Tipsy’s Top Five Ways To Throw A Fantastic “Girls Night In”

February 21, 2018thetipsyhousewife

This Valentine’s Day I wanted to throw a Girls Only Party to honor the holiday in a fun and relaxing way. I decided to partner with my buddy Kim from Craftbash Unglued and throw a Galentine’s Soiree where we could get creative, eat, and of course get Tipsy. I knew I wanted to invite my Instagram Crew, but other than that, this was a new type of party I had never hosted before. I relied on my Top Five Tips for hosting a great event to help me plan the fun. Follow along as to how this party came together.

Plan A Theme

We decided off the bat that the theme would be Galentine’s, the lady friends version of Valentine’s Day where you celebrate girlfriends. But we needed a more specific theme. We wanted to have something fun for the ladies to do in addition to drinking and eating, so we decided on a Crafts and Apps Party. The girls would make fun Valentine’s Day Crafts with Kim and Delicious, Spicy Appetizers with me. Kim, is an Instagram Superstar when it comes to crafts, (check out her Insta Fabulousness Here). She decided on a few crafts including Felt Danish Hearts and DIY Swag Bags. We looked to Benzie Design for all our felt needs, and S & S Worldwide for our crafting needs. Benzie Design, sent us some awesome felt to work with and S & S Worldwide graciously provided canvas bags, fabric paint, scissors, glue and markers. So the girls were well prepared to get their craft on!

Have Great Food

Every party needs good food. Knowing that these Insta-gals were foodies, I had to wow them with a good menu. Our theme was crafts and apps, so I wanted the girls to get involved in preparing the food but I also wanted to give them something to nosh on while they cooked. I decided on a taco bar, which is an easy, make ahead meal that can keep well in a crock pot throughout the party with little maintenance. Simply make the taco meat ahead of time and keep it warm in a crock pot, and provide a buffet of toppings, This way your guests can DIY their taco plate and you don’t have to worry about serving anyone! I also made a great cheese platter with heart-shaped cheese from Aldi USA. I threw in some of my seasoned ranch and old bay crackers for something a little different. these small unique touches were budget friendly and fun to look at!

For the appetizer making portion, I came up with four appetizers that the girls could customize with their own personal touches. There was a tuna poke station, mini stuffed cheese pizzas, baby potato bites with smoked salmon, and a DIY S’mores option using my favorite Lekkco Chocolate Spread. I organized this appetizer making station by placing the ingredients for each in separate trays, and I used Solo Cups for the mise-en-place and for easy clean-up. This little trick helped me stay organized and I was able to enjoy the party without having to offer a lot of instruction.

The appetizer making stations were a huge hit! The girls came up with such fun and delicious ideas for all the appetizers.

A Signature Cocktail Is A Must

Being The Tipsy Housewife, it is expected I have some great drinks at my events. Knowing I needed to defend my title, I reached out to my friend Sheetal who created an amazing Tequila called Spice Note Tequila. There is a cinnamon infused tequila and a cumin infused tequila. Both are equally delicious, but for this spicy event I decided to go with the Cinnamon and came up with a play on the Tequila Sunrise. This was called a Tequila Sunset and it had Spice Note Cinnamon Tequila , Cranberry Juice, Orange Juice and Bitters. You can find Spice Note at your local Binny’s Beverage. It is DANGEROUSLY delicious. When throwing party, having a signature cocktail makes it easy and memorable for your guests. This also makes for a budget friendly option. Serving one signature cocktail with beer and wine gives your guests options without breaking the bank on having to stock an entire bar.

Have A Fun Surprise

I wanted to treat the girls to their own little Valentine Gift. Kim from Craftbash Unglued came up with a fun Rosé gift tag and my friends over at Crazy Beautiful Wines gave us bottles of their lovely Jolie Folle Rosé, my personal favorite wine right now. The little card Kim made, really made the wine that much more special and it cost next to nothing to create. An extra special touch like this can really make something ordinary, extraordinary! For more crafting ideas like this, check out Craftbash Unglued, HERE

I also wanted to come up with a Rosé Punch to highlight the wine. If you’re on a budget, a punch is a great way to give your guests a great cocktail without having to spend too much money on liquor. I made up this punch using the Jolie Folle Rosé, 7-Up, Frozen Berries and Ice. It was well received, so much so, that I had to make a second batch halfway through the party, or maybe it was a third……

The other surprise I had were these INCREDIBLE Hot Cheeto Cookies from Warm Belly Bakery. Joe, the owner invented these cookies and they were a perfect combination of, salty, sweet and spicy. They were the star of the show! Little things like this really make your party a memorable one.

Parting Gifts That Make Leaving Just As Fun As Coming

I love giving gifts. I especially love giving gifts to my friends who come to my parties. I think it’s a great way to commemorate the event and to thank them for coming to my home and spending time with me. I have a very good friend Angela who owns a company called Big League Pins. They make inspired enamel pins that capture the spirit of sport and the joys of life. They make ALL kinds of pins for any event you can imagine. Angela showed me these super adorable Chicago Themed and Honey Bee Themed Valentine’s Day Pins and I HAD to have them for my guests. Check them out and go to their website to see all the other fun pins they make! (For Big League Pins, CLICK HERE.) Remember that a little something goes a long way, so you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a gift, something small and unique is always a good idea and your guests will remember one small thoughtful gift more than several impersonal things.

This party was such a hit I plan to make it an annual one. The little touches really made it extra special without being very costly. The hands-on experience gave the girls and I something fun to do while we ate, drank and gossiped. Although this was a Valentine’s Day themed party, the five tips I outlined above can be applied to any party. The most important thing is to have fun! Plan a Girls Night In, put on your yoga pants, eat some food, and save money!

I especially want to thank all my sponsors who made the event great as well as a big shout out to my Crafting Guru, Kim from Craftbash Unglued, for teaching us all to be a little more crafty and embrace our creative side!

Check Out More Pics Of The Fun!