Wonderfully Easy, and Wallet Friendly Party Favors!

There is always an occasion to celebrate, but none are nearly as fun as the dreaded birthday parties! As adults we don't act like we really look forward to another year passing. But there is still a little of the child we once were hiding in there that is bound to come out with just the right party. To make this years party just right try some of these wonderful party favors. You will find some easy, budget friendly, party favors for the adult and child birthday parties.

The for-ever 29^th birthday party should definitely include these wonderful little Chocolate Champaign Glasses. They are easy to make, and extremely customizable.

You will need: enough plastic tall Champaign glasses for each guest, a couple of bags of Hershey's Kisses, organza- of the colors of your party, and matching ribbon. All you do is cut the organza into 6 x 6 inch pieces, count out 29 kisses per glass, cover glass with organza and tie closed with ribbon.

There are also quite a few wonderfully cheap sites for elegant party favors. A couple of sites to check out include: Simply Elegant Favors, found at http://www.simplyelegantfavors.com/Scripts/default.asp; Plum Drama, found at http://www.plumdrama.com/party-favors-BHT-penguin.html. Both sites have cheap (per item) costs for beautiful favors.

As for the young at heart, as well as the people that believe that a hand made gift or item is valued more than any store bought favor here are a few of my ideas on what to make. For an outdoor party there is always room for a Piñata. They are actually easier to make than most think. All you need is a stack of news papers, a sturdy string or rope, flour, water, a balloon, colorful tissue paper, and your imagination.

Cut the news papers into two inch wide strips, and grab a bowl to mix up the sticky glue paste. Take the flour pour it into the bowl and start adding a little water at a time to make a thick paste. This is how the original piñata's were glued together. Blow up the balloon then start layering the news paper strips over the balloon. Do that until you form the shape that you would like. For more advanced artists you can use multiple balloons to form a head and body. Don't worry about the mess, it is meant to be messy. This would be the perfect activity for the family to do together on a rainy day. You will need to let it sit to dry for a day or so. *A hint, keep the papers to under a ¼ inch thick. If you reach that thickness you might have a hard time breaking it come party day!

After the piñata dries you will need to cut the tissue paper into 1 inch strips, and glue them onto the body of your soon to be broken sack of candy. After you cove the entire piñata you will need to cut a small, about three inches long, slit into a spot that can be hidden. You will need to make it into a flap so it should look like a very boxy C shape. Fill your creation with candy, tie a big knot into one end of the rope, insert the knot into the hole, and seal the cut back up, cover with matching tissue paper, and you have successfully made a wonderful event for your party!

There are also many other ideas that are great for kids. Try taking a colorful paper cup and filling it with a juice box, a string cheese, a lollipop, a pack of cheese and peanut butter crackers. That is a healthier idea for smaller kids that they absolutely love. Another easy favor idea is taking all the ingredients for s'mores and wrapping individual s'mores in baggies, and reserving seats with them.

Keri Deich, 3/03/2008