DIY Pixie Sticks

I had the pleasure of finding myself, yet again, with the task of creating 500 bag stuffers to include in Tagalong Tot's Baby and Kids Expo, October 19th and 20th at The Ranch Larimer County Fairgrounds.  

I LOVE the striped paper straw party trend and knew I could get them in just the right colors to compliment my logo.  But what could I do with them?  Kids don't just want empty straws......then it occurred to me, fill them with sugar!  (Sorry parents, I realize this may cause unwelcome reactions.  During an initial taste test, my own child laid on the floor of my kitchen sucking at the empty paper straw for 10 minutes until I was finally able to take it from her grip.)  

But just in case you would like to make these Homemade Pixie Sticks yourself, here are the instructions.

Materials:

Paper Straws - I can't give away my preferred supplier but you can find these all over the place right now in a huge variety of colors and patterns.

Glue Dots - It took me a few trial and errors to find the perfect size to make these stick but not be too big that they would bulge out on the sides, try to find "Glue Dots" brand, size 3/8" (1cm)

Paper Tags - This is optional for you, but I wanted to include my logo and contact info, so I printed off some info on blue card stock and my logo on white address labels.

A Funnel- I made one out of paper

A Mixing bowl and whisk

A Measuring Spoon

Lemonade Pixie Stick Recipe below

 Lemonade Pixie Stick Recipe - found on About.com
6 tbsp of granulated sugar
1 tsp flavored-Kool-Aid (about a half of a .23 oz packet) I used pink lemonade, lemonade and orange.
1/8 tsp citric acid Don't worry, I know if sounds scary, but its not.  Here is a link to more info about what citric acid is, It is a natural acid found in citrus fruits.  I found some at my local health food market.
About.com says that the above recipe fills about 30 straws, mine must have been bigger because I got about 20.

Directions:

1. Place glue dot at end of paper straw and fold over to secure end of straw.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk sugar, citric acid and kool aid together, add additional sugar or citric acid to taste.
3. Pour about 3/4 tablespoons of mixture through funnel into straw.
4. Attach another glue dot to top of straw and fold over to close.
5. You may choose to add a tag such as "Thank you" or "Happy Birthday," a ribbon, etc.
6. When giving to your child to enjoy, please snip off the top of the straw, entirely so that the glue dot is not a choking hazard.

The basics of this project were pretty simple, but I may have developed carpal tunnel after finishing 500....no seriously.  So if you don't have the time, or patience to work on these or your other little party details, please entertain the idea of hiring Little Bird Celebrations to help with all of your party planning needs.  

............a little bird told me you'd like some help with your event.