It’s been awhile since we’ve come up with dollar store crafty ideas for a party theme. You all have such great input. I have a good one for you today, so get your brainstorms ready! Reader Crista at the Dollar Store Crafts Facebook page asked for some help:
I am planning a Alice and wonderland Costume party for my soon to be 4 yr old in October and need ideas on how to do this inexpensively.
Tea Party: First thing I think of for an Alice in Wonderland theme is a mad tea party! Your 4 year-old is definitely old enough to enjoy a tea party (I have been doing small tea parties with my sons since they were 18 months old, and at about 2-1/2 they really get into it and are able to pour tea, etc.). If you already have a tea set and tea cups, then you’re halfway there. If you don’t, maybe a miniature tea set would be a good gift for your child.
Serving Tray: I love the serving tray shown above (found at Alice-In-Wonderland.net), made with plates, tea cups, and a teapot. You can easily make these using the instructions from the tiered serving tray, but use mismatched tea service stuff (find it at the thrift store).
Eat Me Cakes: Use the Twinkie Bon-Bon instructions to make adorable bite-sized cakes (just write “eat me” with a fine decorating tip or edible marker). I also like the Eat Me cakes at Sprinkle Bakes. You can also serve any kind of cupcake or cake and just put it on a paper doily marked “eat me.” You can get large packs of doilies in the wedding section of the dollar store. (I like this pretty pastel doily-dyeing project at Decor to Adore, too).
“Rabbit Ear” Headbands: I like these fashion-inspired headbands, and I think they’d be fun party favors for an Alice in Wonderland party. Find out how to make them at Chic Steals.
Additional Resources:
- Alice in Wonderland Ideas at One Pretty Thing
- Mad Tea Party ideas at Alice-in-Wonderland.net
Now it’s your turn! What are your great ideas for an Alice in Wonderland party?
11 Comments
javajump
I did an Alice in Wonderland party (I work at a library). Here’s the link to my post about games we played and what we ate. My age group was 4 to 10.
Look here:
http://textnjava.blogspot.com/2010/03/we-are-all-mad-here.html
Nichole
I don’t know if this is too much for four year olds or not, not being familiar with kids, but what about a craft project where they make their own card-people? A deck of cards, pipecleaners for the arms and legs, little felt heads (pre-cut beforehand) with googly eyes ?
if that’s too much, then –
They could color their own cheshire cat – Just draw a cheshire cat template out, copy and give them all crayons.
for decor/other foods — how about basic ‘tea’ sandwiches cut into hearts/diamonds etc. with cookie cutters? Put ‘drink me’ on the cups – either with a tag tied around, if possible, or just written on paper/plastic cups in sharpie.
Make the ‘talking’ flowers to decorate — either buy fabric flowers or make flowers using tissue paper/construction paper and decorate them with faces.
merangue toadstools as treats – there’s recipes all over the place for how to make them to decorate yule log cakes, but you could just make the mushrooms to serve as little cookies with the tea.
Tauni
What cute ideas…I especially love the tiered serving trays. So cute!!!
Bethany @ The Paper Pony
I made some really simple mushroom cake pops out of marshmallows, doughnut holes and red candy melts that would be cute for an Alice in Wonderland party.
http://mypaperpony.blogspot.com/2010/06/easy-marshmallow-mushroom-pops-smurfday.html
You could also make a simple arrow signs that say, “This Way” and “That Way”. And you could play croquet and paint your balls to look like hedgehogs (or use those spiky balls).
Crista
Oh my goodness thanks for all the ideas…. This was so totally her idea Upon asking her i was a little dumb struck and wasn’t even sure where to start love the hedge hog idea we have already bought a few flamingo’s to have a a decarations at a few yard sales she is so excited and wants for people to dress up but being 3 almost 4 wants to be the only Alice and we have done to the thrift store to get her costume since being born so close to Halloween the parties that we normal do is always Halloween themed and cant wait to have this tea party…… We have picked up some large playing cards form a discount party supply store for 1 dollar a piece to make a few costumes for her older cousins so any ideas on how to the red queen would be great
Satina
What about making little tiny treat/gift boxes out of old playing card decks (Queen of Hearts reference) that you’ve lost some cards from, or from the 2 for $1 decks I bought at my local dollar store. You could use the same technique that you use for making little gift boxes out of used Christmas cards. You could also punch holes and tie or ‘stitch’ them together at the sides to make little baskets. Either of these could be crafts done as part of the party itself.
Seul
Cheshire cat printable frame here:
http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-printables/article-848198-alice-in-wonderland-cheshire-cat-frame-t/
Edible teacups here:
http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-recipes/recipe-842698-edible-teacups–t/
Really good clip art here:
http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/
Also, can’t find the link but remember there was a woman who did an Alice party– my fav was the clipart of door handle that she put on her front door.
What a neat theme!
Krysten
Here is a design for a printable partyscape
http://www.clickableparty.com/products/alice-in-wonderland
Inexpensive and cute!
Best of luck…
Lauren
Pin the smile/tail on the chesire cat, lol. That’s all I can think of.
also, maybe if it’s a bunch of girls showing up, you could use checkered tea towels and make little aprons out of them for everyone if you’re going with the older version of alice.
Marsha
We did this party for my daughter last year. One thing that I didn’t see was we “painted the roses red.” I bought white artificial roses and used red paint. We did this activity on the back porch so it just got hosed off after the painting was over.
heather
Great idea, Marsha! Sounds like a lot of fun!