Even if you’ve filled a beautiful room with perfectly-coordinated decorations and tableware, prepared a beautifully-balanced spread of delicious food, and planned out a host of ideal celebratory games, a party is just not a party without guests—and, of course, your guest of honor. Your party guests are the most important factors in hosting any event—so for goodness’ sake, don’t forget to thank them for coming!

What better way to express your gratitude to your guests than with a meaningful party favor packaged up in an adorable favor box? Lucky for you, you ordered your party supplies from Big Dot of Happiness, and that means they’ve already got just the perfect party favor boxes for you—Really! They match your theme and everything! Big Dot’s sturdy favor boxes come in two sizes: a darling mini box (Width 2.75″ x Height 4″ x Depth 1.25″) and a perfect classic box (Width 4.75″ x Height 7″ x Depth 2.25″). And, naturally, they can even be personalized for your specific party.

While you’re filling your shopping cart with party favor boxes, be sure to add a few extra to your order. These little boxes have tons of great uses, beyond holding party favors! You can use them as table decorations by filling them with (real or artificial) flowers to make cute personalized flower arrangements to match your party theme. Or drop some tissue paper-wrapped weights in each bag and they make adorable balloon weights to add a festive air to your event. And if you’re a bride, these sweet boxes are the perfect thing in which to package thank you gifts for your wedding party, or welcome gifts for your out-of-town guests.

Big Dot of Happiness doesn’t stop at the boxes, however. Oh no. They go one step further and offer you a wide selection of favors to fill those boxes with! Big Dot offers pages and pages of favors to choose from, so you’re sure to find just the perfect thing for your Baby Shower, Bridal Shower, or Birthday Party guests.

Though many of the favors offered by Big Dot can be personalized with information from your specific event, some people prefer to “personalize” their favors by offering a handmade gift to their guests…and this can be a far easier task than you may think! Below I offer a few ideas for simple homemade party favors for a variety of special events. Drop any of these, and maybe a few small candies or other trinkets, into a personalized favor box from Big Dot of Happiness, and your guests will go home very happy indeed!

Simple lavender sachets:

Construct a simple sachet by cutting two small squares of muslin fabric (3” x 5” or so). Laying the squares on top of each other, sew three of the sides together and flip the sachet right side out. Fill your little pouch with dried lavender buds (check the bulk bins at your local grocery store or natural foods store) until 2/3 full, then finish by either turning in the top edges and sewing a fourth seam or gathering the top and securing with a pretty ribbon. (These could be even further personalized using stamps and fabric paint or a stamp pad.)

Scented bath salts:

Soothing scented bath salts are a breeze to make yourself, and they are a welcome take home treat for most party-goers. Simply combine 2 cups of Epsom salts or sea salt with an essential oil of your choice. (Essential oils can be potent, so begin with ½ tsp, and let your nose lead you from there!) Stir well to combine the salt and oil well, then fill up small dry containers (may I suggest these?)  and adorn them with a pretty ribbon for your guests. Don’t forget to provide instructions for using the salts: Add 2 Tablespoons of scented salt to a tub of warm water, and Enjoy!

Popsicle stick puzzles for a child’s party:

You can create original, adorable puzzles for each of your child’s guests very easily using only some craft sticks and some paint or markers! Simply line up 5-7 popsicle sticks (the wider kind work best, found at your local craft store) tightly together side by side in an even row. Place a strip of tape across both the top and bottom of the row of sticks, joining them all together to form a large rectangle, then carefully turn the taped sticks over so the tape is on the back. Next, either you or your child can paint or draw the design of your choice directly on the sticks. The sky’s the limit as far as your design goes—just be sure it’s large enough so each stick has a bit of the picture on it. Set your puzzle aside until it’s fully dry, then remove the tape so the sticks are loose once again—forming the pieces of your puzzle! To package them up, simply stack the sticks and tie them up with a ribbon or string (add a tag identifying your sticks as a puzzle), and drop each bundle into a party favor box for your guests.