We always put so much pressure on ourselves to throw the perfect party, even though all our babes really need is some birthday cake and a few friends and they are as happy as Larry.
Since becoming a mum I have noticed even more the huge waste associated with birthday parties. Beautiful balloon banners and brightly coloured toys, which unfortunately end up in the bin a few short days later.
For my daughter Lenny's 2nd birthday I was adamant to make her party waste free (or as waste free as possible), I also wanted to make things that we could reuse later for other parties or events, or even just to use in Lenny's bedroom. If you are a crafty person like me, you will find this a breeze. It is something creative to do at night in front of the tv. I wanted to share the below ideas as it is as simple as finding old material around the house and getting out that sewing kit or glue gun. It is also cheap but fun to create.
Here is a pic of her birthday cake from the party, which I somehow MADE MYSELF. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. Ahhh Bingo, that is a face I see too much of!
Plastic-free decorations - bunting!
This was so easy to make and you can use any material you have lying around the house. I used felt for the triangle bunting and paper/material I had from flower bouquets I received over the years. For the triangle bunting, I cut the felt into triangles and then used a glue gun to attach them to the string. For the streamer bunting I just ripped the paper/material into pieces and tied each piece to string. I can see us using these for years to come!
Plastic-free party hat - crown!
I wanted Lenny to wear something fun for her party and decided very last minute to make a crown for her to wear. I used felt (in two colours) for the crown shape and some lace and ribbon I had lying around. Now I am no sewing wizz and I found this relatively easy. I just drew a crown shape on one of the pieces of felt, cut out both colours and stitched around the edge leaving a gap at one end to turn it inside out. I used the lace around the bottom to hide the ribbon sewn in to hold the crown to Lenny's head. Simple! And really cute, she loved wearing her crown.
Plastic-free lolly bags!
Now what party doesn't have lolly bags? This is one of my fondest memories when going to parties as a kid (I was a bit food obsessed, still am!). These were so fun to make and they were a hit at the party. All you need is some paper bags, ribbon or pegs to hold them together and some greenery or flowers. I am a sucker for dried flowers and foliage, I have a big basket of it that I have collected over the years. We are also lucky enough to have a great bulk food place a few suburbs away that sells chocolate and dried fruit which I filled the bags with.
Plastic-free cake decorations!
Pretty toppings on cakes don't need to be plastic either. Here is a pic of the birthday cake I made Lenny on her actual birthday using cute things I had around the house like dried orange slices (for my margaritas) and dried flowers. Topped off with some natural beeswax candles (which you can buy from our store) and voilà!
Parties don't need to be overwhelming! They don't need to be expensive either. That is the great thing about making homemade - it is great for the planet and your wallet. I had great fun adding a personal touch to my daughter Lenny's party while trying to reduce waste at the same time. Win and win! x