If anyone knows me, they know I love to throw a good party. I’m also a huge Parks and Recreation fan, and ever since Leslie Knope declared February 13 Galentine’s Day, I’ve wanted to treat all my gal pals to a night of “ladies celebrating ladies.” (Leslie Knope quote #1) I’ve also been wanting to host a Favorite Things Party for FOREVER. For me, I’m always more likely to try a product when it comes highly recommended from a friend. So I took the opportunity to host a Galentine’s Party with all our Favorite Things.
I thought I would share a glimpse into my party, and the things that made it special. For me, it always starts with the invitation. Yes, I could have jumped online and sent an E-vite or a Facebook message, just like we do for every other event, but NO! my besties deserve better for Galentine’s Day. I designed an invitation that would be delightful to open…and here begins the insane amount of pink you’re about to see throughout this post. I designed the invitation in Illustrator and had them printed at Office Depot. I made sure to clearly spell out the rules of the Favorite Things portion, although most of the girls have heard of it before. I really wanted my friends to feel special, so I spent extra time addressing each envelope using my handlettering…who doesn’t love 1) getting mail that ISN’T a bill and 2) opening a beautifully addressed envelope?! I sent the invites over a month in advance so that everyone would have time to brainstorm and shop for the perfect gift to bring.
The rules of My Favorite Things were simple – every guest needs to bring three of the same item. I set the cost per item at $10, so essentially each girl was spending $30 total. There are a lot of different ways to do this if you research Favorite Things parties, but ours went very smoothly and we will definitely do it again next year! I asked everyone to bring the gifts unwrapped, so they could share about their item before giving it to the recipients. Right when they walked in the door, I had a sign that instructed everyone to write their names on 3 slips of paper and place into a bowl. Once we got to the gifting portion of the night, we passed the bowl around and everyone drew out three names (making sure not to draw their own). Then, we went around the circle and each person would share what makes their gift so special and why they love it, and then they’d pass it out to their 3 recipients.
There was such a good variety of gifts! My gift was a set of 12 tassle earrings from Amazon. I wear them all the time and always get compliments. Such a good deal for $10! Link HERE.
Some of the other gifts from the night included: potted succulents, Target gift cards, coffee, Meyers Dishsoap, dishtowels, table runners, candy, fuzzy socks, mascara, edible treats, face masks, and more jewelry. There were no duplicates which was awesome! I also purchased reusable bags for the girls to take their goodies home in. I also found these on Amazon (surprise surprise). I filled them with tissue paper and I put a face mask (Amazon, duh) in each bag.
One special thing I did was letter each girl’s name on a piece of cardstock, and then mount it to a pretty piece of paper. Underneath their names I wrote out “True beauty emanates from a woman who boldly and unabashedly knows who she is in Christ.” This is one of my favorite quotes and I’m hoping the girls will place the card somewhere they’ll see it everyday to encourage them! I attached the cards to the goodie bags with twine.
As an icebreaker, I made up a special edition Galentine’s Scattergories. I made up the categories and printed them all from home. This is a super easy game that everyone enjoys and gets things rolling.
I wanted to make my home feel extra festive to celebrate my gal pals, so I went all out. I made some special streamers and hung them in two places. I can’t take all the credit for these, I got the idea from Holly at OurFauxFarmhouse. She found her streamers from Papermart.com, but I found some that I liked better on Amazon. Link HERE. They come about 20″ wide and 8′ long, and I cut each one down the middle to make it skinnier. Then I cut lines down the long sides to create a fringe. Once you twist the streamers, it creates a really fun backdrop! Just a tip – I hung them with packing tape, but the tape wasn’t sticking to the paper, so I ended up stapling it and it held perfectly! The streamers also store really well, so I’ll use them again some day.
I made a table runner out of a roll of white paper I already had on hand. I got the fattest Sharpie i had and covered it in X’s and O’s. It was such an easy project and added a super fun touch!
I went a little wild with food and drinks, and I didn’t let anyone bring anything (although they offered!) because I wanted it to be a special night out for all the mommas. One of the very Pinterest-worthy drinks I created was a champagne flute filled with half White Grape juice and half gingerale, stuffed with pink cotton candy. I also let some cotton candy dissolve into the drink to turn it a rose color. I got paper straws from Target and I found the cotton candy as a Valentine’s special at Walmart.
I turned my whole island into one big charcuterie board with all sorts of meats, cheese, crackers, pretzels and dips. I placed a homemade hamburger quiche in the center, and also had chips and salsa, muffins, puppy chow and a big fruit plate. As a parting gift, I put out valentine baggies that the guests could fill with an assortment of candy. I think everyone left the party with happy hearts and full bellies. I can’t wait to do this again next year!
Here are links of my PERSONAL favorite things right now. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with any of these products:
HAIR PRODUCT – Moroccan Oil Volumizing Mousse
FALSE LASHES – Ardell 001 Magnetic
EYE SHADOW – Urban Decay Naked 3
BRONZER – Too Faced Chocolate Soleil
SETTING SPRAY – Urban Decay All Nighter
LAUNDRY – Downy Amber Blossoms Fabric Softener
BUBBLE BATH – Library of Flowers True Vanilla
HOME SCENT – Pottery Barn Damask Rose Diffuser
BAR SOAP – Mistral Lychee Rose
Love it all! Any chance you can share the invitation.
So glad you liked the post! I created the invitation myself in Adobe Illustrator, but I don’t have a good way of sharing it at this point. I’ve noticed that Etsy has a lot of good options! 🙂
Hi where did you get the gift bags?
Never mind I found them!
Do you have an editable copy of your invitation?
Unfortunately I don’t! I create all my invitations from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. I have seen some good options on Etsy as well!
Do you have a printable copy of the scattergories Hallee by chance?