5 Tips for Throwing a Crafty Birthday Party

Give Notice

Any time you're going to host a party, you need to make sure your guests have plenty of notice. However, this is especially important if you're throwing a scrapbooking or jewelry-making birthday party, or any other kind of party where everyone will be doing a craft. Odds are, your friends will want some time to brainstorm ideas of what they want to work on, and they'll need to gather any supplies they want to bring.

You should probably give your friends about 2 weeks' notice, and give them the occasional friendly reminder as the date gets closer. You can also use this time to brainstorm ideas together. This can help ensure that everyone has a project to work on at your party.

Provide Basic Supplies

While your guests should bring any special supplies that they'll need--for example, family photos for scrapbooking or specific fabrics they want to quilt with--as the host, you should provide some of the basic supplies. If you're not sure what to provide, here are a few ideas for various types of crafting parties:

• Scrapbooking Party
• • Scrapbook paper
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Colored pens and markers
  • Hole punches
  • Shape cutouts
• Quilting Party
• • Basic fabrics
  • Needles and thread
  • Batting
  • Quilting frames
  • Pattern ideas
  • Fabric scissors
• Jewelry-Making Party
• • Stretchy plastic string
  • Wire
  • Beads
  • Sequins
  • Jewelry clasps
  • Needle-nose pliers
• Card-Making Party
• • Cardstock
  • Stamps
  • Stamp pads
  • Colored pens and markers
  • Scissors

These are just a few ideas to help you get started. Provide whatever you can for your guests to use.

Provide Basic Instruction

Even if your friends might love to craft as much as you do, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to have a good idea to work on for your party. It might be a good idea to have someone provide some basic instruction and a little inspiration for your guests.

Invite someone who you know is an expert at whatever craft you want to do at your party and have them instruct you on how to make jewelry, cards, or scrapbook pages, etc. Ask them to bring some samples of things they've made to help give your guests some ideas for their own projects.

Have Refreshments

Julia Child once said, "A party without cake is just a meeting." Are you having a craft meeting or a craft party? It's a party, of course! So make sure you have cake or some other variety of treat. When your friends want to take a break from crafting, they can grab a bite to eat and chat with the other guests as they do so.

Let Them Help You

Sometimes your guests just won't have any desire to work on something for themselves. Perhaps they don't wear jewelry and you're having a jewelry-making party. Or maybe your having a scrapbooking party and they don't have any recent photos they want to scrapbook. If this is the case, let your friends help you with your projects!

They can make a pair of earring to match the necklace you're making at your jewelry-making birthday party, or they can help make scrapbook pages for your family vacation photos. Not only will they have fun crafting with you, but they'll be able to give you a birthday present in the process!

 

Source : articlesbase.com