Party Bag Fillers

What a party bag filler is for

A party bag filler is anything that goes into the bag a guest carries home when the party is over. The custom in the UK is a simple one: a thank-you for coming, often with a slice of birthday cake wrapped in a napkin, handed over at the door as coats go on. The fillers are what make the bag worth opening on the way home, and they keep the party going a while longer.

A good filler is one a guest reaches for again the next day, not one forgotten by bedtime. Every piece in our range suits a party, and among them you will find a few pieces of kids' jewellery and beauty for guests who like to dress up.

Choosing party bag fillers for your guests

Start with who is coming, because a class of school friends, a group of cousins and a houseful of teenagers want different things. When you are not sure of a guest's tastes, choose things anyone can use, such as stationery or party bag toys that need no explaining, and save anything more particular for the guests you know well.

Then think about the look of the party. If you have a theme or a colour scheme, fillers that echo it help the bag feel part of the day rather than an afterthought. Finally, check the size of your bags before you choose. Pack one as a trial, with the cake and a filler or two inside, to see what fits without squashing the slice.

Mixing and packing a bag

A bag works best, we find, when the pieces do different jobs. Think of one thing to play with, one to wear or keep, and one to use at home or at school, then add a treat of your own. Mixing materials helps too, and you will find some fillers in plastic and others in paper, card, metal or rubber, so even a few pieces can feel quite different to unpack.

Give the guests the same kinds of things, so nobody compares and feels short-changed, and keep a couple of spares for a sibling who comes along or a bag that goes astray. Packing is quicker as a production line: set the bags out in a row, add one kind of filler at a time, and fold the tops over only once the cake is in.

Game prizes, place settings and a lucky dip

Fillers are not only for the bag at the door. They make good prizes for party games such as pass the parcel, musical statues or a treasure hunt, where unwrapping a layer or solving the final clue earns a reward. If you are playing several rounds, set aside a few fillers per game before the party starts, so the prize table never runs dry before the last game.

At the table, a filler set beside the guests' places makes a welcome as they sit down to eat, and gives fidgety hands something to do while the food is served. A lucky dip by the door works the other way round, letting guests choose their own on the way out instead of taking a packed bag.

Fillers for Christmas, school and teens

The party is not the only time fillers come in handy. Because most of ours suit Christmas too, one order can cover a festive party, a stocking or two and a few extras for children who call in over the holidays.

A few also work for back to school, and you will find some stationery to top up a pencil case at the start of term. Some are aimed at teens as well, so a teenager's party or a sleepover can have fillers of its own.

Putting on a temporary tattoo

A few of our fillers are temporary tattoos, and they make an easy party activity. Temporary tattoos usually go on with water: cut one out, peel off any clear film, press it face down on clean, dry skin, then hold a damp cloth over the backing for half a minute or so before sliding the paper away. Let it dry before sleeves go back down.

Setting up a tattoo table takes only the tattoos, a pair of scissors, a bowl of water and a cloth, and it keeps a group happily busy between games.

Looking after fillers until party day

Fillers keep best somewhere cool and dry, so pack them in a lidded box until the day rather than leaving them in a carrier bag by the radiator. Paper and card pieces stay crisp when they are stored flat, and temporary tattoos need to stay dry, because water is what makes them transfer. Anything in rubber is happier out of strong sun, since heat can leave rubber tacky.

Plastic pieces can usually be wiped over with a damp cloth if they gather dust, and anything metal is best dried straight after a wipe. If you pack the bags a day or two ahead, add the cake on the morning itself, so crumbs and grease stay off the paper and card.