birthday party favors

24 Zoo Birthday Party Ideas

Do you have a kiddo with an upcoming birthday and they love all things animals? Zoo birthday parties are perfect for boys and girl.

A few years ago one of my sweet friends asked if I could help her find some fun zoo birthday party ideas for her 4 year old’s upcoming party. Here are the awesome birthday party tips and resources I found. These ideas would also work perfectly for a kids jungle birthday party!

Zoo Invitations

A party is not a party without awesome invitations! I found some super fun make your own invites, as well as some budget-friendly pre-made invitations.

These scrapbook inspired invites from Cute and Sassy Designs are right up my ally.

How adorable are these from Chica and Jo? She has a monkey, zebra and elephant version as well.

And these vintage invites from Aesthetic Nest are incredibly detailed.

You could certainly create your own version of a postcard like Loralee Lewis did for her little guy.

Invitations You Can Buy

I like these zoo themed invites from Tiny Prints.

These from Party Mommas have matching address labels. So cool!

Cake and Cupcakes

A party is not a party without a cake or cupcakes, my friend. Here are some favorites that I found on my search.

Cupcakes

I am certain little kids would love these cupcakes from The Schlorholtz Scoop!

I like the variety of these cupcakes from Cake Decorating Corner!

These from the Family Fun site are unique and so creative!Betty Crocker shares these cute zoo themed cupcakes.

Cakes

This lion cake from Home Stories A 2 Z would be easy to make and defiantly a crowd pleaser.

Parenting has a totally fun lion on their site using chow-mein noodles for the mane.

Zoo Snacks

Generally at a party, there are snacks to serve. Here are a few I found that would go perfect with a zoo celebration!

This Snack Attack takes 10 minutes to make and serves 20 people!

Kara’s Party Ideas show us how a hostess used cupcake pix to fancy up the sandwiches she served for her little ones party. Use pix that match your theme.

I love the dirt and worms that the Parker’s served at their little ones party.

The cream cheese snake dip is priceless as well! It is always a party at the Parker’s!

Backyard Fun

How will you entertain? Here are some fun ideas!

Pams Party Planner created her own version of pin the tail on the lion. Love it!

One Charming Party offers some fun (and real looking) face painting ideas.

I love how Momma Bee’s PartyZ turned her backyard into an obstacle course of theme related events. So creative!

You buy a ticket to get into the zoo, right?

What about a ticket booth made of cardboard?

Take this circus theme from Family Fun and improvise.

Party Favors

When all is said and done, children are always excited about the party favor bags. Here are some fun suggestions.

Loralee Lewis made these do not feed the animals favor bags. Love them!

Fill your bags with fun things like binoculars made from re-purposed toilet paper rolls like these from Young Moments.

Print off some free zoo color sheets from Twisty Noodle.

I love the idea of animal crackers in the goody bag. It only makes sense.

Here is a super cute way to fancy them up from A Little Time.

And there you have it! This is a great list to get your zoo adventure going!

More Kids Birthday Party Ideas

Tips for Throwing a Jungle Party

100 Kids Birthday Party Ideas

How to Throw a Birthday Party on a Budget

Lego Crayons- A Birthday Party Favor (plus free printable and other resources)

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 32 Comments

Take a box of 72 crayons, which likely costs less than $3.00 to purchase, and make it into 36 Lego shaped crayons that you can use to fill your goody bags for your Lego themed party!

Lego Molds

I’ve shared before how to make your own crayons using your favorite mold and broken crayon pieces. It is a great way to recycle, but they also make excellent gifts. It is something your children can help you do and it is so much fun to see what amazing color combinations and masterpieces you can come up with.

Each individual Lego mold holds two whole crayons when broken into pieces. I purchased my Lego molds on ebay, and the seller shipped them quickly (free shipping, too!) and offered a buy it now option.

Want to make your own Lego mold? You can! Topsy Turvey has a step by step tutorial and you can use these molds to make candy, soap, crayons, you name it!

Lego Crayon Creations

From left to right these are the masterpieces we made. Purple Mountain Majesty/Periwinkle, Melon/Apricot, Dandelion/Yellow, and Sky Blue/Sea Green. The Sky Blue and Sea Green combo reminded me of a globe. Loved it!

