How to start making your own party favors

Although party favors is not exactly the life of the party, not as important as perhaps the food or the cake, it is still something that can make your party extra special and more memorable for your guests whether it is a childrens party or a wedding reception. But with how the costs of food and other commodities are rising, some people are foregoing with the party favors to cut costs. This is for them vastly better than not organizing any party at all.

But there are ways to cut costs and still be able to provide your guests with party favors. One of them is to do the party favors yourself. By putting in some of your free time, you can save to as much as 70 percent of the cost, at the minimum, 50 percent. This is not bad considering how much figurines and childrens toys are these days. Figurines are often used as party favors for adult parties while toys are used for kids parties.
If you are not a crafty person however, doing your own party favor gift can seem daunting. Well, it does not have to be. Even with no experience, you can make your own. Just follow these steps:

1. Choose a project

Depending on your budget, you must first choose a project that you feel you can do, whether it is decoupage, posters, music and video on cds or maybe even some knitting or woodwork. It is important that you first choose the project that you will do as it will be the basis ior your design and concept. In choosing a project, make sure that you also take into account the time frame on which you will do the project. If your sons birthday bash is already the day after tomorrow, knitting and woodwork are already out. They are more complicated to do and will take a lot of time in accomplishing.

2. Gather the materials

Once you have chosen the project, you can then scout for materials that will help you complete it. There are craft stores all around the country that you can go to. Often, their stores will have everything you ever need from wrappers to glue guns. You can also look inside your house and check out stuff that you can recycle and use as a party favor material.
If you have time, it is best to wait for sales and discounts because they will probably be selling stuff that you need at half the price. That way, you can further save up. This is the reason why it is good to plan ahead for a party.

3. Package it.

When you really come to think a about it, people often do not remember what the gift is unless it is truly remarkable. What people do remember though is the packaging for these gifts. This is why it is also important to wrap your party favors with a nice material so that it will not look cheap even if it is not purchased but only made.

Choosing and buying a party favor

If there is anything that would make a Christmas party stand out from the other Christmas parties held all over the world, it would be the party favors being given away on that event. From plastic toys and puzzles in birthday parties, party favors have rapidly evolved. Now, party favors have become a loot bag full of nice and expensive stuff. This is especially true with parties and events for adults. This however brought an image of expensiveness to an otherwise simple gesture of giving souvenirs for a party. And with the high prices of organizing a party, creating a costly swag bag is just not the priority. In fact, many do not give any at all.

But you dont have to put expensive stuff in your swag bag if you dont want to. For simple parties, you can give simple gifts that will just help make your guests remember the occasion. For instance, a party favor that consists of freshly picked flowers from your own garden will definitely be a hit in a Sweet Sixteen party. A mask made from paper plates and cans can be part of a childrens party swag bag. A fish in a small bowl can be a nice take away present for guests and entourage in a wedding reception. There are many things that you can give without adding significantly to your costs.

The key is in the budgeting. First, you need to consider what the party is for and what it celebrates. That will give you an idea on what appropriate gifts to buy as your party favor. If you can, you can choose stuff that will either remind the guests of the person who is celebrating an occasion or remind them of the occasion itself. A gift that will symbolize the occasion is also another way to think when looking for ideas for party favors. For instance, with a wedding reception, newlyweds can either give a compilation of their favorite songs together in a cd or potpourri wrapped in white cloth and veil. They can also give a pair of lovebirds or doves as party favors as these animals symbolize togetherness and love.

Another important thing to consider is the function of the piece. Gone are the days when party favors consist of tiny glass sculptures and porcelain figures that will only rot in a box with the rest of the figurines that you got from other parties and reception. Because these are remembrances of occasions, few people will want to throw them however useless they are. Thus, they only serve to clutter houses. If you are going to give a party favor, make sure that it is something that the guest will be able to use in his or her daily life or in the immediate future. That way, your gift has a use besides serving as a souvenir.

Fortunately for those who have one too many figurines with names and dates on them, the trend towards giving these kinds of party favors is slowly fading. Now, people are more practical. Probably because they need to.