The best part of growing up as a girl is getting to have your first slumber party. There’s nothing cooler than getting to hang out with your best friends until you’ve run out of things to talk about and things to do.
Unfortunately, this often means raiding Mom’s makeup, and the subsequent shopping trip to replace all of the broken powders and destroyed brushes (by the way, I’m sorry about that, Mom!).
The good news is that we have a few crafts that will keep your girl and her BFFs occupied without destroying your fancy cosmetics.
Friendship Bracelets
Supplies:
- Embroidery floss in lots of bright fun colors
- Beads
- Safety pins
I find it silly that these things are being sold at stores like Target now when you can easily make your own for cheaper. Show your daughter and her friends that they can make tons of these bracelets in any colors or styles they want! There are so many fun designs on the Internet (check out Pinterest for ideas), so let the girls go nuts personalizing their arm party. Use the safety pins to attach the top of the strands to a pillow so they have more control over their bracelet. When they’re all done, remind them that when they tie on the bracelet, they have to make a wish. When the bracelet falls off, their wish is supposed to come true! (For more jewelry crafts, check out “Fun and Funky Friendship Bracelets“)
Personalized Pillow Cases
Supplies:
- One pillow case for each girl
- A rectangle of cardboard cut to the size of the pillow case
- Permanent markers (bright colors are the most fun!)
Slide the cardboard into the pillowcase so nothing bleeds through to the other side. Let each girl write her name really big somewhere on the pillowcase. Then, the girls pass around the pillowcases and write notes to each other on the cases. Because of the cardboard, they can even flip the case over and write on both sides! Once they’re all done, run them through the dryer with a dryer sheet to set the ink. To make these into easy pillows, stuff the pillow case with batting and let the girls sew up the open side with fun colored embroidery floss!
Decorative Picture Frames
Supplies:
- Cheap photo frames (IKEA and Goodwill tend to have good prices on simple frames)
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brushes
- Wooden shapes (the arts and crafts store usually has some good ones)
- Hot glue gun
At the beginning of the night, have the girls group together for a photo. While they’re crafting, print out a copy for each girl to put in her frame. Give everyone their own frame, and let their imaginations go nuts. They can use the paint to make it glittery and colorful. They can use the wooden shapes and permanent markers to write captions, and then hot glue them to the frame. In the end, everyone has a unique frame that represents her own personality, but the same photo to remember the fun night they had!
No slumber party is complete without lots of fun and giggles, so be the mom who throws the best slumber parties! Just be warned, if you consistently have awesome crafts, they’ll ALWAYS want to stay at your house.
