Soul Sisters Craft Weekend

It finally happened! Michelle and I have been wanting to create a craft weekend for a long time! We initially thought we'd do it at the beginning of this summer, but we ended up having it at the beginning of August. It was our first attempt and we were actually excited about how it turned out.

Our first bit of business was to come up with a name b/c we really plan to do this annually. We decided on Soul Sisters b/c we wanted this weekend to not only be about crafting, but to be an encouragement to women and to build each other up in the Lord. As believers, we are sisters-in-Christ and it joins us together...to stand together, to encourage one another, to carry the burdens of this life together, to laugh together, and to share the joys of this life together. Soul Sisters.

After the name, we picked the crafts and then the date. Once the "big" details were in place we started inviting people we knew would want to do something like this. We charged a flat fee that included all the supplies each person would need for their 6 crafts and the food (Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday lunch). Also, if there were people travelling, we gave them a place to stay (this year it was at my house, so we had a big slumber party).

For the first year, we had 8 ladies, including Michelle and I. I hope I can speak for everyone and say that we had a GREAT time! Michelle and I were worried about timing on each project, but it all worked out perfectly. We had plenty of time to craft, eat, and TALK...of course! Let's go...

Craft #1 - Bracelet:

Craft #2: Canvas Photos:

Craft #3: Holiday Pillow Cover (the "date" pillow below was created the same way. Michelle gave that to me for Christmas last year...its when KP and I got married):

 Craft #4: T-Shirt Scarf:

Craft #5: "Days Until" Sign

Craft #6: Burlap Wreath

The crafts were very successful! The wreath was probably the biggest challenge, but everything really turned out great! :)

Outside of crafting, we enjoyed a taco bar for dinner on Friday night; For breakfast on Saturday, we enjoyed cinnamon rolls from a local bakery and a homemade quiche; And for lunch Saturday we had a salad and potato bar. On Saturday afternoon, we took a break from crafting and did a little jewelry and antique shopping! And, hit a local cupcake bakery!

There were a few "non-crafters" that joined in the fun!

Before all the fun began, we did a lot of prep work! Each person had a tub with everything they needed for the weekend. Michelle made labels and we had folders with all the tutorials for them to take home.

And, the final gift we sent everyone home with was a monogrammed bag.The bag was filled with a note, candy, and homemade peanut butter banana bread.

We are already looking forward to next year and planning some new ideas! If you are interested in attending, please leave a comment for me and we can add you to the list!