A Very Crafty Slumber Party

My sweet Josie turned thirteen. 

To celebrate she wanted to combine two of her favorite things~ crafting and friends.

Years ago I had a mama friend who allowed her kids to plan and execute their own birthday parties.  I was a major control freak, who thought she was nuts!  

These days I'm just a minor control freak, and now I think that mama was a genius. Party planning is exhausting Y'all. If the kids want to do it, let'em! 

Everything~ the decorations, crafts, food and games for this crafty slumber party was Josie's doing... well, everything, but the balloons. I wanted them, she didn't. I told her parties neeeeed balloons. I'm old school like that. 

 

Aren't her custom-made, crafty, decorations darling!?! 

These turquoise fringed streamers were cut from plastic tablecloths.  

I think it's clever  how she paired them with book page bunting, then accented using these sweet book page roses (She and Em worked together to make the bunting and flowers)   

I was most impressed by how Josie thoughtfully planned every craft, and gave a lot of consideration to what would be enjoyable, easy, and economical.  

These strips of whimsical fabric and elastic were transformed into braided headbands. 

White Dollar Store mugs and Sharpie pens became personalized hot beverage cups.   

$1 Composition books became tailor-made journals by simply decoupaging them with clippings from magazines and a Dollar Store dictionary and bible. 

For the last project, Josie found pillow cases in packs of 2 for $5, which were remade using 80's Glam Sharpies and puffy-paint into a sweet spot for her pals to lay their pretty heads.

 

 Who knew three strips of fabric and a bit of elastic (which I stitched on over the course of the party) could look so darling.

These mugs are easy-peasy to make.
Simply draw your design on the mug, then bake the mug in an oven set at 325 for 20 minutes (hand wash only). 

Oh my goodness, aren't these girls clever!?!

All their mugs are so charming...I wonder if they'd notice if they went missing??

Since the girls were on a crafting roll, for dinner we kept their crafting juices flowing and had them construct their own nachos. 

Chloe, you need more olives.

After dinner the girls decoupaged their journals.

When Emilie was very little she referred to my journal as a "journey." *love*  
She is going to gather her favorite words and quotes to fill up the "journey" she created. 

"Journey" crafting was followed up by more food crafting- dessert! 

Ice Cream Sundays in chocolate bowls.

 In the history of teenage girls these are the BEST EVER! 

In my day (seriously, just dated myself by saying that) teen slumber parties consisted of comparing trendy clothes, gossiping, boy talk, watching hours and hours of Night Tracks (music videos before there was MTV), and freezing the training bra of the unlucky girl that dozed off first. We all wanted to be perceived as much older and cooler than we were.  Thankfully, these sweet girls don't care one iota about any of that!   They craft, giggle, play Mafia, giggle, sing karaoke and choreograph dances to accompany their songs on the spot, giggle some more, then play more mafia. They're not in a hurry to grow up. They simply enjoying being thirteen, together.  They make me wish I'd been born 30 years later so I could've been friends with them. I love them. I want the world to be filled with more teenage girls like them. 

I have long prayed for my children and for the friends that would enter their lives. I've hoped their friendships would be a blessing to them, and that they would likewise be a blessing to their friends. 

When I think of their friends

 the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson's words come to mind~

  "I didn't find my friends, the good God gave them to me."

I'm so grateful that our good God picked these lovely young ladies out for my sweet Josefine.   

After a bit of slumbering the girls kick started the day with some waffle crafting

(by the way, that's homemade caramel sauce~ made by the coolest daddy ever).

Which was followed by the last craft of the party, pillowcase embellishing. Did you notice that the case on the bottom left says "Hello Beauty-Full?" I love it, I love it, I love it!

After they completed their own cases they graffitied each others with encouraging words.

 Told you, they're "the best teenage girls EVER!"

  

Two things you should know before I wrap this up~

That mama who let her kids plan their own parties, well her daughter grew up and planned and executed every detail of her own backyard wedding. It was beauty full! 

I'm expecting the same from Josie 10+ years from now. :)  

Finally, you should also know that Josie's Very Crafty Slumber Party was a week ago and the decorations are still up... 

serving as a bit of proof that these days I'm only a minor control freak. ;)
   

 Live in Peace,