Easy craft ideas for ladies night?
August 28, 2013 8:06 AM Subscribe
I want to have some female friends over to my new place as a "party-trial," sort of ... see how the rooms flow, if I like how things are arranged, etc. I was thinking of hosting a ladies-only craft night, possibly to make crafts for the actual housewarming party (probably within the month following the party-trial). Any ideas on what to make?
My requirements would be:
- doesn't require TOO many materials (no paint AND markers AND hot glue AND fabric AND hammers AND etc - maybe just two or three materials?)
- can be completed in an evening
- relatively cheap
- something we can work on while chatting and drinking wine
- something that 30-year-old ladies would enjoy
My requirements would be:
- doesn't require TOO many materials (no paint AND markers AND hot glue AND fabric AND hammers AND etc - maybe just two or three materials?)
- can be completed in an evening
- relatively cheap
- something we can work on while chatting and drinking wine
- something that 30-year-old ladies would enjoy
Springboarding on FergieBelle's collage idea - decoupage! Same principle as collage, only you are decorating something like a box or a vase or some useful object like that. Get a bottle of Mod Podge glue, a bunch of pictures and whatever object you want to decorate and you're good to go.
(And it doesn't have to be all twee and cutesy either - I used to have a bedside condom storage box that was decoupaged on the inside with a whole bunch of pictures of penii I'd cut out from an issue of Playgirl.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:20 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
(And it doesn't have to be all twee and cutesy either - I used to have a bedside condom storage box that was decoupaged on the inside with a whole bunch of pictures of penii I'd cut out from an issue of Playgirl.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:20 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
Holy crap, I would be ALL THE HELL OVER a cupcake decorating party for grownups. That sounds absolutely delightful. Especially because it would be a socially-sanctioned means of frosting imbibement.
One of my metafilter friends (and she may actually chime in here, who knows!) has done a few craft nights. Sometimes they're just knitting, because she and her guy both knit hardcore, and sometimes they're "bring your own craft project to work on" which is nice, because then you get to learn about other people's hobbies.
posted by phunniemee at 8:22 AM on August 28, 2013
One of my metafilter friends (and she may actually chime in here, who knows!) has done a few craft nights. Sometimes they're just knitting, because she and her guy both knit hardcore, and sometimes they're "bring your own craft project to work on" which is nice, because then you get to learn about other people's hobbies.
posted by phunniemee at 8:22 AM on August 28, 2013
Easy bead bracelets. A selection of beads and charms, some stretchy "fishing line", all easily obtained at a hobby store and you have a great craft that the ladies will be proud to show off. Get some earring hooks for the more crafty in the group to try. Great craft and they'll love it.
posted by pearlybob at 8:29 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by pearlybob at 8:29 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
ORIGAMI THINGS!
And you can hang several of them by strings.
posted by zizzle at 8:34 AM on August 28, 2013
And you can hang several of them by strings.
posted by zizzle at 8:34 AM on August 28, 2013
Fridge magnets (supplies: small plastic toys/flowers, magazine cut-outs + clear/colored glass, etc., magnets, good glue that at least for the clear glass ones would also need to be clear).
Felted soap (wool in various colors, bar soap in various types, water).
posted by vegartanipla at 8:36 AM on August 28, 2013
Felted soap (wool in various colors, bar soap in various types, water).
posted by vegartanipla at 8:36 AM on August 28, 2013
Pinecone ornaments. You'll need styrofoam eggs, lots of kinds of patterned paper, dressmaker pins, cup hooks, and ribbon. The cost works out to $2-4 per egg. (I sold them at an auction and they went for $20 each.)
They don't have to be for Christmas. I just like having them around in wintertime.
posted by mochapickle at 8:36 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
They don't have to be for Christmas. I just like having them around in wintertime.
posted by mochapickle at 8:36 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
(Oh, and helps to have some bandaids to pad your thumbs, cause 100 of those pins in stiff styrofoam is murder. Wine should also help.)
posted by mochapickle at 8:37 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by mochapickle at 8:37 AM on August 28, 2013
The easiest thing in the world to make is bunting and for some reason people enjoy that, good for parties too.
posted by pmcp at 8:38 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by pmcp at 8:38 AM on August 28, 2013
What about painting wine glasses? Just need wine glasses, glass-suitable paint and paint brushes (or q-tips / painter's tape if you want to do dots or lines or something)
posted by sleepykitties at 8:40 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sleepykitties at 8:40 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Candle-making!
