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Jenni

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Jenni is a blogger and marketing professional in Portland, Oregon. A Well Crafted Party is a blog about all the little things to celebrate in life. Follow Jenni or A Well Crafted Party with BlogLovin, RSS feed, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Do you know what I couldn’t have predicted in a million years when I was thinking through the potential roadblocks for hitting my goals last year when working on my 2020 blogging plans? A global pandemic.

TL;DR: This year had me down and out, but I’m excited to be back blogging again. I have a list of things I plan on sharing including some home projects and Covid-safe celebrations. I’d love to know what YOU wish to see in my upcoming posts… cause, after all, this blog is for you! Please take a moment to fill out this SUPER short form to let me know what you want to see!

It has been nearly a year since my last post. I stopped posting around March 16th which was a week after lockdown began for me. At the time I even hired a few people who had lost their jobs due to the lockdown with full intentions of continuing my work here. Thing is… my day job is in healthcare.

These rolling 12 months have been some of the hardest working months of my life. Harder than 4 jobs and full-time college courses. Harder than changing careers. Harder than going back after having a baby. And, me… I had it good compared to others in my field.

After sometimes 70 hours of looking at computers for my day job—often dealing with things like Covid restrictions, angry online commenters, fear for coworkers, etc.—the idea of looking at a computer for my own work felt almost impossible. But, even when I got around the gumption to open my laptop I’d sit there and stare at a screen not knowing what to write.

This year it felt like work to celebrate.

This blog has always been a space about celebration in one way or another. Even though I knew people would want to have ways to celebrate safely, things to cook for a family, ways to connect over the internet… I knew that those would be good and appropriate things to write about. I just couldn’t celebrate.

Finally though, finally I see a bit of light at the end of this long tunnel. I don’t know what my head will do with this year and how it will translate in this blog. For now though, I thought I’d share a few highlights from the year that I hope to share in more detail over the next few months.

Coming Soon: Home Projects

Being at home and unable to stare at a computer any more than I already was… I did a lot of home improvement projects! We made improvements in several spaces this year and I am proud of our DIY spirit and the overall results. Recent home projects include:

Shared Kids Bedroom

shared kids bedroom with mural

Front Door Update

painted front door

Family Room/ Multipurpose Room

yellow painted playroom with desk area

Home Gym

home gym

Coming Soon: My Society 6 Shop

I’ve been using art as a coping mechanism my entire life. This year it has become essential. I’ve started putting some of my recent designs into a Society6 shop and am working on a few more fun projects. The Society6 Shop is live, but I plan on sharing more of my work this year.

society6 shop screenshot
Jenni Bost’s Society6 Shop

Coming Soon: Food and Cocktails

Girl’s gotta eat. With the entire family home all day, every day I have for sure been cooking up a storm of recipes. From seasonal drinks to weeknight eats, I plan to share my favorites.

gin and curacao cocktail with peaches

Coming Soon: Tips for Safe Celebrations

While there is light at the end of the tunnel we are looking at possibly years of needing to be safer in our celebrations. Even when the world goes back to normal I hope that some things like Zoom parties stay around occasionally so that we can celebrate with people that are too far to get together in person. This year we did zoom parties for birthdays and (when it was allowed) very small outdoor, socially distanced get togethers with friends.

individually wrapped snacks and beverages
lego cake in a cup and kazoo

While there is plenty to share, I really don’t want to share things unless it will be of use and interest to you! So, please take just a moment to fill out this very short form as to what you’d like to see out of A Well Crafted Party in 2021!

Thank you… and, here is to a better 12 months than the last!

It’s St. Patrick’s Day Week! I am part Irish, though… not a large part, but for some reason that small bit and the fact that I love the color green has put this holiday in a special place in my heart. So today, for the Quote of the Week I selected an Irish Blessing. “May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam.” And, may you stop by the blog every Monday (or my Instagram) to grab some free downloadable inspiration!

I am (like many of you) hunkering down to do my part in flattening the curve of Coronavirus in the United States. At this time I am so very thankful for my community of friends who have been checking in on me and my family. Friends who have offered to pick up something from the grocery store when they are out so we don’t also need to go out. Friends who have sent engaging materials and resources for our kids who are stuck home while we are working.

This year, though I am not prepping for a St. Patrick’s Day get together, this Irish Blessing seems even more appropriate.

Quote of the Week Downloads: An Irish Blessing

These are free downloads for you to enjoy, share, use. These are not meant for resale. You may use them on your social media platforms or your blogs with credit back to me. I would so appreciate you tagging me @JenniBost on Instagram or Twitter and /AWellCraftedParty on Facebook!

To use:

  1. Click on the desired link below to open the image in your browser. Right click and download to your computer (or hold down and click save to save on your device).
  2. To use the desktop organizers open your computer’s system preferences to use as desktop background. (Mac Instructions or PC Instructions)
  3. To use on Instagram, save the images on your device and then upload to share on Instagram. Please tag @JenniBost to provide credit.
  4. If you are analog like me download the printable PDF To Do List to use this week! Print in full color, fit to print. Or, if you use GoodNotes, download the PDF and import it into your GoodNotes app for a fun new digital planner background. (Tips on how to utilize PDFs on GoodNote.)

Quote of the Week Downloads – Irish Blessing

I hope you enjoy these new downloads and will join me each week as I share more. May you have a beautiful week and filled with friends, fun, and lots of green!

Welcome to my second Quote of the Week edition! If you are aching to get inspired then get to work. “Inspiration usually comes during work rather than before it,” said Madeleine L’Engle. Grab a few of the below downloads to help you get to work and get inspired! Every Monday stop by the blog (or my Instagram) to grab some free downloadable inspiration!

The work in creativity is to sit down and start. Start writing. Start drawing. Start painting. Get cooking! Practice may not make perfect in the creative field, but I do believe it helps inspire more creativity. I hope you find the below quote as inspiring as I do!

Free Instagram Image "Inspiration usually comes during work rather than before it." - Madeleine L'Engle

Quote of the Week Downloads: “Inspiration usually comes during work rater than before it.”

These are free downloads for you to enjoy, share, use. These are not meant for resale. You may use them on your social media platforms or your blogs with credit back to me. I would so appreciate you tagging me @JenniBost on Instagram or Twitter and /AWellCraftedParty on Facebook!

To use:

  1. Click on the desired link below to open the image in your browser. Right click and download to your computer (or hold down and click save to save on your device).
  2. To use the desktop organizers open your computer’s system preferences to use as desktop background. (Mac Instructions or PC Instructions)
  3. To use on Instagram, save the images on your device and then upload to share on Instagram. Please tag @JenniBost to provide credit.
  4. If you are analog like me download the printable PDF To Do List to use this week! Print in full color, fit to print. Or, if you use GoodNotes, download the PDF and import it into your GoodNotes app for a fun new digital planner background. (Tips on how to utilize PDFs on GoodNote.)
Free printable To Do List

Quote of the Week Downloads – Madeleine L’Engle

I hope you enjoy these new downloads and will join me each week as I share more. Happy Monday… now, get to work!