Pinterest Party 2012!

My friends are too busy to get together over the holidays. They work, they have children, they have large families with lots of commitments. Me too, but sometimes going without seeing or talking to my friends for two months, or so, is too long! Friends are what help me get through all of that everyday stuff and offer me a bit of comic relief--and I certainly need that when I'm up to my eyeballs in "to do's" and tinsel!

Look at this LOOT!
I mean, look at all of these presents I was able to make...

I could have had a cookie swap, but I didn't want the stale cookies or calories. I could have had a gift swap, but that didn't seem right either. So, I had a Pinterest Party. Here's how it worked:

How It Works:
I invited 7 of my crafty friends. I asked that they choose an easy, gift-worthy craft from Pinterest, make a sample of it and bring the supplies needed to make 7 more. Making a sample beforehand let us know what we'd be making and allows the person to work all of the kinks out beforehand. I asked that they only spend $20-$25 total for all of the supplies necessary to make their craft. Then, the plan was for us to all get together, eat, drink and craft and go home with one of seven different crafty gifts.

I also asked that they bring a snack, drink or dessert from Pinterest to share.

What I Did To Prepare:
Along with making my own craft, I made sure I had a few tables on hand for us to craft on (instead of my one little dining room table). It's great to have some basic supplies like a hot glue gun, scissors, glue sticks, extra ribbon in various sizes and colors (I just grabbed my ribbon bin) and tape. Having a cleaning spray, paper towels and dustpan and broom easily accessible will also help when you need to tidy between projects.

I think next year I will have a gift bag station for wrapping the gifts and a dedicated place for people to put their gifts as they finish them (maybe a large gift bag or grocery bag with handles).

I also set up a group board on Pinterest and invited all of my guests to pin their craft and food item so that, after the party, we'd have access to the directions and recipes, if needed. Our Board is here.

The Projects:
Wow! I was so thrilled at the diversity of the projects! Here's what we made:

• Alcohol Ink Coasters (set of 4)
• Birdseed Wreaths
• Mason Jar Soy Candles
• Terrariums in a Glass Ornament
• Desktop Dry Erase Board
• No-Sew Lanyards
• Washer Necklaces

We took turns having the person who brought a specific project lead the rest of us through it in a mini tutorial. We learned so much about so many different types of crafts and we were able to try things that we might otherwise have never done.

Working on the No-Sew Lanyards

The Food:
YUM! Too many good things and WAY too much food! But I enjoyed working my way through the buffet! I had coffee and tea on hand as well as juice spritzers. One of my good friends brought eggnog from a local dairy. These are some of the recipes from Pinterest that were there (Check out the Pin Board for the links/recipes):

• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
• Candy Cane Dip With Apples & Oreos for dipping
• Asian Slaw With Ginger-Peanut Dressing
• Buffalo Chicken Enchilada Roll-ups
• Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
• Seven Layer Bars
• Hummus & Salsa with veggies and chips, etc.

Some of the coasters drying--these really brighten up
after they are sprayed with the sealant.

Some Thoughts:
If you think you'd enjoy a Pinny Party, do it! It was fun and it's great to come away with lots of little gifts for giving. It does take some advance planning since you have to give your guests time to come up with an idea, try it at home, and shop for the supplies to create enough for your guests.

We had allowed three hours for the party (from 1:00-4:00 on a Sunday afternoon). That really wasn't enough time. Have your guests think of how they can prep some of their supplies ahead of time to save time and try to keep each project to about 1/2 hour. Limiting the guest list to 4-6 can help with time, but who wants to limit the guest list too much! Maybe if the party is held a bit earlier in the year (mid-November?) and there are two evenings of crafting (3-4 projects and evening) then that would allow for more time and more fun. But I wouldn't try to hold a party with two sessions in December--much too crazy!

But I LOVE the projects we made and I'm worried I won't be able to part with them! I'm so thrilled I was able to spend time with my friends and have some crafting therapy! I may not be entirely ready to face the holidays, but when things get stressful, I'll try to remember the good time I had with my friends this weekend.

And a present for our feathered friends, too!

For Easter or Anytime: Cinna-Bunnies!

I'm an artist and art educator, and I'm a mom, too. I have a five-year-old that stays home with me and he loves art and cooking. I have been trying to make a conscious effort to introduce little fun stuff every once in awhile to make staying home more special and encourage learning. Yesterday, I had an idea for us to make something with dough (biscuit dough in this case) that would be edible and celebrate Spring/Easter. Cinna-bunnies! Or Bunny Biscuits as my big boys call them...

Cinna-Bunnies

Supplies Needed:

• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 5 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup shortening (or butter or palm oil)
• 1 cup milk

• 1 egg white, slightly beaten
• food coloring, black and pink
• paint brush (new)
• bowl, measuring cups & spoons, small bowls (3), pastry blender, rolling pin, cookie sheet, 2" circle cutter, 1" circle cutter, safety knife

Directions:

1. Combine 1 Tbsp. of sugar with 1 tsp. of cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.

2. Combine the remaining dry ingredients for the biscuits. Cut in the shortening until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk until a dough forms.

3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Add a bit of flour if it is sticking.

4. Divide dough in half. Roll half the dough to 1/2"thickness and cut 2" circles of dough (we got about six). Dip each biscuit into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet (I use stoneware, so I don't grease the baking stone). These are the bellies of your bunnies.

5. Roll out the remaining dough to 1/2" thickness. Cut six 1" circles. Attach these to one side of the bunny bodies (use a finger dipped in water to attach the parts). These are the bunny heads.

6. Cut six more 1" circles and use the safety knife to cut each in half. Each circle will make two bunny ears. Attach the bunny ears to each bunny head using a bit of water.

7. Pinch off 1/2" balls of dough to make feet and hands, dip in water and attach to each bunny body.

8. Lightly beat the egg white and divide into two small bowls. Use food coloring to color the egg in one bowl pink and the remaining egg white black. Use a paint brush to paint the inner part of the bunny's ears and add eyes, a nose and whiskers.

9. Bake the Cinna-bunnies for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees until the bunnies are lightly browned. Keep a close eye on them of you are using a metal cookie sheet--you might want to turn the oven temp down to 400 degrees. Adjust time accordingly so the bunny bottoms down's burn.

10. Let sit on cookie sheet for a couple minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. We slathered our bunnies with butter before gobbling them up. ENJOY!!