Rainbow “Hoppy Easter” party

This truly stunning rainbow party goes to show that a rainbow theme is just as perfect for Easter as it is for a birthday! It was styled by my sweet customer Jennifer for her family’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. Enjoy the pictures, and then read on for loads of party-planning hints from Jennifer at the bottom of the post!

Rag wreath tutorial / Printable buffet card from Chickabug

Backdrop supplies: Lowe’s (particle board), Mardel (white butcher paper), Hallmark (wrapping paper), Hobby Lobby (“HOP” letters and spray paint)

Printable buffet cards from Chickabug

Printable buffet card from Chickabug / Printable mini cake bunting from The TomKat Studio / See credits below for Jennifer’s recipe for “Bunny Tails”

Cookies from Eileen’s Colossal Cookies

Cupcake wrappers are homemade using scrapbooking paper

Cone-shaped baggies from Hobby Lobby

Rainbow pinwheels from Dollar Tree / Printable buffet cards from Chickabug

Water labels from Chickabug

Printable sign (at the top) from Chickabug – it says, “Rainbow of color under the sky, thank you friends for hopping by!”

Jennifer’s Behind-the-Scenes Scoop on the Easter Party

Every Easter, I invite all my friends and their kids over. Over 50 people come every year. Since we live on 2.5 acres, I just let the kids run and play. For last year’s egg hunt I rented a bounce house and a professional bubble machine! It was perfect. The parents had a chance to talk and relax instead of having to assist their little ones in organized games. The Easter Bunny came for pictures with everyone (I have a costume) and he handed out rainbow swirly pops.

I loved this party because of all the bright colors, the families that came, and the time of year it signifies. This party also came with a super special story! I just HAVE to tell you:

My friend Ashley was in the beginning stages of adopting a baby girl from China. She is my party-planning buddy and always helps me set up before parties. Before the guests arrived we were marveling at the brightly colored table and spotted a ladybug. Ladybugs have become something lucky to Ashley – she spotted them often during times of despair over the adoption process and they remind her to stay positive. So as we stood in the backyard waiting for the guests to arrive, I told her that next year, her daughter Shisi would be here with us. She just had to, besides, the theme was rainbow and rainbows remind us of God’s promise to us. We hugged and just knew she would be!

This year has been rough for Ashley. Adopting is not for the faint of heart. There are so many highs and lows, hurry ups and waits! BUT – Ashley and her husband Daniel DID bring Shisi home, in January! Yeah!! AND — just in time for this year’s Easter egg hunt! God is good!

See — this party is SO special in SO many ways!! LOVED IT!

How to Coordinate an Really Big Easter Egg Hunt

Ask guests to bring 1 dozen plastic Easter eggs, filled with candy and taped closed, per child they’re bringing with them. Have a few “Egg Drop” buckets set up to collect the eggs when the guests arrive. Ask the dads to scatter the eggs halfway through the party while the kids gather their Easter baskets.

If you are hosting an Easter Egg hunt with a wide range of age groups, it’s a good idea to section off the egg hunting zones. A 2-year-old can hardly keep up with a 7-year-old. Therefore, I divided my lawn into two groups: “3 and under” and “4 and up.” This allows the toddlers to hunt at their own pace while the bigger kids can run and get competitive! Also, since everyone brings a dozen eggs per child, separating the collection ensures that you have the appropriate ratio of eggs per zone!

The Sweets Table Backdrop

I covered a 4’x6′ piece of particle board (cut for me at Lowe’s Hardware store, at a total cost of $8) in white butcher paper from Mardel. (You can also find white butcher paper at Lakeshore; it’s the paper teachers use for their bulletin boards.) This paper covers the board perfectly! I use the particle board for most all my parties and simply change out the covering color!

I used wrapping paper from Hallmark as the runner through the middle of the board. It’s simply taped onto the back to hold it in place. Then, I used cardboard letters from Hobby Lobby to spell HOP and spray painted them each a different color. Since you don’t need much spray paint, you can use the small cans found at Hobby Lobby.

Using Scalloped Borders to Decorate a Cake Plate

I used teacher bulletin board borders to decorate my cake stands! I cut them to fit and then hot glued them on. The hot glue peels right back off of plastic, glass or wood! The border sheets come in all kinds of colors and themes. You can also purchase them at teacher supply stores like Mardel or Lakeshore. Michael’s Craft Store also carries a few themes in September!

How to make Bunny Tail Marshmallows

I took large marshmallows (not giant size, just large) and spritzed them with water, then rolled them in colored granulated sugar. (To make colored sugar, use a dab of regular food coloring to color the sugar before rolling the marshmallows in them.) Then I stacked the marshmallows on a cake plate once they dried. You can also make your marshmallows a few days in advance of the party and store them in Tupperware!

You can see more of Jennifer’s amazing party styling work in Jameson’s sock monkey first birthday party!