Party Time!

This past weekend I hosted my first ever Ornament Exchange!  My good friend, Charity, was the inspiration for the event.  For the last couple of years, Charity has hosted a Homemade Ornament Exchange at Christmas time.  The idea is simple -- everyone makes a set of ornaments ahead of time to exchange at a party where there are lots of yummy treats to eat and friends to visit and socialize with.  Sounds super fun, right?  Definitely up my alley.  :)

The reason for my inspiration is this: A couple of months ago, Charity was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and has since undergone surgery and finished 3 rounds of chemo.  Among all the things that were running through my mind when I found out the news, the thought of her not being able to host her favorite event of the year was one {of the many things} that hit me really hard.  I decided right then and there that I wanted to go ahead and still make a homemade ornament this year to mail back to her at Christmas time.  And then last month, I decided that even though we've moved and I wouldn't be able to throw a party FOR her, I wanted to host one in her honor anyway and invited a few friends from church. 

My ornaments -- I originally only made pink but then decided I loved the green, too.

How to Make an Ornament:

*  Blow up a balloon.

*  Wrap it all around with yarn. (Tucking in the ends)

*  Mix up a watered down glue solution -- I used roughly 1 part glue to 2 parts water.  Roughly.  It    should be the consistency of cream.

*  Dip yarn balls into glue and make sure they're good and coated all the way around.  Squeeze off any extra glue.

*  Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and stick in an oven set to 200 degrees.  Keep oven door cracked open! (Balloons will start to pop otherwise).  Turn over as needed.  The oven helps them to dry out and harden MUCH more quickly than letting them air dry overnight.  Because that didn't really work.

*  After the yarn is completely dry and hard, pop the balloons and remove them.

*  Spritz lightly with gold "Glitter Blast" spray paint and let dry.

*  Tie a ribbon through an opening in the ball, rotate string so the knot is at the bottom (inside the ornament), put a dab of hot glue at the base of the ribbon and then string a pretty bead to go on top.

*  Voila!  Hang on the tree and enjoy.  (I also strung a bunch of extras on ribbon to create a garland to hang across the entryway between our kitchen and family room).

How NOT to host a Party:

*  Don't count on children helping out all that much to get the house cleaned up and ready for company.

*  Don't try and squeeze in a bunch of stuff to do on the Saturday that you will be hosting.

*  Definitely don't have your husband run to the grocery store a couple of hours before the party starts.  

*  DON'T attempt to finally getting around to painting over that ugly picture you found at the thrift store 2 months ago just so you can finally hang it up on the wall it's been leaning against ever since.

*  Don't wait until the very last minute to throw your cookies into the oven while you're also trying to finish up cleaning the family room, feed kids, feed yourself, get little ones into bed and older ones ready for their outing with dad.

*  And finally DON'T turn into an absolute monster as you scream at your kids for not getting everything done that you needed them to simply because YOU'RE stressed out and feeling unprepared. 

*Sigh*  I'm pretty sure my kids were hating me ALL weekend long.  But you live and learn, right?  Will I still host a second annual Ornament Exchange next year?  Absolutely.  And perhaps by next year I will have learned how to Host a Party the proper way.  :)

This one's for you Charity!

{In the spirit of Christmas, please consider donating to Team Charity to help offset the costs of her cancer treatment.  Thank you so much!}