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A Well Crafted Life

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The Portland Bloggers Family Picnic was this past weekend. I got to bring my sister, her husband, and my nephew to meet my blogging buddies. It was fun catching up with friends and getting to know some new bloggers.

I brought my favorite ice cream to the picnic to share. It was so hot out that even the ice didn’t help much! The ice cream melted pretty quickly and made for a tasty impromptu milk shake!

I also brought sunscreen to share… Because, sun safety is important! I brought a new-to-me brand from Coola Suncare that sent me some samples to test out. I love it! It’s the first organic sunscreen that I’ve had work well and smell good at the same time. It’s also the first spray sunscreen that hasn’t felt too oily or sticky. I also heard great things from friends who used it.

All in all it was a great time. How was your weekend?

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This weekend we took a very necessary break from electronics and the rest of the world by heading out to camp near the Clackamas River near Estacada, Oregon. I had a bit of anxiety when I realized my cellphone had no reception. But, after a bit, it was a relief to just sit back and rest. We enjoyed amazing food on the fire, simple (yet delicious) cocktails, and sleeping with the stars overhead. Breathtaking and refreshing.

Today we came back to reality where I was greeted with 100 emails and several messages. I probably should have told someone we were going away for a bit… Whoops.

I also attended a friend’s memorial this afternoon. It reminded me that taking moments to unplug and enjoy the simpler things in life is very much important. Not saying that you can’t be connected and still connect– but, sometimes, it helps to put the phones/computers/video games down.

Happy Sunday everyone!

DIY Friend Gift for Coffee or Tea Lovers featured on A Well Crafted Party

The Portland Bloggers group recently had the opportunity to visit local party and craft shop Fancy That for a fun crafting event. Lisa, owner of Fancy That, prepped a great customizable craft that each of the bloggers in attendance were able to make for the coffee or tea lover in their lives. Many people talked about giving to friends or teachers. I personally wanted to keep mine for myself! 🙂 This is a really easy and fun DIY friend gift idea that you can completely customize for the gift recipient.

This isn’t your typical tutorial. It is completely adjustable to your style and materials. Nearly all of the materials can be found at the Fancy That shop who has both an online and brick-and-mortar store.

BEFORE Friend Gift DIY featured on A Well Crafted Party

The picture above shows what each attendee to the craft event received at their table. The tables were also covered with party circles, double sided tape, washi tape, bakers twine, and hole punches. Nearly all items below can be purchased through the Fancy That shop!

Supplies:

  • 1 drink carrier
  • wooden spoons
  • Tea packets or instant coffee packages
  • Sugar or other sweetener packages
  • cellophane baggies for decorating and/or packaging
  • White cups with lids & sleeves

Optional items used for decorating and customizing your gift:

  • Custom printed party circles (can be anything really!)
  • Washi Tape
  • Double Sided Tape
  • Scissors
  • Bakers Twine
  • Markers/pens
  • Hole punch
  • Stapler

Friend Gift DIY for a Coffee or Tea Lover featured on A Well Crafted Party Friend Gift DIY for a Coffee or Tea Lover featured on A Well Crafted Party Friend Gift DIY for a Coffee or Tea Lover featured on A Well Crafted Party

 

Directions for your DIY Coffee (or Tea) Lover Friend Gift

Decorate your supplies as you like, put everything in the drink carrier, and deliver to your friend!

I hate to be so simple on a tutorial’s directions… but, this craft was THAT EASY. You can decorate as little or as much as you want. Placing custom tags or printables on items or just labeling with your pen. You can even just put everything in the drink carrier with some napkins and a sweet note and call it good. But, here are some ideas for further inspiration:

  1. Use washi tape and wrap around the box, spoon handles, or cups to give your gift a fun, decorative touch.
  2. Fill one of the cellophane bags with tea packages, fold the bag to resemble a tea bag, affix a string of bakers twine with a staple, affix a small heart or tag at the other end of the string with a staple– you then have a giant tea bag as a container for your tea packages!
  3. Use bakers twine and washi tape to crate a cute little bunting for the container!

PS National Friendship Day is August 3rd!

PPS Love this idea, but aren’t really into crafting? Fancy that is selling an adorable Tea for Two drink carrier with fixins on the website!

** I attended a free craft event put on by Fancy That for Portland Bloggers. Portland Bloggers is a product of my company Jenni Bost Creative Services LLC. This event was a break out event with no promise of posting or review. I just enjoyed my time and thought the craft would fit nicely on my blog. I also believe in supporting local businesses when possible. I hope you enjoyed the craft as much as I did!**