Favorite Things Party

I went to a 'favorite things' party of my neighbor's a few months ago and had SUCH a good time, I just had to throw one myself too!

This is the type of party anyone can put on alone & not break the bank on.

So here's how it works:

Everyone brings 4 wrapped gifts (each gift should cost under $8 or whatever limit you want to set) and also bring their favorite treat or snack. If you wanted this to be a dinner party you could easily set it to be a favorite dinner dish or side instead & assign meal parts/drinks.

my invites:

I found the blank cards at Target in their $1 section & just typed up the wording on my iPad, used a little crafty punch to make the pendants & just glued them all on.

I decided to stick with my invite color scheme for the party colors & added a red tone for V Day instead of using the black feather paper. I made a Valentine's Day banner & some little tiny crafty punch banners too.

I went to Target for some Valentiney goodness (bought lots, ps) & found this gem. I love it!!

I also completed a quick DIY project, my chalkboard art and set it out.

Part of the fun of a "favorite things" party is getting to know a big group of girls that you may or may not know that well. So I typed up this lovely little questionnaire of your favorite or preferred things.

The white paper is the questionnaire. You can re-type or switch around different questions, but don't tell your guests the purpose of this game. Just tell them to fill it out & hang onto it.  ;)  Make sure that you have some "circle your fave" types though. You'll get why.

When my friends arrived, I had them grab a questionnaire (skinny white pages) & write their name on 4 slips of paper (the little green ones) and put them in the curvy bowl.

The flow & vibe I wanted for my party was one that was laid back, where people could just socialize, eat the food, relax, & get to know each other... mingled with a little game & a gift exchange.

So we ate.. and chatted!

People brought SUCH yummy treats & fun snacks. It was a good dinner for me.  ;)

I then paparazzied the party.. sorry for the funny faces some of you made!

When the time comes, I walked the jar around the room & had my friends pick out 4 papers, not showing anyone, but making sure they didn't pull their own names or get duplicates. 

Disclaimer: make sure you grab your own 4 slips first so you aren't stuck with duplicates or your own name either!

Everyone sort of sat in a circle among the couch & around, and we just started over on one end & had the first person stand up (my friend Sam) and she passed her 4 gifts out to everyone who drew her name from the jar & while everyone was unwrapping/opening her gifts she explained why the items were her favorites. She brought a movie & oreos because she's a big movie girl & loves oreos (obviously haha). Perfect gift!

We went through the whole room, some people's gifts eliciting jealous sighs or swapping with others for something more suited to their likes, and it was so much fun! It's interesting to see a little peek into your friend's brains when they are shopping for a stranger yet themselves... it's kinda a funny conundrum!

And I chose to do the game after the gifts were opened because the prize for winning the game was the same type of gift I gave as my favorite things. But the fun twist to the game is, the most original answers wins. So I started on one end of the circle & had my friend say aloud her favorite color (just starting with the first) and if anyone else had that as their answer, they had to cross off their answer. We went around the circle, everyone saying aloud their favorite answer to each question. 

I was a little worried for a bit if I was going to have to think up a tie breaker if people came out with the same number of original answers, but luckily Andrea won with the most original brain, no competition.

Once the game was finished people went back for more food, some had to leave early, and others just stayed and chatted. It was such a fun party, I came away with several way cute gifts that I'm super excited about and I also got to know some of my favorite people a little better.  :)  I highly recommend throwing one for your group of friends a do it regularly! I saw on Pinterest that a group of girls get together twice a year doing this! Hosted at different homes & maybe add in a different game or twist if you'd like, but I think it would be so much fun. Any excuse to hang out without the babes or guys is such a good time!