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A Well Crafted Party

Painting Party: Ladies Night In

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A splash of paint, a dash of gin, and a gaggle of your favorite friends and you have a recipe for a super fun ladies night in. Host a painting night (also known as a Sip & Paint) with your favorite gal pals and give the gift of a fun evening in and a party favor that’ll decorate their homes! Read on to see my recent Galentine’s Day version of a painting party along with some tips to host your own!

This party certainly doesn’t have to be done as a Valentine’s Day celebration. However, since this party happened to be near the day of hearts and love… I decorated the party space to reflect that. I kept it mostly simple using graphic black, white, and pink elements. Xs and Os and hearts helped move the theme from the painting space to the bar and food space.

How to Host a Painting Party

The supplies for a painting party can be as simple as a painting surface and some acrylic paint. Fingers make great brushes! However, if you want to keep it a bit more clean, paint brushes are a good addition. To keep costs down you can even just grab the essential colors of paint (black, white, red, yellow, and blue) and let guests mix their own combinations.

I knew I’d be hosting more than one of these events, so I picked up some easels, larger boxes of paint ranging colors, prepped canvases, and paint brushes. The below links are to the actual items I got for my painting party and are affiliate links which means I get a small payment if you make a purchase (at no additional cost to you).

Painting Party Supplies (affiliate links):

Tips for Painting

I really love the idea of going to one of those Paint and Sip venues with friends. I’ve been several times and always have a good time. However, one of the things I don’t like about it is I’m often left with a piece of art that I probably wouldn’t have chosen to decorate my house with if not for the cost of the party. So, when I host a painting party… I sorta let everyone do their own thing. I love how creative everyone gets!

Not everyone loves to paint like I do and some people majorly underestimate their skill. So, the below tips are how I encourage people to paint.

  1. Stick with abstract. Unless you are great at drawing…abstract is where it is at.
  2. Pick colors that go with your home decor already.
  3. Search for artwork in that color scheme to inspire your painting. For instance, if you decorate in blue and yellow do a Pinterest or Google search for “abstract art blue and yellow” and see what comes up!
  4. Don’t try to copy. Look a the shapes and brush strokes on the art pieces you are drawn to and imitate that, but don’t hold yourself back.
  5. Stop throughout your painting to let paint dry and to step back and see how it is shaping up. If you feel stumped…. turn your artwork on its side or upside down and see if that inspires you.
  6. Don’t be afraid of white space. Seriously… sometimes less is so much more!

The Extras… Food & Drink

I hosted this party during the dinner hour so I wanted to provide some hearty snacks that could substitute as a meal, but was also able to sit out a bit so people could snack throughout the painting process.

Ladies Night Menu:

  • Romaine Lettuce and Spring Greens Dressed in Vegan Caesar Dressing and gluten free croutons with sides of Parmesan cheese and grilled chicken for those who wished to add them.
  • Tuscan White Bean Italian Salad (a hit!)
  • A charcuterie platter featuring Trader Joe’s Gormet Deli Selection (3 types of meats), unexpected cheddar, goat cheese stuffed peppers, blue cheese, fontina cheese, apples, strawberries, crackers, and gluten free baguette slices.
  • A vegetable platter featuring carrots, cucumbers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, hummus, and spinach dip.
  • A sweets platter with cream puffs, eclairs, macarons (from Trader Joe’s), meringues (from Trader Joe’s), berries, and candies.

Belly Up to the Bar at Ladies Night

I think the beverages are always my favorite part of parties. If you look through my blog you’ll notice that I have more beverage recipes than anything else. They are such a FUN way to give a little something extra to a party. I always make sure there are a selection of fun non-alcoholic beverages at every party including water. For this party I served some cucumber water along with a selection of Bubly sparkling waters and sparkling grapefruit juice. I also had a bar with the makings for martinis and gin & tonics.

Martini Bar Ingredients:

  • Coupe Martini glasses (affiliate link)
  • Shaker & Jigger (affiliate link)
  • Ice
  • Vodka (yes, you can totally use gin, but I’m a vodka martini gal)
  • Dry vermouth (store that in the fridge!)
  • Olive Juice
  • Olives
  • Lemon Twists (Citrus Peeler – affiliate link)

Make sure you add the directions for making a martini so your guests can make their own.

A Gin Dependent Woman Gin & Tonic Bar Ingredients:

  • Glassware – I used rocks glasses (affiliate link)because I like them, but traditionally high ball glasses (affiliate link) are used.
  • Ice
  • Cocktail spoon (affiliate link)
  • Jigger (affiliate link)
  • Gin
  • Tonic Water
  • Sparkling Grapefruit Juice
  • Blood Orange simple syrup
  • Citrus (lime, lemon, grapefruit, blood oranges)
  • Herbs (Thyme & Rosemary– though, basil would be a great addition!)
  • Cucumber slices
  • Strawberries

Make sure you add directions to this as well and add in some ideas for combinations!

