A Budget Friendly Geometric Crafternoon

Hi, I'm Lisa Frank from Handcrafted Parties and I'm so honored to have been invited here today by Jessie & Stevie to share a fresh and fun party with you!  

As women (and especially as moms), we spend so much time and energy taking care of the people in our lives.  Sometimes taking the time to nurture our friendships and creativity takes a back seat, but when we are intentional about these needs, we can recharge our batteries and refresh our souls. So, gather up a few of your best girlfriends, a pitcher of sangria and some sweet treats (you gotta keep your energy up!), grab some craft supplies and let the creativity and laughter flow at a Geometric Crafternoon.  And, for all you budget-conscious party lovers out there, I was able to create the wonderful afternoon with a 
budget of $50 BUCKS.....including party supplies, craft supplies, a cocktail and dessert!! 

1.| To add height to the table display, I made geometric paper boxes using this free template I found on Pinterest. Not being able to leave well enough alone, I embellished the sides with craft supplies I had on hand, such as fringed crepe paper streamers, washi tape, and some of these cute daffodil triangle paper plates.  Using a triangle section from the printable template as a guide, I traced a triangle four times onto the back of the paper plate, cut out each piece, and hot glued them to the sides of the 3D diamond boxes.  
Never be afraid to use party supplies in an unexpected way!

2.| I am smitten with this fabric. It inspired my color palette & geometric theme, and I immediately thought of creating a triangle art canvas table backdrop. I purchased an art canvas and used a triangle paper punch (which I already had on hand) to punch out triangles from mint green, yellow, grey and grey-white striped cardstock and glued them on the canvas to create my backdrop.  This simple project created just the right amount of bright color and whimsy to set the mood for my geometric food display table.

3 & 4.| I used a stamp to create a fun design on both the wooden utensils and napkins

5.| One of my favorite and unique projects from this party would have to be my Geometric Paper Straw Placecards.  I used paper straws in mint stripe, sunshine yellow dot and baby gray chevron to assemble these.  They are a fresh new way to display food names or activity stations or guest names at a party and they could even be used as hanging ornaments or gift tags. 

Once the backdrop, hanging decor and signage were complete, I turned my attention to the food.  For this party, I had simple criteria:  a dessert that was decadent and could be eaten with a spoon, dessert and cocktail flavors that complimented each other, and food items that coordinated with my color scheme. When I came upon recipes for mini caramel apple cheesecake bars and sparkling apple sangria, I knew they were the perfect choices for me and my girlfriends.  

Now on to crafting!

This Loves That is an Etsy shop that sells gorgeous wooden bead necklaces, which inspired the craft project for this party. I found a supplier of unfinished wooden beads on Etsy, grabbed a few extra supplies at my local craft store and my geometric wooden bead necklace craft station was ready to go! 

I am not a super girly-girl or into high fashion (my accessories of choice are chunky necklaces and a vast collection of scarves to pair with my jeans and cotton shirts) but this is one DIY jewelry project I can surely get excited about. 

These necklaces were super fun to make and I've worn them multiple times--and, no kidding, I get compliments every single time I wear them!  Store clerks, strangers at the airport, everyone wants to know about these unique accessories.  I quickly stitched up little 5x7 felt gift bags using craft felt and contrasting embroidery thread to make soft jewelry pouches for our new necklaces.  I love it when cute meets practical!

So there you have it!  A Geometric Crafternoon party that uses common party supplies in creative ways, a charming craft idea to work on while you hang out with your best girlfriends, and sweet treats to savor that would make any girl feel special.  

But what you really want to know is "Can a girl like me who doesn't have a fortune to spend on parties really pull this off?" 

 Let's see how my challenge played out in real life!

$50 Party Budget Challenge Breakdown:

yellow triangle paper plates: $7.50
white napkins and cups: $2
wooden demitasse ice cream spoons: $2.50
custom paper straw mix: $4 
green and yellow dinner mints: $1.00
mini cheesecake bars: $7 
sparkling apple sangria: $6.50 
art canvas: $2.50 
cardstock: $1
four 5" tissue balls for geometric honeycombs: $8
floral foam for painting geometric necklaces: $1.00
wooden geometric beads: $3 for 10 
suede/leather cord: $3.50 

additional items not included in total that I already had: cake stand, bowls, fabric, paint brushes, craft paints, Mod Podge + glue, string, washi tape, crepe paper streamers

Grand Total:  $49.50!!!

Yahoo!!  It can be done!

Thank so much for spending some time with me today! I will be doing tutorials for all the crafts featured in this party on my blog, Handcrafted Parties, this coming week...so come on over for a visit and stay awhile! 

source guide & credits:

concept, crafting & photography: lisa frank for handcrafted parties

yellow geo paper plates, wooden spoons, paper straws, 5" tissue honeycomb balls, triangle paper punch: shop sweet lulu

wooden beads for DIY necklace station: Pop Boutiques

art canvas & suede cording for necklaces: michael's craft stores

geometric paper boxes template: the red thread blog

sparking apple sangria recipe: spoon fork bacon