DIY birthday workshops/activities for adults
November 5, 2015 7:44 AM Subscribe
My girlfriend's birthday is coming up (really soon)! I've planned for us to do some DIY activities with different friends, and I'm stuck on ideas. She loves making things, learning how to make things, and having things that she made herself.
THE GIRL
Turning 28, excellent cook, amazing singer (but doesn't sing much now, it's become a touchy subject). Fun, spontaneous, energetic, and as I said, loves to make and try new things.
THE PLAN
After a nice breakfast together, we're going to spend the day going to each of her four closest friends for 1-2 hours each, and doing an activity with them.
FRIEND A: No idea what we can do with him. He's a singer/dancer in musicals, doesn't think learning a dance would be a good idea (I tried). Other than that he's spontaneous and fun.
FRIEND B: Will teach us how to make dreamcatchers.
FRIEND C: Is an excellent pastry chef. Last month she did an at-home cupcake decorating workshop that my girlfriend loved. Thought of making cheesecakes together (gf loves cheesecake), but friend C says it's not hands-on enough for four people.
FRIEND D: She is GF's absolute best friend. Does not have a specific talent/hobby, and is not very spontaneous, but digs the general idea.
ME
Kind of broke. The weekend after her birthday, we're going camping with friends, which is my gift to her, and there are special surprises planned during the camping trip. So it means the activities/workshops should be ones we can do ourselves (no professionals required), and the ingredients/tools/accessories should be relatively cheap or easy to find.
Help me make her very very happy!
THE GIRL
Turning 28, excellent cook, amazing singer (but doesn't sing much now, it's become a touchy subject). Fun, spontaneous, energetic, and as I said, loves to make and try new things.
THE PLAN
After a nice breakfast together, we're going to spend the day going to each of her four closest friends for 1-2 hours each, and doing an activity with them.
FRIEND A: No idea what we can do with him. He's a singer/dancer in musicals, doesn't think learning a dance would be a good idea (I tried). Other than that he's spontaneous and fun.
FRIEND B: Will teach us how to make dreamcatchers.
FRIEND C: Is an excellent pastry chef. Last month she did an at-home cupcake decorating workshop that my girlfriend loved. Thought of making cheesecakes together (gf loves cheesecake), but friend C says it's not hands-on enough for four people.
FRIEND D: She is GF's absolute best friend. Does not have a specific talent/hobby, and is not very spontaneous, but digs the general idea.
ME
Kind of broke. The weekend after her birthday, we're going camping with friends, which is my gift to her, and there are special surprises planned during the camping trip. So it means the activities/workshops should be ones we can do ourselves (no professionals required), and the ingredients/tools/accessories should be relatively cheap or easy to find.
Help me make her very very happy!
A tasting of some sort - bacon, chocolate, various alcoholic drinks. The first in the morning could be fast-food breakfast sandwiches or coffee or donuts. The last would lend itself more to alcoholic beverages or hot-teas (so many choices for tea even at Target). Any dietary lifestyle other than maybe fasting could be covered - yogurt, apples.
posted by RoadScholar at 8:21 AM on November 5, 2015
posted by RoadScholar at 8:21 AM on November 5, 2015
If you're OK with booze, try DIY gin or liqueurs. You could put them together on her birthday, leave them to steep for a week, then enjoy the results on your camping trip.
posted by divined by radio at 8:52 AM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by divined by radio at 8:52 AM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
What an awesome idea for a birthday!
What about making up a song together with friend A? With friend D, how about jewelry making? You could get beads and string or do a braided friendship bracelet for a nostalgic throwback.
For further inspiration maybe checkout the Instructables website (every diy project imaginable, varying in cost and complexity) and pinterest of course.
posted by Gravel at 9:11 AM on November 5, 2015
What about making up a song together with friend A? With friend D, how about jewelry making? You could get beads and string or do a braided friendship bracelet for a nostalgic throwback.
For further inspiration maybe checkout the Instructables website (every diy project imaginable, varying in cost and complexity) and pinterest of course.
posted by Gravel at 9:11 AM on November 5, 2015
Take Friend A to the park and do a photoshoot? Goofy poses, silly hats, memories, but with dancing optional.
posted by yarntheory at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2015
posted by yarntheory at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2015
A needle-felting kit like this is fairly cheap, and a basically-crafty person can figure it out pretty easily. 2 hours would get you a good start on it, but she'd have to finish it up later.
