Summer Swap, Part III
Alright, I hope you enjoyed the graphics for your own swap party. Now, it’s time for the final installment of Clothing Swap madness. If you missed the first two segments you can read them here:
Summer Swap Party Part I
Summer Swap Party Part II
The final pieces to the puzzle are choosing a date and fabulous food.
Date
Spring or Fall is great. After all, it is the time of year when people switch out their wardrobes and clean house a little bit (aka stuff gets thrown out… or in our case recycled and re-used). Summer is the time for vacations, so even though Autumn and I threw our party in the summertime, we would recommend throwing your party in the Spring or Fall.
Food
Last year’s party featured food by the amazing Leslie Sarna. My favorite were these Bowtie Pasta Crunchies (click for Leslie’s recipe)
This year, we decided it would be more fun to have a brunchy/breakfasty event, so Autumn made a delicious Frittata and I made homemade Granola! Leslie also made an amazing Lemon Cake… but that recipe is a secret. Maybe if you visit her blog and ask her very nicely, she may share it with you.
Giving
Over the years, we have been privileged to give to many wonderful charities. Since we have tons of girly clothing, we tend to give to charities for women. Some of our favorites have been:
- Soujourn Women’s Shelter – a battered women’s shelter in Santa Monica
- Donate My Dress – give your formal wear to girls for prom (lots of local options for wherever you live)
- Solutions– helping under priviledged kids in my hometown of San Diego go to college – we give them clothes for college and interviews
- Good Shepherd Shelter – provides assistance to women who are seeking protection from an abusive relationship or transitioning into personal independence. They support the women and their children in breaking the cycles of abuse. Part of their programs include assisting these women in becoming self-sufficient via vocational training.
Ninja Tips (and recap)
- Pick a Date – Spring or Fall / Sundays are great for relaxing and getting together
- Guest List is important. You don’t want too many girls or people who don’t get along because you don’t want people fighting over a dress
- Start with just clothes. These days we have everything from clothes to shoes to accessories and toaster ovens… but you don’t want to overwhelm yourself the first time out of the gate.
- Location: We have been lucky to have some shmancy locations. Thanks to Danny & Aubrey for letting me throw our swap party at their salon (Studio DNA on Beverly)! It was the perfect place to throw a swap party because there were TONS OF MIRRORS. You will need them!
- Finger Food: Little morsels are easier to deal with than full plates of food. For great ideas, check out Leslie Sarna’s Blog
