Tuesday, July 15, 2014

So I've been away for awhile...

 but I've been away doing such fun things like

- reviving an old tradition


- getting a new job at Cuyahoga Community College

- establishing my daughter at a new preschool

- participating in my first 5K at the Electric Run

-  and buying a new (to me) car (finally!)

Needless to say it has been a busy few months...but hopefully I can get back into a regular writing routine now that I have settled into some sort of a consistent schedule.

I thought a great come back post would be highlighting the favorite things party I had this past Sunday. It was so fun and I'm already looking forward to seeing next year's party products! Mark your calendars ladies!

So here's how it worked. Everyone was asked to bring five of their favorite thing (unwrapped). All items were to be the same and priced between 6 and 10 dollars. If guests bring all different items, it is a win and if you have duplicates it is still a win as the fact that multiple people brought the item is a testament in and of itself to how good the product actually is.


Here's what we ended up with - 80 or so items that covered a variety of categories:  cleaning and cooking supplies, beauty products, munchies, water infusers, tea steepers, and even fresh cut flowers


We divided the number of gifts by the number of guests and it ended up that each guest would receive at least 7 take home items. So each person's name was written on 7 slips of paper and placed in a bowel.

One by one each guest 'presented' their favorite item by briefly explaining what it was and why they loved it. That guest then pulled 7 names out of a bowel, putting back any slip of paper that included either their own name or someone who had already won that gift.

Some people bought two gifts and so we decided to put their names on an extra slip of paper each. Since the number of gifts didn't divide evenly for the number of girls, we raffled off any odd gifts that were still left after everyone received their 7.

It really was a great time. I learned about some new products, got to share my own go-to's with friends (one who made the trip all the way from Pittsburgh +Amy Madigan), and enjoyed knowing we would all be 'winners' by the party's end.