All posts tagged: craft party

dye party.

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It had been a minute since my crafty lady crew gathered for a crafternoon. We’d been dye-ing to create together, and we’d each been hoarding loads of fabric for the occasion! Here’s how it all went down. We prepped our materials. One day prior, we washed our fabric in natural detergent (for best results!). On the day of we mixed powder dyes plus warm water in squeeze bottles (for classic tie dye) and in buckets (for dip dyeing). We set up our work stations so we had an area for fabric manipulation and soda ash water soaking, an area for dyeing, an area for fabric resting before rinsing, a rinse station, and an area for hanging (and taking photos, let’s be honest). Next we folded fabric. I like to fold all my fabric at the same time, then dye all at once to limit having to rinse or change gloves too many times, and also the chance of me getting unwanted dye on the next fabric I touch. But the process is up to you! …

hallo- and goodbye-ween.

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My coworker Sam’s last day of work was yesterday and he requested a Halloween themed goodbye party complete with Halloween crafts. I must have rubbed off on him over the past almost five years for him to request a craft party. I’m on it! We ordered pizza (per celebrant’s request) and cake, and people brought extra snacks to share. I helped decorate mandarin oranges to look like jack-o-lanterns and created a platter with marshmallows, chocolates, and fruits. For decor I brought out all the fun Halloween crafts I had been working on, including my Make & Play DIY samples, bat mobile, and decor from Halloweens past. We drew tombstones on the white board, too, with “It Was Nice Knowing You,” ” Creep it Real,” “See You Never,” and “Boy, bye.” We’re not bitter. 😉 We also brought back the famous Sam face masks (we used them at his wedding shower a few years ago). They were everyone’s pre-Halloween costume! And for crafts: pumpkin decorating, Halloween embroidery, and sticker coloring. Here are the how-tos! Boy Bye …

bead thangs.

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As part of backyard birthday celebrations, in addition to tie dye festivities, my friend Angel led a beaded necklace craft. Ooo, there were so many beads to choose from. I ended up chosing matte black, white, cream, pinks, and gold. My go-tos. For this project we used Miyuki Delica size 11/0 beads, beading wire, bead glue, and spring loaded jewelry connectors (the black line in the photos). For mine, I went freestyle, but you could also plan out a pattern. Tahdah! I made a long necklace. It could also be a 5-wrap bracelet. It’s super delicate and fancy! 🙂 I’m always hesitant to use jewelry glue in my jewelry projects. I’m not fond of the smell, how if it gets on your skin it hurts, and I never trust that I will actually make my project sturdy for wear. But thanks to Angel (adult supervision!) I feel good about this project. Bead much? Share what you like to make below!

tie dye.

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I did tie dye for the first time! My crafty friend’s crafty daughter wanted to celebrate her birthday with a crafty party. Part one was tie dye! Tie dye is similar to indigo dyeing but with essential differences: (1) there are lots more colors, (2) instead of dunking into a vat we squirted color onto the fabric, and (3) these dyes have to sit longer before the big reveal for 12-24 hours (versus the 12-15 minutes per dip for indigo dyeing). We used Jacquard powder dyes and a tie dye kit from Dharma Trading Company plus some extra bottles, funnels, and measuring spoons/cups. We got the jewel tones color kit – super bold and gorgeous. We mixed urea with water and added dye powder to each bottle and we mixed a vat of soda ash solution. We dunked our fabrics in the soda ash solution before dyeing to help the color stick to the fabric. We folded, rolled, and tied our fabrics. We had socks, tees, sweatpants, headbands, and dish cloths. And I brought a …

holiyay!

