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Littlest Pet Shop - Personalized Dog Bowls

August 2007

carrie in mount holly, nj, usa

This year, my daughter wanted a Littlest Pet Shop party.  I did a lot of searching online and there was not very much out there for ideas.  Every year, I make a lot of items for my kids' parties and this theme originally had me stumped.  The only idea I had in the beginning was to chalk paw prints up the sidewalk and driveway as we once did for a Blues Clues party but that was all I had! 

One thing I always make is the party hats.  My party hats are usually very unique and year-to-year guests are always trying to guess what the hats will be according to the theme of the invite. 

The invitations this time were made on the Littlest Pet shop site.  However, the hats I made are called yarn bugs" - something I found online.  They are normally made out of a stryofoam ball but I used silo brand plastic bowls.  These bowls make great hats when they're turned upside down and are a great base for any crafty hat!  I poked a hole in the top of the bowl (hat) and threaded a bunch of 8" strips of yarn through so that the bowl was completely covered in yarn. (color depended on animal) 

Once the fur (or yarn) was on I simply glued on foam ears eyes feet tails etc.  Littlest pet shop toys aren't just normal domestic pets - they include monkeys bats bees butterflies cats dogs fish etc.  So we made a dog a cat a rabbit a monkey a pig a bird (made out of feathers not yarn with a pipe cleaner worm hanging out of his beak) a polar bear a butterfly a frog a lizard and a bee.  They were absolutely adorable at each place setting.  The hats took about 2 weeks total to make 12 of them working an hour a night or so. 

As the kids arrived they were trying to pick their chair so that they could be whatever animal was at that setting.  I had already had them labeled so they didn't get to choose.  This way no one would be fighting over them.  They're party favors were dog bowls!  I bought regular sized plastic dog bowls for a $ at walmart and I got a white paint marker and painted "pet" names on their bowls.  For instance Jacob's bowl said Jake.  Jessica's bowl said "Jessie" etc.  In the bowls were candy a Littlest Pet Shop toy and bones made out of 4 blow pops wrapped in a white napkin. 

They were set on the table with their hats on top for presentation.  In addition I had little plastic dishes (found in a wawa salad - it holds all the ingredients to your salad but it's shaped exactly like a paw print with compartments!  I just happened to be eating one while I was doing the party planning and couldn't believe the find!) filled with candy necklace candies.  I cut up 12 elastic strings and tied a knot at each end of one so that the kids could make their own "collars".  They had fun doing that. 

I also put small dog bowls out with cocoa puffs and sugar cookie bones to look like dog food - the kids got a kick out of tricking their moms - saying "look - I'm eating dog food~!"  The kids all took home their dog bowls and their hats - some wore the hat the entire party!  My oldest daughter is having a beach theme this month!  Oh boy..sharks and crabs - time to start the hats!  "

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