Crafting a Cowboy Party: Goodies

I'm not sure when or where the Goody Bag tradition started, but it seems that no modern child's party is complete without the little sack of treats and toys. Usually, this bag would contain a few pieces of candy, some cheap plastic toys, and maybe some stickers, but for my son's Sweet Baby James Cowboy Party, I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to put together a goody bag that had something in it that the kids would love and their parents would want them to have, want them to keep, and wouldn't break in the first 2 minutes. I decided to make a goody bag that contained a horse hand puppet and what I dubbed "Smores Trailmix." (At the last second I did find some simple wooden cowboy and cowgirl masks at my local JoAnn Fabric store, which I threw in as well.)

I started by making the bag. I used Photoshop Elements to add stars and each child's name to a picture of a boot. I then printed the boot on cardstock, cut it out, and glued it to a coordinating small gift bag from Target.

Next, I made the horse hand puppets from felt. To make these horse puppets, I followed the horse pattern and tutorial from the Old MacDonald Puppet Tutorial and Pattern over at Just Another Day in Paradise.

It took a while, because I had quite a few to make.

Last, I made the incredibly simple "Smores Trailmix." Here's the recipe:

1 Large Bag of Mini Marshmallows
2 Boxes of Honey Teddy Grahams
1 Large Bag of Chocolate Chips

Stir to combine and divide into individual snack size baggies.
(Really, that's all there is to it!)

The Goody Bags and their contents were a big hit with the kids and parents alike, and made for the perfect end to a fantastic party!

Happy Crafting!