Hosting the perfect arts and crafts evening takes a fine blend of preparation, baked goods and patience. A combination which, you’ll know if you’ve ever hosted a party before doesn’t always come easy. Still the great thing with arts and crafts evenings is that it’s up to you how structured or laid-back your night is.
It can be an evening of creating Tate-worthy paintings or a simple catch up among friends with a side of jewellery making. As the host, it’s your call.
If you are thinking of taking the arts and crafts plunge, here are a few non-negotiable steps to make yours the crème de la crème of crafty nights…
Agree on the craft beforehand
Just because you’re hosting an arts and crafts evening doesn’t mean that you and your fellow crafters have to do the same project. Someone can knit while others decoupage and you work on your stitching – the more crafts, the merrier. And if you all want to do a group craft together, then that works too.
It’s a good idea to decide beforehand, so that you know what the pace of the evening will be. If everyone is doing their own thing, your crafting table can be a hodgepodge of materials and everyone’s responsible for knowing the steps of their own craft. If you’re all doing the same activity, someone (if not everyone) will have to know what they’re doing and be ready to help any craft newbies.
Make like a Girl Guide and be prepared
It’s a little difficult to host an arts and crafts evening if you don’t have the necessary supplies. Again, if you’re all doing your own separate craft then everyone can be responsible for bringing their own paint brushes, needles, felt – whatever. If you’re doing the same craft together, you’re going to need to agree ahead of time on who will bring what.
Knowing the game plan is essential if you’re all opting for a single craft. You could watch craft videos online, sharpen your skills on a sewing course or knitting class and pick up some quick tips from Pinterest. Either way, when the time comes for your craft evening you’ll want to be ready and prepared to get making.
Set the mood
This is probably the easiest step in hosting the perfect craft evening. All it takes is some tasty goodies, a of couple drinks – wine, tea or even mocktails will do fine – and some music for the night to get on track and stay there. A little background music will go a long way, especially when everyone’s crafting independently.
Find your Zen
Above all, arts and crafts evenings should be relaxing and full of fun. This isn’t a time to feel stressed or frustrated, so it’s important to keep things light. If your crocheted make-up bag looks more like a deflated balloon, don’t let it bum you out. You’re practising, after all.
The same idea goes for helping friends that aren’t as experienced as you with a specific craft. There’s nothing quite like getting frustrated with someone else to kill the mood. Everyone will work at their own pace, so just remember to go with the flow and have a good time. People will remember the laughter more than a near-perfect knitted mitten.
Now that you’ve got all the ingredients for the perfect arts and crafts evening, there’s only one thing left to do – get out there and start crafting!
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