Times are Tough - Swap Some Stuff!

Wednesday night was "book club" at my house and this month we decided to mix it up a bit. We are reading a book next month that is a little more $$ than most, but it was written by an author someone knows and they are coming to speak to us at our next meeting. So, for this month we decided to skip the book and I hosted an Accessories Swap Party instead!

I have been wanting to have a clothing exchange party for quite some time, but with all our friends being different sizes, its kinda hard to do. So I decided to invite everyone to bring 5 accessories - purses, jewelry, sunglasses, whatever - that they no longer wear, and we would have a swap party. Here is how it works:

• Everyone brings up to 5 accessories in good condition that are still somewhat stylish. But, know that at my party, some people brought more than 5 items, so they got to take home the same number they brought!
  


• Upon arrival, you get a ticket for each accessory you bring and everyone lays out their items garage-sale style.

• I created signs for each "section" of the sale to keep it organized. I used some blank cards I had as tent signs and they came out looking fun and festive

• Number 1 gets to go first, and choose one item and drop one of their tickets into the bowl

• Go through the list in number order, once you get to the bottom, the last person gets to go first on Round 2, just to make it fair.

• Tip - have a mirror handy so people can check out their potential picks!

• If someone runs out of tickets because they didn't bring 5 items, just skip them until everyone is out of tickets or there are only a few things left and nobody is grabbing them

• If everyone agrees, donate the left over items to a local womens shelter or Dress for Success
  

Sounds pretty simple right? It was and everyone had a great time. I had all the items set up in the dining room on a sheet, away from the food and drinks so people could shop in peace - not pressure ladies! Turns out, everyone wanted to watch each other choose and some people wanted advice, so we ended up all standing in the dining room around the bounty!

Here is a pic of my take away - turquoise earrings, a great studded clutch, and a few more goodies.......Another hit of the part was my super secret sangria wine recipe. It is sort of my signature drink and even made its way to a featured drink menu at our wedding reception a few years ago. While most sangria recipes are complicated and require quite a few ingredients, mine is super simple and nobody ever suspects a thing - unless you tell them!

• I jug Carlo and Rossi Sangria wine - about $10 for a gallon at the grocery store
  
• In a pitcher, mix 3/4 sangria with 1/4 Sprite, Diet Sprite or Orange Soda
  
• Add some fresh sliced oranges and squeeze some of the juice in for a little extra kick

Its a great drink to start the summer off right and went perfectly with my Mexican-food theme appetizer menu!

So, get your girlfriends together and plan a swap party - you can really swap anything you are into! I think we are going to have a cook book exchange next but you could do books, scrapbook supplies, Christmas decorations, picture frames....the possibilities are endless!

UPDATE: A week after my post, Real Simple Magazine featured the idea in their mag! They even partnered with EVITE and created a special invitation for the occasion! Check out this new post for all the details.