It’s been almost a month since we had our Atlanta area Swap Party. Why has it been a month since I’ve written about all the fun we had? Because the DAY OF the Swap Party was also the day we moved out of our house! (You can read more about that here.)
It was by far, one of the most stressful weekends of my life. Even still, the party itself was so fun, the women so encouraging and I left with a full heart that night!
If you’re not familiar with a Truth in the Tinsel Swap Party—think Cookie Exchange, only with craft supplies! We all come with bags of Truth in the Tinsel ornaments ready to make in little baggies. Then we line them all up on a giant table and each take one so we have the supplies for every craft ready to go! (You can read more about how to do your own swap here–there’s a few more helpful details + look at our new Printable Party Pack!)
My main goal in the Swap Party is to give mamas a fun night out with good food, good people AND get their entire Advent celebration organized in just one night! So, the basic order of the night went like this:
First: EAT.
I had the party catered by Zoe’s. If you don’t have Zoe’s in your area, I’m sad. We ate yummy chicken kabobs, rice, hummus, pita and a Greek salad that was so good my daughter took the leftovers to school!
Second: CRAFT
Now, I know a lot of you think you’re not crafty. In fact, Truth in the Tinsel scares a lot of people because it’s craft-heavy. Well, I am a firm believer in anyone-can-craft because the end result is not really the goal. It’s the process.
Anywhoo–tonight’s craft was SO INCREDIBLY easy and it turned about even cuter than I thought it would.
It requires only three supplies.
Each person needs 24 clothespins, a few colors of washi tape and some cute ribbon or twine. Then, all you do is put a piece of washi tape on the front of clothespin and hang it on the twine!
Can you even believe how cute that is??? The washi tapes fits perfectly on the clothespin so there’s no measuring, cutting or messing up!
This is the ideal calendar for the daily clues included in the Truth in the Tinsel ebook because it’s so simple and small. We didn’t have enough clothespins for me to make one, but the kids and I are making one this week. I love it.
Party Planner Note: My bff, Staci was at the party helping out with this craft and she had a great idea for next year. Instead of having a table set up just for crafts, put all the craft supplies in the middle of each table and after everyone has eaten, they can simply begin doing the craft right where they sit. It doubles as a centerpiece! I’m totally doing that next year.
Third: TALK
I talked. It’s what I do, I guess.
I wanted to encourage everyone in not being tired this Christmas. I wanted them to see that Advent is parenting. And it’s making an eternal difference in the life of their children.
I hope you know this for yourself, too. You can do this Truth in the Tinsel-thing!
Party Planner note: Those beautiful Christmas chalkboard posters behind me are from Caravan Shoppe. You download them for about $5 and then print them at Staples for $7. It’s just paper–how cute are they??
Check out our new Swap Party Printables–including a swanky Truth in the Tinsel poster + more!
Fourth: GIVEAWAY
I had some fabulous, amazing and generous sponsors of this event. At every chair, there was a super cute bag from my good friend, Yancy. Yancy is a singer songwriter who loves kids and God’s Word. Not only did she give everyone a fun Yancy-bag, she also gave them one of her super cool worship DVDs. (Can I just say: CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT! CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT! You need to snag this stuff for your kids!)
Also included in the cute little Yancy bag was the brand new Galaxy Buck DVD from Whats in the Bible?. The kids and I just watched it and I loved it so much! What’s in the Bible? also included a free month to Jelly Telly–where you can stream Bible-based kids’ shows and movies. (CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT!!!)
We’re not finished yet! My friend Tricia Goyer also included her book, Prayers That Changed History. It’s a family/kid devotional type book about famous people and the prayers they prayed–AND how God brought about miracles because of those prayers. (CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT!!!)
And if that wasn’t enough, we also had some fantastic door prizes!
Zonderkidz sent us so many cool Bibles and books from their Adventure Bible line. (It’s the Bible my daughter has!)
They even included lots o’ cute Christmas books and the Jesus Storybook Bible. (Which is literally, the best book I’ve ever read.)
Yancy is so generous and gave away more CDs and devotional books. (My favorite is Roots for the Journey and Taste and See.
My friend Kam from One Girl Design Shoppe gave a beautiful tabletop block from her Holiday Collection. She hand paints signs (even gorgeous custom orders) on reclaimed wood. I can’t wait to put one in our new house!
Jessica from OneTwentyOne Designs donated the cutest zip pouches I’ve ever seen. Jessica sews all kinds of lovely bags and other yummies from vintage fabrics with vintage buttons. Every thing she makes is adorable.
Last: SWAP
Now it was time for the whole reason we were there! We grabbed our little Yancy bags and filled it with all the supplies for every day of Truth in the Tinsel! Aren’t you jealous??
A big special thanks to my mom for letting us use her children’s church space at her church and for all the other bazillion things she did that night–including take care of my two kiddos and running the sound. Thank you to Staci, my BFF who is just well, really and truly the BEST. Thanks to my kiddos for being so helpful and obedient on a crazy hard day. And thanks to my husband who moved us into our new apartment while I hosted the party.
And of course, thank you to all the ladies that made their crafts, came to the party and generally loved on me knowing it was a stressful day for me. You buoyed my spirit and I had so much fun with you. I love you all!
Men who are over 65 years old are recommended at to take no more than half a bag of gel so that the body can withdraw medicines freely.
Valium binds to plasma proteins by 98%. The substances of the drug pass through the placenta, the blood-brain barrier, easily penetrate into breast milk. The drug accumulates and is stored in adipose tissue. The patient is prescribed a minimum dose of 2 mg for the first time regardless of the disease and the form of release. If there are no side effects after application, then the dosage does not change in the first three days, then it is increased depending on the diagnosis. There is more information on the website (https://www.glowdentaldallas.com/dental-services/valium/).
