10 November 2007

Party!

Party favors for kiddie birthday parties are a scourge to which I am generally opposed. Usually it's a handful of junky plastic toys and some candy, neither of which we need. Last year, for Miss M.'s third birthday, I didn't bother. Each of her little classmates got to take home one of the mylar balloons - which meant that there were fewer balloons in my little house. This year, inspiration struck me and I put together what I think are fabulous party favors.

Each kid gets a translucent plastic harmonica (a real one, by Hohner), wrapped in a pair of cotton bandannas, held together with a ponytail holder.

A harmonica! To make noise with! And pretend to be Bob Dylan!

Bandannas! To wear as skirts or scarves! To wrap your dollies or teddies in!

And it didn't cost an arm and a leg - the harmonicas were $2.49 each and the bandannas were $9.90 a dozen.

I am easily amused. I hope the four year olds are too.

And, to amuse the grown-ups, we're having real food and real wine. No pizza, no juice boxes. Instead: smoked pork loin, onion pie, coleslaw, potato pie, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, bread & jam sandwiches, local apple cider, seltzer, a dry riesling from Bonny Doon and a red velvet cake with pink icing.

Happy Fourth Birthday, Miss M.!!

22 comments:

painted maypole said...

oh, can I come to the party?

I am so with you on the party favor thing, and yet i fee like I HAVE to do it. Which is why for MQ's princess party they each got a Cinderella cups filled with stickers and a Cinderella pencil, each favor costing me appx. $1.75 total. For her art party last year each kid got a balloon tied to several markers (decorations turn into prizes. loved it. great minds think alike, apparently)

S said...

Happy Birthday to her! Four...it's a big one.

I agree about the favors. I've taken to buying each guest one small toy and nixing the candy, plastic trinkets, etc.

Last year, at Ben's birthday party, each kid got a mini-Lego set. Cost? $3.49 each.

Type (little) a aka Michele said...

Real Food FOR grownups? Not scraps from the master's table?

I am on my way over

BipolarLawyerCook said...

Those are GREAT favors. And so pretty in the bowl. And, I am a great fan of anything Bonny Doon bottles.

Waiting Amy said...

All I can say is ... YUM. What time again? And there will be enough favors for the grown up too, right? I'd like a green bandana.

Happy Birthday Miss M!

Julie Pippert said...

That's a great idea!

I hate those junk bags of plastic crap or candy.

I try for interesting things---last year was puzzle books for each kid.

And big Happy Birthday wishes to your big girl!

Julie
Using My Words

Anonymous said...

Potato pie? Pork loin? RED VELVET CAKE? You're killing me! Sounds like a wonderful party. I agree on the party favor issue. Today we're going shopping for Lucy's birthday and we'll see what treasures we find.
Happy Birthday Miss M - and happy birthday to you, too, Magpie! I always think that the mothers should be celebrated on birthdays, too.

Suz said...

This is a great idea!! I think that I'll use your mylar balloon take home idea for the twin's second birthday. Kids that age looovve those balloons. Thank you!

Katie Zeller said...

Well done - for both kids and grown-ups. Personally, I love those bandannas - where them to keep sweat and hair out of my eyes in the garden..
Happy Birthday, Miss M!

Aurelia said...

Mmmm, delicious cake and food.

And yes, I agree about the favours. I spend forever throwing out the plastic crap.

Sunshine said...

Very cute and inexpensive idea! I think I'll swipe it!

flutter said...

Happy Birthday!

Mayberry said...

Happy birthday! I love your favors -- and another benefit is they look fabulous in that bowl.

Maewen Archer said...

Happy Birthday, Miss M! We had my daughter's fourth birthday today -- we had pizza. I'm feeling like maybe I cheated myself.

Wonderful idea on the party favors, too!

Julia said...

I am also opposed to cheap crap in the goody bag, so I always try very hard to have interesting and useful things. But this? This is way awesome.

Happy birthday, Miss M!
And I hope everyone is nice and drunk now.

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday, Miss M!

Can you come and plan my kids' next party? I hate doing it - and yours sounds so fun.

susan said...

What a great day! Happy, happy birthday, Miss M!

We often have the craft be the party favor--so for the past two years (b/c Curious Girl liked it so much she wanted to do it the second time), we painted flower pots and then planted a little plant (from the flats we got for our own garden), and the kids got to take that home.

For her last birthday, though, CG insisted she wanted a little plastic bag of crap, oops I mean stuff, for each guest, so I capitulated. I put just two pieces of candy in each bag, and some nail polish, and a few stickers, all of which I had found way on sale. So everyone was happy.

Girlplustwo said...

i LOVE that idea. i love the Dylan idea too. Play it loud.

Julie McCoy said...

You could never do that in San Francisco.
People would be making too many X-rated comments regarding the hanky code....
Can I get your recipe for onion pie?
And which BDV riesling did you use?

Anonymous said...

Sounds lovely! We did real food as well, and although I never buy juice boxes for my kids, I always have them for kid parties. It helps to bridge the gap for the younger kids who still need sippy cup-type things to drink out of.

Anonymous said...

Happy, happy!

S. said...

Happy belated birthday!

We did bandannas as pirate hats at Z.'s messy party last Spring. Purple ones, of course.

You just tie a knot in each corner.