My First Pinterest Party

This past weekend I hosted my first Pinterest Party - it was a blast! The party gave me an opportunity to test out a few craft projects and even a new dessert recipe. The get together was also an excuse to break out new dishes I got for Christmas.

My friends and I completed three projects and enjoyed just spending time together! I tried to pick projects that would be creative, but not too difficult. Life has been busy for everyone lately, so I wanted it to be a time to relax and have a little fun.

Of course no party is complete without tasty food! For this party, my goal was to have a lunch that was simple, but still special. I did not want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking during the festivities, so I decided not to cook a lot. I went with chicken salad croissants and ham/cheese croissants. I've made homemade chicken salad before, but I decided to pick some up from the deli. I paired the sandwiches with a veggie tray, chips, and individual macaroni and cheese servings in my new Pioneer Woman ramekins. I thought this gave it a festive and fancy twist, rather than dishing it out of a larger dish. For dessert, I made some mint Oreo truffles, they were simple to make but tasty and something a bit different.

Mint Oreo Truffles - easy AND delicious!

Individual mac and cheese in cute new Pioneer Woman ramekins

I didn't go all out on the decor, but I did set up my dining room to have all the supplies needed for the crafting festivities. Each person had their canvas and a baggie with all the materials needed for their craft projects. I made sure we had plenty of paint, plates for paint, brushes, and water to clean them off.

The star of the show, of course, was the actual craft projects. The timing worked out well to start with the painted burlap canvases. We used painter's tape and painted stripes on the canvas with an acrylic paint. One of my friends opted instead for polka dots - it turned out so cute! 

Painted burlap canvas frame

While the paint was drying, we moved on to our washi tape coasters. These coasters were made with square rods of balsa wood and some craft sticks. I put my husband to work the night before cutting them all down to 4" pieces. We used two pieces of wood and 5 craft sticks. We covered the craft sticks with washi tape and hot glued them to the balsa wood. To finish out the coasters, we applied a layer of Modge Podge to the washi tape to help it stick and make it resistant to moisture.

Washi tape coasters

After lunch, we finished our craft time by painting wooden beads to create necklaces. I decided to get ready for March Madness by making a UK necklace.

Painted beaded necklace