Kids Party Favors - Fun Ideas For Do-It-Yourself Party Favors

Before you start planning your kids' party favors, make sure you know what your party theme will be. It is more fun if you can tie your party favors directly to the overall party theme. The second piece of information you need to know is how many favors you'll be making. Helpful hint - always make a few additional favors because you never know when an unexpected guest may show up at the party.

Favor Containers

There are so many creative containers for kids' party favors these days. For example, if your party is during the summer, consider using a sand pail or bucket as the favor container. You can also buy cute, little galvanized pails in a variety of colors that make fun favor containers. Another unique idea is to use Chinese food boxes. These are also available in a rainbow of different colors and can be decorated with stickers or markers. Use a glitter pen to write the guests' names on the front. Other ideas include cellophane bags, mini purses, or the more traditional favor boxes and treat bags.

Favor Fillers

Filling your kids' favor containers can be fun and something you can have your child help you with. Suggestions for fillers include bubbles, stickers, glow sticks, slime, play jewelry, lipstick, nail polish, hair clips, pencils, erasers, sunglasses and candy. You can even get personalized items such as stickers, buttons, bag tags and zipper pulls with your guests' name on them. Another fun idea I ran across recently is personalized M&Ms. You can actually buy M&Ms in any color you can dream up and you can have the candy printed with photos of your child as well as text such as their name, age or a 'Happy Birthday' message. What a great idea for a truly unique party favor!

Above all have fun as you plan your kid's birthday party and party favors.

Julie is a busy Mom of 3 young children and a Marketing Director at an online greeting card store. She also has her own kids' websites at http://www.cakesandkids.com and [http://www.partiesandkids.com]

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Stress and Multiple Sclerosis - Good Or Bad?

Stress plays a major roll in the way Multiple Sclerosis effects you. We all have had those days when everything is going wrong. The kids are fighting, not enough money to pay the bills, Somebody just pulled out in front of you while driving to work, etc..Stress comes in many forms. Stress can be in the form of "BAD" stress but also in "GOOD" stress. We need to find ways to be prepared or at least as prepared as possible to cope with these stressors so that we can help have some control of our Multiple Sclerosis.  
 
I can't think of a better time to talk about this then now because we are facing the most stressful times of the year. Right now most of us are dealing with kids going back to school. That in itself becomes a stress. The kids are not wanting to be there and not wanting to get back into routine of bedtimes and homework. Of course when the kids are miserable they have a magical way of making everyone around them miserable. I don't know if I have an answer to this situation. However, with the kids being back in school they are sitting in close quarters with other kids sneezing, coughing, and touching all the same things our kids are going to be touching. It is very important to talk to your kids and sometimes their friends if they are over at the house a lot.

Explain to them it is very important for themselves but also for you to make sure they wash their hands immediately when they get home. Explain to them that blowing their noses in Kleenex and throwing it away is a huge help too. Cover their mouths when they are coughing and most importantly not to be drinking out of each others' cups. All these little easy things can help you stay healthier. I am very surprised when I hear other MS'ers say that they never realized that they are more susceptible to illnesses because of having MS. Multiple Sclerosis is an Autoimmune disease. In our case our antibodies are over working. They don't take time to rest so that they are prepared for when you get a cold or the flu or even a cut on the leg. Which of course leads me to the subject of when you get sick.

The cold and flu season is quickly approaching us. Some people with MS chose to get the flu shots to try to help. Some chose not to for there own reasons. Personally, I have chosen not to. I am not sure if there is a right or wrong answer to this. I think it boils down to what your preference is. You can try to prepare for this season. stock up on some Kleenex, soups, cleaning supplies like antibacterial sprays. I know that they come in regular and also green/all natural cleaners. Whichever your preference. Find a bucket and label it the "SICK" bucket. This way you know where things are when needed. This is helpful when your kids are sick or yourself. I am not going to tell you to stay away from your poor sick children or parent or loved one when they are sick and lock them in a room. But it is important to try to avoid the illnesses as much as possible. The things you can do is make sure you are constantly washing your hands when you are around your loved ones when sick but also when you leave a store or are in public places. Here is the thing... If you get sick that is a STRESSOR on your body which in return can cause your MS to start to act up. Just as being in the sun in the Summer and your body temperature rises, even 1 degree, can trigger some symptoms to act up until your body temperature comes back down. Enough about this. Let's move on to some of the other stressors that we can prepare for.

