Flower Punch Box

What is a punch box you might be asking yourself.  Don't worry, I had no idea until I saw it being pinned and featured everywhere I turned.

The woman that made this latest trend go viral, Elena from 'a Casarella, has pinatas all over the world crying, 'don't forget about me'.

A punch box holds all sorts of prizes inside and the only way to get them out, punch through the holes.  How much fun is that?

One of the things I love so much about punch boxes, just like with pinatas, you can customize them to fit your party theme. 

For our garden themed party, we opted for a flower themed punch box.  Yellow tissue paper makes up the center of the flowers.  I cut out and glued 7 pink petals around the yellow tissue paper center.  And, at the last minute, added a few green leaves.

You know your punch box was a success if, when you are done, it looks like this.

Here's a walk down punch box memory lane from past parties.

You can read more about Grace's circus themed punch box here. 

And, Grace's bunny themed punch box here. 

'A Casarella has an amazing tutorial on how to make one.  There is no use to reinvent the wheel, so go and check her post out for all the details.  And, make one for your next party!

Bunny Themed Punch Box

Pinatas, with all their stick wielding fun, have been a popular party pass time.  'A Casarella, though, is doing her best to take down pinatas and replace them with punch boxes and she isn't even using a stick to do it.  Her tutorial for making your own punch punch has gone viral and I can see why. 

Instead of getting a bunny shaped pinata, and subjecting said bunny pinata with a lashing, we decided to make a bunny themed punch pox for Grace's Bunny Themed Birthday Party.

I decided to share just a few tips for making your own punch box (for the full tutorial, you'll have to visit 'a Casarella).

Finding a thick box is the key, it makes it easier to cut your holes and cover.  I found my boxes at Aldi, the thick cardboard boxes their produce comes in AND, I painted it white, with regular household paint.

To personalize the outside of your punch box, incorporate your theme.  Since Grace's party was a bunny theme, I cut out some 2 inch bunny silhouettes and grabbed double sided tape...

And I gently placed them centered in the punch box hole.

Though I used bunnies, the possibilities are endless to personalize the punch box but even plain, it still makes for a fun party game.

 

The kids, well, they certainly liked being encouraged to 'punch' something and retrieve a prize. 

*I filled the punch box with prizes I found at Goodwill.  Right after Easter, Goodwill got in a shipment of new Target brand Easter toys (stuffed animals and crafts).  I was able to find a prize for each punch box hole for  .50 cents, spending $6 total on prizes. 

This is our second year of opting to go pinatas-less and I suspected, though I haven't started to plan for next year's party yet, that we'll have a punch box for Grace's 6th birthday as well. 

Grace's circus themed birthday party.

For a more detailed tutorial on how to make your own punch box, visit the very talented Elena at 'A Casarella.  

Bunny Themed Birthday Party - The Big Reveal

Some bunny is {still} 5.

And that was definitely a reason to celebrate.

We decided to throw Grace a bunny themed birthday party.

We had access to 3 bunnies so a bunny themed party with real bunnies could not be resisted.

On a Goodwill budget, the party was decorated using a thrifted desk, a DIY moss covered letter birthday garland, a free salvaged window and some barn wood bunnies.

I also exhausted my Easter Pinterest board for DIY ideas.

The table was filled with bunny themed foods.

I was happy to finally have a reason to make these carrot cupcakes.

And, since bunnies were the theme, a 'become a bunny station' seemed fitting.  The station was stocked with bunny ears and cotton ball bunny tails.

Our guests, Grace's entire preschool class {16 kids}, embraced becoming bunnies, eagerly waiting to be transformed into bunnies themselves.

After sixteen 5 year olds were transformed into bunnies party games ensued.

The first game was a Rabbit Hole Punch box.  'A Casarella has made it impossible for me not to have a punch box now.

Curious if the kids liked it?  Just look at the picture below.  They swarmed me, anxious to have a turn 'punching' and also watching as their friends had a chance to 'punch' and retrieve their prize.

Armed with punch box prizes, we played the bunny hop on repeat as each guest got to be the leader.  Had the Bunny Hop been the only thing we would have done, I think all the kids would have been very happy. 

After 20 minutes of hop, hop, hopping to the bunny hop, pin the tail on the bunny was the next activity.

I quickly realized, 5 year olds are unconcerned about personal space.  It's not nearly as challenging to pin a tail from 6 inches away with a group of kids propelling you forward.

My last game, a bunny version of bozo buckets, was sadly forgotten about and never played. 

After the games, the adorable cardboard house my talented sister made, enticed the little girls.  No detail was spared from the round door with a door knob to the flower boxes filled with pink blossoms.

Inside the cardboard house, was a box filled with dress up clothes where the bunnies transformed themselves into princesses.

The time came to lure our guests into the house.

As I got the cake and ice cream ready, the kids kept busy doing a craft.  It was supposed to be pipe cleaner bunny whiskers but ended up looking more like a spider on a stick with a pink pom pom.

As soon as the cake came out, everything else was forgotten about.  Singing happy birthday and diving into as much sugar as possible became the goal of sixteen 5 year olds.

High on sugar, the party came to an end and I sent sixteen 5 year olds home with bunny party favor bags.

The birthday girl was happy.

And I was left to appreciate the reason for this celebration..

that some bunny turned 5.

Is it too early to start planning 6?

Circus Themed Birthday Party (repost)

Last year, we celebrated Grace's 4th birthday in 'big top' style.  *Don't forget to come back Friday and link up your own party posts.
Without further ado...

Step right up.

And join us...

as we, welcome you to the circus.

AKA Grace's 4th birthday extravaganza.

The Big Top awaits.

Please feel free to clown around.

Or enjoy some cotton candy.

While hopped up on sugar, visit the tattoo station.  Don't worry, they are temporary, like your sugar rush.

Games more your speed? Join in a game of Bozo buckets, pin the fez hat on the elephant, walk across the 'tight rope' OR

visit the duck pond.

 
What will you win?  A goldfish, of course.

Then, join us center stage, as we sing happy birthday to the birthday girl...

And wish her well.

Help yourself to a piece of cake or a carousel cupcake.

Work off those cupcakes by testing your strength with the 1000 pound barbell.

Perhaps you are stronger than Sammy The Strongman.

Then, Madame G will read your fortunes.  I wonder what she predicts next year's birthday party theme will be?

What Madame G did predict, the pinata will soon be replaced by the super cool punch box.

Before you go, don't forget to sign the guest book with your fingerprint.

It's now official, the circus has left town.  Please make sure you take your shoes when you leave, or don't :)