Tips on buying cheap party favors

With the rising costs of goods, it is impractical to even hold a party but would any parent sacrifice their kids; special birthdays? The answer to this is to not, NOT hold a party but to do it as cheaply as possible so as not to affect the household budget. And you dont really have to scrimp on the food or even on the party favors which is actually the most often item that is cut off from the list of must haves. Party favors can actually come cheap if you know where to buy and what to do. Here are some tips for you.

1. Recycle

Why buy if you can take items that you dont need from your house and turn them into party favors. You can use plastic bottles of mineral water to make toy telescopes or pencil holders. You can turn paper plates into masks for the party. You can get some old boxes from your garage and make photo frames where guests can put their photos during the party. The list is as endless as your imagination. It will take some work yes but you will not be spending money and if you spend, it will just be minimal.

2. Do a gimmick

No one will really care about the gift, its how you present it and how you use it during the party that matters. No one ever used party favors really unless people are made to use them. For instance, with the photo frame idea, why not set up a photo place as guests exit the party. They can have their pictures taken and then printed with a handy photo printer. Then, they can immediately place them onto their photo frames. With the telescope, you can hold a treasure hunt and have the kids use them. With the mask, you can hold a masquerade ball. Its the activities in your party that guests will care about and will eventually remember, not the party favors.

3. Buy in bulk and buy early

If you do not have the time not the talent to do some crafts and would rather buy the party favors that make them, you can save money by buying in bulk and buying them early. This means you should be planning your kids birthday parties months in advance and take advantage of sales and discounts that will be offered during holidays. If you can buy a year early and do some shopping after some seasons like Halloween or fourth of July. That way, you can enjoy larger discounts and better promos.

It is not really so hard to plan a birthday party and include some party favors in the process. You can scrimp yes but the sign of a master planner of events is to scrimp without making it so obvious. You can do that with a little imagination, some cunning and a lot of planning. After all, even in these times of hardship, your kids still deserve a birthday party they can remember.

Special Party Favors

The trend of giving handmade items is not only limited to birthdays. In fact, in almost all special occasions these days, handmade items are popular as party favors. Giving handmade items has also become a common practice to people who would want to give others person something special as a “thank you” for attending the event.

If you are one of those who would want to give the people who attended your party something special, now is the time to consider what type of handmade party favor you can give him or her. If you dont have much of an artistic knack, the simplest thing that you can come up with is an elastic friendship bracelet as a “thank you.” These are bangles or “wristlets” that are used as a piece of fashion accessory but in this case, these can be worn by your friend to symbolize the friendship that you both have.

Before doing this activity, the first thing that you need to do is to ask your friend/s if he or she has/they time to do this activity with you. If they agree, then make sure that your friend will be a part of the entire process such as choosing the materials, the designs, as well as the dominant colors to be used. The following are step-by-step process of making a handmade friendship bracelet that could be given out as a part favor:

– complete all the supplies needed. The first step in making the friendship bracelet is to buy the supplies needed which include sets of colorful beads of your or your friend’s choice, elastic nylon string, a pair of scissors, glue gun, pieces of glue stick, tape measure or ruler, and a round nose pliers if you choose to add locks and other metal items in the bracelet. You can find old stuff in your house or buy these in the crafts store nearby.

– designate tasks. Once you have all the materials that you need, designate your tasks. You can ask your friend to segregate pieces of beads according to his or her preference. Or to make the process faster, you can segregate bead pieces by yourself. Next is to come up with a bracelet design and draw in on a piece of paper. Here, you can ask your friend to come up with his or her design and incorporate it with yours.

– start with the process. After this, get the elastic nylon. Using a tape measure or a ruler cut the string according to your desired length with a pair of scissor. Then, gather the beads that your have segregated and selected earlier and start stringing the beads into the elastic string. After that, knot the two ends of the string after you threaded the beads in it. Make sure to tie the final knot twice so it will not loosen up. Cut the excess nylon string using a scissor. To make sure that the ends would not loosen up, you can put glue on the knots and flatten it with round nose pliers.

Now, you have just finished a special handmade party that you can give to your friends as a “thank you” gift and as a remembrance as well when they attend your event.

Sewing Party Favors

Nowadays, many party organizers believe that personalized items are the best presents they could give to others as party favors. This is because these exude more sincerity because of the effort that you put into iteither by making these or in finding these items.

If you are one of those who are planning to give a party favor that is unique, it is best to consider handmade itemsespecially those that you are able to sew yourself. This is because hand-sewn gifts would mean that you took extra time to find out more about the interest of that person and you took extra effort in learning to sew.

Sew it!

If you just get started on sewing, one of the most important things that you should pay attention to is the various sewing techniques needed for successful outcomes. These sewing techniques are very important to ensure that you will not waste time, effort, and materials in the current and future sewing projects you have in mind.

Aside from learning the different sewing techniques out there, you must also take notes of the useful tips that you have discovered and encountered so you will use them the next time you will be facing needlework.

When sewing unique party favors, it is a must that you familiarize yourself with various sewing techniques. This is very crucial in a successful needlework because these define the overall appearance and endurance of the item. The most basic sewing technique that a neophyte sewer must learn is marking. This is very important because this will serve as your guide before you cut the fabric. Marking is done on the fabric using a tailor’s chalk once all the measurements are listed. When marking, always remember that the edges are marked properly so it won’t be erased once the fabric is flipped or tossed.

