Onto the last (belated) leg of this month's offerings... a few bits and bobs about parties.
The first two bites here are about those infamous party bags that seem to have become a staple these days!
How do you create and fill them so that they don't cost the earth and yet are a nice reminder of a good time?
Month 7 - Bite 28
The first thing to do is to create the party bags themselves. There are plenty of templates available to print so why not try making your own rather than buying them. It's even better (cheaper and more environmentally friendly too) if you use paper left over from projects, spare wrapping paper, magazine pages or brown paper that wrapped something you had delivered! Of course you can also unfold a spare bag you have from a previous party to create a template.
Some of these options seem to produce a rather dull bag, but wait... What if the first activity of the party was for each participant to decorate and label their own bag? As each person arrives provide them with the wherewithal - pens, stickers, sequins, glue - to make their own very individual bag. All of these can be put, empty on a surface awaiting their contents.
Month 7 - Bite 29
So on to those contents...
Not so long ago we went to a relative's 80th do. Her daughter and grandchildren had pulled out all the stops to make it an occasion to remember without spending huge amounts of money - although they did put lots of love and effort into it.
Guests there, old and young, each received home made party bags. Inside were one or two sweet items including this..
Forgive my photography - it's a phial for blowing bubbles! There was also a small pack of seeds gathered from their own garden to grow flowers with a note on the envelope to explain that as the flowers grew we could remember the special day. Among the other things was an individual cake box to choose a favourite cake (there were loads!!) to take home.
It's very easy to think the bags have to be loaded with plastic knick-knacks or sweets, but why not try something similar.
We're always looking out for small gifts for Christmas, birthdays etc. so when any of us spot a bargain in the mini books/pencils/stickers/anything really line it gets snapped up and stored. These are particular favourites for prizes for pass the parcel, musical bumps, or any other game. Guess where these prizes go? Yep, that's it - those waiting party bags - it's easy to top up any non-winners' bags too while they are all eating.
Then there's those scrunchies I made a while back, some bookmarks, and... well, you get the picture.
The next bite might also give you some ideas for fillers too....
Month 7 - Bite 30
A make it yourself party..... Well, why stop with the party bags? You could try having a short game or two and then set out a table with plenty of craft materials for a grand making session. It could be a step-by-step process where all the guests make the same item following someone's lead - decorated hair grips, for example, or fabric brooches from scraps glued onto a backing piece (thank you internet for soooo many ideas!). You could give each guest a sock to decorate as a puppet or some felt, pom-poms, wiggly eyes and buttons to make finger puppets. Whatever you choose make sure there's time for the glue to dry while you eat whatever spread you've laid out and played another game before their masterpieces are added to the party bags.
Recently I found these initials on sale and gathered a number for decorating and adding to the take home stash - remember my comments about wrapping paper scraps and tissue paper? This is the sort of project they go too...
You might decide the makes should be edible. Make some individual cakes and provide icing, colouring and toppings for them to decorate their own cakes which can be added to the bags. Or use plain biscuits (shop bought or home baked) for them to create faces using icing sugar glue, small sweets and sprinkles.
Phew - all partied out?
Wait till the excitement of children's holidays appears for next month!
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