Cookie Exchange 2013

Um.  Yeah.  It has taken me a bit to get around to uploading this.
The child had her annual cookie exchange with a mere 18 other girls.
We do the usual - bring several dozen and leave with new cookies YEAH!

The Cookie Exchange is never just about cookies.  There HAS to be crafts (HAS TO!)

 The first craft of this party was to create etched glasses.  Using this tutorial from The Yummy Life each girl was able to personalize a glass.  By the way the glasses were a score from a summer garage sale where we bought several dozen for $5 - whoo hoo!

Each girl also created there own 8-bit Perler bead bow clip.  So many colors.  Want a tutorial on this?  We got this idea from, and followed the instructions of the truly awesome and inspiring Cupquake.

Oh and then there were the glitter ornaments.  HA. Oh my.  Three weeks later and we are still finding glitter about the house.  I do not love the glitter.

Anyway - these ornaments are quite pretty.  And cheap.  

The tutorial for this one can be found on the The Swell Life blog.

We had the girls use the stickers from the the glass etching to personalize their ornaments.  As you can see there are several going though a bit of a Walking Dead phase.

The final bit.  The actual cookie exchange.  Yes.  Those are Dr Who cookies in the foreground.  Quite adorbs (last year there were One Direction cookies - these girls go ALL OUT!).  Because the table was still awash in glitter, the girls noshed on several cookies from the floor.  Made life easier for everyone.  The punch?  Oh that is a pocketfull of yum.  It looks like UV Blue though does it not?  This is Tiffany Punch.  Directions can be found for this punch on the MrsHappyHomemaker blog

2012 Cookie Exchange

And I am back.  I am committing myself to being better to all three of my blogs this year.  I love this blog.  This blog helped me keep my sanity between being laid off and starting my own marketing consultation.  I will focus on IRLparties, awesome invites and goodie bags and favors.....  

And with that.  Here is the 2012 Annual Cookie Exchange as hosted by my daughter.

The cookie exchange tends to be about 20 girls and craft crazy two hours.

As with any party we host with kids - there was a schedule we stuck to.

Arrival Craft

Decorating mugs with Sharpie Markers.  An idea found here.
I understand from more than a few parents that these were provided as Christmas gifts.  Super easy.  And a great excuse to buy more sharpies.

The next activity was making washer bracelets.  How I did not manage to not take one single picture of these.  No idea.  I will take a stab though and guess it was having 20 kids in my house.  The husband wound up taking each girl in the garage and pounding what ever three letters she wanted on the washer.  It was a little more difficult than I anticipated.

From there the girls rapidly loved onto making graham cracker candy canes sleighs.  We simply used candy canes, graham crackers and marshmallows.  Plus frosting as glue.  A little messy.  But nice and time consuming as well.

And then yeah! Cooooookies!  Onto the cookie exchange itself.  Each girl was required to bring two dozen cookies so that each girl would then receive one new cookie.  It's really nice to try other people's cookies since we tend to make the same ones every year.

Did I mention this? No I did not.  One girl brought super awesome One Direction Gingerbread Cookies.  It brought a tear to my eye.  Pretty sure I have two Louis' here.

The final activity, and again, wait what? No pictures?  Was the incredibly easy Shower Curtain Ring Yarn Ornaments.  My daughter has now become obsessed with making these.  One of those easy things you can do with your hands while not paying in particular attention to it.

And then they all went home.  THE END.  Until December 2013.