Before they become shoe-a-holics, girls are often bag-a-holics. Probably because they hold stuff to take that stuff places, they like bags in different sizes and different styles. So personalizing their own bag makes a marvelous birthday party crafts activity and take home party favors for kids age 9 to 10 and preteens.
You can find bags at a very affordable price on line- just be careful about minimum quantities to qualify for the low prices. cheaptotes.com has no minimum quantity requirement (as of this writing), and a nice selection of totes to choose from, although the natural colored canvas one would be the easiest for the girls to decorate.
A trip to your local craft store for fabric paints and/or markers, sequins, ribbons, craft glue and anything else you can find will provide the raw materials for personalizing. Depending on the girls’ age, you might choose to write each guests name on a bag for them if getting the text to look good is an issue. They can then decorate around the name.
It’s always best to make yourself one ahead of time to give the kids ideas about how to decorate their own totes.
Here’s a good tip I found somewhere on line: wash the totes before they’re decorated so the kids’ artwork doesn’t get ruined when the bags get dirty and need a wash, and then shrink.
As with any good craft, a prettily decorated tote made by one friend for another also makes a lovely birthday gift. The best birthday party crafts do double duty as unique take home party favors.