The Holidays will be here soon enough. I see those as good and bad stressors. Good because we get to spend time with family and friends that we might not be able to do throughout the year. The bad part of this is the stress of money being spent on Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can't prepare for all of it but you can try to prepare and plan. By doing some planning and preparations now, will lessen the stress on your body as we approach this time of the year. I would have to believe that a lot of us will be not spending as much at Christmas time due to the economy but that alone can cause stress. Especially for parents of kids. Our kids just don't understand what is going on with the economy. They are used to past years where we all went overboard. Now is a good time to try to explain to them some of the changes that will happen at Christmas this year. Some things I have been doing is when I have an extra 15-20 dollars left to use. I am trying to start picking things up a little at a time. Even if it is stocking stuffer stuff. I don't know about you but those stocking stuffers total up to being a lot of money. So 1 or 2 things every week or every two weeks here and there is less you will have to do in Dec.

Also try to think of things you can do simply for your friends or neighbors if you haven't stopped already buying for each other. There are simple gifts to make and you can wipe out a bunch of people in no time at all for very cheap. For example. Pick up coffee mugs .99cents and as you get closer to the Holiday time. Make up a bunch of chocolate covered pretzels. Buy or make a big tub of hot chocolate. Scoop out the measurement of the hot chocolate and put into clear cellophane bags place inside coffee mug along with some chocolate covered pretzels and "wa la". Perfect gift for the neighbors. Make a basket ful for the neighbor with a family and a movie from the 5$ bin at Wal-Mart. You'd be surprised what movies you will find n those bins. Even if each week when you are at the store buy a movie and store away for those gifts. All I am saying is there are ways to prepare now a little at a time and be able to take care of your family along with the other people in your lives that you want to give something too them, just to say Happy Holidays. Taking a few steps in preparing now can help with the stress as December approaches.

Happy Stressors that can cause havoc on someone with Multiple Sclerosis can be going on a vacation, planning a party at the house, or even going to a family reunion. As odd as it sounds. sometimes being overly excited for something can cause stress on the body and trigger MS symptoms yet again. I don't think anyone can have an answer for this either except to prepare a little. Take a nap if you can before hand, have things prepared and planned for the best you can. Don't over plan and run yourself ragged trying to do too much in a short period of time because that can trigger the fatigue to kick in along with whatever other symptoms decide to pop up.

Again I thought this was the perfect time to talk about how stressors in life good or bad can trigger symptoms. Try your best to prepare and plan for what you can. Obviously there are many things in life that you can not prepare yourself for but these are things you can prepare for.

http://livingdaytodaywithmultiplesclerosis.blogspot.com/

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5 Inexpensive But Elegant Gifts to Create Yourself

No, you don't need to give away expensive gifts this year. Neither do you need to hand out the latest toys of the decade. You can find at least 5 inexpensive but elegant gifts to send to your friends and family.

You don't need to overspend or to overbuy. With the economy going the way it is, won't it be much more reasonable to scale back yet still have something no one would turn their nose up at. It just takes being more creative with the gift choices to have something classy, unusual, and inexpensive all at the same time.

There has never been anything wrong with giving a handmade gift. Although you do need to start preparing a bit earlier and planning may be a bit trickier, it's a sure way to cut back on spending and on using up unnecessary sources.

Have you ever met anyone that has refused baked goods? No matter what the time of year, a gift of breads, cake, cookies, or a special pastry will always be met with a smile and a "Did you make this yourself?!"

These are also easily and prettily packaged in a variety of containers. To be really eco-friendly, it would be best to recycle glass containers that have been thoroughly cleaned. Simply decorate the top with a piece of cut fabric over the lid tied up with an attractive ribbon. If the lid is presentable, all you would need is a festive ribbon tied up in a bow and a sprig of dried or artificial flowers and greenery to pretty it up.

