Watermelons and Encouragement
Watermelon painted edger bricks. Bright red, lime green, dark green, black and white paints. Spray painted them with white primer beforehand, and used foam and fine brushes to paint them. Allow time to dry between colors! A hairdryer works great to boost the drying process along.
Hello Hosts!
Last night I hosted a “Summer Edition” Small Group at my house. I planned to host it outside on the back patio, in beautiful weather, with watermelon slices served on a beautiful platter (cue birds chirping) to act as inspiration for my group to paint cement edgers to look like melon slices. I also planned on half the group gathering around another table at the same time to make a “patio firepit” that I have seen on so many youtube videos lately. No problem. 3 people here with glue guns, 5 people there with paints. I’ve got this.
Do you watch those diy youtube videos? I’m hooked and cannot believe the imagination these people have. To be able to look at plastic bowls and some rope and come up with such cool finished projects is beyond my thinking. Or wood jenga blocks and paint? Wow. Which is why I watch them- to come up with tested crafts for my group. Videos make it all seem so simple. Videos that will encourage me to think I CAN DO THAT, and in turn, I can encourage my group to think I CAN DO THAT TOO!
My summer group is always on a Thursday. Close enough to the weekend that people are ready to play, but not a Friday where people have other commitments. I usually make my sample projects ahead of time so I can figure out pricing for my group, then I gradually get the supplies leading up to craft night. It being the first night, I also needed to get a snack because the snack signups list goes around the first night.
It’s summer and I have lots of people home now to “help”. I had made a cool tabletop firebowl awhile ago and finally got around to adding the “fire” portion on Tuesday. I tasked my son to monitor it and guess what? The little heat thing GOT HOT! I mean, like really hot, with no pretty flame, and I was concerned it would melt the plastic bowl I had painstakingly wrapped in rope. Upon closer inspection, its NOT a tiki torch at all, it is a food warmer. It is made to just HEAT. So Dollar tree candles and more rope were added to my list (do not get me started on Dollar Tree severely shortening their rope length since I bought mine for the sample) and me and my crew hopped in the van.
We have so much fun together now that my kids are older. They truly are entertaining and have me constantly laughing. We got in and out of the grocery store quickly, armed with some dinner supplies and the watermelon for snack. We made it to the van, got everything unloaded and I went to return the cart. As I neared the van I heard “um, mom?” and noticed my 3 boys were all standing around in a tight circle, around the poor watermelon cracked and leaking on the ground. Oops. Thinking fast, I grabbed a huge bowl that was given to me from the trunk that I never brought in the house (procrastination wins again!) and scooped that thing up and into my sons waiting arms. Noone would admit who dropped it, and I sure wasn’t asking. I’ve dropped my fair share of things to know better than to point fingers. We hit Culvers for custard, Dollar tree for candles and rope, and headed home.
Patio “firebowl”. Gorilla Glue Hot Glue Sticks, Rope, 2 bowls, rock and candle. It was a simple but beautiful group craft project.
The new candles looked so much better, aren’t a fire hazard and the watermelon was prepped for snack. (It’s FIIIINE. Only cracked, nothing spilled!) Sure, it was now cubed and kinda shredded, not the nice slices I’d envisioned, but it was the sweetest and ripest I have had all season! WIN! Wednesday we decided to procrastinate setting up the patio for company, and park hopped and generally goofed off the whole entire day. Met some friends and really had a great time.
Thursday ended up being SUPER HOT out, and since we played the day before instead of weeding, meeting on the patio was out. :) New plan: inside. I covered my kitchen table and island with the giant cardboard pieces that I’ve been using for years, and plugged a power bar in the center island for the 3 glue guns. I used one of the brick edger’s to weigh down the power bar so it didnt move around so easily when people used the guns. Assorted paints and foam brushes and fine brushes were laid out on the table. Getting to be crunch time. Wait, was that thunder? Great. The radar revealed a big storm headed our way and I prayed the power wouldn’t go out while we were hot gluing! But Hey! Good thing I didn’t set up outside! See why I am a procrastinator?
Why Does She Do All This Work?!
A few of my Group members searched online for other ideas on how to paint their paver. I love when someone insists they aren’t creative, then they venture out and do their own things! Aren’t they just adorable?
At this point you may be entertained by my craft night adventures, or you may be thinking “Why Does She Do All This Work?!” I promise. I am getting to my point!
People started arriving one by one, and I was happy to welcome several new people to the group! One person knew noone, and the other only knew one other person. They are so brave and I am so proud they stepped out of their comfort zone and came! We briefly did introductions, talked about how they heard about my group, and I showed them the projects we would be working on over the course of the next few weeks, then headed to the kitchen. They divided themselves up between the paint and glue sticks, and I demonstrated each projects directions. The rope project did not take as long as expected, so that half finished quickly. The Red paint wasn’t drying, causing that half of the room to just be sitting idle literally watching paint dry. I got out my hairdryer (a heat gun works too) and that helped move it along. While the paint dried, some people moved to make their rope project, and the ones who were done with the glue gun moved to do their base coat on their edger. It worked out perfectly! But while they waited, and while they worked, they TALKED!
What made me finally start this business in general, is what comes next. Invariably. Every time. I then stand back, my part is done, and I just enjoy the evening listening to others making connections and laughing. I talk, listen, laugh, eat and answer a few questions. I hear of things they have done together, now that they are friends. I hear them encouraging each other.
What made last night so important was what I was hearing. While people were working on their project or waiting they talked. I saw someone text on our group chat, to tell her she missed seeing her there. I heard someone talk about a trip they were taking, and another offer the name of a beautiful place to visit in that area. I heard laughing, saw some sad people with a friends hand on their shoulder. I saw people forging relationships. I heard people connecting.
I then overheard my “regular” people telling the “new” people how glad they were to meet them and how much they have enjoyed these nights over the years. Some even have projects dating back YEARS! Some have gone home and duplicated our projects to give as gifts. They said they enjoy it not because they are particularly “crafty” but because they just have so much fun here and love meeting new people. Yes. Yes. THATS MY GOAL! That is why I do what I do. And that is why I started this site. I want others to host a group and feel that overwhelming surge of joy at hearing others connecting. My phone has alerted several times today with people chatting and asking questions in the group. That makes Host Tanya so happy.
“Remember, we are not made to live life alone.”
Remember, we are not made to live life alone. We are made to be social with one another. And deciding to do something about it, deciding to get people together and hear them connect, is so worth all the dropped watermelons, the many trips to the store, the running out of supplies. Because in the end, its all about getting people together to make new friends and have a shared experience.
I hope I have encouraged you to step out of your own comfort zone and think about starting and hosting your own small group or gathering. Have you started a small group? What kind of group do you have or are dreaming of starting? If not, read my First Steps Series: how to start and plan your own small group.
til next time!
Tanya Fee