If you are throwing a birthday party, make it eco-friendly and spark the creative artist in all of your guests — it's simple and fun! Creating an eco-friendly party will also give you the opportunity to teach your child about caring for the planet, too. Everyone wins: you get to help the environment and your pocketbook.

Invitations:
If you don't have time, there are lots of Etsy sellers that have great kids invitiations, like createdbykaren, BeMyGuestInvitations, and kkbabyboutique. People will appreciate the personal touch of a handcrafted invitation or thank you note. I certainly would!

This princess crown invitation is so precious; it has ribbons on either side to turn it into an actual crown.

Party Favors:    
Party favors or goodie bags can be a hideous waste, often times loaded with plastic mass produced junk that will likely end up in the landfill.  Why not give really thoughtful gifts that will last beyond the party?  But, really, how is a busy working mom going to pull this off?

For the little guys, try the all-in-one handmade jumbo crayons that come in their own re-usable bags, sold by ButterflyBrain.

They are perfect for the kids' chubby little fingers.

Make small cloth bags, fused plastic bags (see the Etsy how-to) or buy other reusable bags from an Etsy seller.  Kristysbagz and OleBagLady both have great cloth bags for boys and girls. Let the birthday boy or birthday girl get on Etsy and pick the fabric with you.  You might want to monogram or screenprint the bag with each guests’ initials, or if you don't have time, find an Etsy seller to do it for you.

Bag by OleBagLady. 

Fill your handmade goodie bag with a traditional game or one of these handmade items:

Race Car by WoodChesters.

Handmade wooden blocks, cars or trucks sold by sellers like McCoyToys, SantaWoodShop, and JimboToys.

Pirate Cookies by ASugarAffair.

Homemade cookies by sellers like mandalarain, whimsyandspice, or ASugarAffair.

Mini Coloring Book by lizphiz. 

Coloring books by EyePopArt, DesignedByNatureShop, or lizphiz.

Wildflower Seed Card sold by TheBumbleBeeStudio. 

Or how about a packet of seeds to take home and plant?  Some Etsy sellers that sell seeds include, TheBumbleBeeStudio, Hippychic59, and greenthing.

Decorations:
Banners: Creating your own designs and themes is a fun way to spend quality time with your upcoming birthday boy or girl.  First, let's look at birthday party banners.  We love this banner by crafymommy who makes custom order banners so you can add your childs name and pick the colors.  A beautiful handmade way to welcome your little guests.

Table: Instead of a tablecloth, find an old sheet and buy some non-toxic markers. When the kids arrive, get them to decorate the cloth with drawings or birthday messages to your child. It’s something you can use again for special occasions throughout the year. 

If that doesn't work for you, check out chalkynoodles' oil cloth tablecloths that can be used over and over again.  She has lots of patterned fabrics to choose from.  Try using cloth napkins. They don’t have to match, and the odd ones can look more colorful and fun.

Pinatas: This is a favorite in our household and it never fails to be a crowd pleaser with the kids.  Etsy has lots of sellers who make pinatas; Birchangel is just one who custom makes beautiful pinatas that can be used as decorations as well.

 
Activities:
I’ve hosted 16 birthday parties for my 3 kids! Only for the last one did I delve into the world of crafting. I set the theme of butterflies based on the only craft activity I could competently participate in — coffee filter butterflies.

Artwork by Caroline (daughter of Megsestoril)

We used coffee filters for the wings, connected by wooden clothes pins and pipe cleaners for the antennae. The children painted the wings and decorated them however they wanted. I’m still cleaning up the glitter five months later, but in the end we had a kitchen full of beautiful butterflies and one very happy birthday girl. 

Registry:
Encourage your guests to buy handmade. Create a registry or wish list of eco-friendly gifts that your child would appreciate such as wood toys, handmade dolls, lunch boxes, klean kanteen bottles, etc. 

Personalized Lunch Box by MommaOh.

For more eco-posts, check out our Earth Tones series. If you have any other ideas for crafty, eco-friendly birthday parties please add your ideas in the comments below!