Ladybug Party!

My daughter's 2nd birthday is coming up and we decided to do a ladybug theme. Pictured above is an invitation and a party favor box. These were really fun and easy to make and I think these could transfer over to all different kinds of kids parties. The possibilities are endless!

First, I will show you how to make the invitation.

For this you will need, a circle cutter, PZ Facets Scarlet cardstock and square envelopes, an ATG or double sided adhesive, small googly eyes, black cardstock and paper, vellum, mini glue dots (not pictured) and a small circle punch.

First, using your circle cutter, cut out two 4" circles from the red cardstock, one 4" circle from the vellum, and one 2" circle from your black cardstock.

Next, cut one red circle and the vellum circle in half. Stack the halves on top of each other and carefully cut an angled corner off only one end with scissors.

After that, using your mini glue dots, glue two googly eyes onto your 2" black circle.

Cut out about 8 small circles using your circle punch from the black paper and glue them on the top of your cut red circle in a random pattern. Above you can see what you will need to attach all the layers together; a 1/16" hole punch and small black brads.

The trick for this step is to use a small clamp to hold the pieces together while hole punching. Use your hole punch and make two small holes near the inside of the wings, just below the head.

Place the brads through the holes and flare out the backs to hold the layers together.

Lastly, I cut small strips of the black paper and glued them on the back with double sided adhesive to give the effect of antennae.

The brads allow for the wings to spread out. You can write the party information on the bottom red circle. When the wings are opened you can see the information. If you do not have enough room, you can always write on the backside. This invite fits perfectly inside the coordinating 5.75X5.75 square PZ Facets Scarlet envelope.

For the party favor box, you will use a lot of the same items and a couple new ones; black cardstock and paper, small circle punch, ATG/double sided adhesive, sharp scissors, small red take-out container, black pipe cleaner, large googly eyes, pop-up glue dots (not pictured) and black shredz.

Start by punching out several small circles from the black paper and glue them around the outside of the take-out container in a random pattern avoiding the flaps.

Next, using a large googly eye as a guide, trace around the eye and free-hand the shape of eyelashes. Carefully cut this out with your sharp scissors. Make sure to cut out two since you will need one for each eye.

Use your double sided adhesive to glue the googly eyes to the cut out eyelashes. Then, use your pop-up glue dots to glue them onto the top side of the take-out container.

Next, use one of the small black circles and cut off the top of it. Glue it below the eyes so the ladybug has a mouth. Then bend your black pipe cleaner in half and curl up the sides into a slight corkscrew shape. I used small red puffballs for the tips of my antennae, but you could put anything you like on there.

You can fill the inside of the box with shredz and either candy or toys or any other little goodies as the party favors. This is a great little gift for the kids to take home!
Happy Crafting!
-Malyse