My idea for party favors started with a giant box of sidewalk chalk I got on clearance for $4. What kid doesn't love drawing with chalk? And what goes best with chalk? Chalkboards, of course.
I searched many stores for small, cheap chalkboards. Maybe they are out there somewhere, but I couldn't find any. No matter. I had lots of leftover chalkboard paint, so I just needed to find something to make chalkboards out of. My mom found some magnetic numbers at Dollar Tree that tied to the numbers theme, so I wanted the chalkboards to be magnetic as well.
I read a few tutorials about how to make small chalkboards using picture frames and sheet metal, but the whole thing just seemed like an ordeal, especially to make eight of them. So I hunted around the dollar store for something metal to turn into a chalkboard.
These 12" steel pizza pans fit the bill perfectly. Although they were cheap, they are sturdy and have no sharp edges. And magnets stick to steel. Obviously.
On the advice of the can of chalkboard paint, I primed the surface first with regular primer.
Then I gave them three thin coats of chalkboard paint. After they were dry and "seasoned" (rubbed with chalk and erased), they were looking pretty great! They don't look exclusively kiddish to me either. I think they could totally live in a kitchen or some other messagey place.
Out of the package, the number magnets were primary colors, but I spray painted them white because I have a slight aversion to primary colors when they are used together. And white suited my color scheme much better.
Once I had all of that done, my brain went to packaging. I got to thinking how nice it is when small toys have a container. And wondered how could I possibly give out small pieces to the kids without some form of containment for the moms. This led me to use some fabric and ribbon scraps to sew up some little drawstring bags.
To display them at the party, I scrounged this plastic crate in our basement that had divisions for file folders (I guess that's what it's for... it came with the house). It was bright blue, so I wrapped it with some polka dot wrapping paper from Target.
We also gave kids and adults a pair of soft pretzels from Gus' Pretzels. I think everyone went home happy!
More Numbers Birthday Party posts
