Goodbye Bridal Shower Games - Hello Crafts

One of my least favorite things is bridal shower games. Word searches, dressing the bride-to-be in tissue paper, clothespin game for crossing your legs... I've played all of them--begrudgingly. So when tasked to plan a shower for a friend's daughter, the thought of more shower games made me want to back out of the event. 

Then an alternative came to mind -- why not do crafts instead? The future bride was an artistic type and most of the guests liked crafting. So out went shower games and in came the crafters.

To do crafts at a shower you need three things:

1. An instructor in the chosen craft

2. Supplies

3. A craft that can be completed in a short amount of time

We chose candle and soap making and cupcake decorating. Guests moved from station to station to create three different crafts.

Decorating the cupcakes was a great idea because it eliminated the need for a decorated cake and allowed everyone to participate in the process. We displayed cupcake creations on a stand. Baked cupcakes, frosting, fondant and decorations were provided. Then at the end of the event, everyone either ate or took home their creations.

Candle making was done by using beeswax sheets to roll candles. Participants chose their color and size and rolled custom candles of their own choosing. It was less messy than pouring candles, plus the microwave was busy melting soap for the third craft.

Soap making involved clear glycerin soap decorated with plastic letters (to spell words like "soap" or "wash") or a variety of plastic decoration in the bride's fall colors (leaves, pumpkins, etc.). Melted soap was poured into decorated molds and cooled while guests made other crafts and watched the gift opening.

The event was a hit with guests and the bride taking home handmade items as their party favors. Better yet was the absence of lame party games! 

Breakfast Roll-Ups - Great for Travel Kitchens and Camping

You are travelling and have a small kitchenette, camp stove or RV kitchen. This means limited cooking ingredients and equipment. So how can you make a great breakfast-to-go that doesn't involve a Pop Tart or cereal?

My solution was a breakfast roll-up. It was fast and delicious, plus I could make it in my min-kitchen. Here's the recipe:

2 slices of bread, crusts removed, rolled flat with a glass

1 Oscar Mayer P3 Protein Pack (I used smoked ham) Use only meat and cheese.

1 egg beaten

Butter or cooking spray

Cook scrambled egg in frying pan with cooking spray or butter. Press short edges of bread slices together to form rectangle and butter one side. Place egg, cheese and ham (from P3) on the unbuttered side of the bread and roll (jelly roll style). Place roll (seam side down) in heated skillet and brown bread rotating to brown all sides. Snack on nuts from P3 as you prepare your breakfast.

Enjoy!