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Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

DIY, Party Planning

Girls Weekend Gift Bags

3.30.2016


Girls Weekend Gift Bags

It may be a very rare occurrence, but every now and then I actually do leave the house. It takes weeks of preparation, hours of packing, and minutes of food preparation. I mean, I can’t leave the house without an adequate supply of meals, can I? Seriously. I pack a snack for my commute. It’s an hour and a half long! You would too!

A few weekends ago, I was invited to my friend’s girls weekend in San Luis Obispo, California. I had never been, so I was really looking forward to getting to see a new place, spending some time with the ladies, and drinking wine. A lot of wine. Apparently SLO (as the locals call it) is a big wine town. I was in heaven. Especially because I made a pit-stop for lunch at the “best burger” joint in the area. Which did NOT disappoint. Seriously, it was one of the best I’ve had. But more on that later, my mouth is watering and my stomach is grumbling.

Ingredients for a Girls Weekend Gift Bag

Because the other ladies had this weekend planned, and I was kind of the “crasher,” I wanted to bring along a little something to say “thanks for inviting the loner cat woman that sits at home and never leaves her house on the weekends.” I mean, it was the least I could do. That, and I made sure I lint rolled all of my clothes. You can take the cat lady away from the cat, but you can never take the cat fur away from the lady.

Ingredients for a Girls Weekend Gift Bag and Free Printables

Ingredients for a Girls Weekend Gift Bag

Snacks -“In Case of Munchies”

Chocolate – “In Case of Cravings”

Tylenol/Water Bottles – “For the Morning”

Mini Wine Bottle / Small Liquor Bottle – “Get the Party Started”

Bandaids / First Aid Kits – “In Case of Emergency”

Antibacterial / Lysol Wipes – “Gotta Be Clean”

Energy Drink – “Just a Little Boost”

Face Wipes – “Gotta Stay Fresh”

DIY Girls Weekend Gift Bags

If you’d like to make your own Girls Weekend Gift Bags, you can print the tag printables here and the ‘in case of emergency’ tag here. Click here for the green Girls Weekend tag, and here for the white Girls Weekend tag.

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Comments

  1. Bobbie Beckman says

    3.31.2016 at 6:41 am

    Such great gift bags….I will need to invite you for a girl’s weekend. …oh wait….I think we have one coming up.

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      3.31.2016 at 10:35 am

      YES WE DO!!!!!!!! Two weeks and counting. Can’t wait!

  2. Kristine says

    3.31.2016 at 10:16 am

    LOVE this idea! Totally making this for our next girls trip!

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      3.31.2016 at 10:35 am

      Awesome! Now you have an excuse to plan one! 🙂

  3. Minaxi says

    3.31.2016 at 12:11 pm

    Aren’t you the sweetest girlfriend <3 Not to mention thoughtful 😀 Those are some amazing gift bags you got there 🙂

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      4.25.2016 at 10:58 am

      Awwww thank you so much!!! I’ve gotta give some appreciation to my friends for putting up with me! 🙂

  4. Allison says

    4.03.2016 at 7:13 pm

    What a cute idea! This would be great for like a Bachelorette weekend too! Totally stealing this 🙂

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      4.25.2016 at 10:59 am

      Yes totally! It’s kind of similar to what I made my friends for my bachelorette party. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyy before I ever blogged and thought to take a picture! Hahaha. 🙂

  5. Trebdmixblog says

    4.15.2016 at 11:41 am

    This is such a cute idea! Perfect for a bachelorette party or just a reg girls night in, love it! 🙂

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      4.25.2016 at 10:52 am

      Thank you!!!!! Maybe I should just have a few friends over and make them these bags for a girls night in! 🙂

  6. Debby Waite says

    4.21.2016 at 8:18 pm

    So so cute! Who wouldn’t love getting one of those goodie bags!

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      4.25.2016 at 10:51 am

      Thank you so much!!! I know I like getting goodie bags, so I always figure others will too! 🙂

  7. Jessica says

    5.30.2016 at 10:02 am

    I am back in action again (I bet you know how that is). Stay tuned for more regular postings! I’d love it if you could tell me what you’d like to see more of: travel, bucket list, pilot-wife-life, lifestyle, yoga, or turquoise inspiration (or all of the above, lol)!
    Jessica, Turquoise Compass

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      6.01.2016 at 6:32 pm

      I’ll take a visit over to your site. I actually have been down for months, and today’s my first post in that long. I think my favorite things are always travel and bucket list! 🙂

  8. Lyn says

    3.08.2017 at 7:46 pm

    Can you tell me what the two fonts that you used are called?
    Thanks!

  9. Juanita says

    6.18.2017 at 12:14 am

    What a wonderful & fun gift bag..!! Any girlfriend will feel super spoiled getting that gift.. “Stealing” your idea for my September Ladies Weekend 😊

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      6.20.2017 at 2:45 pm

      Hi Jaunita!

      Thanks for visiting! I hope that you have a fun ladies weekend! 🙂

About Me

About Me

Hi Mamas! My name is Shauna, a 30-something (big emphasis on the 'something') new mama and wife living in Southern California. I've become a Stay At Home Mom to Sawyer, and I would do it forever if I could! I'm originally from Wisconsin and am a total Cheesehead! I'm here to share DIY's, travel tips, and baby stuff I'm sure!

