Creating Happiness on Valentines Day
February 14, Valentine’s Day. For some, it’s a day of butterflies-in-your-tummy anticipation and excitement; even of blushing and giggling. For some it’s a day belatedly remembered amid busy lives; husbands of many years doing a last-minute dash for flowers for much loved but sometimes taken-for-granted wives. For some, it’s a day of loneliness; remembering what has been, or lamenting what has never been. It’s a mixed bag indeed, but one most retailers can at least celebrate with a spike in sales.
At the same time as Valentine’s Day, there is another day increasing in popularity which has arisen in recent years. February 13, Galentine’s Day. Before we completely dismiss this as another retail festival of plastic landfills, it’s worth looking a little more closely. Galentine’s Day is indeed a recently created event, originating from an American TV show. However, the sentiment behind it is, we think, a good one. It’s a day for all women everywhere to celebrate and appreciate their female friends. For us women, it is often “the girls”, or a “bestie” to whom we go when life is tough, it is they with whom we can spend a whole day drinking tea and talking and still not have covered everything, it is they to whom we share our deepest worries over relationships and children and it is they with whom we can let our hair down, throw our responsibilities to one side and dance the night away. This does not diminish our relationships with our other halves, it’s just a different relationship, and Galentine’s Day is an opportunity for all women, married, single or somewhere in the complicated space between, to appreciate and be appreciated.
It also has classical roots. If we can be nerdy for a minute, in Biblical Greek there are four words for love. ‘Agape” is sacrificial love. “Storge” is the love we have within families…it enables a mother to survive endless sleepless nights and is what provokes siblings to defend each other against an outsider whilst squabbling constantly at home. “Eros” is romantic love. The fourth is “Phileo” or friendship love. This is what lies behind those strong and enduring female friendships; the all-consuming friendship teen girls have for their “besties” and the longevity and loyalty of women’s friendships as we grow older.
How then can we, as crafters, observe Galentine’s Day? This year, Galentine’s may well be celebrated at the weekend as Thursday night might not lend itself so well to chatting and laughing into the small hours. Can we both offer the gift of a creative event to treat a group of women and also make the most of a business opportunity for ourselves? The answer to this could be in the form of providing the wherewithal for a Galentine’s craft event. We were made to create; women through the centuries have created successful home-spun businesses, have used their creative flair to bring elegance and fun to their homes and families and even in the darkest and most financially pressing times have created splashes of colour and beauty to add to their garments. In our fast-paced modern world, the space we need to create is often squeezed out, so offering an evening for women to allow their creative juices to flow is refreshing and even therapeutic.
Why not put a kit together to encourage women to spend some quality time with their friends? To be honest, you don’t even need the excuse of Galentine’s Day, as most women will jump at any chance (any time of year) to decompress and enjoy some female company! So why not go ahead and put together everything they need to have a creative blast together? You’ll know which of your crafts are the easiest for even a beginner to have a go at. The kit can include a given number of sets of materials and a clear description of the end product along with easy-to-understand instructions (preferably with diagrams). To make it even easier, you could include in the kit some paper invites to send out to friends and these can then be passed on to further friends or work colleagues.
You will of course need to consider handmade product protection. Handmade product protection includes public and product liability insurance which covers you for any claims of damage made against you or your products; even if it is not your fault, it covers your legal costs. Handmade product protection is not a legal requirement but is well worth considering as it covers you for those completely unforeseen incidents which you cannot predict or prevent, thus giving you peace of mind to throw your all into what you love doing; creating beautiful handmade products. It’s quick and easy to set up, and as a family-run firm ourselves we communicate with each of our clients directly… no call centres. So, pick up the phone or drop us a line and either Naomi or Sam will be here to find the best package of handmade product protection for your unique business.
So, as you put together your kit for a themed Galentine’s (or any time’s) creative girly event, you might like to think of the range of products the attendees could be creating. A pamper theme would work well, so if you make candles, bath bombs or wax melts you could consider customising these in colour and scent. Jewellery is another craft which lends itself to a girls’ evening and again can be individualised so that each item brings special memories to its wearer of the enduring friendships in her life. Ceramic coasters, felted bookmarks or brooches and hand-sewn bunting or lavender bags can also be tailored to the individual with colour and style. Whatever you choose to add to your event kit, you can be sure that you will be creating a memorable evening where deep soul-to-soul conversations will happen alongside fun and frivolity as women from all stages of life are refreshed and restored within the company of loved and abiding friends.