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“Get all your supplies together and get ready to craft!F1online/Thinkstock
Those of us who like to amass ideas for projects or collect pretty images have stacks of magazines with favorite pages flagged and hundreds of images we’ve pulled off the Web clogging up our computer. And the truth of the matter is, most of these are images we’ll never find and projects we’ll never get to, because there’s no good way to organize. Or is there?
The minds behind Pinterest saw an opportunity to get the images that inspire us organized and filed into a single, easy-to-access place on the Web. Taking the concept one step further, it also allows us to share these images with friends, as well as access anyone else’s images, connecting us to a community much larger than our immediate sphere of influence. Images are displayed in pinboards, which resemble the image boards that real-life designers often use to present a concept to clients during their initial approach on a project. Needless to say, this style-conscious layout only further serves to appeal to millions of design-philes that live in the virtual world of Pinterest. Huge retail companies like the Gap and Nordstrom have even started using it as a marketing tool, like Facebook and Twitter.
But you don’t have to be a designer or a corporation to enjoy what Pinterest has to offer. Instead, why not leave the virtual environment and get a group of friends together to make a craft that you’ve pinned? Read on for some tips for hosting a Pinterest crafting party.
Contents
- Pinterest Crafting Party: Inviting Guests
- Pinterest Crafting Party: Planning Your Crafts
- Pinterest Crafting Party: Food & Party Favors
Pinterest Crafting Party: Inviting Guests
Once you’ve decided to put those pinned projects to actual use, the first step to getting your party together is creating your guest list. Before making your list, you need to figure out the maximum number of people you can host. How big of a space do you have? You’ll probably need to work at a table, so you can really only host the number of people that you can seat comfortably.
Once you have your list together, consider how you want to get the word out. This casual type of party makes an Evite an easy way to go and there are lots of cute designs to choose from to get your guests in the spirit of your Pinterest crafting party. Or, if you’re more of a mailed invitation kind of girl, you can always get a cute, pre-fab version at your local stationery store or even create and print your own if you have some basic design skills.
But if you really want to set the stage for the evening and get the ladies in a crafting mood, why not pick a Pinterest invitation craft and use that as your invite? There’s lots of great invitation inspiration on Pinterest that won’t take much time or break your budget. You can stick them in the mail, or if your guests live close by, hand-deliver them to save on postage. Another fun idea could be to create a pinboard of highlights of the evening and send it to your guests.
Pinterest Crafting Party: Planning Your Crafts
““Pinterest has a ton of crafts that are perfect for kids!Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock
When planning what craft or crafts you want to try at your Pinterest party, you should look to your guest list to point you in the right direction. Easy crafts set the stage for a more social gathering, which better accommodates a larger guest list. But more complex crafts, or ones with lots of pieces that take up extra space, would probably work better with a smaller group of four to six. Think of it like a game of Monopoly — the fewer players you have, the more likely you are to finish the game.
Also, you’ll want to consider the outcome. Are you looking for a craft that will help expand your crafty skills? Maybe something that your guests will be able to use? Or just a fun way to spend an evening socializing with friends? If you have a bunch of people coming who aren’t terribly crafty, then you’ll want to pick something simple and achievable. But if you’re hosting the ladies who are dangerous with felt and a glue gun, then go ahead and choose something out of your comfort zone. Be sure to make a supplies list ahead of time and figure out what you will provide and what others need to bring. You can include that information with the invitation.
Pinterest Crafting Party: Food & Party Favors
Like any good hostess knows, no party is complete without food and beverages. A fun girls’ night is always nicely executed with a bottle of wine or Champagne to sip and share. And fortunately, Pinterest has a ton of recipes as well as crafts, so if you want to really keep in the spirit of a Pinterest party, select your recipes from the site and create a pinboard of your options.
Depending on what kind of party it is, you can elect to make all the food and have your guests bring the bevvies, or ask some of the invitees if they’d like to pitch in on recipes. You can even make it a theme night if your craft of choice fits the bill. For example, if your project is a mosaic table using talavera tile, Margaritas and tacos would be excellent companions to this Mexican-themed craft. Also, look to the craft of the night for ideas for party favors. You could give a tool that guests may need for the craft and may not have, like a certain hole punch or type of scissors. Or maybe gift them a way to display the craft once they’re finished, like a stand or some wire for a framed work of art. Imagination is the name of the game, so think outside the box. And if you can’t come up with anything clever, just look on Pinterest.
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Sources
- "Baking & Crafting Party." Pinterest.com. June 9, 2012. http://pinterest.com/hostesstori/baking-crafting-party/
- "Beyond the pin, Pinterest party fun." Dailygrommet.com. June 9, 2012. http://www.dailygrommet.com/blog/beyond-the-pin-pinterest-party-fun/
- "What is Pinterest?" pinterest.com. June 9, 2012. http://pinterest.com/about/
