You guys! I had my very first craft night and I can honestly say that it was a huge success. I wanted to give you all the details as well as some tips if you are looking to put on one of your own!
I have wanted to put on my own craft night ever since going to the one put on by my girl Desiree from Heirloom Paper. It was such a fulfilling creative outlet, a fun night out with friends and a great way to meet others who love/aspire to be more crafty. More than 2 YEARS (!!!) later, it finally seemed like the right time to jump in and do it and the yarn wall hanging was the perfect first craft.
TIP: When picking a craft, make sure to teach something you have done before. I know this seems like common sense, but you really don’t know how involved it can get or how long something will take until you have tried it for yourself. I doubt you or your guests want a 6 hour craft night or something too hard that it becomes frustrating.
The yarn wall hanging I made was on display and since this was my first (aka tester) craft night, I wanted to give a special thanks to all of my guests with these handmade pom pom & tassel keychains. (Tutorial here!)
Upon receiving everyone’s RSVP, I made sure to ask if they had a preference on yarn color. I really wanted this to be something they would love and want to display proudly in their homes. There were also inspirational photos sent out a couple days before the event and up during the night.
TIP: Give your guests lots of ideas and different ways to make the craft their own. Not everyone has the same style, so it is important to give your guests options. I know that if I am tasked with a new craft, I need to see what other’s have done first before deciding on what I want mine to look like. Give them enough time to see some options and make sure to have them available at your event.
Can I tell you how happy all of these colors make me!
These next few photos should speak for themselves really. LOL! My secret: good ol’ Trader Joes.
TIP: Have food and drink ready! Now, I love throwing parties, so your spread does not have to look like this, but I do feel like going the extra step just adds to the ambience of the whole night. If you are having a craft night, there is not usually time or set-up available to add dinner in there, so I would suggest light apps and/or desserts. Just make sure to warn your guest to eat their meal beforehand!
P.S. Check out those adorable (and disposable!) wine and water glasses! See how I made them here.
For the crafting areas, a layer of kraft paper served to protect the tables but also to give the space a more uniformed look. Each seat had a set of tools needed and if you need your guests to share, just put them in the middle for them to take turns. 
TIP: Have seating assignments. I know, I know…this can be somewhat “controversial.” But seating always gives me a little anxiety if I don’t know where to sit and if your guests know their seat is saved, there is no need for them to hover around their area or claim their spot before the event begins. The trick to this is to make sure to place groups that come together next to each other!
After some mingling, drinking & eating time, there was a quick intro by me and a short tutorial to get everyone started.
TIP: Make a somewhat loose schedule for how you want your night to go. This will help you to keep the night on track and to get your guests started doing what they came to do!
I was so happy to see how everyone got straight to it! Some knew exactly what they wanted to do first and the others that didn’t took time to wander around, look at the inspiration pieces or to see what others were doing until they got their spark. I LOVED seeing people ask others for suggestions or opinions and making crafting a communal and social activity. No one was afraid to try anything and if they didn’t like it, they took it out and started again.
TIP: If you are hosting/teaching, make yourself the non-official expert/consultant for the night. This does not mean that you have to know how to do everything. Believe me, I could not remember for the life of me how to macrame that night and I have done it a couple times before! But you should be available to help your guests figure out what to do by giving them options or talking out their ideas with you.
This was one of my favorite parts: being able to help someone fulfill their vision!
Most of all, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED seeing everyone’s makes. They were all SO different and so much like the person that made them. I cannot say enough how impressed I am by how they turned out, especially from those that have expressed to me before that they are “not crafty.” Yea… I don’t think they can tell me that again!
Aren’t they amazing!!! The wall hangings and the women that made them! Not like there was much doubt before, but I am definitely doing more of these in the future. I even have the next couple crafts picked out, so make sure to follow along!
Roll a piece of clear tape and stick it to the side of the other balloons. Find the spot you want it to go and stick it to one of the base colored balloons. Some may need more than one piece of rolled tape just to make sure it stays in place.
I love the look and idea of the paper straw, but I don’t like using them as a straw. Strange, I know, but I hate the feeling of the paper getting soft in the drink. I found a great tutorial from 
My greatest discovery this time around: CREPE PAPER garland! I might never make another tissue paper garland again! Tutorial 
Love love love helium balloons, but they can be expensive if renting a tank and a bit of a pain if your order and have to pick up the day of the party. ***TIP*** Order them for the day before with hi-float and they will last 3-4 days if not longer! Also, if you feel the space is a bit cluttered already for balloons, try putting them in the corners of the room. (A tip from the hubs, believe it or not!)
Great discovery #2! PUNCH BALL BALLOONS! Most, if not all of my party decor was from the dollar store including these punch ball balloons. Blow them up and hang them from the ceiling! Since they are shaped a bit differently from regular balloons, you can even hang streamers or ribbon from the bottoms as well!
The highlight of the party was definitely the cakes. I am not an experienced baker, but 
My sister made this four-tiered adorable chocolate mini cake just for Ellie, complete with her own banner and homemade white chocolate nonpareils.
Since we decided to have a small party this year, I knew there would not be many kids her age present as Ellie is the oldest cousin. I wanted something fun and interactive for her, so we made these “Press Here” inspired cards for her to play.
Our whole family was great sports in each picking out a card and wearing it so Ellie could go up to them and play her game. (Left says “Smell this dot.” Right says “Poke Me!”.)