Next important sewing technique is cutting. This should be done using a sharp pair of scissors to ensure that there will be no frills hanging once the fabric has been cut. In cutting, always make sure that the fabric is not stretched and is not pinned to avoid miscalculations in the measurement. It is best to put weights on the fabric when cutting it to ensure that you get the measurements marked correctly.

After marking and cutting, the sewing proper comes next. Whether you will be sewing by hand or by machine, always make sure that you use new and sharp needles. This is very important because it ensures that you will have hassle free sewing.

The most common sewn items that could be given out as party favors include something that a person could wear like a piece of clothing or something that would really remind him or her of you such as a quilt, a blanket or even a hankie. Others may include things that can be used at home or in his or her workplace or at home such as rugs, place mats, covers for appliances and pillows, and the like.

Scrapbook As Party Favors

Many people are now getting into giving personalized presents as party favors during special occasions. Why? This is because they feel the personalized items are more personalized and have a touch of utmost sincerity in it.

Today, one of the most popular personalized gifts that people can give as party favors are scrapbooks. This is because scrapbooks are versatile and can be given to any kind of occasion. And since one canpretty muchmake his or her own scrapbook, it adds up to the uniqueness of the personalized present.

If you are one of those who would want to give out scrapbooks as party favors, now is the best time to get started with it. Since scrap booking may require a lot of your time, it would be best if you start conceptualizing the theme and getting the materials ready as well.

How to get started

When you visit different scrapbook stores, you will find different scrapbook kits that will trigger your desire to be a budding scrap booker. But then, these kits, scrap booking magazines, and materials can be quite expensive. If you are interested in scrap booking but dont have enough budget to buy such expensive materials and scrapbook guides, here is a simple guide in scrap booking.

1. Paying attention to the basics is one of the first things that you need to need to focus on scrap booking. Just like in doing artworks and crafts, scrap booking requires a lot of materials and supplies, but this doesnt mean that you have to allot a huge amount of money in order to create a scrapbook. Today, so many products are being offered by the scrap booking industry. Since these products are especially created to provide ultimate comfort to those who are greatly indulged in scrap booking, they can be quite expensive.

2. Dont be overwhelmed by these scrap booking materials. What you need to do is focus on buying the basic materials and supplies which include album and sheet protectors that come in different sizes and colors, scissors or paper trimmers that will allow you to cut lines without hassle, adhesive that is inexpensive but easy to use, photo tabs or photo splits to keep the back of the photos clean and can be easily removed, papers and cardstocks that is the foundation of the scrapbook page, and journaling tools such as a wide variety of pens.

3. Learning the basic techniques in scrap booking is also a must. Scrap booking magazines can be quite expensive because these are created for a special segment of the market. If you are tight on budget and you would want to create scrapbook all by yourself, it will pay if you start pumping out your creative juices. Aside from creating your own style, you can also get ideas from the Internet about the basic techniques used in scrap booking.

When done nicely, scrap books can be a nice and unique part favors for any occasion. Just make sure that you have enough time to do it so it would turn out nice.

Plan your party, food and favors with the least possible

Plan your party, food and favors with the least possible cost

With the economy down, most people are foregoing with organizing parties and just celebrate by treating their guests out for dinner or lunch. But some people are still dreaming of having their own party despite the rising costs of organizing one. You can actually organize one, complete with the drinks and the party favors at minimal costs just as long as you know how to budget.

Here are some tips that can help you.

1. Plan early

If you really want to save up for your party then better plan ahead and take advantage of upcoming sales and promos. Sale seasons to watch out for are the Thanksgiving Sale and the Fourth of July Sale which are great ways to buy materials for your party. Of course, you cannot buy the food in advance but all others can be bought early like the decoration, the party favors and even the drinks and some hors d oeuvres. If it is a childrens party that you are planning, try to take advantage of the after Halloween sale where they will be selling candies and chocolates as well as costumes and decors at half the price or sometimes even a quarter of the price.

2. Recycle and Reuse

When planning your party make sure that you know the things that you need to buy and the things that you can get from your home. As much as you can, try to make use of plates and glasses that you already have in your home. The plates and cups dont have to match. They just need to be clean. You can put the designs of the pieces one after the other. With a pattern, it will not be as evident that they are not matching china.

When planning for party favors for childrens parties, you can recycle plastic cups, paper plates and other items that you can transform into masks, telescopes and other great fun toys that children during the party can play with. There are many things that you can reuse and recycle. You just need to make an effort to look. Besides by doing this you will not only be saving money, you will also be saving the environment.

3. Call in invites and RSVP

Another great way to cut costs is to forego with the invitations and just call them in to inform them about the event. Make sure also that you emphasize the need for an RSVP so that you can have a final head count days before the event. This will help you a lot in planning and in deciding on the food and the drinks.

If you just want an intimate dinner and do not have the budget for people that you dont really know, tell your guests from the onset that they are the only ones invited and that they cannot bring anybody with them. By telling them about it when you invite them, you will minimize confusion and problems of excess people on the day of your party.