craft party Archives

Do you have a friend or family member who enjoys crafting? If you do, you know how amazing it is to have somebody in your life who loves creating as much as you do. I love swapping recipes with my crafty friends, testing their products and giving feedback, troubleshooting with them, and having somebody to lament with when your project doesn’t turn out like you planned. If you don’t have a crafty friend, inviting them over to make a project with you can ignite their interest. A few of my friends are now hooked on soaping after we made a project together.

If you love the idea of sharing your crafts with others (seriously, it’s the best!) here are five projects that would be perfect. They are all great for beginners or somebody who is a little more experienced. It’s so rewarding to experience the feeling of, “Wow! I can’t believe I made that!” for the first time all over again with somebody you care about. I especially love crafting with friends and family during the holidays.

Orange Poppy Seed Salt Scrub
One of my favorite projects to create with beginners is a sugar or salt scrub. They are easy to create, the cleanup is minimal and they don’t require any safety gear. Scrubs are also more forgiving than some projects (ie: cold process, bath bombs) if the ingredients are measured incorrectly. Add a little too much salt? Add more liquid ingredients! Add a little too much liquid/oil? Add more salt. Sugar scrubs in particular are great because everybody has some sugar in their pantry. Tell your crafting buddy to supply the sugar and you’ll bring the rest.

This Orange Poppy Seed Salt Scrub recipe is a go-to because it smells amazing and looks adorable. Who doesn’t enjoy the bright and citrusy smell of Orange 10X Essential Oil? In the Soap Queen TV video below, I invited my friend Courtney to craft with me. I’ll be doing more videos with Courtney soon…I’m telling ya, crafting with friends is so fun!

Heavenly Lilac Bath Truffles
Bath fizzies are a great project to make with someone who isn’t familiar with bath and body projects. They are a fun luxury item, and watching the bath bomb fizz in the tub feels like a successful science experiment! The only downside to bath bombs is they take a little practice to get the texture just right. This is especially true when the mold has two halves to create a sphere shape, like the Bath Bomb Mold & Package or the Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Mold. I wouldn’t call these molds difficult, but they do require some practice. For a beginner, I recommend using a bath bomb mold that is single cavity. That way, the bath bomb mixture is pressed into the mold and is good to go!

The Heavenly Lilac Bath Truffle is a great example of this style of bath bomb. The bath fizzy mixture is pressed into the Guest Five Flowers Mold along with rose petals for a feminine look. They contain a little extra butter (cocoa butter and shea butter) than normal bath bombs, which makes them a moist texture. I have found that adding a little oil or butter helps the bath bomb hold its shape nicely.

DIY Sparkling Bath Crystals
Looking for super, super simple project? Bath salts are perfect. Most bath salt recipes involve mixing salts with fragrance or essential oils. The DIY Sparkling Bath Crystals take this up a notch, but are still incredibly easy. Various colors of mica, glitter and a touch of Polysorbate 80 are mixed into the salts to create a sparkly crystal look. I love the idea of hosting a bath crystal party where friends and family can create their own birthstone. How fun would that be? Okay, gotta go plan that guest list! 😉

Melt & Pour Soap Truffles
Melt and pour soap doesn’t require safety gear because you don’t work with lye. It doesn’t require any cure time, and is ready to use right away. This makes it great for beginners, or those looking for the immediate satisfaction of using the project! The Melt and Pour Soap Truffles would be a fantastic group melt and pour project. There are two varieties of soap bases that need to be chopped, and three colors (brown, pink and white) that need to be created. This gives both you and your crafting buddy (or group!) something to do. They also cool and harden in the mold fairly quickly because of their small shape, which means friends can leave with the soap on the same day.

In my opinion, the real fun of this project comes after the “truffles” are removed from the mold. The little soap spheres are drizzled with melted soap and Medium Pink Sea Salt is sprinkled on top. This process is perfect for a group. It’s also helpful to have a partner spray the 99% isopropyl alcohol while the other person drizzles soap and sprinkles the soap on top. Teamwork!

Nail Polish Wedding Favor DIY
Oh, nail polish. Who doesn’t love it and need more? When I tell friends we are making nail polish, I usually get one of two responses. The first is a delighted squeal and “Yay!” and the other is “You can make nail polish!?” Once I explain we aren’t making the nail polish base and are just customizing the color, it all comes together. =) Nail polish is a great project because it doesn’t require a recipe. All you do is fill up the bottle with nail polish base, and add mica and glitter then, shake, shake, shake! The Nail Polish Wedding Favor DIY was created with a wedding in mind, but the beautiful gold and pink hues are great for any occasion. Just make sure to have a bottle of nail polish remover nearby, just in case there is a spill.

So there you have it! My 5 fun projects to make with your friends, family, or whoever might be interested in whipping up a scrub or bath bomb with you. =) These projects are especially great if you have visitors for the holidays. Making a project is a fabulous way to build memories, or start a new holiday tradition.

The holidays are a great reason to get together with friends and family. With all the stress the holidays can bring, a party is the perfect way to unwind. I try to host one get together every holiday season, even if it’s just a small wine night with a couple close girlfriends. If you’re hosting a holiday party this year, including a craft component is a great way to bring some creativity to the occasion. Want some quick tips for throwing a craft party? Scroll to the bottom of the post to learn my tips for throwing a smooth and fun party.

Crafts are a fun way to help people interact with each other at parties. Sure, standing around eating and drinking is fun…but it’s nice to give your guests something to do! A couple years ago I hosted a holiday craft party that included a nail polish and sugar scrub station. Easy projects like these are great for parties, because guests don’t need much assistance making them.