These earth-toned crayons turned out great. The older kids at the party really like them. (from left to right) Plum/Pacific Blue, Asparagus/Olive Green, Cadet Blue/Golden Rod, and Tumbleweed/Brown.

Even though some may think Lego’s are more boyish, you can totally make them in girly colors! I really loved these! Timberwolf/Carnation Pink, Green Yellow/Yellow Green (who knew), Wisteria/Mauvelous and my favorite of them all is Robin Egg Blue/Tickle Me Pink.

These were fun, too! Crayola names have come so far and it makes creating even more fun! Mac & Cheese/Granny Smith Apple, Burnt Orange/Scarlett, and Black/Orange (perfect for Halloween!).

Lego Crayon Party Favors

To package these Lego crayons up, just place them in a small size cellophane treat bag that you can buy in mass quantity at your local craft store. Use 4×6 pieces of card stock and print them up with a fun saying. I just Google Lego sayings and came up with:

Build It.

Play On.

Imagine in color….

Then, fold the card stock in half, cut to adjust if needed, and staple to your crayon filled cellophane bags.

You can also download a Lego font here, if you would like.

Partner the crayons with a fun, free, printable Lego sheet, and you have an inexpensive party favor that matches your theme perfectly!

What color combinations will you make?

I am sharing this fun idea on these crafty and resourceful sites.

How to Make Lego Juice Boxes for Birthday Party Goody Bags

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 30 Comments

Looking for Lego party favors?

Are these not amazing? These Lego juice boxes are going in the goody bags for the twins’ party next weekend.

Best part, as I say all the time, they are super simple to make.

You will need:

rectangular or square juice boxes (different brands are different ï»¿heights and sizes)
assorted colors of construction paper
double sided tape
pencil
scissors
small foamy self adhesive craft dots
circle template (I am using an “O” cookie cutter)

Measure and cut down your construction paper to a size that will cover the juice box in length.

Begin to wrap the box as the picture below illustrates.

Place a piece of double sided tape on the underside of the construction paper and adhere it to the juice box.

Continue to wrap the box in the construction paper and seal it off with another piece of double sided tape as the picture below shows.

Next, using your construction paper scraps, make small circles for the top of the juice box.

I used the inside circle of a letter “O” cookie cutter, but you could also use the inside circle from your tape dispenser depending on it’s size. Just test it out.

You could also buy a circle punch from the craft store that is adequately sized for this project. I just did not want to spend the money on it.

Cut out your little circles.

Place one foamy, self adhesive, craft dot in the center of each little circle. These will help give a 3D feel to the party favors.

For the shorter and fatter juice boxes (like Minute Maid) you will need 6 circles. For the skinnier and taller juice boxes (like Target brand) you will need 8 circles.

Place the circles on top of the juice boxes spacing them out to resemble a Lego.

How simple was that? You’re good to go… party on!

I am sharing this at these crafty and resourceful sites.

Recycle Broken Crayons and Turn Them Into Party Favors

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 13 Comments

This is a great project for using up those broken old crayon pieces that you’ve got lying around. It is fun and the kids would enjoy helping. I first found this amazing project over at The Idea Room last year. Since then, I’ve seen it repeated for many holiday occasions all over the internet. (You can also use brand new crayons if you do not have enough broken ones for your project. This is fun either way!)

These would make great birthday party or classroom party favors and you can adjust them to whatever theme or holiday you’re celebrating.

For this occasion, we are doing heart shaped crayons to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

First, peel the paper off the crayons.

Next, you can sort the crayons by color group, like I did, or mix them up and make confetti colored crayons. Both ways are super fun!

Place all of your broken crayon pieces into muffin tins/silicone oven safe muffin containers. You can find heart shaped silicone muffin containers at Target in the dollar spot for $2.50 this time of year.

Bake them at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes until fully melted. (I have tried to use the silicone ice cube trays thinking they would work. They do not! The silicone melts in the oven. Make sure whatever you are using is oven safe!)

