A Great Day to be a Kid - $1.41 DIY Activity Bags

When super excited, I relax my Midwest sensibility and default to West Coast vernacular. Forgive me, but to properly start I can't help saying...

DUDES! 

The DIY project I'm about to share was hands down the most fun, affordable and quick to assemble. I'm talking about providing entertainment for the 20 or so children we expect as guests. 


A few Bees from past generations shared their cute ideas for kiddie activity bags, including Mrs. Lox, Mrs. Toucan and Mrs. Martini. For ours, I'll begin with the price.


I spent $34 to create 24 of these fun little surprises. Yay for the budget! No lie, each completed bag cost a whopping $1.41 each. That's right, one dollar and forty-one cents. Can you even get a cup of Starbucks drip coffee for that price?

Easy peasy and cute to boot!

Inspiration struck while browsing Michael's last week. They have an aisle of "Fun Finds" that were on sale for 70% off. Most of these party favor toys retail for $1 and I looked for packages with multiples to stretch my 30 cents to the max. I love a bargain!

Sunglasses 2pk = 15 cents per pair

Couldn't resist testing them out. What can I say? It was a late night.

3-D puzzles, 6 per box. I broke them up and put 3 different puzzles in a bag = 15 cents each

Kazoos. I love it when kids make noise! 4 pk = 8 cents each

Activity books, 6pk = 5 cents each

Sticker books, 12 pages per book. On clearance for 79 cents = 7 cents a sheet

64 crayon box for $1 = 2 cents each

Smaller sized kraft bags, $4.99 for 13 = 42 cents each

Notice Ollie in the background inspecting my assembly. He's an excellent supervisor, just ask him. And the surfboard in the background is actually wedding related. You'll have to wait until my next post to hear about that...

Back to the bags, we're almost finished. A quick stop to the Dollar Tree rounded out the loot.

Krazy Straws, 6pk = 17 cents

Mini pinball games, 8pk = 13 cents each

(I neglected to take a photo, oops)

Cinnamon graham crackers, 6pk = 17 cents each

Token photo of furry cuteness, Ollie feels neglected!

Mr. Hot Tea and I come from extended Filipino families, which meant that an adults-only reception was never an option for us. Kids actually make up 10% of the guest list. I'm happy to be able to provide them with an unexpected present to keep their attention occupied (at least through dinner) and hopefully avoid any early munchkin meltdowns.


Were kiddie activity bags part of your DIY project list? Maybe you're contemplating adding them now? Feel free to share your enthusiasm or at least tell me you're running to Michael's to scour the Fun Find bins. Happy hunting!

Meet the Teacups

Hello again Hive, I’d first like to introduce you to my amazing fiancé. A self-proclaimed surf junkie, Mr. Hot Tea feels most at home in the water. While on vacay, locals and tourists alike are impressed with his surf-ability. Check him out at one of his favorite spots in Cabo:

* personal photo *

He’s been surfing for almost 25 years and has at least 50 more in him! That would put him over 90 years old, and I know he'll get there because longevity runs in his family.  When he’s not on a surfboard or planning his next warm water trip, Mr. Hot Tea loves Cowboys football, poker with the boys and a good round of golf. Hot Tea Fun facts: 1) he’s never made the surfing pilgrimage to Hawaii and 2) although he’s never owned a dog, he has a strange affinity for all things beagle.  He says it’s because Uno the Beagle won ‘Best in Show’ in the 2008 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and I say it's a little weird. We all have our quirks, I guess.

This one’s for Mr. Hot Tea:

Image via www.whynotad.com

The next member of our family is our fuzzy feline friend Ollie the Cat. He loves to sleep, eat breakfast at 6am, and snuggle. We have thousands of photos of this looker, and it goes without saying that he is VERY spoiled. He is also very terrible at hiding...

* personal photo collage *

Last but not least, there’s me, Miss Teacup. I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as girly girl after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the federal government. 

* personal photo *

My favorite hobby is sleep, which makes me an obvious choice as Ollie’s snuggle buddy, but less so for making his breakfast. An introvert in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to undo 34 years of Type A conditioning.

I’m also over-analytical, which is great for researching and compiling information (google search - heeyy!) but less so for decision making -- hence the reason wedding planning is such an overwhelming task for me. Thank goodness for Mr. Hot Tea! He makes decisions when I cannot and takes wedding tasks off my list with a cheerful heart. I’m a lucky girl! He also has the patience of a saint...teaching me to surf is no picnic, but at least I look the part:

* personal photo *

My vision for our wedding would be Tiffany and Kate Spade meet Martha Stewart for a beachy fun day in Santa Cruz. When I asked Mr. Hot Tea to describe our wedding in 5 words, he came back with ‘I love my Teacup forever.’ Do you see why I'm marrying this man?! He also wants our wedding to be fun-filled festivities with family and friends.

Mr. Hot Tea is a cradle Catholic and I am a recently baptized convert. Though our spiritual experience vastly differs, we support and encourage each other's faith and attend Mass together regularly. Our ceremony will take place in the church where his parents were married, his father and grandfather are buried, and we have joined as parishioners. The church rests in the valley of the Santa Cruz mountains, and its charismatic and joyful priest solidified our choice to get married there.

Our full Catholic mass wedding will include the Filipino veil, cord, and coin ceremonies. We also plan to give our parents Hawaiian flower leis as a symbol of honor and respect.

The historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk serves as our reception site and I can’t wait to take photos on the roller coaster! I’ll also dance a wedding hula choreographed especially for my groom.

I'm constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials and invite you to peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller-coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required!

Image via www.mercurynews.com / 

Photo credit Santa Cruz County CVC - Mark Barnes

Whew, that's a lot of info to digest! Not to worry, we'll slow things down over a cup or two going forward.

How about you? I'm excited to get to know you all better! What common ground do you share with us?