Hello Kitty Tween Party Ideas
 

My DD is turning 9 next month and I am planning her "Hello Kitty" birthday party. Unfortunately, my DH and I have both been laid off this year so needeless to say, the "birthday budget" has been cut back to basically zero.
Her party is going to be a Pool Party so that really helps in keeping the kids entertained on the cheap. We've always had huge, elaborate parties for her so I feel horrible that these unfortunate events are affecting her birthday party.
With that said, I would like to make this as special and decorative as possible. I have access to the Cricut Hello Kitty cartridges and Hello Kitty Sizzix dies.
The only idea I've been able to come up with so far is making a HK banner. What else can I use to really spruce up the party for her with little or no money? I'm willing to use any supplies I have to make it a wonderful day for her. (At this point, she is expecting a "plain" but full-of-friends party because she understands our economic situation right now.) I have purchased the very hip "shutter shades" sunglasses for party favors and have left over Jelly bracelets so maybe a cute sunglasses box would be cute?
Secondly, any ideas for party favors? Remember that this is a "tween" crowd so the old standby of coloring pages don't work anymore. lol
Lastly, do Hello Kitty stamps exist? I would like to make some cupcake picks with Hello Kitty stamps, if possible. I do have a kitty paw print stamp that I can use if I can't come up with anything else.

Any input you could provide would be greatly appreciated. This has obviously been a difficult time in our home and I would like to help my DD celebrate her special day without the reminder that we're broke. (lol) TY!

Could you make Hello Kitty Cupcake picks using the Cricut Cart?

Since Hello Kitty is pink-what about embracing the Pink Theme to go right along with the HK theme.

Have you checked out your local dollar store? They might have some fun cheap purses that you could put the sunglasses and bracelets into?

Good luck and I'm sure that your DD understands-at her age the important thing for her will be celebrating with her friends.

I agree with the pink idea, it is cheaper to stick with a color. I would do notebooks and pencils and candy for the goody bags. I agree you can make your own cupcake picks with the cricut. Are you near target, I am pretty sure I saw hk stuff in the $ section

you can alter mini notebooks with pink paper then attach a Cricutted HK on the front. you can also buy chapsticks and make a HK folder to put them in. Cricut HK cupcake picks, and can you punch holes and set HKs onto bendy straws for 'cocktail' stirrers.
Make pink 'mocktails' with fruit punch/ Hawaiian punch and seltzer or 7up/ Sprite. Put a maraschino cherry or a strawberry in each glass. Another 'mocktail' could be frozen blended fruit drinks, like smoothies.
For food, put out the typical 9 year old foods- well, the ones that won't melt. Chips and dip (you can color the dip with a touch of red food dye and make it pink), m&m's (you can find different colors at the $1 store, from old promotions (ie pink for Breast Cancer awareness, red, white and pink for Valentine's day). Alter lillipops with HK faces and poke them into a basket or clean flowerpot, so guests can help themselves (make lots LOL)
-laura s

you can also put out goldfish and Swedish fish (cats love fish). If there is an Asian neighborhood near you, check their supermarkets or gift stores for odd Hello Kitty things, like paper plates, candies, shoelaces or stickers.... they are usually pretty affordable.
i found a site with adorable HK cupcakes.... hold on, i'll send the link in my next post.
-laura s

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

the above has a HK cake

and this one has 'cake pops', they are little HK heads, a different spin on cupcakes....
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

-laura s

Take a plain white or pink table cloth or even a fabric one and tape or glue (glue stick) Hello Kitty die cuts on the table cover. Take the same die cuts and attach them to the cups just so they are not near the lip. Put the die cuts on the paper plates on the bottom but large enough so that show a bit from the eating side of the plate. Make placemats from card stock and embellish with the Helo Kitty die cuts. Make invitations with the Hello Kitty Sizzix die (all one piece) or use the cartridge and make a flat one with the party info on the back. Make pin wheels with tiny Hello Kitty die cuts on the open areas. Attach die cuts to the drinking straws for each cup. Make a center piece using a plastic sand bucket with Hello Kitty die cuts on it. Fill with sticks with various die cuts attached to the sticks (could use straws, chop sticks or skewers, too).