Buy a multi-pack of polymer clay colors, and you can make earrings, figurines, keychains, a little dish to hold your keys, etc.
Maybe do karaoke or lip-sync thing with your singing friend? Or a silly video of her pretending to sing but it's actually his voice?
Could your performing friend take you backstage someplace or to a rehearsal? No end product but unless she also used to perform in his type of venue, it would be "try new things".
If I were to have a pastry chef for a "try something" project, I'd either go for decorating (maybe cookies since cupcakes have been done?) or have a batch of pie filling made up and try 4 different half-batch pie crust recipes to make 4 mini-pies (you know how everybody who makes pie swears that their recipe is the only acceptable way to make a pie crust?)
posted by aimedwander at 10:41 AM on November 5, 2015
Buy a multi-pack of polymer clay colors, and you can make earrings, figurines, keychains, a little dish to hold your keys, etc.
Maybe do karaoke or lip-sync thing with your singing friend? Or a silly video of her pretending to sing but it's actually his voice?
Could your performing friend take you backstage someplace or to a rehearsal? No end product but unless she also used to perform in his type of venue, it would be "try new things".
If I were to have a pastry chef for a "try something" project, I'd either go for decorating (maybe cookies since cupcakes have been done?) or have a batch of pie filling made up and try 4 different half-batch pie crust recipes to make 4 mini-pies (you know how everybody who makes pie swears that their recipe is the only acceptable way to make a pie crust?)
posted by aimedwander at 10:41 AM on November 5, 2015
Tie dying is fun to do in a group setting and all you have to buy is like 3-4 packets of dye (you can tell people to bring white clothes they already have, or can buy a pack of white tees if you want).
posted by rmless at 12:28 PM on November 5, 2015
posted by rmless at 12:28 PM on November 5, 2015
Tie dye is fun (echoing rmless). You can make a nice variation on that by using natural indigo dye, and looking online I've just noticed that cochineal is also available (http://www.dharmatrading.com/dyes/natural-dyes-from-plants-and-insects.html?lnav=dyes.html).
posted by anadem at 8:54 PM on November 5, 2015
posted by anadem at 8:54 PM on November 5, 2015
Make crafts out of natural materials --> Pick something to make: fairy houses, Christmas ornaments, decorate a picture frame, etc.
Beforehand: Gather tools and materials - hot glue gun, pliers, wire, ribbon, gold paint, green felt, black felt pen, wooden beads, dry sphagnum moss, popsicle sticks, etc...
Step 1: Go hunting as a group for the natural materials - acorns, pine cones, rocks, twigs
Step 2: Return to the workspace and craft!
posted by lizbunny at 7:50 AM on November 6, 2015
Beforehand: Gather tools and materials - hot glue gun, pliers, wire, ribbon, gold paint, green felt, black felt pen, wooden beads, dry sphagnum moss, popsicle sticks, etc...
Step 1: Go hunting as a group for the natural materials - acorns, pine cones, rocks, twigs
Step 2: Return to the workspace and craft!
posted by lizbunny at 7:50 AM on November 6, 2015
Terrariums can be done cheaply.
The dollar store often has nice glass vases and bowls.
Sometimes the dollar store also has small bags of soil.
You can also get small plants for a buck each at Home Depot, or you can all go hunting for your own live moss and other small plants.
Rocks for drainage - I've taken them from local playgrounds and washed them in a colander.
Decorative twigs, rocks, etc. - you can find those in parks, near rivers, etc.
posted by lizbunny at 8:35 AM on November 6, 2015
The dollar store often has nice glass vases and bowls.
Sometimes the dollar store also has small bags of soil.
You can also get small plants for a buck each at Home Depot, or you can all go hunting for your own live moss and other small plants.
Rocks for drainage - I've taken them from local playgrounds and washed them in a colander.
Decorative twigs, rocks, etc. - you can find those in parks, near rivers, etc.
posted by lizbunny at 8:35 AM on November 6, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by xingcat at 7:53 AM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]