These Are a Few of My Favorite Things... PARTY STYLE!

by erica
 

Growing up, I had a friend whose Mom always threw amazing parties. I remember a birthday party of hers… she invited 30 girls and we all sat on the floor around big long tables and ate Chinese food. I was impressed. I remember mine that same year, my Mom bought a few balloons, made a cake and let me invite two friends to Round Table Pizza. I’m pretty sure she used a buy one get one free coupon too. I was equally as impressed.

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Simply put, I love a good party. I love simple or grand. Buy one get one free coupon or not, to me a party is just about being together. Now all the other details, the really fun over-the-top details, I love too. I love invitations, balloons, the yummy food that is always at parties – I could go on. Parties and getting together with good friends is just, well, fun!

A few months ago I was invited to a neighborhood “Favorite Things” party. It about blew my socks off. Have you heard of a favorites party before?! It is the kind of party that you tell your moms, sisters and bff’s about. Each guest brings their favorite recipe to share and a favorite item for each person in the group. You basically eat the yummiest food, everyone gets a chance to talk, you learn so much about your friends and everyone goes home with a few fun new items to try!

Let me explain!

First off, decide how many people you want to invite! It usually works best if there are 6-8 attendees.

Then create an invitation and along with the date, time and location include these instructions on the invitation.

How a “Favorite Things” Party works: 

(Don't forget to include these instructions on your invitation!)

• Write down three of your favorite things
• Now, pick one of those things and bring one for each girl coming… it can be big, small over-the-top, super simple… anything!! There will be (insert how many people are inviting) that night!
• Write down your favorite recipe
• Bring that favorite recipe to share with us! Yum!!
• Create a handout for each girl with your three favorite things list and favorite recipe.

Once everyone arrives and you dish up your amazingly yummy food, you sit around in a circle and talk about your favorite things. One by one you go around the circle and let each girl pass out their little handouts (the handout that contains their favorite things list and also their favorite recipe) and talk about her top three favorite items and then discuss her recipe. She then gets to pass around her “favorite thing” she brought for everyone. It is so fun to learn about new items you may have not known about and also learn about your friends a bit more. The recipe tips are awesome too!

There are so many great things about this party. For the host, you aren’t worrying about providing all the food for everyone because each person is bringing their favorite dish to share. It is so much fun to see what everyone brings to eat. And the great part is, you have the recipe for it because they brought it!!

It is also really fun to go home with a sampling of your friend’s favorite items. They do not have to be big. It does not have to get expensive!! I promise!

For example at the last favorite things party I threw there were so many different things brought. Favorite candy, flowers, blotting papers, People magazine, washi tape, homemade lotion, lip gloss, coconut oil and a quote book. 

The possibilities for this type of party are endless! I promise you: not only will you have fun but your friends will have a blast and will be asking you when the next party is!!

What are a few of your favorite things? 

What items can you not live without? 

We would love to hear from you!!

Here are a few of the Deer's favorite things:

Erica:  One of my favorite things is Washi Tape! It has so many uses, it so darn cute and the seller for me is that it comes in every color under the sun! I love color!! You can almost buy it anywhere these days, which I love too. Etsy, Amazon, I've seen it at local boutiques and my favorite, cutetape.com 

Andi: I don't know about you, but unless I write everything down, I tend to be disorganized and forgetful and my life becomes a complete mess.  So I love using these pocket planners to help me! This is the 8th year I have used this brand and I absolutely love them.  They are gorgeous with their leather covers and they come in every color under the sun.  They are the perfect size and include both monthly and weekly sections for all of your scheduling needs.  They're sold at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and right on their website. 

Julie: I am a sucker for vintage sheets, I have a huge stash in my craft room! You can make anything from quilts toclothes! Whenever I hit up my favorite thrift store it's the first thing I look for! Last summer I made my daughter three pillowcase pajama dresses, and she loved them! They are always so soft and come in such wonderfully awesome prints! I love what a bargain they can be. I also love that if you can't find them at the thrift store you can find them on Etsy.

Rachel W: My husband says I have WAY too many tea towels, and I would completely agree. I got a boatload when I got married, but I found most of them lacking in their absorption abilities, so I did some research and came upon these floursack towels. They are 100% cotton, lint free and fast drying. They also come in fabulous color schemes and are HUGE. I love them. I wish I had a billion more. 

Cat: I discovered the best pen in the world. It is easy to write with, makes a crisp line, and lasts forever. The Sharpie pen fine point is now my go to for list making, note writing, and even illustration. Try it, you can thank me later. ;)

Ali: I love my Tinkle razors. Awful name, fantastic product. They work better than plucking, waxing, nairing or bleaching my mustache :) I also use them to take off all the random hairs on my face. Plus they are great for exfoliating my face. I don't even pluck my eyebrows anymore because it is just faster to "shave" them quickly once a week. And they are super cheap. Win, win!

Misa:  I collect cookbooks.  Surprised?  Long ago when I was dating my husband he went out of town and brought me back a cookbook with specialty recipes from the city he was visiting.  This quickly became a tradition and I have been collecting cookbooks ever since.  I LOVE sitting down with a good cookbook and thinking of all the new and delicious things I could try to make!  For Christmas he gave me my new favorite cookbook from the blog Smitten Kitchen.  It is a great book with fresh ideas.  Everything I have made from it turns out delicious (those kinds of cookbooks are hard to find).  Hope you get a chance to pick it up or have someone pick one up for you!

Melissa: Two of my three kids are girls, and I've found a tiny flower in their hair can go a long way: for the baby, it helps to send the "I'm a girl!" message, and for the 2-year-old, it keeps the hair out of her eyes. I've made some super simple flowers on my own, but frankly don't ever make the time to craft at home...like ever. So I've found my favorite alternative. A darling company that makes darling hair flowers that are simple, well-designed, and affordable—all my favorite things at once. Pick a style, pick a color, and it will be to you in days. Love.

Rachel A: My must-have cosmetic has always been mascara. I always feel a little funny if I leave the house without throwing some on. In high school I discovered Maybelline Full 'N Soft, and loved it. I've tried lots of other high-end brands, but always come back to the little navy and silver bottle. I've never found anything that works as well for the price you pay - which means that at the end of the 3 month life of your tube, you don't feel so bad throwing it out. I toggle between Very Black and Brownish Black (you really can't go wrong with either one), and typically throw on at least two coats. They also have a waterproof version, which is a must during summer pool season.