12.06.2010

christmas crafternoon {part 1.}

Can't believe my little Christmas craft party has already come and gone. I had the most wonderful time on Sunday, welcoming 16 lovely ladies into our home for an afternoon of creativity, laughter, and a whole lot of cookies. When this idea first popped into my head (I'd been inspired by a few similar parties in blogland), I really just wanted to bless my friends with some girly time, projects, inspiration, and skills they could take home to create their own Christmasy crafts. I believe that everyone has a creative bone in their bodies, and it's a really happy+healthy thing for everyone to sit down and use their hands once in awhile. As it turns out, I felt double blessed by it all--everyone seemed to really enjoy it and all were asking when we'd do this again! Sharing my love for crafting with everyone made my heart really happy. After all was said & done, instead of crashing on the couch as I'd planned, I spent the whole night thinking of the next party; what I'd change, what I'd keep the same, and what fun projects we would make!Here's how it worked:

*I asked everyone to bring a batch of her favorite Christmas cookies, plus 10$ to share in the cost of supplies. I might have had a melt-down if I felt pressured to prepare a huge spread of food on top of the crafts. Having everyone bring treats to swap was both fun and stress-less!

*I set up 5 different stations around our house, each with a different project. {More details on the projects tomorrow!} At each table, I had a finished sample, all the supplies necessary for the project, plus a few options for creative variations. At first, I felt a bit nervous about being in 5 places at once to offer explanations and troubleshooting, but everyone helped everyone and it magically all came together. {I have the sweetest friends!}

*For practicality, I was armed with a brown paper bag with each girl's name on it, so they'd have a place to stash their finished products as they moved throughout the house.

*I also made little paper ornaments as party favors for each guest & tied them around the brown bag handles to add a little flair. Nothing like killing 2 birds with one stone. {What a morbid phrase.}
Jeff deserves high fives from everyone for being super duper helpful with all of this. I really couldn't have pulled any of this together without him. He pitched in all day long on Saturday to help make our house officially cardboard-free. (Yes, we still had about 8 boxes yet unpacked since moving in July. Deadlines are SO good for me!) He helped get our house clean as a whistle, watched G during the party, and even snapped a few of these pics for me. Every good craft party needs a good husband behind the scenes. :)

See part 2: finished products!

23 comments:

bethany said...

This looks just as cute in blogland as it did in person! It was such perfection.

And yes, major, major props to Jeff! Also, Sara and I both commented to each other on his flawless ability to socialize with a house filled to the brim with feminine crafters. Such a remarkable mingler! :)

Whatever Dee-Dee wants said...

This sounds like such a fun party!
I would love to attend something like this, maybe I just need to throw a party myself :)

Thanks for sharing!

Christine E-E said...

thanks for giving us the steps to throwing a successful craft party! ummm... I'm thinking Valentine's Day party would be fun!!!! Can't wait to see your projects tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

I wanna be your friend! That looks like so much fun.

Chelle said...

Oh Jess, wow! I cannot get over how sweet your house is...and that crafternoon looked absolutely sweet + blissful...and I love how supportive + helpful that Jeff of yours is...

Anonymous said...

Oh it looks like such a sweet, sweet time! You are just the best!

Fairlightday said...

Jess, it looks amazing! And your house, darling! I so want to do one of these parties but was concerned with coming up with time manageable projects and not breaking the bank buying supplies. Any tips would be most welcome!
And kudos to Jeff! I bet he was awesome and the pictures are perfect. :)

Shannon said...

This looks even better than I imagined it would! You made everything look so darling, I love it! I really need to get some crafty friends, or wanna-be crafty friends at least. Amazing job!

Unknown said...

Looks like so much fun! I'm throughly impressed.

Cottage Mommy said...

Totally overwhelmed by your creative genius! Everything was just perfect and beautiful! And your house looks amazing!

Olivia said...

It was so fun, I talked all the way home about it.

Thank you so much for all your hard work and planning.

summer said...

soooo pretty, jessica! i can't believe what a perfect party. you are a master.

Anonymous said...

this. looks. amazing. i'm so bummed that i couldn't come! let me know if you do another one/need help planning one in the future!

Alivia said...

Looks like so much fun! :) I need to get myself come cake stand supplies, they look so lovely.

Amanda said...

WOW! This looks amazing! So lovely... I've been telling Leslie that she really needs to write a book with instructions and inspiration for readers to do their own crafternoons like this!

Emily Mae said...

Thanks Jess for the encouragement about my new etsy shop! Its means more than you know! I got so much inspiration from you!!

The party was such a smash! I loved every minute of it and keep on thinking about having one of my own. Spring seems like a good goal. Thanks again for all the amazing effort you did!

Jen~ Lipstick and Laundry said...

WoW everything looks AMAZING...

Bridget said...

i want to come to this party!!

On Second Street said...

Thanks again for such a fun afternoon! i love the picture of the bags lining the stairs.

Melinda said...

It looks like you all had an amazing time - boy I wish I lived in MN. lol. I can definitely take some of these ideas though - and incorporate them in my home. ;) Well done!

danielle @ take heart said...

this is fabulous!

Elise said...

LOVE this idea!! So great!!
Elise

Nikki said...

Ohhhhhh, your house! The loveliness of it hurts!