3.03.2012

A Party Favor

A few days ago my next door neighbor emailed me asking for a favor.  Now I need to tell you, my next door neighbor is awesome.  I totally won the next-door-neighbor lottery.  If she ever moves, I'm going to sell my house and follow her.  (Because that's not at all creepy...)

But as I was saying... she emailed with a favor.  She wanted to know if I could help her brainstorm ideas for her four-year-old daughter's birthday party.  Now this is the kind of thing that I frequently offer to do for people and I am always thrilled when they realize I'm serious and take me up on it.  As it happened, I had recently seen something on Pinterest that I was dying to try.

Image from Pinterest via http://blog.celebratethebigandsmall.com
PINNERS: If you would like to pin THIS image PLEASE pin it from the site I've linked to above.
The rest of the images in this post are mine and can be pinned from my blog
but I want her to get credit for her image.
THANK YOU!

The idea was initially pinned from here and she was apparently inspired by this.  It's called a "Punch Box" and it's a great alternative to a pinata.  (Four-year-olds with big sticks can be a little scary sometimes.)  Instead of beating on a pinata with a stick, each child punches through one of the pretty colored circles in order to grab the prize inside.  

I set out to make one using some guidance from the originators plus a few of my own ideas.  I also decided to document the process with the intention of doing a tutorial.  It's my first one, so bear with me.  

I started by gathering up some supplies.  I was really lucky in that I had almost everything I needed in my garage.  The most important item (which I forgot to photograph) was the box.  I got my husband a bike rack for Christmas and he had been meaning to disassemble the box it came in for awhile.  I'm glad he didn't.

The first thing I did were some rough measurements of the box.  


I knew I wanted ten circles.  I debated whether line them up or to put them in a random pattern.  I decided to go with the lines.  Ultimately I used my circle cutter to make a template from a brown paper bag.  This helped me plan out the spacing.





Then I used the circle cutter to score the box.
(You can buy your own circle cutter here.)
Sorry about the dark pictures.



My intention was actually to cut the box with the circle cutter but the cardboard was too thick.  So I ended up making the actual cuts with a box cutter:


As you can see, the cuts weren't perfect, but I decided the four-year-olds wouldn't notice.  ;)


I had to take the box apart to do this.  Other bloggers made their own boxes.  
I just took mine apart and then reassembled it.


Then I needed to attach tissue paper to the back of each hole.  At first I tried staples, but they went all the way through to the front of the box and I decided that they might cut one of the children.  Can you see all those little holes?  Yeah, so could I.  Kind of a bummer but I decided not to freak out about it.  


So I turned to my good friend hot glue.  And scotch tape.  Here's a picture of the covered holes:



And here's how they looked from the front.  I used old tissue from my garage-area wrapping station so it's a little rumply-looking:


Pretty cool, huh?  At this point I had already glued on these:


Again, that's a crummy picture, but the letters are called "Twinkle Type," and I had a box of them in my garage.  They were originally purchased at Michael's.  I decided to add them because I thought the middle of the box needed a little extra somethin'-somethin'

Then I flipped the box an added toys on top of each piece of tissue:


  
After that, I took paper bags and cut them like so:


And I taped a bag over each toy.  (Why I didn't think of masking tape for the tissue paper is beyond me..)


It was a hot mess back there with all that tape.  Kind of like a sausage factory; you really don't want to know what's going on inside.  


Finally I reassembled the box using packing tape.  (The one thing I didn't have; fortunately my neighbor did.)


And here is the finished product:


Unfortunately we couldn't make the party but I heard it was a hit.  Here's what remains of the box.  I think I can reuse it:


Please let me know if you attempt one; I'd love to see your pictures!


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72 comments

  1. You did a great job! :)

    I also saw this on pinterest and plan on making one for my son's birthday party.
    Thanks for showing us how you made it... definitely a big help!

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  2. This is FANTASTIC!!!!
    You did a great job - and are "my kind" of crafter = a hot glue girl!

    I love it... and would also love you to link this idea up to my party linky! (in my sidebar)
    THANKS for linking; always nice to "meet" another party-nut!!

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  3. Thanks, guys! I was really happy with the way it turned out :)

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  4. amazing idea! i may have to use this for Q's birthday this summer!!

