My daughter is turning double digits and I wanted to do something memorable for her and her BFF. We opted out of all the big birthday celebrations this year because Momma Bear just needed a break. The hardest part was finding what to do with them that they hadn’t done already.
After lots of online surfing and keeping their hobbies in mind, I planned the perfect little girl birthday play date that was fitting for two 10 year olds. Both girls are avid book worms. They spend their time sharing chapter books, discussing the newest novel that is coming out and reading side by side. It’s absolutely darling, I tell you!
Well, it just so happens that her birthday coincided with the opening of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. We went to see the movie followed by a late lunch at her favorite restaurant. Then I took the girls to Barnes and Nobles where they selected 2 books of their choice for the gift bag craft project that I had planned back at the house. I really had to drag the girls out of there.
Back at the house, I had a plain canvas tote bag for each of the girls plus stencils, iron-on appliqués, fabric markers, fabric paint and brushes with a sponge tip laid out on top of butcher paper to cover my breakfast table. The girls had free range to decorate their tote bag to hold the books that I purchased for them. This doubled as a party favor and tote to hold books for future trips to the library!
For the iron-on appliqués, an adult will need to help since the iron has to be on a very high setting. I usually browse the hobby stores to buy random appliqués that go on sale for a few cents each and save them for projects like these. You can also purchase a sheet of iron-on fabric and make your own shapes like the ones that the girls used here.
I cut up a cardboard gift box to put inside of the tote before the girls decorated it. This will prevent the ink from seeping all the way through the tote.
The girls had a BLAST doing this craft. We took a last-minute trip out to our favorite shaved ice place while the totes dried in front of a fan. It was a sweet ending to a fun-filled day. Happy birthday, honey. I hope it was the sweetest birthday you’ve ever had.
What a great idea for a party!
Thank you, Ann!
Such a wonderful idea and a great way to stimulate these curious minds!! The 10-year old me would have loved this!
Thank you, Jorien!