Wednesday, January 25, 2012

DIY Wine Party

The girls and I had a total blast last week going out for sushi & wine (or hibachi chicken & water for some.)  I value the time spent with my girlfriends – I feel energized and I’m reminded that I am not just a mom and a wife.   I’m a real living-breathing social creature!  Plus I got caught up on real life and celebrity gossip.  (What were Jay-Z & Beyonce thinking with that baby name?) But going out is not always budget friendly and sometimes it’s just nice to be home with friends.   Mae Armstrong had this wonderful idea to host a blind wine tasting.   We could all adopt this one!



She started out by creating wine bags.  She’ll place different bottles of wine in each bag, code them with letters, and have guests write honest feedback about each wine on a corresponding card.  This way no one is influenced by fancy labels or gimmicky names of wines.   The tasting will be based on taste alone. 


To recreate, use an old wine tote bag as your pattern like this one here.    Mae used natural canvas and retro fabric for the accent.   Sew the printed fabric on the front side of the canvas and sew the top opening to prevent from fraying. Then turn inside out and sew all sides leaving the opening.






Mae stamped onto pre-cut doily themed circle tags with PSA Essentials Archive Peel and Stick stamps.  She stamped the letters A, B, C, D – the number of letters she needed for the number of wines she was serving for the tasting.    She picked a nice thick yarn for hanging the tags.  






Cute, right? 






For the tasting cards, she used the same doily tags stamped with PSA Archive Peel & Stick stamps and the corresponding letters to match the wine totes.   To recreate, thread the yarn through and knot both ends to secure the tag.  It's easy if you use a crochet hook to pull the yarn through.   Mae also used a bamboo stick to create the holes.  This card measures 4"x9" and you can create it using Microsoft Word or In Design.



As Mae always does, she took her project and party two steps further.  She sewed a matching canvas favor bag stamped with the initials of her guests. You can fill the jars with any edible treats, Mae used olives. She used the same yarn color to tie the top of the tote bags. It all coordinates perfectly!




She created some cupcakes, too which I will share the recipe & details of tomorrow!  Look at this complete set of crafty goodness.  Now that’s better than a $30 sushi night!


This post was posted to Singing Three Little Birds 

This was also posted to Home Stories A-Z 




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