I will never be the hostess with the mostest, and I’m OK with that. You won’t see any beautifully arranged parties the likes of which my friends Kirstin and Stef can throw. But I love to have people over. And I love fun and budget minded. So for Tater and Bean’s joint birthday party this year, we threw them a cardboard birthday party.
What is a cardboard party? Well, my guests wondered too, when all I warned them was to let their kids wear play clothes they could get dirty.
Basically we turned our back yard into a maze of cardboard tunnels, and then set out some (washable) paint, and then the parents sat on the porch and let the kids have at it for two hours. They had fun, we got to talk, and it was a win for everyone.
And budget wise it can’t be beat – we didn’t pay for a single box. If you have a Craiglist in your area, scour the Free Stuff section on Sundays and Mondays – people who have moved over the weekend give their boxes away. It’s awesome.
For larger boxes, we drove around a few new construction neighborhoods, where contractors put the appliance boxes out on the curb. Also free.
Low cost fun – I’ll take it over a printable party that would look gorgeous and totally stress me out.
Have a great weekend; I’ll be back and ready to go for Kids Clothing Week next week.
Claire Cooper
What a great idea. My kids used to love playing the cardboard boxes when we’d had something new.
Katie
What a fabulous idea! I may steal this for my kids’ birthday party next month.
Rachel
how clever! and not to mention smart to get all the leftover boxes for free from movers!
Joelle (Jewels)
That. is. awesome!
Ajaire
I love this! My girl has been playing with the giant box from our new toilet all week. It’s been colored on and had windows cut out and appears to be her favorite toy ever. So amazing.