Let the crayons cool 100%. I let mine cool for about an hour. You can also place them in the freezer or fridge to hurry the cooling process along.

Once 100% cool, remove the crayons from the muffin containers.

Place the crayons in clear treat bags.

Using 4×6 card stock and a festive font, create a fun label for your new treats.

Staple the label to the treat bag and you have a super fun, super simple gift!

I will be sharing this project on these crafty sites.

How to Make a Cupcake using Spa Socks- An Affordable Valentine’s Day Gift

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 14 Comments

This is a super simple Valentine’s Day gift that would be perfect for a teacher or loved one this year. This project is certainly flexible and could be customized for any holiday. This would also rock as a party favor for an older girls birthday party- you can easily find the socks in childrens’ sizes.

I originally found this tutorial on Seven-Thirty-Three’s site and just had to share it with you guys.

Here is what you’ll need for each gift:

one pair of spa socks (Target has 2 pair for $2.50 in the dollar spot)
hot glue gun
a rubber band
card stock (I used brown- $0.69 a sheet)
scissors (or a cutter for the card stock)
festive cupcake liner
festive ribbon ($0.99 at the craft store for 3 yrds)
treat box adequately sized (pkg of 3 for $2.99)
candy

Here is how you assemble…

Start with a pair of festive spa socks. You can get them in just about any color, combination, pattern, or just plain Jane.

Roll the socks like this….

Once rolled, secure the socks with a rubberband.

Next, take a 2 inch wide strip of card stock and wrap it around the bottom section of the socks to cover the rubberband. Use a few dabs of hot glue to secure the card stock in place.

Wrap festive ribbon around the card stock. Secure it with hot glue. You can make a sweet little bow with it, or just leave it as simple as you’d like. Feel free to embellish as much as you want. I opted for simple.

Place the cupcake in a cute cupcake liner.

Assemble your treat box. If you cannot find decorative boxes that match the holiday occasion, you can always find plain white treat boxes at your local craft store, party supply store or cake supply shop. (These particular boxes are 3 x 4.5 x 4.5.)

Place the cupcake with liner in the box and toss in some candies such as chocolate Kisses.

Close the box up and you’ve got a gift!

How simple was that?

I will be sharing this craft on these sites.

What to do with Happy Meal Toys

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 10 Comments

Happy Meal Toys

From time to time we will grab a kiddy meal from Chick-fil-a or McD’s after school as a snack. And yes, there are times I feed my children drive-thru for dinner. Shame on me, I know. Sometimes we eat dinner at a restaurant that gives packets of crayons. With five kids, and two bigger kids who are really not into the toys anymore, these really start to pile up. And honestly, how many Shrek watches do we really need? On the flip side, some of these goodies (like from Chick-fil-a) are educational books, games or cd’s. But still they pile up.

Here is what I have done as we accumulate, and acquire, duplicate happy meal toys. I have a large bag I keep them in and use them for things like:

filling birthday party goody bags (party bags)
donate to your child’s classroom teacher or Sunday school teacher for their class treasure chest (teachers will adore you for this one!)
make a home treasure chest (reward system)
stocking stuffers for your little ones at Christmas
make a small gift bag for a little one who is becoming a big brother or big sister using a few of these toys. It will make them feel special and you’re using things you already have on hand.

What do you do with extra happy meal toys?

Ghost Halloween Treats

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 31 Comments

Looking for Halloween craft ideas?

These are so yummy, so easy to make and so Halloween-y!

Guess what they are made out of?

Marshmallows!

Instructions:

Use a double boiler and melt white chocolate wafers.

While your wafers are melting, use lollipop sticks that you can purchase at your local cake supply or craft store, and insert the sticks into large marshmallows.

Place the marshmallows on a cookie sheet covered in foil, wax paper or parchment paper. This is going to come in handy after we dip the marshmallows.

Once your wafers have melted and the sauce is smooth, dip the marshmallow in the melted mixture.

Submerge it completely.

Use a rubber spatula if needed to generously coat in the melted wafers onto the marshmallow.

Dip it good…. it will look like this when you’re done:

Line the dipped marshmallows on the cookie sheet and allow them to cool and set. I like to leave them alone for an hour…. if my kids will allow it.