Why not share a much-needed jolt of caffeine with your friends? All you need to do is purchase a hand-thrown or inexpensive commercially available coffee mug and pair it with individual packs of instant brewed coffee. For fun, take a metal teaspoon and dip it in some white sugar that you've caramelized. Before it sets, dip the spoon in either ground cinnamon or mini chocolate chips. Wrap up the spoon in a sparkly piece of cellophane held in place with a clear twist-tie and put everything in either a pretty cloth napkin or a large cellophane bag. Accent it with a homey fabric ribbon and a dried orange slice or cinnamon stick.

Don't want to give an edible gift yet are faced with a sugar addict? Why not create a luxury basket with a homemade body scrub made of brown sugar, white sugar, extra-virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil and the essential oil of your choice? Pair it with a luxurious bar of super fatted soap and it will be a gift long remembered.

How about making a romantic massage kit for your partner? A bottle of massage oil, a set of votive candles, and a CD of romantic, Zen, or nature-based massage music wrapped in a silk pouch will be the basis of an unforgettable experience. The only thing you'll need to add are your own two hands to deliver that blissful massage.

For that extra-special someone, why not have a piece of personalized artwork commissioned? You can find online art galleries which can make a portrait from a picture sent to them. It's a truly special gift that can be passed on to the next generation.

Jamie Highland writes about various family and baby topics. For more info or to check out some inexpensive baby shower favors or some baby shower gifts, visit My Baby Shower Favors. If you want more articles, visit our site and click on the Contact Us link.

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Wedding Favors on a Shoestring Budget - Ideas For Spring

It's Spring and what a more beautiful time for a wedding. Every bride (and groom) wants her (and his) day to be fabulous. Weddings can cost a fortune. The average wedding in the United States costs over $20,000 and that doesn't include the rings or honeymoon.

Wedding favors don't have to be expensive and can still be a lovely remembrance of your special day. Here are a few ideas for thoughtful wedding favors on a shoestring budget.

When displaying the wedding favors place several boxes on the table and cover with a cloth that matches the table cloth or carries out the color scheme. Place the favors on top of the boxes as well as on the table. Variety in height makes the favors seem more noticeable. All the favors laid out in rows all the same height is boring.

Place a package of flower seeds in a cellophane bag that has a bit of colored straw at the bottom. Tie with curly ribbon in your wedding colors and add a card that's says "Watch Our Love Grow" with your names and date of the wedding. Starting several pots of the flowers is a nice touch and adds some color to the favor table as well. Guests will be able to see their gift in full bloom.

Candles are not expensive. Visit the dollar store or Goodwill store and buy an assortment of wine glasses, they don't have to match. Tie a curly ribbon around the stem of the glass with a card that says "Light Up Love" with your names and date of the wedding. Place a votive candle in the wine glass. You can stabilize the candle with just a dab of hot glue.

Candy kisses can be placed in the wine glass. Covered with plastic wrap and then tied to the stem with curly ribbon so they don't fall out. Order personalized M&M candies and do the same thing. Since the candies are not cheap, put a bit of crumpled colored tissue paper in the bottom of the glass and the candies on top. You'll use less candies and the tissue adds color.

One very personal touch takes a little time and effort but not a lot of money. Have a friend with a digital camera follow the bride and groom as they greet each guest and snap a photo. Or have the amateur photographer snap each guest with the bride and groom as the guest goes down the receiving line. The photos are then printed at the reception and pinned to a cloth covered bulletin board. As each guest leaves they take their photo with them.

Your wedding favors will be remembered and you can keep your wedding on a shoestring budget.

FREE Report Weddings on a Shoestring Budget. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. Find more budget wedding tips

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Candyland Party Theme - For the Sweetest Party of the Year!

For a colorful Candyland party theme, start with a rainbow of bright colors. Then add a few adorable Candyland characters, and you'll soon have everyone shouting, "Goody, Goody, Gumdrops!"

CANDYLAND PARTY THEME IDEAS FOR INVITATIONS

Candy Jar Invites - Fill empty baby jars with various candies. Create your written invitation on theme-related scrapbook papers, laminate, hole-punch and run a ribbon through the hole, tie to the jar, and hand-deliver your invites. Add a fun Candyland sticker on the front of each jar.

