No tea party is complete without some treats, right? That’s why you need these paper cookies from Kate at The Craft Train! “Bake” them up once and nibble on them over and over. These would also be great for your favorite little baker to have in their play kitchen, or for any kid who loves both sweets and imaginative play! [how to make paper cookies]

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Cookie cutters, on hand or $1 and up
• Cotton balls, on hand or $1
• Tissue paper, on hand or $1
• Kraft paper or brown paper bag, on hand
• Construction paper, on hand or $1
• Glue sticks, on hand
• Mod Podge, on hand
• Glitter, on hand or $1

Total: Free and up!

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If you have a little tea party hostess in your household, this craft is just for you!  Great for kids who like to play party planner, Jennifer from Toddler Toddler covered a package of dollar store party invitations with contact paper, making reusable invitations!  Your kids can write the guests’ names on the invites in crayon, and afterward the letters wipe away easily, ready for the next occasion that calls for a celebration.  [how to make reusable party invitations]

Project estimate:

• Party invitations, $1
• Contact paper, on hand or $1
• Crayons, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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I’m obsessed with all things mini and I’m fanatical about repurposing, so as you can imagine I am entirely smitten with this adorable idea from Sunghee of Creativity in Progress:  turning plastic Easter eggs into teeny-tiny teacups!  They’re perfect for having tea parties with your favorite little ladies, but I’m having a hard time resisting them for myself as well.  Sunghee only used the top half of each egg to make her teacups; check out her blog to see what other adorable things she did with the other halves of the eggs!  [how to make plastic Easter egg teacups]

Project estimate:

• Plastic Easter eggs, $1
• Buttons, on hand
• Markers or embellishments, on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Paper punch, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

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It’s been awhile since we’ve come up with dollar store crafty ideas for a party theme. You all have such great input. I have a good one for you today, so get your brainstorms ready! Reader Crista at the Dollar Store Crafts Facebook page asked for some help:

I am planning a Alice and wonderland Costume party for my soon to be 4 yr old in October and need ideas on how to do this inexpensively.

Tea Party: First thing I think of for an Alice in Wonderland theme is a mad tea party! Your 4 year-old is definitely old enough to enjoy a tea party (I have been doing small tea parties with my sons since they were 18 months old, and at about 2-1/2 they really get into it and are able to pour tea, etc.). If you already have a tea set and tea cups, then you’re halfway there. If you don’t, maybe a miniature tea set would be a good gift for your child.

Serving Tray: I love the serving tray shown above (found at Alice-In-Wonderland.net), made with plates, tea cups, and a teapot. You can easily make these using the instructions from the tiered serving tray, but use mismatched tea service stuff (find it at the thrift store).

Eat Me Cakes: Use the Twinkie Bon-Bon instructions to make adorable bite-sized cakes (just write “eat me” with a fine decorating tip or edible marker). I also like the Eat Me cakes at Sprinkle Bakes. You can also serve any kind of cupcake or cake and just put it on a paper doily marked “eat me.” You can get large packs of doilies in the wedding section of the dollar store. (I like this pretty pastel doily-dyeing project at Decor to Adore, too).

“Rabbit Ear” Headbands: I like these fashion-inspired headbands, and I think they’d be fun party favors for an Alice in Wonderland party. Find out how to make them at Chic Steals.

Additional Resources:

• Alice in Wonderland Ideas at One Pretty Thing
• Mad Tea Party ideas at Alice-in-Wonderland.net

Now it’s your turn! What are your great ideas for an Alice in Wonderland party?

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Stamped Favor Bags: $3

Make custom favor bags for your wedding by stamping an image on the front and adding flowers and ribbon. The dollar store usually has mini organza gift bags (not like the muslin shown here) that would work for this, and you can always find flowers (or other embellishments: beads, buttons, trinkets, etc.) and ribbon easily. Find instructions at My DIY Wedding Day.

Wallpaper Scrap-Covered Chocolates: $1 and up

Take scraps of wallpaper (you could even use samples from old wallpaper sample books), cut to size and cover mini chocolate bars. Add a little glitter for a pretty and sparkly favor. For a wedding favor, print a tiny label with your event details and stick it to the bottom of the bar. This adorable idea would work for a variety of events, from weddings, bridal showers, flowery birthday parties or even tea parties. Project by Kellie at Ada and Darcy.

Wedding Coloring Book: $1 and up

I love this idea: a wedding coloring book for your pint-sized guests. Actually, I think coloring books would be great favors for guests of all ages. I found this idea (along with a lot of other good ideas and great money-saving wedding tips) at Gingerbread Snowflakes. Great Ideas for Budget Weddings

Rhinestone Monogrammed Bouquet Wrap: $2

I found this fun DIY bouquet wrap idea and I just knew you could do it on a dollar store budget. Dollar Store Craft-ize this project with those rhinestone monograms they have in the crafts section at Dollar Tree – just cut the dollar store monogram into individual stones to set in the shape you want. Check out this project for more info on this rhinestone technique. Make a Rhinestone Monogrammed Bouquet Wrap at Crafts Unleashed.

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Over at the Dollar Store Crafts Facebook page, reader Erika asked for decoration ideas: I am planning a victorian style tea party for my daughters 4th birthday. I have already started on the goodie bags which currently include a white woven purse, pearl necklace/bracelet/earings set. Flimsy straw like hats (I still need to glue the flowers to them). I still need to pick up boas and scarfs. Any ideas on the decorations? I have lots of silk flowers and the table clothes already.

My quick decoration ideas:

• Silhouettes (this would also be a fun activity idea for the party-goers–make their silhouettes)
  • I also like these Hats of Victoria silhouette pictures at CraftyNest
• Check the wedding section at the dollar store for lacy doilies and other frilly white stuff
• Make two-layer gathered streamers out of white and/or pink
• Victorian cones (another fun activity idea)

Your turn, readers!

The post Call for Ideas: Victorian Tea Party appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Here’s another question for everyone to brainstorm about!

I’m doing a Mother/Daughter tea for my work and am short on money. I was wondering if you had any idea on how to decorate. So far, I have white tablecloths (I wanted pink overlays, but apparently they don’t exist) and white and pink carnations (donated). I was thinking more pink than anything. Any thoughts? It’s next month and I realized I don’t have all this figured out yet!

Thank you so much!

Heather

Thanks for your email, Heather! Here are my ideas:

Burlap: this is a pretty hot decorator item right now, and the best part about it is that it’s super inexpensive! Ways to use it:

• Get a few yards of burlap and cut it into narrow table runners to go down the center of the tablecloths
• Use it to make pretty paper towel flowers (with a general pink color scheme)
• Get some smallish white frames at the dollar store, frame some burlap and a pink flower
• You can also spray paint the burlap pink and use it any way you want

Speaking of Spray Paint: This is a quick and cheap way to makeover anything, including dollar store or thrift store knick knacks for table decorations.

Ask Around: If you know a few people who are coming, you could ask them to lend you their tea sets. Pretty tea sets are great table decorations in themselves!

At the Dollar Store:

• Paper doilies
• Pink rose petals (in the wedding section)
• Pink ribbon
• Vases
• Faux flowers

Okay, that should get you started. Readers, please chime in with your good ideas!

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