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  5. Oh! Please send me a picture if you do. I'd love to see it!

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  6. I can only imagine how much the kids loved this. It's great that you can reuse it, too.

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  7. So awesome I just might try this myself... going to pin you!

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  8. Thank you! People really seemed to enjoy it according to my neighbor :) And if you make one, please send me a picture; I'd love to see it!

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  9. Great idea, I have a 3 year old birthday coming up and I think I can substitute this for the pinata:)

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  10. This is such a creative idea. I would love for you to stop by and Link up at my Link Party via: www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

    PS: I am your newest Linky Follower!

    Mrs. Delightful
    www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

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  11. Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday - you were featured today!
    Mandy, www.SugarBeeCrafts.com

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  12. Such a cute idea! I'd love to have you link this up to my party at http://scrapbookingez.blogspot.com/2012/03/anything-goes-linky-party.html. Thanks for sharing this!

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  13. Thanks! I went ahead and linked up :)

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  14. What an adorable idea! I've seen that on pinterest too. It looks like a lot of fun! Megan

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  15. That's a really cool idea especially for toddlers.

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  16. Umm... pinning this immediately!! Thank you so much for sharing this week at my party. Just LOVE this idea!

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  17. Just pinned this. I love it. I will definitely do this for one of our future parties. Thanks for the great explanation.

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  18. Fabulously FUN!! Any kiddo would love this party 'game.' Thanks SO much for linking up!
    igottacreate.blogspot.com
    "Kiss Me I'm Irish" linky party now open!

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  19. Omg! How fun! I know my kids would lov this! I would love for you to stop by and link to my Sew Crafty Saturday Party!

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  20. So cute, I love it! I think I'll pin this to use for my toddler's next birthday. Thanks for linking up @ the Delectable Home.

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  21. Great first tutorial! I LOVE this! Four year olds aren't the only age dangerous with a stick. This is a fantastic alternative. I would love it if you would consider linking to Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy, a Monday through Thursday link party for ideas that make life easier, better and more fun!

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  22. Thank you, Charlene! It will be my pleasure to link up :)

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  23. This is an awesome project! Great job! And you're tutorial is easy to follow. I'm so glad you linked up Etcetorize! Thanks~

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  24. Thanks so much for linking your party box on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! Hope to see you again soon – the links are open

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  25. I just had to see what you linked on the party and holy moly girl ... I love it! I will have to keep this idea in mind for my grand babies. They would love it! Thanks for linking up @Joy2Journey.
    Hugs,
    Bj

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  26. This is so much fun, and even though it's a little intensive up front, I bet it's easy to reuse. Definitely pinning to my "Someday, baby" board. :-)

    Great job, and thanks for linking up with the Winter Pinterest Challenge!

    Erin @ The Great Indoors

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  27. How fun! I am pinning this for a good, hot summer day when we need to stay in the AC activity! Thanks for sharing at Handmade Tuesdays.

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  28. Oh I love this idea and your tutorial was great. Nobody would know it was your first. :)

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  29. By the way, Pinterest went crazy for your punch box. It got a ton of repins almost immediately. :-)

    http://pinterest.com/pin/257549672410342829/

    Erin @ The Great Indoors

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  30. great project, thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

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  31. What a cute idea! You did a great job on this; I'm sure it was a lot of fun for the kiddos.

    (Visiting from Feature Yourself Friday)

    Aramelle {One Wheeler's World}
    http://the-wheeler-family.net/onewheelersworld

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  32. How awesome! you are so lucky to have a cool neighbor like that. Thanks for sharing with the newbie party.

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  33. This is such a darling idea! I bet the girls has so much fun! YOU get the neighbor-of-the-year award!
    So happy to stop by!
    Yvonne

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  34. Thanks, Yvonne! I look forward to stopping by your blog as well :)

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  35. Ok so you are the punch box lady. I saw this a few weeks ago and LOVED it. You must have party planning in your blood. I wish you were my neighbor.

    the hedgehog lady @ whilewearingheels.blogspot.com

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  36. So cute!I am going to do this one for my little guys birthday next week. I'll post pictures up once I am done!

