Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Little Girl Birthday Idea

We are in a season of lots of little birthday parties! I do keep a few gifts on hand from sales or good finds here and there. But, this past weekend - I had the idea of a fun gift for one of our little parties!

I made an apron using one of my girls aprons for a pattern. I just added a ruffle on the bottom and used ribbon for the ties.

Then, the girls picked out a cake mix, frosting and some muffin papers to include in the apron. I hope the birthday girl and her mom enjoy baking together!

I love to make presents pretty and remembered these fun gift wrapping supplies I had on hand - found at TJ Maxx. I love Paper Patisserie stuff - it is so cute!

Ok, what do you do for birthday parties? Do you set a dollar amount limit? Keep gifts on hand? Give something homemade? Would love to hear what you do for little birthday parties!

23 comments:

melissa said...

I don't have little girls...but I do have a question for you. I remember you mentioning in a birthday post that you don't have kids bring presents for your own kids. How is it then take gifts to others, or even for your kids, when they know they won't receive any gift in return (note: knowing that shouldn't be our goal as Christians, but how do you deal with it?)

LynnMarie said...

I tend to shop the dollar stores and have stuff on hand. But sometimes I find out that the little one has a started a collection of something (horses say) then I will look for something to add to there collection.

BTW Great gift for the little one.

Julie said...

I love this idea! Right now all the children in my life are boys, so I don't think it would go over too well, but I'm going to remember this one just in case a girl party comes up one day.

Mary Ann said...

We usually keep our gifts at a $5 limit. Obviously that won't go very far for a department store toy so I do a combination of homemade gifts, some gifts on hand and the dollar store. The gifts I keep on hand are mainly for our nieces and nephews as I can pick something up on sale that I know they'll like and we know we'll be giving gifts to them!

I have made apron gift sets similar to yours for little girls--always well-received! I mainly try to do books, homemade or consumable gifts. Most parents appreciate that! A simple homemade baked goodie like a large cookie(about 6 inch diameter) is always accepted eagerly by a young child! My nephew loves money(!) to put in his bank so a creative card with quarters or dimes(corresponding to how old he is) taped in to make a picture is always a hit.

Katy said...

Love the apron, Monica! I love how your creative mind works!

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Lovingly,
Katy :)

~katie~ said...

As always, your gifts are so full of thought, creativity, and love from the heart! Adorable, Monica! And to answer your questions at the bottom ~ a little of everything you mentioned!

Nikki @ Saving For A Rainy Day said...

What an absolutely adorable idea for a gift! I love this idea.
The $1 section at Michael's has the most adorable cupcake wrappers right now.I bought some very cute Mary Engelbreit one's along with some striped ones that say 'Reach for the Stars' on the bottom :)

Anonymous said...

Precious!! Great idea!!

angela said...

How sweet! I love this idea.

angie said...

I keep a stash of gifts for children and adults. They are found on clearance sales, yard sales, or "regifts". Then we usually add a homemade gift--something personalized is usually well received by little ones. If I make a clipboard or decorate a lap tray, I can use the theme of the party as a jumping off point. My kids add a handmade card or for new babies, I use the dedication page on a book as the card. Total cost for most gifts is around $5.

Unknown said...

So cute Monica! The little girl will love it I'm sure! I buy a gift around $5, make something and add some sort of treat.
Last summer I gave my neice an apron I made, a cupcake pretend play set and some treats. Also, at recent bridal shower I did dishcloths knitted by me, a muffin pan and a jarred cupcake mix.
Each has been very well recieved and didn't cost too much $$! =D

Season of Life said...

What a precious apron! I also keep a "gift closet" of items from sales, bulk purchases, etc. which comes in hand especially for those short notice needs {thank you gifts, welcome or get well}. I try to keep things that are practical or items that would work well in putting gift baskets together {candles, music CDS, devotionals, children's books, etc.}.

Homemade gifts are a favorite to receive {as they hold sweet memories of the love put into creating them}. Lovely package for the daughter AND Mom to enjoy...not to mention it encourages homemaking.

Blessings ~

Melissa said...

Cute apron! I buy things on clearance and put them away. There's usually always something in my "present closet" for such an occasion. One of these days Jane and I will start making things together. I would love to be more crafty for her sake, but not my own. Hee, hee!

Bonnie said...

2 of my favorite gifts to give little girls are a basket with fun shampoo, soap, a mesh scrubby thinga-ma-bob, hair brush and comb, and a lotion.

I also like to make a little purse and add a lipgloss (Bonniebelle), hand sanitizer, hairbow, pen and pad of paper. Fun "grown-up" things for little girls that can be done pretty cheaply.

Elaine said...

What an adorable idea. I keep a few gifts in my gift drawer and always have bags. I don't make many homemade but this idea is so cute for a little girl. I will definitely keep it in mind. Thank you for sharing.

Lisa @ Simply Things Family said...

I try to set my limit between $5 and $7. This isn't too hard if you purchase items with coupons and get stuff on clearance.
I try to stockpile, so I don't have to rush out and purchase a gift at the last minute.
I recently found girls devotionals on special at Family Christian for $5. They will make great confirmation gifts for this weekend.

Blissful & Domestic said...

What a beautiful idea and beautiful apron:>

American Home said...

This idea is so precious!Your blog is so refreshing!!
Blessings

Rachel said...

This is a great idea. We try to keep gifts in the $5 range. I usually go with things I've picked up inexpensively throughout the year. Some gifts that have gone over particularly well are little sets of decorated composition notebooks (with their name or initial and ribbons & scrapbook paper) and sets of socks, each one filled with a little treat and tied with a bow. The sock treats are usually things like matchbox cars, lip balm, pencils or crayons, quarters for the number of years they are turning, fruit snacks, and things like that. If I stock up on school supplies in the summer I have a good assortment of cheap things to choose from. Boys of boys especially seem to appreciate the sock gifts. :)

Elise said...

Tha is so adorable!!! I love to give handmade gifts, depending on the recipient. If I buy something, I like for it to be $10 or under.
LOVE that fabric, by the way!!
Elise

It's a Mom Thing said...

very cute idea and i think any little girl would love it! we usually spend $10 and most of the time give books.

no spring chicken said...

Love the apron!

One thing I've enjoyed doing for children's birthdays is to save oatmeal containers (the cylinder type) and cover them with pretty (or handsome) ;) contact paper. Very fun 'wrap' that serves as storage for small toys later!

Blessings, Debbie

Jodi said...

I LOVE this idea! Thank you so much for sharing such a creative gift!

I typically buy things on clearance and store them in bins until I have the opportunity to use them. And (shhh) I have been known to "re-gift" some baby clothes. :)