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!

Project: Chalkboard Art

It seems like I always think up projects I "need" to do right before parties or gatherings.. ah well at least I'm a creature of habit, right? But I LOVE this little beauty!

My recent love is chalkboards... as is everyone else's too. So to Pinterest I went to get some pinspiration (see what I did there? ha i kill myself) for my project.

I hit up the Sandy Deseret Industries (D.I) and found a killer frame with the LDS Articles of Faith framed in. I should've taken a before picture of it.. it was pretty classic 80's goodness.

Fun side note, the kid at the check out stand was hilarious. I had 2 frames with me, one that was skinnier but the same size glass for only $1 and my big articles of faith one for $4. I asked him if they did any price differences since I was just going to junk the paper inside & pretty much make it non-recognizable. He said "Well you see, this is original wood from the round table, you know with the knights of the round table? And this wire on the back is actually from the spider from Lord of the Rings, so... I dunno..." I seriously laughed hard, totally surprised me! I was like, "Oh well in that case, I better not junk the frame after all..."

Funny funny. He gave it to me for $2.

So my next and final stop was Home Depot for chalkboard paint & the color for the frame.

I kind of hate roller painting things so I opted for spray paint. I like the smooth, even coat it gives everything. It also tends to finish drying a bit faster than other painting styles.

ALSO: If you are intimidated by the lack of control you have over a spray paint , don't worry.. I have a pretty easy trick that Micah showed me that I'll let you in on.  ;)

I decided to go with gold for the frame... I'm in love with the color gold lately so I chose a bright shiny metallic gold to give a fun pop of attitude.


Step 1: Pull it apart
First things first, I popped the back open & pulled out the lovely articles of faith. Although I didn't throw it away because it was attached to a thick cardboard that I wanted to use to prop the glass back in.

Set the frame aside & lay your glass on whatever paint-friendly surface you have. I used an old white towel we use for Zoey.

Step 2: Paint
I decided to start with the chalkboard paint just in case it took longer to dry. The dry time varies on brands & types you buy, but mine said it would be fully dry after 20 minutes, and ready to be draw on within 48 hours... well I had less than 24 haha so I sort of ignored that "recommendation".

I sprayed it on pretty thick, doing a quick line across the top, keeping the can about 8 inches away from the glass. I didn't clean the glass before-hand (probably should have) but it didn't end up making any difference. Micah showed me how to spray paint an even coat months ago, because my first spray painting job was horrible... I was treating it like hairspray where you just kinda go back & forth holding the button or whatever down continually & going in a shaky circular motion.  He showed me to do one line at a time, where you always start on the same side... So for my chalkboard I started on the left side, sprayed across the whole length & let go with my finger, bringing the can back to the left side (without spraying as I went) and started again on the left side, spraying across the length to the right.

To cover the whole piece of glass it only took me about 5 minutes. It wasn't as strong of a smell of paint as the other spray painting projects I have done before, but you'll still want to do it in a well ventilated area.

Step 3: Apply second coat
While that dried, I painted my frame, being careful to not paint the wire. This spray paint was VERY strong smelling & made me cough a bit (I closed the door that I had open... so smart).

I then swapped, did another coat on my chalkboard, and again while that was drying, did another layer on my frame... Then went outside & tried not to pass out from the fumes!

Because I'm an impatient person, I put my frame together that night. I was DYING to see how the gold looked with the black chalkboard (I was a little nervous it would look 90's-esque).

Step 4: Put it together & draw!

It looked perfect! I already had in mind what quote/drawing I wanted to put on it, what with Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I'd do the most adorable confession of love ever written, but the one and only Mr. Darcy. So adorbs. Don't judge my handwriting or first ever attempts at drawing those leafy borders.

Love how it turned out though! It was a very easy quick project that I am so glad I made. Total, it cost me $10 and only a few hours. If I were to buy this size frame of chalkboard it would easily be $30 or more. Oh and those pillows are from Target (of course) in their dollar section. Only $3 each... score!

I set it on my bench, opting to not mount it to the wall because I really like that cozy sort of f=vibe it gives. Plus I have big plans for that wall.  :)

Happy crafting!

xoxo Mandi

New Years!

Happy New Years!


This year we celebrated with friends up at the Russell cabin and had SO much fun! Sledding, RZRing in the snow, ping pong tournaments, ticket to ride, poker, tons of food & snacks, silly string, bubbly, goofy pics & new years resolutions... Best new years ever!

The majority of us slept over up at the cabin (around 20 people) so it was a full night of fun! Our friend Taylor's birthday is new years so we had a mini celebration for him up there too.

Our dinner was a mexi-mash up of tacos, rice, beans, salad, & lots of snacks. Soooo many calories of goodness!

Natalie painted Kinsley's nails and she was being so patient!

new years balloons... aka toys for the dogs

Zoey was apparently a horse for the night

cute lil Kota

Jeff put his GoPro on the dogs then Austin & had a live feed going to his cell.. kind of amazing haha

Micah's stank face

cheeser Cassie

Harrison (on the right) says to Jarris (left) at one point during the night: "Hey kid, watch me ride this dog." best line of the night! little gangster talk hahaha

Jeff showing Kinsley what's up & how to play jingle bells

Jarris gave himself a 5 o'clock shadow! biker dude ;)

Jenni & me doing our best awkward family photo pose 

Livi getting some cuddles from Kim

while Cassie & I fought it out, Zo was very good at fetching the balls... only crunched a few of them  ;)

Right before midnight I passed these papers around. I found them on Pinterest (of course) and really liked that they weren't the typical 'new years resolutions' that I've done in the past.

the person I'm going to be more like is kinda obvious... my girl crush Jennifer Lawrence. :)

happy new years!

silly string attack!

my kiss at midnight!

Nicole's strangle at midnight ;P

Right after this, Micah decided to shoot off a $1 "vamp" firework.... oh my gosh, it was the best $1 ever spent! Massive firework show, seriously! Well except it fell over & started shooting at the cabin hahaha!

Zoey was way freaked out, poor thing was hiding under the table!

all the guys

and us girls

cheers!

Nicole & Eric working it

Alisha & Taylor gettin cray cray

then serious

this is how 3am passed

and 4am...

Those of us still left at that point crashed after "pass the trash" which Michael & Micah kinda dominated... and I think Micah won? Close call...

The next morning we had waffles, muffins, eggs, bacon, & candy. Pretty amazing. We mostly hung out, played in the snow, & shuffled around like the tired zombies that we were.

Micah and I suited up for our RZR ride. (look familiar? yep those are our ghostbusters costumes)

ah that little smile, so cute! he clearly had a good time!! ;)

such a fun quick cabin trip! happy new years to everyone!

xoxo Mandi