DIY: Summer Party Invites

After the girls were in bed, I sat down with some color coding labels (one of my fave art supplies, since they are sooooo frugal) and drew up some cute watermelons!

They are so EASY to do:

Last-Minute Goody Bags from an Envelope

Emily asked if we could make some special Halloween goody bags to give out to her friends, but I am too lazy (and far too frugal) to go to the store and spend money on goody bags. In the end, she liked these handmade ones so much better! I think they would be perfect for last-minute party favors, but we've been battling some colds around here, so no parties for us anytime soon. Boo hoo! Grab some business-sized envelopes, enlist the help of the kids, and make your own goody bags in seconds. (Well, maybe a bit longer if you waste time tearing the house apart looking for envelopes because you can't remember where you last placed them and you're certain that the baby must have walked off with them... Not that it has happened to me, or anything.... I was... um... I was just sayin'.)

Here's how to make your own:

1. Seal the envelopes.

2. Cut each envelope in half to make two goody bags. Yes, two goody bags from one envelope. So thrifty, right? Start with one half, and fold along what was the side of the envelope, about 1/4 inch in. This will now be the bottom of the goody bag. Unfold, and then fold along the top and bottom 1/4 inch of the envelope as shown.

3. Pop open your envelope to form your goody bag. My, aren't you crafty??

4. Here's what the bottom of the bag should look like.

5. For the candy corn, cut out strips of colored construction paper and glue together as shown.

6. Cut out triangles, as shown. (Great for the little ones who are just getting used to scissors!)

7. Attach to the bag, fill with candy, and pass out to friends!

Bacon Bowls -- Hey, there is something green in my bacon!

If there is one thing our entire family can agree on, it's our love of BACON! In fact, bacon played a crucial role during the courting phase of my relationship with Mark. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian, but I kept packages of bacon in the fridge of my dorm room as "Mark bait". It worked!!

Emily and Clara have also tested bacon-positive.

The idea for these bacon bowls came from an old post on Not Martha, however my method is slightly different from hers. This combines basket-weaving and bacon... it's like crafting with food! (er... make that a food-like substance.) It's no surprise that these bacon bowls were a big hit in our household!

Here are some ideas for bacon bowls:

Fill with lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing. The lettuce and tomato make this a healthy snack. (Ahem.)

Or fill with scrambled eggs for breakfast! Wouldn't this be a unique appetizer for a brunch?

To make your own bacon bowls, you will need a package of bacon, and small microwave safe dish, kitchen scissors, and a glass baby food jar.

Clean the baby food jar very thoroughly and be sure to remove all adhesive from the label. Place the baby food jar upside down on the microwave safe dish.

Lay two pieces of bacon to make an "X" over the bottom of the baby food jar as shown. Use kitchen scissors to trim the ends.

Next, weave slices of bacon around the ends. Are you getting hungry yet?? Wait for it... wait for it.... it gets better!

Cover the entire thing with a wet paper towel, and place in the microwave for about 4 minutes and 30 seconds total, checking after every minute. Microwave times vary, and ours is DIEING a slow and painful death, so yours may cook up much faster.

Set aside and allow to cool. Carefully pull the bacon bowl from the baby food jar, and fill with salad or eggs.

Time for the taste test.....

Success!!!!

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

A few weeks ago, my friend Kelly had several health issues all at once, and needed a bit of cheering up. So I packed up everything we needed for an impromptu tea party, loaded the Joy Committee (a.k.a. my girls) into the car, and brought the party to her. We had a fabulous time, and the highlight of the afternoon was enjoying these tasty cucumber sandwiches. These are very easy to make, but a lot of love goes into them, so they were perfect for our little get-together.

To make your own cucumber tea sandwiches, you will need:

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced paper thin

1 small container of whipped cream cheese

fresh dill, finely chopped

1 loaf whole grain bread

Combine cream cheese and dill to taste. Using a round cookie cutter, cut three slices of bread for each sandwich. Spread dill and cream cheese mixture on the bread and layer with paper thin slices of cucumber for three layers. Pipe a decorative heart of cream cheese on top and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill. Beautiful!

We enjoyed ours with peppermint tea (oh! and cookies!!), and it was delicious!

Happy Birthday, Clara!

Clara has turned one year old! We invited some family members over for a daisy-themed birthday luncheon this afternoon. It was a great success, and it didn't break the bank! The key to planning a party on a budget lies in the little details. These tiny touches do not have to cost much, and might not even take up a lot of time, but are done with love and intention.

The paper daisies hanging from the ceiling came from Big Lots and cost just $2 for the set of 3. The fresh flower bouquet came from our local grocery store. It was filled with yellow carnations, and of course daisies! The napkin rings were made of ribbon with a piece of cardstock attached to serve double-duty as placecards.

In our household, Mark is the baker, and he baked and decorated this cake all by himself. Fresh flowers are a beautiful alternative to icing flowers, and no cake-decorating class is necessary.

Tea sandwiches are a great way to make your guests feel special! I wrapped these in waxed paper to keep the bread from going stale, and also to dress them up a bit.

All this attention made for one very happy little girl!

