Getting Festive + DIY Party Favor Wreath

03 Dec Getting Festive + DIY Party Favor Wreath

I will confess, it is December, and we still have pumpkins over here.  It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until we have our tree, and well, we don’t have it yet.  Soon though, soon!

The kids are itching to decorate, and they have also been asking to have some friends over for a hot chocolate party.  I told them they could make a few invitations (which turned into them making ornaments) after we put together a party favor wreath for their guests.  I had this idea, and I thought it would be a cute little project.  Side Note: My curly top’s little smile here warms my heart.

I originally wanted to use a real wreath, but I got to thinking it may be prickly for little fingers trying to get the toys.  So I pulled out this pom pom wreath and decided to give it a little flair.

I gathered some elastic I had in holiday colors and went to work.

Using the wide gold elastic first, I tied it in a knot on the back of the wreath,

and then wrapped it around, making sure it was pretty snug.

At this point, I took stock of all the cute little Christmas favors I had.  Jingle bells, holiday spin tops, reindeer kazoos, plush elves, plush snowbirds, peppermint candy yo-yos, bendable elves, red pinwheels and little slinky toys.  (Those plush elves are my favorite, more on them in a sec.)

I decided to put the large snowbirds in first using the wide elastic to hold them in.

Then I wrapped the red and green elastic around the wreath and added the rest of the toys.

My kids were pretty enamored with the idea.  They liked their buddies being able to pick what they want, and I thought it turned out darling!  I figured I could have cute little bags available for people to put their goodies in once they chose their favorite two or three.

We will add more Christmas decor to the playroom in the next week or do, but I think their wreath and elf garland is a good start.

Those little elves I mentioned earlier have velcro on their hands so they interlock together.  They are super adorable!

And now for a bit of motherly sentimentality…

I love this next set of images because they demonstrate my oldest daughter’s focus on her work.  She is so diligent when it comes to her creations, and she loved using these bells to make a “jingle necklace”.

Life has changed so much since my babies were newborn, 1, 2, and 3.  (which was when I started writing)  My youngest recently turned four, and each year brings sweet new adventures, but it hurts a little, too.  These baby years have been challenging, but they have been dear, so dear.

My youngest still has dimples in her hands though so thank goodness for that!  There’s still a little bit of baby in our house.

These little projects and times in the playroom are sweet memories for me.  Obviously, I was taking photos during this one 😉 , but I have a creative group, and we are often sitting at this little table painting or crafting in some way.

Yeah, they are sweet, but they are pretty goofy, too.

Oh, and by the way, I don’t think I have ever really talked about the playroom before.  We recently made some changes in here (hello green stripe!).  I will write a more detailed post about it at some point.  I’m loving how the stripe made the ceiling almost look like a barrel ceiling.

Hope you’re enjoying your week!

PS – I just noticed I have some lemons that need to be picked!

*Special thanks to Oriental Trading Company for providing the materials to make the wreath and sponsoring this post.