DIY Favors

Right now everything is CRAZY! But in a good way. I'm so sorry for not posting in awhile, but I'll try to make up for it. Last night I was looking at my calendar and realized my birthday is in just a few weeks, and I'm too busy to celebrate it! How sad... a Monday night get together with friends will have to suffice. Despite my inability to have a big party, they're all I can think about right now. Especially since I have 5 weddings on the books this summer and I'm playing a part in each. And really, what's a wedding other than an big party to celebrate love? In my opinion, that's the best kind of party. So, I've been perusing various themed favors, invitations, decorations, et cetera... and I love it. The best things that I've found are the DIY details. While it's far easier and less stressful to purchase tidbits for parties, everything just has that extra "oomph" when handmade. Here are some of the best things I found:

Photo courtesy of momomushy.blogspot.com

I'm a huge popcorn fan. The best is when you make a BIG batch of popcorn with an air popper and 

and put it all in a giant bag (I used to just use a garbage bag -while still sterile from the box of course!), pour in your ingredients, and shake it all up. Perfect for a party. And just look at this crafty little wonder of a favor! I suppose it doesn't have to be a popcorn bag, you can print whatever you'd like. But how great are these! At momomushy.blogspot.com you can find a tutorial on how to make these Printable Popcorn Bags. 

Photo courtesy of marthastewartweddings.com

Good ol' Martha Stewart. She never fails to make me feel incredibly lazy. Follow this link to see a whole slide show on her site about using "Favors as Centerpieces." You can do this for weddings, tea parties (I'm far overdue for one...) showers, etc. It takes care of two things at once and allows the guests to interact with the decorations. My favorite idea is to have flowers, herbs, or saplings as the centerpieces so your guests can take home something that will live on and last far longer than just the event. 

Uhmmmmm.... this WILL be happening at my wedding. These are sweeping the nation as a party sensation because, let's be honest, a candy buffet = AMAZINGNESS. I'm pretty sure that I would actually be quite content creating a candy buffet any chance I get because they are so beautiful while playing into that "kid in a candy shoppe" fantasy. Just look at the possibilities!

Yummmmmm... my favorite thing about candy buffets is that you can get (or make if you're so ambitious) candy in any color combination you want. Fabulous. 

Back to Martha Stewart. This woman is unstoppable. I know that she has a whole crew of crafters to help her, but... I'm still amazed by her. Who would have thought you could make a chandelier out of doilies?? I had no idea. But this will probably be something featured in an upcoming blog. Here's the tutorial - SO SIMPLE! And the result is so pretty...

Well, I am ready to plan a party for 300. How about you? =) Let me know if you have any other DIY party favor/decor ideas, I'd love to see them! Especially since this is my current obsession...