Alternatives: Attach your invite to a large colorful lollipop or a small bag of candy and hand-deliver.

CANDYLAND PARTY THEME DECORATIONS

This is the perfect party for going all out with lots of fun colors and making the Candyland game board come alive. Here's some ideas to help you turn your party area into the land of candy:

For an extra-special pathway, cut a wavy path out of large cardboard boxes, e.g., a refrigerator box and create your Candyland path by gluing various colored felt squares or foam squares to the cardboard.
Line your walkway with extra-large lollipops. These may be created with hot glue or by stapling two paper plates facing one another, spray paint the plates, cover with coordinating colored cellophane tied off with curling ribbons, and attach to yard stakes.
To start the Rainbow Trail, create a rainbow arch using balloons. If you have a wood arch available, all you have to do is attach the colorful balloons in a rainbow pattern to the arch. If you don't have an arch, then you can create one using PVC pipe for the sides and an aluminum rod for the curved portion at the top. Attach the rods together using duct tape or electrical tape.
You can make the Gingerbread Tree out of cardboard or plywood. Attach gingerbread men and plums to your tree. You can make and decorate the gingerbread men, wrap them in clear cellophane before attaching to your tree, and then hand them out as a party favor when the party is over. You can attach small dark purple balloons to the tree to serve as the plums.
Create a life-size Candyland board game by painting your squares onto the largest painter's tarp that you can find. Use an actual Candyland game board as your guide. The kids will serve as the Candyland pieces. Use the Candyland game cards to guide how the kids move on the board.
Make gingerbread houses to serve as table centerpieces.
To create Peppermint Stick Forrest, make extra-large candy canes out of cardboard. Spray paint them white and paint on red stripes. Use lots of red and white twisted streamers, curling ribbons, and balloons for this area.

CANDYLAND PARTY THEME IDEAS FOR FOODS
Cut sandwiches into gingerbread men and rainbow shapes using cookie cutters.
Serve individual servings of french fries in paper snow cones tha are decorated with a Candyland sticker.
Serve rainbow Goldfish crackers and rainbow Pringles.
Set-up a fun candy buffet by placing various candies into clear glass containers, vases, jars, etc.

Find more sweet ideas to help you create a Candyland Party Theme by visiting www.birthday-party-ideas-101.com, a party planning website written and edited by Professional Organizer, Elizabeth Chastain.

Copyright: You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links, and this copyright notice remain intact.

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Ideas for the Best Kids Spring Party!

Spring has finally arrived, with longer, brighter days and what better way to throw your child a party than to have it outside in the spring sunshine!

With pretty flowers starting to blossom and the weather not too hot, spring is a great time to have a party outside either in a garden or a park.

Here are the top three children's themes for fabulous spring party:

1. A Flower Garden Party:

This is probably more tailored to girls than boys, but there is no reason why especially younger boys wouldn't enjoy this party theme too.

Send out invitations with a flower theme or be creative and make your own with lots of art and craft materials. This is sure to impress your party guests!

Try making your own flower decorations using tissue or crepe paper and string them up to make flower chains which can be hung between trees, bushes or fences.

You can also buy paper lanterns with a flower design which look great outdoors too.

Try grouping together some coloured balloons to form a flower shape.

Lay out the party table with flower themed tableware. You can decorate the table with real petals as confetti or have a fresh flower bouquet centre piece.

If you haven't hired a party entertainer there are many fun things you can do to keep the kids entertained that fit in well with this theme, such as:

Get Crafty - kids can decorate flower pots, or make paper bouquets.

Play games such as Relay races with watering cans, Pin the Petal or Bee on the Flower.

Face painting or Flower Tattoos

For food, you can make delicious cupcakes and decorate them with frosting and fondant flowers. Cut sandwiches into flower shapes or make flower shaped biscuits.

As a unique party gift, if the children have decorated a flower pot you can add some flower themed gifts like a packet of flower seeds, flower design accessories and some sweets and place each pot on a plain cellophane bag and tie each one with a ribbon. Children love to be rewarded for their efforts!

2. Bugs & Insects Theme Party:

Make your own Bug or Insect design invites and don't forget to tell your guests to come dressed as their favourite creepy crawly!

