There are few experiences better or more therapeutic than a day with friends. However, if your friend group is anything like mine, we appreciate any opportunity to show off our creativity. So, at one of our group parties, we decided to split off into a girls group, a crafting council, for spontaneous creative bonding time. Honestly, this was the best decision ever. So far we have made candles, decorated pottery, crocheted, tried needle point, and most recently I hosted a wreath making day.
Though I have made a few wreaths and table decorations from fake flowers in the past, you truly can never have too many, and why spend 50 dollars at the store when you can spend more, take more time, and just do it yourself?? However, I am hardly an expert and we all had fun second-guessing decisions and hoping for the best throughout the process. At the end of the day, we were all sending pictures back and forth of wreaths on our doors, proud of how each ended up!
Setting up a craft day!
The first and most important step: Find your people!!
Our group is made up of such a random assortment of people who have come together, mostly due to our partners, and created a greater bond than we could have imagined. Right around three years ago when I met Matt's friend group for the first time I felt so out of place; almost everyone at this party was either an engineer, doctor, laywer, or graphic designer. I can be very introverted at times and I was so overwhelmed and intimidated. However, it didn't take long for them to welcome me to this crazy wonderful group. Looking back through pictures, it is so amazing to see how much they have shown up for us and I know I have made long-lasting friendships.
Through our many craft days, outside friends have popped in and out, partners have joined here and there, but no matter what we are always welcoming of creative individuals with kind hearts.
Second step: Plan an event and pick a host...
Our group chat is pretty silent most of the time (especially compared to the main group page that has so many posts throughout the day of just random jokes and thoughts usually from the guys in the group.) However, every few weeks one of us will share some inspiration we have found to test the interest levels. Back at the start of winter someone suggested Christmas wreaths and we were all on board, with the exception of time. With constant family functions and parties, having the time to all make holiday wreaths just wasn't in the cards.
When Spring came along, I threw the option out to make colorful floral wreaths or door decorations. We figured out a good date, I told Matt I was hosting this time, and that was all that needed to happen. Several others had hosted in the past, and I was truly excited for my opportunity to share with my friends. All I needed to do was prepare...
Third Step: Hosting
If you get the opportunity to host a friend group, it is thrilling, exhausting, satisfying, and stressful all at once. Though I would 100% do it again, hosting on your own can be a lot. Matt had a lot going on of his own, and really wasn't invited even though it was in our house, so this was all on me. I had three main things to do:
clean the entire house (yes even rooms no one would go in, because you never know...)
purchase all necessary materials (thankfully craft stores always have sales)
plan and execute delicious appetizers
I thoroughly enjoyed one and a half of those steps. Meal planning and picking out materials made for a very exciting time, until it came to paying for all of it (though everyone chipped in afterward. Thank you friends! ) Mostly I was just so excited to cook little treats and set up a sweet charcuterie board for my people. When I cook for just Matt and myself it is hard to get pumped up about weeknight dinners. So, the opportunity to create special treats was thrilling. A few instagram reels for inspiration, and a pinterest recipe for sourdough discard pizza dough and we were cookin with gas.
It's also not often that you get to set up for craft day in an aesthetically pleasing way. My heart was overjoyed by the image of spring on a table, ready to be completely messed up and endlessly searched through: the calm before the crafting storm.
Fourth step: craft, eat, drink, and have fun!
Once you are all set up, the most important step is to enjoy the process and the company! I have a few lovely friends who brought wine and extra snacks, which really elevated the afternoon. As everyone got to the house, we took time to catch up, grab some snacks, and really dig into planning out our wreaths. A few recent additions to the group, in the form of tiny babies, made appearances as well which may have distracted only in the best way.
As everyone grabbed their florals of choice and tried to figure out ribbons and how to tie them, I finished out the final hors d'oeuvre in the oven and snacked to get my energy up and ready to go. Afterall, crafting takes a lot of mental and physical energy to produce the right amount of creativity.
All in all, this craft day was successful in so many ways. Everyone relaxed and had a good time. Everyone left with a successful wreath of which they could be proud. Some juicy gossip was spilled. Hugs were shared. Midwest goodbyes were extended even longer. Promises were made to do this again soon. Craft day proved once again that it is the best day.
Final Step: share the finished product and put off cleaning up.
Sharing in a craft day with friends is so immensely worth all the hosting woes. We are already planning a few more to come up soon. Take the time to share in fun creativity with your friends and see everyone shine in their own way. Each piece of art created shows a bit of their energy and their soul and its beautiful to see.
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