Home Decor and Crafting Soiree For Shelter Makeover

Last weekend, my daughter, Hannah, and I held our second annual crafting event for our favorite non-profit organization, Enchanted Makeovers (EM).  EM is preparing for a makeover on The Detroit Rescue Mission Genesis House II.  This crafting event is a way for us to invite friends, family and our community to support EM and help with the makeover.  It's a fun night of bonding and camaraderie where we work together to assemble hand-made decorative items to be used in a shelter makeover.  

This year, the theme for the crafting event was a "Wine Sharing Crafting Soiree".  It was held at one of my favorite local home decor boutiques, My Sweet Holly, located in historic downtown Holly, Michigan (my home town).  It was a memorable evening and a huge success, here is how it went...

Cathy Jo Hutchinson-Bateman (aka Cathy), the owner of My Sweet Holly, welcomed us into her shop after hours and allowed us to use her fantastic paint studio to assemble our craft. 

Her boutique provided the most charming atmosphere for our soiree.  

Every inch of her shop is filled with treasures, both new and vintage.

It was such a special treat to host friends and family in this romantic setting.

It was the perfect place for a crafting event as there was inspiration everywhere.  My Sweet Holly is not only a home decor boutique but also a custom drip shop where Cathy teaches classes to the public on amazing painting techniques.

When Hannah and I arrived to prepare for the soiree,  Cathy took us to the back of her shop and into her studio.  

My niece, Taylor met us there and helped set up the crafting station.  Our mission this evening was to assemble 18 vintage chenille dream catchers by wrapping hoola hoops with strips of fabric torn from vintage bedspreads (a project tutorial post is coming soon).  These hoola hoop dream catchers will be placed over each bed in the shelter.  

Terry Grahl, the founder of Enchanted Makeovers provided us with the supplies and a basic description of what she envisioned them to look like.  She encouraged us to put our own hearts into the project by applying our own creative design ideas.

As we were setting up, Bittersweet Cafe arrived with an amazing spread of gourmet desserts and hors d'oeuvres including their famous deviled eggs.  Bittersweet Cafe is a charming cafe located across the street from My Sweet Holly.  When I mentioned our crafting event they instantly offered to help by donating the food. 

As guests arrived our "libation station" quickly took shape.  Each guest was asked to bring their favorite bottle of wine to sip and share.  

After everyone arrived we made our introductions, toasted the event and it was time for the crafting to begin!

We had a fantastic group of women of all ages.  The energy in the studio that night was amazing.  Many of my guests had never met, however everyone instantly bonded over the crafting table.

Some of us had mad crafting skills and some of us joked that we had no creative bones.  The one thing we all knew was that what we were creating was going to touch someones life and that inspired each of us to create a masterpiece.  

A big part of EM's mission is to incorporate hand made items into each room in the shelter to create a nurturing environment that evokes feelings of love and self worth.   While we were busy crafting for women and children living in the shelter, we were also giving and receiving the gift of love and self worth from each other.  "She is Me" is a term coined by Enchanted Makeovers.  It means, I see myself in her and she sees herself in me.  We experienced this first hand that evening.

Each of the hoola hoop dream catchers turned out different, but equally gorgeous.  You can see in these photos how each crafter put their own spin on the project.  Some of us wrapped our strips of chenille, some of us tied them, and some did both.  I can't wait to see them installed in the rooms at the shelter. 

Once the crafting was complete, we brought our wine glasses with us and headed back into the boutique where we mingled and browsed.  

The furry co-owner of the shop showed us around...  

It was one of those nights that we didn't want to end.  As I was leaving the boutique that evening, this sign by the door caught my eye...

I am proud to announce, the 2014 crafting soiree was a big success.  18 amazing hoola hoop dream catchers are ready to be delivered to Enchanted Makeovers.  New friendships were made, mad artistic  skills were demonstrated AND ladies that previously doubted their crafting abilities discovered that they are truly creative after all! 

(Left to right, Daphne, Alissa, Delores, Rebecca, Vicky, Andrea, Laura, Hannah, Andi, Sheila, Buffy, Taylor, Cathy and myself).

Thank you, to everyone that came to the crafting soiree!  And a big thanks also goes out to Bittersweet Cafe and My Sweet Holly for making this event both magical and a huge success.  

Please visit the Enchanted Makeovers website to learn more about this national non-profit organization that improves the lives of women and children living in shelters.

  

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