DIY Girls Night

Let’s face it, there’s never enough girl time. Post-college, beyond twenty-something, when there are careers, spouses, children, time with our ladies is scarce. And while I love meeting up for dinner and drinks, checking out a new spot, having someone serve us, I often only get to talk to the person I’m sitting next to, it’s loud, formal and quick (How old do I sound??). And forget a park meet-up with the moms! These days, this stage is not relaxing or informative. We end up chasing our toddlers, the whole time trying to get them to head back to the designated spot, frustrated that they won’t sit still or listen, more annoyed at ourselves for asking them to.

Soo for this ladies night, I decided to have a few friends over and do something relaxed, informal, ice-breaking (the girls were from different circles) and different!

Summer is the season of bare arms and those beauties need to be adorned so I decided on a BYOB party. Bring your own bangle. You can buy unfinished wood bracelets from Amazon for under $10 a pack. They come in domed and flat, all sizes and widths. I bought a bunch to make sure there were enough for mess-ups, different styles and gifts.

I had this vision in my head of a really springy, girly affair so I went to Mood for a custom floral table cloth a.k.a. some cheap fabric cut to size but un-hemmed and fringed. It’s one of my favorite, budget moves and fit the DIY vibe.

I also wanted gold pineapples; I’m going through a pineapple thing right now along with the rest of the world!

So I bought some, scooped them out, used gold spray paint to coat them and…

…used them as vases! I loved the way they turned out.

Note- if you want your blooms to last, put them in the pineapples last minute and remove them when you’re done entertaining. No matter how much you scoop, wash or line, the fruit juice will kill your flowers. Or place a plastic cup in there to act as an interior vase.

Gold foil dot paper cut to fit an old tray, another tried and true move. Meri Meri wine tags for a whimsical touch.

I purchased a budget-friendly paint brush set, allowing enough options for my guests and placed them in mason jars along with the bangles in square glass vases.

Someone woke up from her nap and wanted to “help”.

Paper Source color block pouches that I planned the party around. When I saw these, I knew I wanted to write names on and gift them. They made the perfect place setting and favor to house new jewelry.

I used my own costume bracelets and jewelry tree to set the table. It was a theme-appropriate, affordable way to decorate.

And what’s a DIY party without some gold scissors? I’d been eyeing these for months and finally bought them. My husband and I actually had a debate in Target about why I was spending $16.99 on a pair of scissors when we already had three at home. “But they’re gold! They’re Nate Berkus,” I said. Sigh. He’ll never understand me.