Lets get together

Lets get together
I've had seasons of being super home bound, seasons of life when I was out and about, and seasons of life when I felt more able to host. It's funny looking back now at the times I used to stress about how clean my house was or what snack I was going to make for a playdate. Now, I know I likely have apples, yogurt and pretzels, and that really all mamas want is some coffee.

Regardless of those playdate times, I've found myself wanting to gather people together more in this season, whether it's over a good book, my business, or let's be honest, tacos.

I use several tools for throwing events out there and wanted to mention a few here. If I've learned anything through my hosting, it's that people don't really care if your counters are bare and all the toys are picked up. They care about community and when you open your home up, I think you'll be surprised at what fun it can be.

To host events, I find myself turning to online tools that I know will work for what I'm after. Tools like Paperless Post are super beautiful and allow me to send invites I only dreamed of when planning my own wedding. I love using that site for events like big potlucks, Christmas parties, or even summer girl's nights. I also love that they have kid stationary now which makes sending thank you notes a breeze! Paperless post partnered with me for this post and I have loved seeing even newer features on here since I last used them. I can also create a list here, leaving more guess work out of my own planning if I want to get the same group together every few months or know I have the same group of ladies interested in a book club.

A fun new feature I love with Paperless Post too is the flyers. These are super fun and sometimes animated which make it fun via text message! Who doesn't love a happy fun text? It's probably why I love sending my friends GIFs via text too!

Another site I sometimes use is Evite when I know the information can be easily shared there, and then a new site I've learned about is Festi. Fest is app based only right now and great if you want to throw out an idea like co-working, brunch, or going to a museum. You put the event up on Festi and then your network is able to see if they'd like to join you. Events there can be public or private and you can accept all, or hand select who you want at your event- often based of course on if you know them, or if you're opening it up to the public! Festi also allows you to charge for an event, making the headache of wondering whose paying for dinner not an issue! I dream of using this app in the future too when I want to host an event I know may take some cash on my part, but if everyone chips in a few bucks, I won't be left paying for all the supplies or food!

Below are some ideas I got from Paperless Post. They're just sooo pretty. Time to break open my planner and think SPRING. Friends, get ready for more invites from me. I'm kinda that girl. Trying to invite and host as I'm able- knowing that fellowship and a little bit of food is like medicine to my soul!