Birthday Party Favors

I bought coloring books and packages of crayons, wrapped them in tulle and tied with a bow and tag saying "thanks for coming to my party! Love, Child's Name"

I agree with Debbie W. on this one. You can go broke! So I limit myself to $20-25 for party favors for 12 children.
You may think you can't get very much with this; but if you hit Oriental Trading at the right time you can get a good deal(O.T.; http://www.orientaltrading.com/) (for coupons try http://www.momsview.com/orientaltrading.shtml or
http://www.couponcabin.com/coupons/oriental-trading-compa....
I recently bought treat bags, flashing rings, foam animal masks, bird whistles, and lots of tattoos for $25 from OT with a coupon coed I found online.

A craft is also a good idea especially at the five to eight range (if you do this don't do a treat bag too or it gets too expensive). It keeps them busy and gives them something special to take home (O.T. also sales craft kits for parties!). The younger children sometimes still have problems socializing. A craft gets the shy ones in to an activity with other children.
If you have a lot of crafting items about the house it's easy to throw together a box of things the children can decorate a crown/photo holder (or whatever) with.
Last year we had a puppet themed party and the children decorated puppets (felt puppet "blanks" we got from O.T.!) My DH made a puppet theater out of a big cardboard shipping box for the kids to play with. They loved it!
Another option is to make a pi�ata and fill it with treats (Make a pi�ata: http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/fun-games/how-to-make-pi.... Take advantage of Halloween candy discounts if your birthday party is after Halloween. Then get about $10 of cheap party favors and add to the pi�ata too. Give the kids plain lunch sacks, decorated with a sheet of stickers, to gather the treats in.
Another good place to get party supplies is Constructive Playthings (in Carrolton: 1927 E Belt Line Rd, ###-###-####; and now in Plano, http://www.constplay.com/family/home/locationsTX.htm). Though they are not as cheap at O.T.; and O.T. also has cheaper prices for party supplies- plates, napkins, party hats, ect. then any party store you can find in the metroplex.
RPocai

You can make princess hats with cheap birthday cone-shaped hats.... just spray paint them with whatever you have in the garage and get a little sheer net fabric from the store to stick out of the top.

I saw feather boas at the Dollar Store at Grapevine Mills a few weekends ago.

If you're going to have boys there, they might like play swords, which you can find everywhere (including the Dollar Store) right now. Then stop by Burger King for a quick meal and ask for a few crowns... you can make a cut out with colored paper to go over their logo, and then the boys would be princes.

You can have them make their own crowns...that way you have princes and princesses. Construction paper, cut it out ahead
of time. Have paint, glue and sparkels, even the craft
jewel you find in craft area of walmart or Joann's. Aside from that get royal napkins, plates and cups...look at the little
toys and stickers to fit the theme for the party bag each is given. Pin the feather on the jester cap as opposed to pin the tail on the donkey as a game. Making their own crown and then the clean up will be a good time period. Even look at dowels
at Lowe's *which will cut them into 12 inches at your request*
and get ribbon and such and they can decorate their own
sceptre. *trying to think of a movie with a queen or king
holding it only when in formal and official duties*.
Ribbon can be glued and spiraled up the dowel. They then add
sparkles or jewels or even feathers to it. Most of which you
can get in craft area of Walmart or Joann's.

I saw some people suggesting boas. If you do Boa's Big Lots has 2 different sizes, one for $4 and one for $1. They are in purple, pink, white and purple, and pink and purple. Also check Oriential Trading online. They have TONS of stuff for very low prices. Sounds really fun! Good luck!

How about some felt top hats from a party store and feather boa's from any number of places like Hancock Fabrics or Michael's. I have been thinking of a tea party for my four year old.
C. S.

Please check out our amazingly affordable Princess Party favors & gifts. http://www.myprincesspartytogo.com

Have the kids make their own crown as a party craft, and let that be their gift.

Also, in their party supplies area, Walmart sells packs of little coloring books and little boxes of 4 crayons. The packs of coloring books were around a $1 or $2 and the crayons were 25 cents per box.

If you need party favor bags, you can get the little gift sacks that look like paper lunch sacks (or a package of white paper lunch sacks) and let your child decorate them for her friends (sequins, princess stickers, etc.). Better yet, let the kids decorate their OWN bag as a party craft, then drop their favors in while they eat cake.

Prince & Princess crowns would probably be easy to make! You could probably get some of the colored foam at Wal Mart to make the fronts of the crowns and attach them in the back with yarn. Then you could let the children decorate them with more foam shapes or maybe some inexpensive jewels!

It might also be fun to make a map and have them search for the princess' treasure! You could put the goody bags with names on them in the treasure and when the found it they could all have their own bags!

Or maybe you could put cookies or candy in the boxes.

Good luck, sounds like fun! :)

I am on strike. I don't give party favors- I was going brioke giving gifts to kids for coming to my house!
If we do a craft then they get to keep that as the favor- or my 4 y/o had a swim party and we used water guns, so the kids each took one home.
I have actually had some of my friends follow my lead :-)
Of course we DO send out thank you notes!
D.

Try Party City! They have great party supplies and they are reasonable too!