How to Host a Pinterest Party – Step by Step

I’m going on my second year of hosting a Pinterest party. I’d been thinking it would be a cool idea to get friends together and craft something up but I could never decide what project to do and who to invited to do that project because all my friends are so different.

Every year as the holidays approach, I’m reminded of my mom telling me about when she was little, her mom hosted a get together called BPFC. The meaning: Be Prepared For Christmas. The ladies would get together and sew their little hearts out in the months leading up to Christmas.

My Nana was a visionary! I wanted to do this.

At that point, the Pinterest party was born.

There are truly no rules to hosting a Pinterest party. You can just come up with a concept in your head and carry it out in a way that works best for your life.

Since “Just wing it” isn’t a sufficient ‘How-To’, I’ll break down how we host our parties.

CONCEPT: When planning my Pinterest party, I knew we would get together and work on projects for Christmas. It could be a gift or decor. Everyone coming to the party, chooses a project from Pinterest they would like to do (in the amount of time they will be at your house) and brings enough for everyone to try it.The instructions are typically to state how many people you expect at the party so each person knows how many people to supply with their chosen project. It sounds pricey but it’s actually not. You can choose yours according to the budget you’re working with. Having everyone choose their own project helps with the conundrum of coming up with something everyone would like to do. TIP: Keep your guest count manageable. 10 guests are plenty. For your party, you can choose whatever focus or theme you’d like.

Chili bar by Marigold Mom
click image for more great (and affordable) party ideas

FOOD & DRINK: As the host, it is up to me to plan food and drinks for my guests. This time around, one of my guests actually wanted to cook for the party. Who am I to turn down that offer? We had chili. A creative and very do-able idea is a chili bar. It’s very cost effective. Add some cornbread to the sides and you have a nice meal. In keeping with the “bar” theme, tacos and salads work just as well. As far as the drinks go, you can be as plain or as fancy as you’d like. Hop onto Pinterest and search for party drinks or just keep it simple and put out bottled water, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. (party drinks HERE). TIP: Keep the food and drinks away from the craft area.

craft storage option from the Container Store

PREP: Even though your guests will each  be bringing a project for everyone including the supplies, it’s likely someone will forget something or not realize they needed glue, ribbon, mod podge, etc, until the last minute. Beef up your craft supplies before they arrive. A list of things that are always good to have on hand are:

• Glue Dots
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Paintbrushes
• Cardstock paper
• Xacto knife
• Pencils and Pens

CRAFT AREA: All your guests will have questions for one another, will want to see what the other is doing and will be chatting it up like crazy. It’s a super-fun night so be sure you have an area where everyone can sit down close to each other. You can set your Pinterest party up at an extended kitchen table or even a folding table with a festive cover.

TIME: As fun as it is crafting it up with a bunch of great girlfriends, the length of time is important. This goes for both you and your guests. Of course they can stay longer but 3-4 hours is plenty of time for what you want to do.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• NO KIDS: Unless your children are involved in the project or being watched by someone not participating in the party, it’s not advised to have children present. Why? They will want to do what you’re doing, be in the mix and distract you from being engaged in your project with friends. Plus, there’s a safety element that plays into it if you’re using scissors and knives.
• NO BYSTANDERS: While it’s awesome to sit and visit with a friend, someone just dropping by to chat it up isn’t a part of the group’s activity and, just like children, will take your focus off what you’re doing.
• NO IN-DEPTH PROJECTS: Keep it quick. If the craft can’t be completed in the time of the party, save it for something you do at home. A Pinterest party is self-contained. This means, whatever materials are brought into your party are the same materials that are carried out of your party. No overnight drying, coming back for phase two of the cutting, etc. Also, encourage your guests to bring a new project they haven’t tried before. I went to one party where a lady just brought some stuff she’d been working on and thought this was a good time to continue with it. The problem was that she just came to do her own thing while the rest of us were introduced to new ideas, suggestions, successes and fails.
• BE VERY SPECIFIC: Are you asking that your guests bring guests? If not, state that in the invitation by letting them know you’re keeping it to a set amount. Your guests should be informed of every event detail so they can properly plan for the festivities.
• HAVE FUN. This isn’t Martha Stewart. It’s so fun being around people who are trying these projects for the first time. Some of your friends will be those natural crafters who can make anything look good. Other friends are total Pinterest fails every time they try. It’s awesome. Truly.

Oh, yes. This Pinterest stuff is serious business!

Have you seen our boards? We can be found HERE. What’s your Pinterest account? Comment below so we can see inside your minds and follow your boards.