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Had to, had to visit the Brit & co Holiday House this year. What a cutie! The venue is small and homey but packed with tons of colorful fun. At the front and headlining the welcoming committee are the featured local makers. On my visit it was Marley & Alfie and An Astrid Endeavor, super talented ladies with lovingly made goods. I snagged a lucky horseshoe from Marley & Alfie! Ahhh! The coolest! There was hot cocoa for all, free make and takes, and lots of backdrops and decorated nooks for all the photo taking. Everyone got to decorate a postcard and take home shimmer frame. There was a snow globe jar making station and a pom pom station, and for extra credit you can make pom pom earrings or a snowman. I made earrings! There’s a candy wall, a silver corner, a washi tape city, a white texture wall, a tassel /fiber wall, disco ball wall, a colorful geometric shape wall, a gold wall, an ugly sweater room, and a peppermint room – it …

rainbow.

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I made a rainbow arch! It was so fun to put together and so sad to take apart. 😂 On my last pop-up day at Mischief I threw a free crafty party and thought some colorful decor at the entrance would attract passersby. Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly) I already had all the colors in my honeycomb and fan stash from previous events. I didn’t realize I owned so many until I made the arch. 😎 To assemble, I sorted my decor in rainbow order and attached the largest pieces first, starting from the center of the arch and working my way to the sides of the arch, filling in with the smaller honeycombs. All of the pieces are attached with zip ties. Here I am from across the way. And then I “made” people take photos in front of it! This needs to be a permanent installation somewhere…maybe in my future craft studio? 🙌🏼  

confetti crown crew.

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For the opening reception of my pop-up at Mischief we threw a confetti crown party. (Throwback to our 5th birthday!) And I make my own confetti now thanks to a super cool paper shredder that cross cuts paper into tiny pieces. This time I used a colorful neon paper assortment on it’s own; next time I’m thinking I should add some sequins and metallic bits. Let the colorful mess commence! Sparkly everything, colorful gems, and hot glue make for a fun crafternoon. ​ Huzzah! We are still finding confetti bits around the shop and I’m not even mad about it. 😎 Thank you to friends, old and new, for celebrating with me!

you are magical.

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When your niece requests unicorn themed crafts for her 10th birthday, magic happens. On the craft menu: unicorn headbands and unicorn poop slime in unicorn jars! Unicorn headbands. These are darling. We spent the week before putting together felt cones for the horns, and had her guests glue on all the flowers they wanted for super special birthday party headwear. Unicorn poop slime in unicorn jars. Slime is apparently all the rage with the kids these days – glitter slime, glow-in-the-dark slime, clear slime, colorful slime, so many kinds of slime! Each guest got to make their own slime with a simple glue, liquid starch, and food coloring recipe. We made golden unicorn jars beforehand so everyone could take home their slime creation in style. We had so many more ideas for unicorn crafts (rainbow tassel unicorn tails, origami unicorn bookmarks!), but two crafty stations was plenty to keep the party going. Unicorn party much? Share you magical party ideas below!

birthday craft party.

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OMG let’s do this again! My craft biz turned five this past October so I threw a birthday craft party complete with craft stations, a photobooth, and so. much. cake. I might need to throw craft parties on the regular. There was so much excitement and craftiness to be had. Here’s a look back at the awesomeness. I held the party at Sticky Art Lab in Berkeley. My lovely friend Katy greeted all the guests. We’ve known each other since junior high and I’m sooooo happy she lives nearby again. All the guests got an FtF VIP name tag and indigo dyed tote bag filled with a craft pack, a special birthday edition soy candle by Lighten Up Shoppe, and a felt pennant or garland by yours truly. I set up a confetti crown station. There was confetti everywhere and it was magical. The decorate-your-own-banner station was a big hit, too. At the photobooth people asked “What app are you using?” Answer: camera. We got a fun clicker to use with our iPad so guests …

something blue.

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My baker friend Mollie got married this year, too (the one who made my after wedding brunch treats!) and she asked me to host a paper flower bouquet workshop for her and her brides ladies to prep for the big day. The honor was all mine! Mollie made a bouquet of paper flowers in hues of blue; her ladies made giant crepe paper blooms. There were also delicious snacks and a curious kitten! The lovelies with their lovelies:  Congratulations Mollie and Ben!