We’re all well-versed in the classic make-up of a typical Valentine’s Day celebration. A special date night is planned, gifts are exchanged, inordinate amounts of chocolate are consumed—the list goes on. But what if you’re looking to break out of the (heart-shaped) box this year? Why not host a Girls Night In Coloring Party with a handful of your closest gal pals? It’s a simple, sweet way to celebrate this lovey dovey occasion with the women who mean the most to you, and I’m breaking down how you can pull it off without a hitch or broken heart below.
Setting Up The Party The foundation for this event is a large table where you and your friends can get down to business creating your art. I chose to set up my own coloring party on our dining room table, but any table-cloth-covered card table or crafting surface will do. Next, lay down place mats to denote each place setting, and finish with the fun parts—a variety of coloring mediums, a DIY Tool Box Favor Kit (which doubles as a place card!), Sweet & Salty Snack Mix and printed coloring pages. You can grab our free printable copies for yourself to print on white cardstock by clicking these links: Love Is Patient Coloring Page, Dream Catcher Coloring Page, Follow Your Arrow Coloring Page. 
Simple Centerpeices As for the centerpiece, I kept things super simple by laying a pair of Valentine Tassel Garlands right down the center of the table, as well as a set of Heart Tree Centerpieces. By going this colorful paper route, I was able to skip the cost and hassle of live floral centerpieces. The festive pile of red, pink, white and gold tissue paper combined with the three Heart Trees made for an extra textural and colorful focal point that took just five minutes to perfect and will last for years of Valentine's Day parties. 
Colorful Touches When it comes to a coloring party, the main accessories to consider are the coloring mediums. I chose to offer my guests a choice between Reeves Colored Pencils, Sharpie® Fine Point Markers, Stabilo Point 88 Pens and Creatacolor Aqua Monolith Watercolor Pencils. By laying a few at each place setting, this allowed my girlfriends to share among themselves as they colored in their pieces of holiday art. 
As for the two final touches to my party tablescape? I created DIY Tool Box Favor Kits for each woman labeled with their name, that I packed them with Mini Valentine M&M's® and Pink Tissue Paper. I left just enough room in these take-home boxes for the girls to add in their favorite colored pens and pencils, too. Finished with a Valentine Heart Snack Cup filled with my recipe for Valentine's Day Sweet & Salty Snack Mix, and the party was set and ready to go! 
If you're feeling extra inspired, take things one step further by checking out the step-by-step tutorials for my DIY Tool Kit Favor Boxes, DIY Hand-painted Frames and a simple recipe for Valentine's Day Sweet & Salty Snack Mix.
