Want to throw a party to impress your friends without denting your savings? Try making your own party favors for guests. Many homemade favors are simple, inexpensive and unique. You’ll leave your friends guessing how you learned to be so crafty!
Using recycled materials means you don’t have to make a special trip to the store to buy supplies, in addition to keeping the cost low. If you have an infant, you probably have recycled many small glass jars. These are a great basic supply with many uses. They can be easily decorated with paper, ribbons, sequins and other art supplies to match any occasion and filled with candy or nuts. You can wrap them in fabric remnants or glue colored tissue paper to the outside to create tea light candle holders. When decorated with a winter theme, they also work well for individual servings of hot chocolate or instant coffee. The options are endless if you get creative, use a variety of materials and match the decoration to the occasion. You may even want to personalize favors with each guest’s name using letters cut out from magazines.
In most American households, waste paper abounds. The Japanese art of paper folding, origami, gives thousands of ways to use paper to make almost any shape imaginable, even fold into tiny gift boxes. Newspaper is easy to fold and makes an elegant black-and-white palette, while magazine pages make each piece colorful and unique.
For a truly eco-friendly party, give the gift of plant life. Giving seeds is an inexpensive and practical party favor that will grow and remind guests of the good time long after the party is over. You’ll need about a teaspoon of seeds if packaged in a small paper envelope, or more if wrapping seeds in fabric and tying with ribbon. Consider the climate of your area and the time of year, and be sure to include identification and instructions for the best way to grow the plant. Wildflowers like daisies, poppies and baby’s breath grow well in most climates. If you have a green thumb yourself, you can plant seeds in small glass jars in advance and have starter plants to use as party favors and give away after the party.
For a memorable birthday party for kids, there are favors they can make with an adult’s help. Too-small crayon stubs can be melted down and mixed to create multicolored, swirled crayons in fun shapes. Simply place crayon stubs in a cookie cutter on wax paper, heat until wax melts and use toothpicks to swirl colors. Candy or soap molds can also be used. Another easy favor begins with cardboard tubes from toilet paper or paper towels. Fill with candy, cover in wrapping paper extending a few inches beyond the ends, twist ends and tie with ribbons. Simple, festive and filled with candy: what’s not to love?
When it comes to saving on party favors, the more creative you are, the more you save.