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stayinghomesawyer

I saw this viral template and as soon as I heard t I saw this viral template and as soon as I heard the first part I immediately thought, “that’s the worst part too.” Then I heard the rest of the audio and just felt that. It’s so true. It’s the most bittersweet thing a human being goes through. Raising children.
We always see these crazy parties on social media, We always see these crazy parties on social media, but how much do they ACTUALLY cost? If you know me, then you know I’m the most frugal person on the planet, so my parties are destined to be inexpensive. I’m going to give you the real life breakdown, with all my money saving tips. Let’s go!

(Let me know if you have any questions that I didn’t cover)

This is one of my biggest tips, which is pretty obvious I suppose. Hand make EVERYTHING. Decorations, treats, food, etc. The only time I wouldn’t suggest making your own food is if you have a huge guest list, in which case ordering Costco pizza is your best bet.

For the paper chains, I’ll be honest, they’re not cheap. Finding paper that’s inexpensive is hard. So pro tip: you don’t NEED cardstock, regular paper will be cheaper (and easier to hang). I found these packs of red at Walmart on clearance for $1.50 each. The pictured chains was three packs of 50 pages. Also pro tip: use a generic stapler to staple them into the ceiling, tape doesn’t work.

Also, because I throw parties a few times a year, I have a general stash of party supplies. I try to use similar colors so that I don’t have to store every color. I happen to have a lot of pink (because, duh, two girls). So table runners and vases and such were things I already had. If you don’t, I suggest Temu. And if you’d like to start collecting a supply for future parties, get some nice ones in white because you can always use white! 

I made this box out of 9 pieces of foam board from the Dollar Tree, one roll of wrapping paper (back wall) from the Dollar Tree, and two cans of spray paint from Walmart. If you had more time, acrylic paint would be cheaper, as my spray paint cost $13 alone. My cost for the project could have been cut in half if I used acrylic from the Dollar Tree (they have extra large bottles for $1.25). I just didn’t have time to do a few coats of acrylic.

The backdrop was made from four sheets of poster board from the Dollar Tree ($2), and one roll of Dollar Tree wrapping paper ($1.25). 

My splurge. The larger scalloped plate is from American Girl and when we were at the store I couldn’t resist. That alone brought up my total by almost $10. Ha
She turned NINE and wanted a doll party. And hones She turned NINE and wanted a doll party. And honestly? I loved every second of it.

Because I know that at this age, some girls are already asking for Sephora trips and makeup tutorials, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But there is something so special about a little girl who still wants to play with dolls, have a themed birthday party, and lean into the magic of being a kid. 

I know I can’t keep her little forever, but I can stop rushing her into growing up. There’s no prize for growing up the fastest. The world will ask her to be older, cooler, and more mature soon enough. So if she still wants the dolls, the dress-up, the silly games, and the magic of childhood, I’m going to let her.

Because one day, I know I’ll miss these days more than I can imagine. And if I can give her a few more years of being little, I’m going to cherish every single one. 

Let them be little. There’s plenty of time to grow up. 

#americangirl #americangirldoll #diyparty #americangirlparty
Save for later. PS: This is my husbands rendition Save for later.

PS: This is my husbands rendition of a “Sexy Willy Wonka.” You know, because being Aladdin, Flynn Ryder, Prince Charming…he couldn’t just be a regular guy for one year. 🤣🤣
Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five things every night that you’re thankful for, and BE thankful for them. So much of our lives are spent waiting for the next best thing when in reality, it’s sitting right in front of us.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’ If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’s to SLOW DOWN.

So much of life is spent going, going, going. Waiting for the next stage. Telling ourselves, “Once we get through this, things will be easier.” Once the kids are older. Once life settles down. Once we have more time. But what if we’re missing the whole point? Because the moments we’re so eager to get through ARE the moments.

Today is the important stuff. The ordinary days. The messy days. The little conversations, the giggles, the routines, the chaos, the moments that don’t feel significant while we’re living them. We spend so much time wishing for the next chapter that we forget we’re already living one we’ll someday wish we could go back to.

So slow down.

Be here.
Pay attention.
Let the moment take as long as it needs to.

Because someday, these will be the days we miss.

**And if you know us personally, you know why I had to jump on this social media trend**
This is your permission slip to let the crafts be This is your permission slip to let the crafts be messy. 

They don’t need to match your house. They don’t need to be Pinterest-worthy. They don’t need to be made with a neutral color palette and a Cricut. They just need to be theirs.

Because someday I’m probably going to miss the paper scraps, the glue everywhere, the questionable color combinations, and the little masterpieces I had no idea what to do with. Let them make the ugly craft. Let them make a mess. Let them create something that looks nothing like what you had in mind.

Childhood doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing to be beautiful.
When you stop to think about the fact that one day When you stop to think about the fact that one day all of her toys will be someone else’s toys, she’ll be heading off to college, and all I’ll be left with are these videos…
This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy the This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy their kids are going back to school. My neighbors and I commiserate all summer long about how long the days are, how frustrating the kids can be, how much they’re fighting, etc. 

But my days are always like that, and even though it’s exhausting and overwhelming at times, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even if I only have ONE moment like this a day, it’s one moment a day I could miss out on if they were in a traditional school. 

So here’s to whatever choice you are making in regards to your kids education. What’s best for YOU is most important. And what’s best for us is this.
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