There are lots of good online tutorials for it, and you can make layered ones with different colours, scented ones with essential oils, etc. People end up with something they'll actually use. You could ask guests to bring glass jars in different sizes to recycle as the candle holders/moulds, then you just need wax, dyes, fragrances and wicks.
posted by Salamander at 9:01 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
There are lots of good online tutorials for it, and you can make layered ones with different colours, scented ones with essential oils, etc. People end up with something they'll actually use. You could ask guests to bring glass jars in different sizes to recycle as the candle holders/moulds, then you just need wax, dyes, fragrances and wicks.
posted by Salamander at 9:01 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
String Art may be a little on the involved/expensive side, but I think it can look really beautiful, depending on what you can find as a base.
And other than the base, it's cheap-- just nails and string. You could have a couple friends bring hammers (if they have them) so you don't have to all take turns using the same hammer.
posted by matcha action at 9:06 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
And other than the base, it's cheap-- just nails and string. You could have a couple friends bring hammers (if they have them) so you don't have to all take turns using the same hammer.
posted by matcha action at 9:06 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
I love the DIY tutorials on Honestly WTF. They're usually quite easy, just not immediately accessible because you usually need to obtain a specialty item... but for the party you could get like a LOT of that item and then everyone can go to town! The bracelets are usually pretty easy, cheap, and pretty.
posted by telegraph at 9:15 AM on August 28, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by telegraph at 9:15 AM on August 28, 2013 [4 favorites]
I'd go with something useful.
How about coasters? They come in handy, especially for parties.
Or hand painted plates/bowls make for great decoration and are nice for party snacks.
posted by travelwithcats at 9:23 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
How about coasters? They come in handy, especially for parties.
Or hand painted plates/bowls make for great decoration and are nice for party snacks.
posted by travelwithcats at 9:23 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
We had a crafts evening making bath bombs. You do need to buy ingredients and moulds, but they are fairly cheap from ebay. You can think creatively about things to put in them (eg fragranced tea).
posted by sock of ages at 9:39 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sock of ages at 9:39 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Porcelain paint pens to decorate cups and bowls.
Tissue covered vases.
Batik fabric using crayons.
Friendship bracelets.
Decorated paper lanterns.
More decorated paper lanterns.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:40 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Tissue covered vases.
Batik fabric using crayons.
Friendship bracelets.
Decorated paper lanterns.
More decorated paper lanterns.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:40 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Keep it easy on yourself and go with either cupcake decorating or sugar cookie decorating. You can have several premade and cooled, and then a few baking when folks arrive for that yummy, welcoming smell. It's a lot less messy than other projects, and the conversation often turns to favorite family recipes, traditions, etc. It's a nice way to learn more about your friends.
posted by vignettist at 10:02 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by vignettist at 10:02 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
My girlfriend made preserved lemons with her friends. None of them have ever been used, but it was fun for them to do and to learn about different uses, whether a tagine would be in any of their futures, etc.
posted by rhizome at 10:25 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by rhizome at 10:25 AM on August 28, 2013
If you're willing to go a little more garden-y, a terrarium party could be fun. One of my friends hosted one once. It was BYO-glass vessel/special plants, and she had the gravel, charcoal, etc. and some extra containers and baby succulents on hand. A nicely potted plant is a great thing to be able to take home - as far as I know, everyone still has theirs on display. (If you're worried about mess, you can put a large piece of plastic sheeting down underneath the table where you'll be working.)
posted by Austenite at 11:25 AM on August 28, 2013
posted by Austenite at 11:25 AM on August 28, 2013
Also, pajaki or pom-pom chandeliers look so fun and colorful:
pom-pom chandelier
giant Polish chandelier
pajaki chandeliers
how to make a pajaki
posted by Squeak Attack at 1:06 PM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
pom-pom chandelier
giant Polish chandelier
pajaki chandeliers
how to make a pajaki
posted by Squeak Attack at 1:06 PM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
What about a bouquet-making session? With a group you could get several different bunches of flowers and some dollar store jars or vases and go wild. It's one of my favorite wine-drinking activities.
posted by thirdletter at 5:22 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by thirdletter at 5:22 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Classy mobiles. I love making mobiles with origami objects hung by little strings. If you make the origami pieces out of black, white and silver paper it can look super sophistocated.
posted by Cygnet at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Cygnet at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
I saw tiny glass salt and pepper shakers that had been decorated with glass paint at a handmade market and immediately replicated it at home. I've given them away as little hostess gifts, too. Having two or three pairs on a long dining table is nice. There is likely a cheaper source for these than Amazon, and you'll just need some paint appropriate for glass and some brushes. I bought my paint at Michaels.
posted by ersatzkat at 10:28 AM on August 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by ersatzkat at 10:28 AM on August 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
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Is there someone who can lead you in a very rudimentary art lesson? You could use pastels to do a still life.
Or, get all of your old magazines and do collage. It's really fun to do a dream board, where you find images that speak to you, arrange them on a posterboard, and glue them down. Then, you can talk about why you chose what, and what it means. I did this one new years eve with my mom and sister, and it was very cool.
posted by FergieBelle at 8:11 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]