photos by: Kate Eschbach Photography
I hosted my 2nd annual Busy Bag Swap over the weekend and it was a great success! For those of you who are like “busy what?”, a busy bag is a little bag filled with something educational or fun that can keep your child occupied during doctor visits, while waiting for food at a restaurant, etc. Last year’s busy bags were a life saver in keeping my 3 year old busy while I nurse my newborn. For the swap part of it, I got together a group of moms and we all made busy bags and exchanged them during a play date at the park.
The park is a great venue for a swap because the kids can run around while the bags are being sorted. This year, CraftProjectIdeas.com sponsored a make and take jingle bell wreath door hanger that the kids enjoyed making. A few bells and pipe cleaners was all that was required for this kid-friendly craft. It was the perfect project for even the littlest of hands and mess-free, which the parents appreciated.
Chiquita Banana was kind enough to send Apple Bites and Shamrock Farms was kind enough to send regular, chocolate and strawberry milk for the kids to enjoy at the swap. I created a make your own trail mix bar for guests to snack on. Super easy and affordable. Plus, I always love food at a party that encourage conversation and interaction. I included Cheerios, Pretzels, Marshmallows, Chex, Teddy Grahams, Raisins, Peanuts and Chocolate Chips at the trail mix station.
This year I asked my guests to bring a new toy to the event to donate to Toys For Tots, an awesome organization that gets toys to children in need during the holidays. They were given a raffle ticket for every toy they donated and had the opportunity to win some awesome prizes from some of my favorite companies. We collected so many fabulous toys for such a great cause and I can’t wait to deliver them to Toys For Tots this week! I love that we were able to give back to the community during this event.
My little helper drawing winning names:
Check out the awesome prizes:
And all of the Toys For Tots we collected:
All of the moms left with a fabulous swag bag full of products from companies that encourage creativity and support moms. Here’s a list of the companies that were part of the Busy Bag Swap this year:
Consumer Crafts: Facebook, Twitter
CraftProjectIdeas.com: Facebook, Twitter
HappyFamily: Facebook, Twitter
Kate Eschbach Photography: Facebook, Twitter
Oriental Trading Company: Facebook, Twitter
Pick Your Plum: Facebook, Twitter
Pretzel Crisps: Facebook, Twitter
Reuseit.com: Facebook, Twitter
Shamrock Farms: Facebook, Twitter
The Rainbow Retreat: Facebook, Twitter
Stay tuned for a chance to win a swag bag from the Busy Bag Swap!
One Response
I just love this idea! SO bummed I wasn’t able to attend this year, next year! Looks like you had an awesome turn out and a fun day!