I began with awesome, handmade, full-size tote bags and decided they would better serve as favor bags a little smaller. You know, so they would be full with just a few simple and sweet items. 

To make them smaller, I first turned each one inside out.

Next, I folded both sides into the center, about to where the straps come out.

Then I folded the bottom up to the top, shortening the bag by half.

Finally, I turned the whole thing back right side out, being careful to hold onto the folds so they would stay tucked together.

Voila! A full size tote bag transformed into a half size favor bag.

The favors now fit perfectly! Let’s take a closer look at those…

Thirty is Crafty

The birthday girl is a very crafty mama. Whenever we get together she comes up with all sorts of ideas of things we could make. Somehow, we never have time, and so we craft on our own, a thousand mile apart. For this trip, I put together a little craft that we will get to all do on “Craft Night.” We’ll be making this scarf. Simple, darling and little materials required. Perfect for a trip. And perfect for the Bay Area…it’s freezing!

Thirty is Gourmet

Who can resist Jelly Bellies? They are a colorful, fun addition to the favor bag. I am a sucker for color coordination, so each of these mono-hued treats was worth every minute of the divide-the-Costo-pack-of-beans-into-colors. 

Thirty is Prepared

I thought it would be fun to include a “city” favor. So, everyone starts the trip with quarters for the meters. Mints are always a nice thing to have around, too.

Thirty is a Perfect Balance

True for life and kettle corn! We’re packing a picnic on Saturday for ‘UP’ in the park. Now we’ve all got a movie snack to tote along.

Tie those tote handles up like a bow and there you’ve got a perfect 

“Welcome to: Thirty in the City”