Just some ideas. If the party goers will be teenagers along with ones your daughters age, you don't want to get too cutsy with the Hello Kitty theme though.

Patti

How many kids? Our Target had Hello Kitty items in the dollar spot, I am pretty sure it was lip gloss and mini pens. Let me know if you can not find them. I would be more than happy to grab the things and ship them down.

Brithdaypartyideas.com is also a great site for party ideas on all types of a budget.

It might be fun for them to make a t-shirt or tote bag - all it would take would be some fabric and fusible web (and some adult supervision with the iron).

I made an easy (and if *I* think it's easy anyone can do it...LOL) HK cake. I just printed a hello kitty face (scanned and enlarged to fill an 8.5 x 11 page) and made a sheet cake, put the cake in the freezer for a few hours so it would crumble. Cut around the HK face so it's the shape of hello kitty. Place on top of frozen cake and cut around. Now you have a cake the shape of hello kitty. I frosted with whipped cream frosting and used black licorice for the wiskers and choc candy for the eyes and nose. You will have to push the candy into the frosing so they don't look so huge. I used wide ribbon for the bow but you could use that frosting...fondant? to make a nicer one.

My daugther loved it but she's 3 so she still thinks everything I do is cool LOL

What about doing a door hanger craft? I bet there's some great deals at Hobby Lobby from all the VBS leftovers :)

Thank you to EVERYONE for your input! I love so many of these ideas and can't wait to do them!!
I was so relieved when my DD asked for a HK party because I knew I had access to the Cricut cart and sixxix die so I thought "I could probably do most of it" and I'm glad to say that I can and will!
Pumpkin's Mom - I am going to check out my Target $1 spot tomorrow and see what I can find. I really appreciate your offer and will def. take you up on it if I can't find any at the 300 Targets in my area. lol (Not really but it seems like that sometimes!)

Thanks again, everyone for your help! I was really freaked out about this party this AM thinking that I wouldn't be able to make my DD's party as special as it could but but tahnks to all of your input, I can! You girls are the BEST!

hey i love to plan a party, so long as i don't have to clean up afterwards LOL glad we could help
-laura s

No problem. I double checked DD's lip-gloss and it goes with a cut little charm too. Let me know if you need me to grab some. :)

I just want to say that I'm right there with you! I've had to do seriously cheap birthday parties this year, and both times the girls loved them and haven't missed the extravagances from years that haven't been as lean. We do pizza's from Sam's Club and a lot of games can be done very cheaply. For a fifth birthday I painted an old sheet with a seascape and this made a great "Go Fish" game, every kid got a cheapy prize from the dollar store. We do a ring toss with 2 liter bottles of soda and old diving rings.

I've also got a big thing of the foam stickers and let kids decorate their own foam crafts. It might be a little younger than 9 years old though.

The key is planning ahead, start making some of these projects now so you are not overwhelmed and overspending right before the party. I make a lot of lists with prices so I know exactly how much I'm spending. And shop for sales on food items that you can put in the freezer now. If you google birthday party ideas, youll find a LOT of crafts and things that you can make. There are lots of birthday party printables as well.

Have fun!
Aimee

I LOVE Hello KITTY!!!!! Since I've been little! I love that she has made a comeback and it's so dangerous, especially when she's at the Target dollarspot! I've almost bought a cricuit just to get that dang cartridge! But I have had to restrain.
I have collected HK stamps from when I was young. They are small images usually no bigger than 1 1/2", but still really darling!
PM me your address and I'll stamp some images for you!
They'd be darling in a circle scallop as bag toppers or tags, ect! Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

I made by DD a Hello Kitty cake using a 9X13 pan. Just trim so it's an oval, frost with white frosting. Use jelly beans (the largest you can find) for eyes and nose. Use a fruit roll up as the bow (easy to "tie"). It was really cute!

Oh yeah and we played "pin the bow on Hello Kitty" -- I just made that out of 12x12 card stock. I stuck glue dots on the paper bows.

I don't know of any HK stamps, but Target has stickers in the scrapbook or card area.

You could make fruit or veggie skewers and have a HK cricut at the top of the skewer.

I sent you a PM.