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  37. I wish you were my neighbor! What a fun idea:)

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  38. awesome idea! my niece is doing a little mermaid theme party so instead of circles, i cut out really round fish on a painted blue background. it looks great, and i'm so excited to have her and her friends "catch the prize of the day" at her party.

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  39. I am having my daughters 5th birthday party in 2 days and just learned we can't hang a pinata. This will totally save my party. thanks so much! I think I will make the circles in the shape of a number 5! Thanks for the good idea.

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  40. THIS IS AN AWESOME IDEA! MY GRANDSON IS HAVING A BIRTHDAY NEXT SATURDAY & AM GOIN TO RUSH TO MAKE ONE. WE ALWAYS HAVE AN ISSUE FINDING A PLACE TO HANG OUR PINATAS & THIS WILL SAVE THE DAY!! YOU ARE AWESOME!

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    Replies
    1. I 4GOT TO ASK SO YOU KEEP THE BOX INTACT OR JUST USE THE FRONT?

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    2. I'm so glad you like it! I opened the box up, did what I needed to do, and then reassembled it.

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    3. WONDERFUL I WILL POST A PIC AM NEW TO THIS SO WISH ME LUCK YALL!

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  41. I have a picture of mine...how do I send it to you? I made it out of a science project presentation board.

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    Replies
    1. Email it to acasarella.net. I would LOVE to see it!

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  42. This is such an awesome idea! We are having a pirate themed party soon and I think our box will be in the shape of the side of a ship and the holes cannon ball holes!

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    Replies
    1. That sounds fabulous! Definitely send me a picture when you're done and I'll post it on my FB page!

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  43. This would make a great Advent calendar for kids at Christmas or Hannukah. Will do this next year with special gifts I've picked up throughout the year. Thanks for the idea!!!

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    Replies
    1. A number of people have written to say that they will be making one as an Advent calendar. :)

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  44. THanks for the idea. I did one for my daughter's Carnival Party. I used it in combination with a Plinko board for a fun game for the kids. They loved it. Pics on my blog.

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  45. I decided to look through your blog and took a look at this project...It's a wonderful alternative to a Pinata on so many levels! Love this idea!

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  46. I'm the Editorial Assistant for Fun Family Crafts and I wanted to let you know that we have featured your punch box! You can see it here:

    http://funfamilycrafts.com/punch-box/

    If you have other kid friendly crafts, we'd love it if you would submit them. If you would like to display a featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above. Thanks for a wonderful project idea!

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  47. I am in the process of making this right now! :) thank you

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  48. Thanks for pinning this!! My son has always wanted a pianata for his birthday but he was born in February so not so easy to have one inside and this would b perfect. Not sure how a bunch of 8 yr olds will feel about it but we will find out!!

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  49. I just featured this darling party idea in a series on my called "My Favorite 5 Pins". So creative!!
    http://www.bddesignblog.com/2013/09/my-favorite-5-pins-week-35.html

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  50. Thanks so much for posting this. It was a huge success at my son's first birthday party!

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  51. Thanks so much for posting this. It was a huge success at my son's first birthday party!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad he liked it. Just yesterday I attended the birthday of the little girl I originally made this for. She still talks about it!

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  53. I just made one for my son's first birthday party lorax theme I can't wait to see how the kids like it! Thanks for all the step by step tips!

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    Replies
    1. My pleasure! I just made one a few weeks ago for my daughter's tenth birthday and the kids went nut for it. I would love to see a picture of yours :)

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  54. Thanks for the tutorial!!! I want to make this for our son as a 'reward' box for doing his daily chores/routine. I don't think prizes need to be expensive....he's only 3 1/2, but the element of surprise will hopefully keep him motivated to do what he's supposed to. have a great day!!!

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    Replies
    1. Monica, the prizes definitely do NOT need to be expensive! I have a tween and a teen and they can still be motivated by tiny things like temporary tattoos ;)

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  55. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  56. I agree this is great! Out of curiosity, did you organize a game around it or did you just ask the kids to go on a line and pick a spot to punch?

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    Replies
    1. I actually made the game for my neighbor's daughter's birthday party which I was unable to attend so I'm not sure how they did it.

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