Make card cut outs of various bugs, such as lady birds, caterpillars, spiders, beetles, butterflies, dragonflies and bees which you can easily dangle from tree branches and bushes.

Adapt games to fit the theme, such as Pin the Spider on the web or Pin the Wings on the Butterfly.

Be creative with the party food. Chocolate Rice Crispy cakes topped with a jelly worm will go down a treat. Juice could be labelled as 'Bug Juice' or Sausage rolls as 'Bug rolls', but be careful though not to put children off eating the food!

3. Teddy Bears Picnic Theme Party:

This is a wonderful theme for a spring party, especially for younger children.

Instead of asking each guest to bring along their favourite teddy or soft toy, they can make their own teddy as part of the entertainment. There are many easy to make soft toy kits available. Parents can also get involved and help out too!

Lay out a good sized blanket or tablecloth on the grass ready for the picnic feast.

As an alternative to plates, use party food boxes. They come in a range of bright colours and various themed designs and are great to fill with sandwiches, party snacks and a carton of juice.

Take along a 'Pass the Lucky Dip box', which is filled with pre-wrapped gifts. When the music stops they pull out a gift!

As party gifts, each child can take home their Teddy creations.

You could also buy small wicker baskets with handles which can be decorated with ribbon and filled with treats and a piece of birthday cake.

For more ideas for a perfect spring party, visit Best Kids Party where you will find kids party tableware, decorations, party boxes, fun handmade kids party bags, birthday gifts and lovely dressing up outfits.

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How to Host A Princess Party

There are not too many little girls I know who don't love playing princesses. Dressing up and wandering about in frills and tiara's seems to be a favorite pastime for most girls under 6. When it comes to having a birthday party for your little princess or princesses, there is nothing better than throwing a glittery princess party.

Firstly you need to send out the invitations. They can be completely hand made, or you can buy some invitation cards and write in the names and addresses. The other option is to have them completely printed up. Personally I like the handmade approach.

To make a nice princess invitation card, start with a large piece of pink cardboard and cut it up into a large crown or tiara shape. Then using some glitter and some sparkly stickers enjoy decorating the jewel tips of the card. Write on the bottom half of the card the date and time of the party and include an RSVP time and phone number. Make a note too that the girls should come dressed up as a princess, to help make the party atmosphere all the more special.

It is polite to have these in the mail about 4-6 weeks before the party to give people enough time to make arrangements and buy a gift.

Decorations for a princess party can be a fairly simple affair; balloons in pink and silver are a nice touch strung up around the party area. You can also use pink and white crepe streamers twisted together. A nice activity for that the kids can help with is to make paper chains to add color. Just cut up thick rectangles of paper in your chosen colors and link then together with a stapler is the easiest way.

Every child's party needs some party games. You could play one called "The princess and the pea" where an adult hides about 15-20 Peas (ping pong sized balls of scrunched up crepe paper) The princesses have to find the peas, the winner being the one who finds the most. Then to wind down after the games you could choose to read a princess story. Perhaps "The Princess and the Pea" would be a good choice if you do the game mentioned before.

Princesses need to have their royal banquets, so lots of pretty food will be necessary. Some thought should go into the crockery and cutlery too. The easiest way to do this is to buy and use plastic plates and cups, and these can be bought in practically any colour so you'll easily be able to find something to match your theme. It might be fun to find some old odd bits of china, saucers, cups and plates to add some extra fun to the table.

The food for the princess party might include, dainty sandwiches cut into shapes like butterflies or stars. Some fairy bread and of course some little cupcakes or fairy cakes. Princesses love their milk shakes; so you could make up a few different flavors and let the girls choose their own paper straws.

Gift bags or goody bags to take home from a princess party should be as sparkly as possible. Consider, pens or pencils the sparkle, glitter glue, or some face paint. Bath items like lip gloss, hair gel, bubble bath or sparkly hair accessories are also ideas you can use. Wrap up whatever you choose in clear cellophane with some stars and glitter in it, will make it shine and look wonderful. I hope these ideas will help you and your daughter enjoy her princess party.

Glenys Power is the owner of an Australian e-store called Cupcake City where you can purchase lovely items such as cupcake carriers to help with your own home cooking.

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