(It really is important that they cool completely before you lift them off the drying tray. Otherwise, the top of the ghost’s head will not be smooth. You’ll see what I mean in some of the other pictures.)

Now you’ll melt some wafers that you’ll use to create their faces. I used Spooky Green, which is a special color Wilton is offering for the Halloween season.

Once melted spoon the mixture into a decorating bag like you would icing. Use a tip that will draw fine lines.

Use a ziplock bag (like I did) and simply cut a small sliver off the corner of the bag to create a decorating tip.

While the wafer mixture is still super warm and melted create a face for your ghosts. I did simple lines for the eyes and an ‘O’ for the mouth. Put them back on the tray so the faces can set as well.

They are so cute!

Once the ghosts are 100% set (you can even stick the cookie sheet of ghosts in your freezer if you have space) you can now wrap them.

Use small treat bags as covers.

Tie them off with cute festive ribbon.

And you’re done!

Send these to your kiddos school for fall festive treats.

Press the lollipop stick into festive cupcakes and use them as cupcake toppers- similar to how I did Matthew’s first birthday cupcakes.

Make them for your upcoming Halloween party.

Give them to trick or treaters, the list goes on and on!

Today Crystal & Co is Featured at Tip Junkie

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 5 Comments

Last night as I could hardly stay away to check me emails I casually opened a message from Tip Junkie. After staring at the screen for probably 20 seconds I realize… good golly miss molly…. my first birthday cookie cupcakes are going to be featured on her site… tomorrow!

If you are stopping by my blog from Tip Junkie, hello!

Take a look around. Check out my About Me page. It explains everything!

If you love to plan birthday parties like me, or if you are always on the look out for fun birthday parties (like me) here are a few more posts I done regarding the subject:

Pirate Birthday Invitations
Homemade Party Favors n a Budget

If you landed on my site as a regular reader… well, how cool is this? Being featured at Tip Junkie. So excited! Today she is listing tons of first birthday party ideas. Make sure you check them out. (And look for my cookie cupcakes in one of the pics!)

Fun Birthday Party Favors on a Budget

By Crystal VanTassel-Lopez 12 Comments

As I’ve shared before, I am a kids’ birthday party kinda gal.

I heart a fun birthday party. My favorite things are making the invitations, making the cupcakes and fun party favor ideas.

Now that we have enough children we could make our own football team, as you can imagine, birthday parties must be done on a budget. Especially since the twins’ birthday is literally six weeks after Christmas, and then the other childrens’ birthdays all just weeks after that.

Here is an awesome homemade (stay with me) candy (you still there?) birthday party favor. As we know the party favors can break the bank. Not these- they are totally budget friendly.

*******

This is how you make them… so simple!

Using a double boiler melt chocolate wafers. You should be able to find these melts at any craft store or cake supply store. You can get them in many colors and some are even flavored.

You know what a double boiler is right? It is a metal deep pan that you place on top of any saucepan that has boiling water in it. This allows you to melt the chocolate pieces without them touching the flame or burner directly- preventing scorching of the chocolate.

Once the water in the saucepan is boiling, dump one package of the wafers into the double boiler.

See, it’s like magic…

Pour the melted chocolate into the candy molds. I bought number molds… ‘4’ since it was their fourth birthday. I purchased my numbered trays for about $2.00 each. I grabbed two to make the process go a little quicker.

Once filled pop them in the freezer until they are hard.

Once they are hard (about 30 minutes to an hour) they pop right out of the mold.

Put them in cellophane favor treat bags. Instead of using the twisty ties that come with the bags, tie ribbon that matches your party theme around the top to seal the bag. Use scissors to curl the ribbon.

Pair these with any dollar bin item (like a large bottle of bubbles, kite, sand pail, etc) and they are sure to be a hit… on a budget!

Looking for a cake supply store or craft store with candies and molds? If you are here in the DFW area try one of the following:

Elizabeth’s Cake Supply

Cake Carousel

Michael’s

JoAnn’s

Don’t forget to check the dollar bins at Target for fun favor ideas!