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How To Throw A Favorite Things Party!

November 30, 2017

By:

Erin Schrader

I don’t know if you’ve heard about these Favorite Things Parties or not, but if you haven’t, I am so happy to finally be introducing you to the concept! Here’s the thing with us girls – we all get fascinated and some may even say obsessed with certain products. When was the last time you bought a new chapstick and then proceeded to tell five of your girlfriends that they MUST try it asap?! Exactly. We talk about these things, we get giddy about these things and we can’t stand knowing that some of our friends may not be using the chapstick. IT’S TIME TO MAKE OUR DREAMS OF EVERYBODY OWNING WHAT WE LOVE A REALITY. Insert a Favorite Things Party. The concept is super simple and the execution is even simpler [that’s where we come into play – recipes, printables, and gift ideas are all outlined below!] The LIY team had our own little favorite things party recently [side note: you can host this at ANY time of the year, it does not need to be a Christmas only event] and thought we would share with you exactly how we did it, what our favorite things were, what we ate and all of that good stuff. Warning: The BBQ popcorn recipe below will be the MOST addicting and wonderful thing you’ve ever tasted.

Let’s start with the basics – what is a Favorite Things party, exactly? Allow me. A Favorite Things party is when you invite any amount of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or whomever you want to enjoy an evening of fun with over for an hour or three. The only stipulation? If attending, they must bring a favorite thing of their own under a certain price limit [we did under $10] for the number of people attending the party [note: you bring the same item, just in multiples]. If it is a large group of attendees, I would recommend making the limit $5 or under to keep it as budget friendly as possible. We had five guests [including myself] attending which means I brought 4 of my favorite thing to give away. Before I get too far ahead, here is a printable invitation Becca [LIY Creative Director] made for you to be able to use! She printed on kraft paper cardstock, but feel free to use whatever you’d like! Simply click here to download and print!

Favorite Things Party Invitation – For Print 

Now that you’ve invited your guests and they all agreed to come [YAY!] everybody shows up to your home [or wherever you decide to host, this could easily be done in a restaurant] and puts their stack of their favorite item on a table. We put out little name cards so that each person knew where to set their items [don’t worry, we have those printables for you too!] We then had gift bags already on the table clipped with the attendee’s names so each guest could grab their bag and start filling! It is fun to hear WHY your friends love what they do so before everybody just fills their bag maybe encourage everybody to share what they brought and why they love it! Click here to download your own name tag printables!

nametag printables

Curious yet to know what the LIY team brought for their favorite things? Here you have it..

I brought the Zoella Bath Fizz Bar, Becca brought her beloved “All Out Of” Grocery shopping pads, Steph brought the cutest serving platter, Hannah brought her favorite Kristen Ess Leave-In Conditioner and Cassidy brought a bottle of lavender oil! I’ve also included 30+ additional items around $10 or less that would be great options to take to your favorite things party!

Now the most important part, food and drink obviously. It isn’t a party if you don’t have the goods. We wanted to keep things pretty darn simple [we’ve got enough cooking, decorating, all that jazz] to do during the holidays so the easier, the better! On the menu? BBQ Popcorn, Holiday Cheeseball, Cupcakes, and a festive martini! First up, the popcorn!

BBQ Popcorn

Ingredients

  • 1 Bag Microwave Popcorn, Popped
  • 4 Tbsp Butter
  • 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Cayenne, Optional

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a gallon zip-lock bag.

  2. Serve in a bowl or individual popcorn dishes! 

Next, this festive holiday cheeseball. 

Holiday Cheeseball

Ingredients

  • 10.5 oz Goat Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
  • 1/3 Cup Pistachios, unshelled

Instructions

  1. Roll the goat cheese into a ball. 

  2. Place Cranberries and crushed Pistachios on a large plate. Roll the cheese ball in the berries and nuts, covering it all. 

  3. Serve with pretzels, crackers, or sliced apples & pears.

For the sweet tooth, cupcakes are a must! You can either make these or buy them from the store. Steph, the baker of the group, made the recipe below [delicious] and Becca also made these adorable cupcake topper printables that you simply tape on a toothpick and stick in!

cupcake topper printable

Frosted Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 Box White Cake Mix + Ingredients Cake Mix calls for!
  • 1 Small Box Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
  • 1 Container Frosting

Instructions

  1. Mix white cake mix, cake mix ingredients, and chocolate pudding mix together. 

  2. Bake at the recommended time and degrees per the cake mix.

  3. Frost with your favorite frosting and serve!

Last but certainly not least, the cocktail. We opted for something super simple – a Smirnoff Peppermint Martini. 

Smirnoff Peppermint Martini

Ingredients

  • Baileys
  • Smirnoff Peppermint Vodka

Instructions

  1. Mix equal parts into a martini glass

  2. Garnish with a peppermint stick and enjoy! 

And that my friends, is how to throw a successful Favorite Things Party! Are you ready to host? I promise it will be so much fun and you’ll all leave with a handful of new goodies that everybody is excited to try!

If you need some added inspiration on what to take to your favorite things party, here are 30+ ideas all around $10! What would YOU take if you were attending? Drop it in the comments below!

 

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