Gin & Tonic Bar Directions:

  1. Fill glass with ice
  2. Add 1.25 oz of Gin to glass
  3. Add in your mixers – squeeze citrus, crush herbs, mash berries/cucumber, etc.
  4. Add in any simple syrup or juice (half an ounce or less)
  5. Top with tonic water

Suggested combos:

  • Strawberries, thyme, grapefruit slices, grapefruit juice, gin, & tonic.
  • Lime, cucumber, gin, & tonic.
  • Blood orange simple syrup, rosemary, blood orange slices, gin & tonic.

We had a fantastic time at this painting party and plan to make crafting/painting parties a regular occurrence after this event. Honestly, I think an event like this would be great for a birthday party or shower as well. Wouldn’t it be awesome to host a painting party baby shower and have the guests paint abstract paintings in the colors of the nursery? Or, perhaps a wedding shower where guests paint paintings for the couple’s home together or for the wedding tables! The ideas are endless.

Have a great painting party!

Would you go to a painting party? Share in the comments what would draw you to a party like this or what else would make it a great event!

I’d love that if this idea inspires you that you share it with me by tagging me on Instagram or Twitter (@JenniBost).

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A Well Crafted Pantry

Corned Beef and Cabbage Hand Pies

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I recently discovered that corned beef and cabbage isn’t actually Irish, but it certainly is a traditional dish at my St. Patrick’s Day celebrations! I look forward to it each year. This year I decided an appetizer twist on this classic St. Patty’s Day meal was necessary.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Hand Pies

This recipe makes 24 three-inch hand pies. However, if you have a large piece of corned beef you could easily add more pie dough to your plans and make more!

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lb corned beef roast
  • 1/4 a head of cabbage thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 4 nine-inch rounds of pie dough (I did pre-made but you could absolutely make your own!)
  • 1 egg
  • Olive oil, salt, & pepper

Corned beef takes a long time to make. However, it’s delicious and completely worth it! Follow the directions that come on your corned beef roast. I used my crockpot and cooked the roast on low for 8 hours. My directions will begin after the corned beef is cooked. You could absolutely pick up corned beef at a deli and make this dish!

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Directions:

  1. Sauté your cabbage and onion in a saucepan over medium heat until slightly translucent and browned.
  2. Dice your cooked corned beef and mix into the cabbage and onion mixture.
  3. Cut circles from your pie dough using a cookie cutter or glass.
  4. Using a rolling pin, roll out your circles of dough just a bit.
  5. Pile the corned beef and cabbage mixture in the center of a pie dough round. Top with another round of pie dough and crimp the edges to seal. Continue until all pie dough is used.
  6. Put on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cut small slots into the top of each pie to let steam out.
  7. Crack your egg into a small dish and add a tablespoon of cold water. Whisk the egg until it makes an egg wash. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush egg wash onto each pie.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or until browned.
  9. Serve with mustard or a delicious Russian dressing.

Do you have St. Patrick’s Day plans? Share below!

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A Well Crafted Pantry

Bangers and Mash Bites

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Often when having friends and family over for traditional holidays, I try to stick to tradition while giving it my own spin. St. Patrick’s Day is a perfect opportunity to give a spin to the more traditional dishes. Bangers and Mash is a favorite Irish dish with mashed potatoes, pork sausage, and a wonderful onion brown gravy. I wanted to make an appetizer that would give that same flavorful punch in a bite! These Bangers and Mash Bites take some effort, but they are completely worth it!

Bangers and Mash Bites

You can really get creative with this idea and do a version of potato skins or even a version of Irish Nachos. But, I love how these little potatoes look so interesting and pack a lot of favor in a single bite. This recipe makes approximately 24 bites depending on the size of your potatoes. I did have leftover filling.

Ingredients:

  • 24-28 mini potatoes (a few extra helps in case you make a mistake while hollowing them out.)
  • 2 tablespoon Irish butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 links of good quality pork sausage. I used a smoked sausage.
  • 1 packet of brown gravy + 1.5 cups water
  • 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 cup of shredded Irish cheddar (more for garnish)
  • Parsley to garnish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

  1. Wash your potatoes and take out any eyes you see. Put in a pot of salted water to boil.
  2. Be careful to not over-cook your potatoes. They are done when you can easily poke a fork into them, but are overdone if the mash under the weight of the fork. Strain and rinse in ice cold water. This will make them cool enough to work with.
  3. Cut a small sliver off the bottom and top of each potato. This way they will stand up and you’ll be able to easily access the inner potato.
  4. Using a melon baller or small spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the potato. Don’t throw the innards out! That will be your “Mash.” Put all the filling in a bowl. Place the hollowed put potatoes in a lightly greased baking dish.
  5. Make your mash by adding the cream and butter to the mixture of potato and mashing it with a fork. Set aside.
  6. Dice your sausage and onion and fry in a pan over medium heat. Stir so it doesn’t stick or get too brown. Once cooked through (the sausage and onions will be slightly browned and will smell awesome) you’ll add in the packet of brown gravy mix and water. Stir and let thicken.
  7. Mix in the mashed potatoes until all is incorporated.
  8. Scoop the mixture into each potato. You may have some filling left over.
  9. Place potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes. Pull out, top with cheese, and put back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
  10. Serve warm!

What’s your favorite St.Patty’s Day dish? Comment below!

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