Simple First Birthday Luncheon Menu

Selection of Tea Sandwiches (Ham and Swiss, Turkey and Provolone, Cucumber and Cream Cheese)

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Fruit Cocktail (Fresh Watermelon and Blueberries served in a Martini Glass)

Drinks

Lemonade, Ice Water, Coffee, Tea

Dessert

White Birthday Cake with Lemon Icing

Tips to Cut Costs:

Keep the Guest List Small -- By keeping our guest list small, I was able to use dishes instead of paper plates, glasses instead of plastic cups, and silverware instead of plastic utensils. This is both budget-friendly and good for the planet.

Skip the Soda -- Lemonade, Iced Tea, and Water are great, inexpensive alternatives to soda.

Late Afternoon Works Best -- To avoid having to serve a meal, schedule your party to begin late in the afternoon when guests have already eaten lunch.

What kind of day is it?

Every morning when Emily wakes up, she greets me with the following phrase -- "Hey, do you know what kind of day it is?" The answers range from "Messy Art Day" (my personal favorite) to "Fun Play Day" to "Go to the Beach Day" or (Lord, help me) "Build a Treehouse Day", all proclaimed with equally annoying delightful squeals of enthusiasm. For the most part, I enjoy indulging her requests as much as possible for two reasons: 1. There is something about her zest for life that persuades me into doing just about anything. and 2. Childhood is such a fleeting stage and I'm trying desperately to make the most of it.

"Today," Emily proclaimed, "is Dolly's birthday!" Hmmm... an excuse to bake cupcakes? and sing songs? and have a party on an otherwise dreary rainy afternoon? Well, you don't have to twist my arm! 

We made party hats and invitations.

The cupcakes were lovingly decorated.

Dolly got a present (I wrapped a ribbon around one of Clara's light-weight blocks).

And cupcakes were enjoyed by all.

Dolly, you little piggy, you!

Stained Glass Snowflakes

A friend of mine recently hosted a Royal Snowflake Ball and it was the inspiration for this twist on classic paper snowflakes using white paper and colored tissue paper.  For the Ball, she had story time for all the princes and princesses by reading snow-themed stories, and the kids decorated their own snowmen out of construction paper, popcorn, raisins (for buttons), Cheerios, and bits of paper. Emily and I had a fabulous time, and I thought it was a super-cute (and frugal) idea for a play group!

Frugal Family Fun -- Super Bowl Edition

Mark is originally from Pittsburgh, so we have been busy preparing for the Super Bowl at the Deneen household! 

We created these cute puffed rice cereal treats:

Made this awesome sun-catcher with construction paper, tissue paper, and some tape:

And whipped up a batch of some frugal snacks including: air-popped popcorn, homemade pizza, and loaded baked potatoes:

We even made our own pom-poms, and made this pint-sized football player using a toilet paper roll. You can download the printable template here.

Related post: Frugal Way to Occupy Kids During Football

Is your family preparing for some Super Bowl fun? I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Fabulous Frugal New Year's Eve Bash

New Year's Eve parties can easily get expensive, but with a little help from the Frugal Family Fun Blog, you will be able to start 2009 off with a Fabulous Frugal New Year's Eve Bash -- and be able to celebrate without the worry of extra holiday bills!    

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Guest List --  To help save money, consider limiting your guest list to the people who are the most important to you.  You don't need to invite the entire neighborhood.  Two or three other couples is just fine.
2. Free Babysitters -- When possible, take advantage of free babysitting help from grandparents or other relatives.  You could also take turns babysitting with another couple.  In exchange, you could offer to run some errands or cook for them.  This is a huge help, so be sure to thank your babysitters for all their hard work! 
3. Invites --  Sometimes the party's budget can be blown before the party even starts just because of expensive invitations!  Instead, try Evite.com and you will be able to send online invitations, track RSVP's, ask guests to bring an item, or send party updates quickly and easily.  Evite.com is free!
4. Lighting --  Use lighting and decorations that you already have on hand.  You could take down the Christmas tree (to free up some space), and use the lights around the party area.  Silver garland works well.  
5. Food --  Since your party will probably start late in the evening and go all night, you can easily skip a full holiday dinner.  Instead, offer lots of tasty homemade appetizers!  Click here for recipe ideas.  One of my favorites is Bacon-Wrapped Artichoke Hearts.  Here is the recipe:  

   Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts:

   Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut bacon slices in half horizontally.  Wrap each artichoke heart in the 1/2 slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Serve immediately.  You can prepare large trays of these ahead of time and pop them in the oven when the party is about to begin!

6. Drinks --  Instead of loading up a full service bar, try serving one signature drink for the party.  Pomegranate Martinis make for a  festive drink everyone is sure to enjoy.  Click here for the recipe.  Be sure to include at least one non-alcoholic beverage.
7. Music --  Hiring a band can be very expensive, so instead try hooking up some speakers to your computer or iPod.  Set up a playlist in iTunes and you have a very inexpensive music solution.  You could also borrow music CDs from your local public library for free.  
8. Entertainment --  If one of your friends has a Wii, you could borrow it to set it up with some fun party games such as Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball, or Mario Party 8.  Also, you could try some other fun games including CatchPhrase, Cranium, Taboo, and Apples to Apples.  Ask around if any of your friends have these games to see if you could borrow them.

Have any other ideas for a Fabulous Frugal New Year's Eve Bash?  I would love to hear about it.  Leave a comment and tell us about it!