It’s important to keep in mind that what you consider easy might be a little intimating for a beginner. To give them a little extra help, I print “How-To Sheets” that include step-by-step instructions for each attendee. You can find the free printables below! In addition, I recommend giving your guests a little demo at the beginning of the night. That way they will feel more confident with the project.

Thinking about throwing a party this year? Click here to see my ideas for a sugar scrub party, along with an easy recipe. The scrub recipe includes meadowfoam oil, potassium cocoate, jojoba beads and granulated sugar. It’s easy to customize by replacing the fragrance, fixed oil or jojoba beads of your choice. You can also simplify it by only using sugar (although the jojoba beads give a lovely color!) The DIY Party Winter Gardenia Sugar Scrub Kit includes everything you need to make ten sugar scrubs.

Nail polish was the other “station” at the party. It’s particularly well suited for a party because exact amounts of ingredients are not necessary, and just about everybody can use more nail polish! 😉 When making nail polish, I recommend placing the colors in individual containers to allow for easy access. I used little plastic sampler cups from the grocery store (shown below). I also recommend covering your counter with craft paper, newspaper, parchment paper, or another protective surface. That way if a little nail polish spills, it will be easier to clean up. Definitely have some nail polish remover on hand as well!

Just like the sugar scrub, I had instructions on the counter for guests to refer back to. On the sheet is also a nail graphic where guests can “test” their color while creating. The free template also includes nail polish labels, so you can name your polish once you’re done. This is one of the best parts of the process; my guests had a blast coming up with silly names for their polish.

Once guests are done making nail polish, keep the crafting going and use the polish to paint glassware! The Bramble Berry team had a mini painting party with nail polish and champagne flutes earlier this year. Learn more about the process here. It’s an easy project that any skill level can do. All you need to provide is the glassware (I recommend checking out the dollar store!), Q-tips, and a sealing spray if you’d like to make the glasses a little more durable. You could also tell your guests to bring their favorite polish color to decorate their glass.

A glassware nail polish painting party is a fun way to make nail polish, and use it too!

Jen of Something Turquoise also created a DIY Nail Polish Bar, complete with mimosas and plenty of shimmer. Jen did an amazing job of setting everything up with thoughtful labels for each nail polish bottle and printed instructions. She also included a tray for guests to pour over to catch any drips of polish or spills of color – so genius! Doesn’t it look beautiful? In particular, Jen’s party was for a bridal shower or bachelorette party, which is such a great idea.

Jen of Something Turquoise threw a beautiful, sparkly Nail Polish Party, complete with mimosas.

After hosting a few of these parties for family and friends, of course I had to host a party for the kiddos. We kept things mess-free by making DIY Ornaments with the Bath Bomb Mold and Package; click here to see all the details and instructions. The project really couldn’t be easier. Lay out an array of craft materials (with a protective cover for your table for easy cleanup), and let the kids fill their mold with glitter, ribbons, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and little toys like the Black and White Penguin Erasers. I found that the kids did need some help putting the mold together, but were able to do just about everything else by themselves. Of course this will vary depending on the age range. =)

Ready to party? I’ve compiled some of my “go-to” tips below. Throwing a craft party isn’t hard, but it’s important to do some thorough prepping! You’ll thank yourself later. After all, you want to be able to enjoy the party too!

Choose an “easy” project. Everybody has a different idea of easy, but I think it’s safe to say cold process soap would be intimidating for more guests.
The fewer guests you have, the more difficult the project can be. If you’re only having over a few friends, cold process soap might actually be doable! It all depends on what they are comfortable with, and how much attention you’d like to commit to giving each guest. Cold process soap, for example, would require lots of hand-holding if it’s their first time making it.
If your project of choice requires heat (like melt and pour or lip balm) consider the logistics carefully. Most likely, you only have one microwave. If you have a lot of guests, that area will get pretty crowded, and people will be waiting to use it.
If you are loving the idea of melt and pour, melting all the base ahead of time in a large double-boiler or crock pot is a great way to avoid microwave backup. That way, guests can ladle out the melted soap into their bowl to customize further. You can also use this method for lip balm base.
Have plenty of clean-up materials. Crafting can get a little bit messy! This means have paper towels and wet wipes on standby.
If you’re hosting a nail polish party, I recommend stocking up on a bottle or two of nail polish remover. You may also consider covering the crafting surface with a tablecloth that you don’t mind if it gets ruined (the dollar store/Goodwill will have one!) or crafting paper.
At the beginning of the party, give a mini demo of how to do the project. This will help guests feel more confident when making their project.
Have a few printed instructions sheets nearby for guests to look at. Even with a demo, guests may a little lost during the process. Having step-by-step instructions to refer to is helpful.
If the project requires mixing together specific amounts of individual ingredients (like a scrub), make sure to also have a printed recipe nearby for guests to refer to.
Once you figure out how many “tools” you need to create the project (spoons, spatulas, droppers, mini scoops, etc.), get extra. Doubling the amount of tools may be a little extreme, but you’ll probably need more than you think. Having extra on standby means you won’t have to worry about it during the party.
If you provide labels for the projects, don’t forget scissors and pens for guests to cut out the labels and create a name for their project. You could always cut them out ahead of time, but I recommend letting your guests do it. Cutting out tons of labels can be time consuming, and it just gives your guests another way to put their finishing touch on the final product.

Have you thrown a holiday craft party? I would love to hear about what you made, and if you have any tips!