Host a Coloring Party for Adults!
Posted by Lindsay Conner on Jun 10th 2016
Invite some friends to join you at your home, quilt shop, or favorite meeting space for a fun evening of coloring!
Adult coloring parties offer an ideal way to relieve stress while you mix and mingle with others. Coloring is approachable for everyone, and it’s really inexpensive to get started, making it a great choice for a fun and creative get together. If you want to try hosting your own coloring party for adults, here are some tips to get started:
1. Send out invitations. If your guests are on Facebook, you can easily create an event. If not, try Evite for free invitations with an option to RSVP online! Set the date for a weeknight of your choice, or perhaps a Saturday morning. A window of two hours is a pretty good length for a coloring party.
Let guests know that you’ll provide drinks, plates, and a couple finger foods, and invite guests to bring their favorite appetizer or dessert to share. Encourage them to bring their favorite coloring book and colored pencils, letting them know that you’ll have extras at the party if they are new to the adult coloring craze.
2. Set the table.
Count up the RSVPs and make sure you have enough table space and chairs for your guests. Now it’s time to set the table! Print off some free adult coloring book pages from the Internet, or order a few extra coloring books to use as your centerpiece. Grab some Mason jars and set them around the table to use as colored pencil holders.
You’ll want to supply at least one set of colored pencils per 4 to 6 guests. (This Prismacolor set of 48 is a good choice.) You can provide crayons or markers, too, but quality colored pencils are generally the easiest for newbies to use and still get great results. Make sure to have a good pencil sharpener handy!
3. Welcome your guests. As guests arrive, invite them to enjoy snacks and drinks first, and shoot to get the coloring party started about 30 minutes later. You may have some introverts attending, so it’s probably best to plan some conversation starters or simple ice breakers, like Two Truths and a Lie. To make the party a little more exciting, you can offer a door prize of a new coloring book!
4. Celebrate your work. A coloring party is a great time to try new techniques, like using a white colored pencil or baby oil and a cotton swab for blending. Make sure to take lots of pictures during the party and share them with your guests afterward! You can also tag your creations with #adultcoloring on social media. If all goes well, you should be ready to host your next adult coloring party in a month or two!
If the idea of hosting your own coloring party is too much for right now, check out these resources for ongoing adult coloring events near you:
Coloring Book Day: http://www.coloringbookday.com/coloring_parties.html
Cleverpedia: http://cleverpedia.com/coloring-meetups/
This fantastic coloring book party plan comes from Lindsay Conner, author of On the Go Bags and Modern Bee, who has thrown several coloring and craft parties for her friends. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, two cats, and baby boy. LindsaySews.com, CraftBuds.com
