How to Host a 12 Days of Christmas Uppercase Living Jar Party

One of the most fun things about the holiday season, of course, is gathering with friends and family. Many times those gatherings tend to take over - the planning, cooking, and expense quickly start to multiply. So here is a simple but fun idea for a casual, inexpensive gathering where the point is to relax, catch up with friends and create a cute jar project. You will love the simplicity of this craft party! 

The one thing to remember with this party is that you need to order your Uppercase Living decals at least 3 weeks in advance to make sure they arrive on time. Choose your date, time and party location and invite your guests. Feel free to snag the photos from this post for your emails and texts! Place your decal order; you can choose a variety of colors or ask your guests ahead of time which colors they'd like. Make sure to order a few extra for last minute additions to your party. Don't worry about having too many; you can always use the leftovers to create gifts. 

While you wait for your order, spend some time gathering the rest of the supplies you'll need. Start with ribbon and scrapbook paper (scraps are great for this project). If you like to prep ahead of time, cut your paper into 2" x 4" strips and fold them in half. Consider asking each guest to bring a sheet or two of her favorite paper or a spool of festive ribbon. You'll get a great variety of colors and designs this way.

You can also add embellishments, if you'd like. Your local craft store will have tons of choices, but also look through your own supplies for buttons, bling, and other cute additions. Make sure to have plenty of glue on hand if you add them.
Finally, you'll need some jars. The easiest thing to do is purchase them, but this is a great opportunity to reuse glass jars you may already have. You can also ask each guest to bring an empty jar or two. Hooray for recycling and repurposing!!

When your guests arrive, set out some simple snacks and drinks and begin creating. There really is no "right" way to do this project, so there's no pressure! The fun is in mixing colors and patterns to come up with a look that you like.

Originally, this project was designed to hold ideas for family holiday activities; that's what the scrapbook paper is for. But you can use it different ways:

• Use the paper to write down special memories and read them each Christmas eve.
• Have each guest bring a bag or two of holiday candy and create a perfect mix. 
• Turn this into "Mom's Holiday Survival Jar" and add a notepad, pencil, ibuprofen and a tiny bottle of wine
• Make this a service project by filling each jar with a scarf and mittens, then drop them off at a local shelter.
• Fill with cocoa packets and marshmallows and drop off at the fire station. 
• Use gift boxes instead of jars and fill with small treats to open each day. You can use the box year after year. 

I know you will come up with lots more ideas, so please comment and share them with me. I hope you'll use this opportunity to gather with friends and enjoy an afternoon or evening of laughter and friendship. And that's what the season is really about.

Tip: This design is on special now through November 26, 2017. A set of 2 is only $9.95. Get it now and save a little money! 

Direct Sellers: Create A Booking Board for Your Display

Recently I had the pleasure of working with a group of ladies with Premier Designs jewelry on custom booking boards for their business. This newer idea has become one of my most popular designs lately, so I wanted to show you how to put one together. Take your time and follow these steps; you'll have a great display piece of your own in no time. 

Gather your supplies: 

• Uppercase Living Punched Metal Tile
• Uppercase Living Hostess Wanted expression in color of your choice
• Ruler, scissors, pencil
• Spray bottle with water
• Not pictured: small towel, magnets

Prepare your expression:

• Using the ruler, draw a straight line connecting the points of the triangles above and below the design, then the ones to the left and right. 
• If you'd like to create a space between the words of your booking board, carefully cut the expression where you'd like the space to be. 

Prepare your metal surface:

Use the spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water on your metal tile. Spread the water with your hand so the entire tile is covered.

Apply the vinyl expression: 

Turn each part of the expression upside down and slowly peel away the backing paper, revealing the sticky back side of your lettering. Discard backing paper and place expression on the tile, using the arrows and line you drew to line up the two parts of the expression with the tile and with each other. If you'd like, use the ruler to measure the expression to make sure it's been applied straight. The water allows you to pick up and move the vinyl expression as needed.

Once you have the two parts of the expression properly placed on the tile, use the towel to rub the top of the expression without removing the transfer tape. Apply firm pressure as you move the towel over the surface of the tile for several minutes. Test the expression by gently peeling back a corner of the transfer tape.  If the vinyl sticks to it and not to the tile, it's too wet to remove. You can continue to rub it or leave it to dry and try again after a few hours. Peel off all transfer tape and blot away any remaining moisture. 

You're DONE! 

Magnets will hold your open party dates, current specials or anything you'd like to highlight at your event. Give yourself a pat on the back and pack your new booking board with your work supplies to make sure you bring it to your next event!