idea of a floral centerpiece.
• At the “head” of each table – in front of each pillow – sat a stuffed animal. The mini bunny on the navy blue table was part of this Goodnight Moon Board Book & Bunny Set from Amazon.com. I found the bear for $7 at HomeGoods and embellished him with ribbon, yarn balls, and crochet needles to help “theme him up” for the party. =)
• Since the tables weren’t leaning against a wall/headboard, I used clear sturdy glasses to help keep the pillows propped up at an angle.
• Wooden folding chairs were decorated with band of satin ribbon and a medium sized yarn ball. The tension between the ribbon and the back of the chair kept the yarn balls in place quite securely!

PARTY DECOR (HUTCH)

As I mentioned before, the hutch you see here is usually utilized for our nicer barware and china on a typical day… but you’d probably never know that in looking at it now, right? =) We took out the glass doors and shelf and covered the back of the hutch (which is mirrored) with solid gift wrap in 3 colors. This instantly gave it a playful, childlike feel.

• I found the big Goodnight Moon Bunny Storytime Pal on Amazon too. He’s actually a plush/blanket set, as the “stuffing” in his body is a blanket… makes for a great keepsake gift for mom after the party!
• The bright yellow vase & urn were also HomeGoods finds, and I added a band of the same black/white ribbon from the place settings to each one to help tie everything together.
• Wooden craft letters were embellished with yarn, and yarn balls were scattered throughout the hutch.
• Pop Up Glue Dots were used to attach crochet needles to square red wall shelves, which were repurposed here to act as party decor. (These came as a set of 3/$15 at Target.) For the largest square shelf, I covered the back with patterned paper to give it the look of a shadow box, then hung a paper moon from the middle with fishing wire and stuck a “jumping” paper cow to the top!
• More Pop Up Glue Dots were used to attach paper stars, moons, and decorative banners all around the hutch. The adorable cow and moon illustrations are by Laura Maples and you can purchase the art file right here. Just print and cut them out by hand – you can print as many as you need for the party! You can download the coordinating stars here and the decorative banners here. (I recommend printing everything at FedEx Office or similar.)
• I placed a large “jumping” paper cow over a $3.50 wall clock from Target to play up both the “cow jumping over the moon” idea AND the clock element from the book. The clock was secured to the wall using Pop Up Glue Dots – no hammer required!