How to Make Free Baby Shower Favors

If you are planning a baby shower on a budget for a family member or friend, you will want to create favors that will not break the bank. Make free baby shower favors or those that are nearly free, by using items you already have and everyday household trash. Making favors for a baby shower should not have you stressed. Favors are simply a small thank-you of appreciation for your guests' attendance. Keep them cute, simple, and budget friendly.

Things You'll Need

• Baby food jars
• Household sponge
• Pastel acrylic paints
• White acrylic paint
• Resealable bag, gallon size
• Epsom salts
• Food coloring
• Rose-scented essential oil
• Ruler
• 1/4-inch wide satin ribbon, pastel colors
• Scissors
• Hot-glue gun
• Buttons
• Jello box, 3-ounce size
• Wallpaper, scrapbook paper, gift wrap, or old children's book pages
• Scotch tape
• Paper hole-punch
• Pipe cleaner, pastel color
• White tissue paper
• Small wrapped candies
• Tea light

Instructions

Baby Food Jar Bath Salts

1. Sponge-paint the outside of a baby food jar and the lid using an acrylic paint in a pastel color and a household sponge. Allow the paint to dry. Lightly sponge-paint over the top of the pastel color with white acrylic paint to give the paint finish an interesting cloud appearance. Leave the lid on the jar while painting. This will allow the lid to be removed and screwed back on without sticking.

2. Pour 2 cups of Epsom salts in a gallon-size resealable bag. Add 10 drops of red, blue, or green food coloring and 10 drops of rose essential oil. Close the bag and manipulate it to mix the salt, color, and oils. When you are satisfied with the mix, fill the painted baby food jars and replace the lid. A batch of bath salts will fill several jars.

3. Cut a 12-inch piece of 1/4-inch-wide satin ribbon in a pastel color. Tie the ribbon in a bow and trim the ends. Hot-glue the ribbon to the top of the lid. Hot glue a button to the knot of the bow.

Jello Box Tote

1. Cut away the flap on one end of a Jello box. Cut a piece of wallpaper, decorative scrapbook paper, gift wrap, or pages from an old children's book 5 inches wide by 8 inches long. Lay the paper face down on your work surface. Center the Jello box on the paper and wrap it as if you were wrapping a gift. Push the excess paper at the opening into the box and tape it in place.

2. Paper-punch a hole on each side of the box, a 1/2 inch below the top edge. Insert one end of a pipe cleaner through one hole. Bend 2 inches up and wrap it around the other end to secure. Insert the other end of the pipe cleaner on the other side of the box. Bend 2 inches up and wrap it around the other end to secure and form a handle.

3. Cut a piece of 1/4-inch-wide pastel ribbon, 18 inches long. Wrap the ribbon around the width of the tote box and tie into a bow. Adjust and center the bow on the front of the tote box and hot-glue in place.

4. Cut a 12-inch square of white tissue paper. Place several small wrapped candies in the center of the tissue paper. Bring up the edges of the tissue paper and insert the candies into the Jello box tote.

Baby Food Jar Candle Holder

1. Discard the baby food jar lid. Sponge-paint the outside of a baby food jar using acrylic paint in a pastel color. Allow the paint to dry.

2. Cut a 12-inch piece of 1/4-inch-wide satin ribbon in a pastel color. Tie the ribbon into a bow and hot-glue it to the rim of the jar.

3. Cut a 10-inch square of white tissue paper. Set a tea light candle in the center of the paper and wrap the edges up around it. Insert the wrapped candle into the jar.

References

• Cyndee Kromminga, Craft and Interior Designer; Kro Crafts; Winfield, Kansas