Do It Yourself New Year's Party Favors

Making Your Own New Year's Party Favors

New Year's Eve is a time of fun and celebration with our friends and families.  In other words, it's time to party!  And what's a party without party favors?

New Year's party favors are easy to find at your local party or discount store.  But why give out the same old favors everyone else is giving when you can create your own unique ones?  Whether you make elaborate crafts or put together simple goodie bags, your guests will appreciate the effort you've put into them.  Here are a few favors that will put a smile on your guests' faces.

* Handmade party hats - Those kooky little party hats are a New Year's Eve staple that it's easy to make yourself.  All you need is some card stock, glue, a hole punch, and elastic.  Simply roll the paper into a cone shape, glue the seam, and cut off the excess paper to make the bottom of the hat even.  Then punch a hole on each side, run a piece of elastic through, and tie at each end.  You can customize the hats with streamers, paint, stamps and other embellishments.

* Party in a bag - Goodie bags are great for any occasion, but a New Year's Eve party bag includes everything your guests need to celebrate.  Place a blowout or noisemaker (or both), a small baggie of confetti, and some treats into a small, brightly colored gift bag.  Add some shiny filler and you have a fun favor that your guests will have a blast with.

* Fortune cookies - At a time when everyone is excited about the coming year, fortune cookies make a perfect party favor.  You don't have to buy ready-made ones, though.  You can find recipes online and make your own.  If you'd rather not try your hand at the real thing, you can easily make paper ones.  Just cut some decorative paper into a circle, fold in half, pull the edges down to meet and secure with glue.  Write fortunes on small strips of paper and place inside the real or fake cookies.

* Beaded necklaces - Party beads make great New Year's party favors, and it's a cinch to make these beaded necklaces.  Just get some elastic string or fishing line and lots of colorful beads, cut long pieces of the string or line, and string the beads on.  Tie the ends together when you're done, trim the excess, and add a drop of glue to secure the knot.

New Year's Eve is always a night to remember, and you can make it even more memorable for your party guests with unique handmade favors.  These simple projects will help them ring in the New Year with flair.

New Year's Eve Budget Party Ideas

New Year's Eve  Party Ideas

After the hubbub of Thanksgiving and Christmas you may not really want to think about New Year’s Eve. However, the holiday will arrive and you want to celebrate the changing of the calendar. Use these New Year’s Eve budget party ideas so you don’t destroy your already stretched budget.

You may not be able to travel to Time’s Square to watch the New Year ball drop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the holiday in style. Ask friends and family to join you at your home to watch the live television broadcast. You’ll be much warmer and will have everything you need right at hand.

Decide on a budget for your party. You don’t need to spend a great deal of money to have some friends and family over. If you let those attending help supply some of the party’s needs, it can drastically reduce how much your party costs.

Ask everyone on your list to help with the food and beverages. You may think it seems ungenerous to have a pot luck New Year’s Eve party, but it’s a great way to have a party on a budget. Everyone else just celebrated Christmas, too, so they will probably be more than happy to chip in.

Disposable plates, glasses and silverware may seem ‘cheap’ but who wants to spend January 1 washing a ton of dirty dishes? You can find holiday and plain party items at most dollar stores and the price is low enough not to break your budget. Be sure to get at least twice as many as you think you’ll need so people can go back to the food table for seconds.

Avoid the concerns about too much drinking for the holiday by inviting friends with children. This will give everyone permission not to drink and you’ll know there won’t be a problem when they go home. Of course, you may want to have sparkling cider on hand to at least give the impression that you’re having champagne when midnight comes.

Break out the board games while you’re waiting to ring in the New Year. Set up several games on different tables throughout the home. This will give everyone a couple of choices of games to play. If your guests have children, ensure you have children’s games for them to play as well.

Choose simple decorations. Fancy balloons and streamers are all fine and dandy if you have the money for them, but they’re really not necessary. Make a “Happy New Year” sign on your computer or don’t have decorations at all. It’s not likely anyone will complain because there were no decorations.

Of course, if you’re really concerned about your budget, you can have a simple New Year’s Eve party at home with your own family. Watch a movie until midnight and then go on to bed. You could also go to bed early and sleep through the changing of the year. There’s nothing that says it must be celebrated in a particular way. Find something that meets your needs and enjoy.

These New Year’s Eve budget party ideas are pretty universal. You can enjoy friends and family without having to go broke. Set a budget and stick to it. Ask your guests to bring something to share. Don’t serve alcohol. These simple ideas will keep every party you throw be fun without your having to worry about the cost.