There were 71 entries to my Hip homies party giveaway, 71 awesome ideas for corralling friends, fun and possibly uber-productivity in one afternoon/evening.

Without further suspenseful ado, the winner is…

drumroll…

Lucky number 49! Maria from Minnesota, who will be hosting “a Food That Grows Around Us party. Garden food, ‘weeds’, fruit… some fermented into delicious adult beverages, cheese made from local goat milk and homemade bread and/or pizza.
This will be fun for my friends and their kids to try different foods prepared in many ways - canned, fresh, roasted … whatever I can think of and manage to do with my 8 month old who just learned how to crawl!!
I’ve just moved back home and am looking for creative ways to connect with fun food loving people around me. This oughta bring them out of the wood work!”

Let’s keep the drumroll going, though.

I was completely overwhelmed by such fabulous and creative party ideas, so overwhelmed that I have to give away an extra set of books and treats to a group that really embodies the HGGH spirit.

People who, instead of letting inaccessibliity get in the way of their enjoyment of farmers’ market experiences, decided to conjure up what it is they’re lacking around them.

I’m granting an extra set of books and snacks to Gayl in Florida for her utterly inspiring party idea:

I am planning to host a farmers market party. We don’t have a farmers market in our area, but I have some really talented friends. The plan is to have each guest bring enough product so that everyone gets to take home goodies. I have a friend that sews, one that makes her own soap, one that raises chickens for fresh eggs, one that has an awesome green thumb, one that cans everything that will fit in a jar & I bake & can. The plan is to have a day of good girlfriend fun, good food & some lessons in making soap & canning. This will be my first party like this, but I hope to make it an annual thing.

Additionally (and with excruciating difficultly) I’ve chosen five six honorable mentions, party ideas that really take the cake for thinking out-of-the-box, and I’m sending each of them a signed copy of the book, too:

• Kate in Wisconsin: I’ve actually started a weekly lunch time party at work! A few of the girls in the office had sewing machines but didn’t know how to use them so we’ve paired up with more experienced sewers and each week, we bring in a potluck and spend our lunch breaks with our portable machines working on a project and perfecting our stitches! :)

• Cecelia in Virginia: I want to host a pie-making party. Specifically, a pie crust-making party. I can only name two friends in my area who’ve made pie, and one of those used store-bought crust. I think it’s something we should learn together (and honestly, it would be delicious!).

• Emily Rae in Washington: Oh what a great idea! I’ll host a chicken roasting party. Like all the cookbooks say, I have “yummy roast chicken” as my easy go-to recipe, and yet none of my friends seem to know how to roast chicken. They are always astonished.

• Caithlin in Portland: I am having a party to help make decorations for my fall wedding. All the decorations will be made out of upcycled materials that I have been collecting over the last year, including origami flowers made out of old music sheets and sewing together a flag bunting out of left over quilting material. It will be a whole day of crafting and drinking champagne.

• Meg in Pennsylvania: I’m hoping to make this year an almost completely homemade Christmas BUT I’m also doing National Novel Writing Month in November. So, my Christmas gifties need to be worked up in October. I would love to host a crafting party where we can work on 3 different short projects. I’m thinking freezer paper stenciling, jewelry making and some type of homemade beauty project. Each pair of ladies will bring enough supplies for all of us and we will all leave with a few gifts for our loves. My Christmas crafting is often a last minute, solo, stressful adventure. I’m really looking forward to being ahead of the game this season and would love the time spent with the other creative women in my life!
  

AND, tied with Meg is another great detailed, homemade holiday gifts entry,

Jesse M in California: I would love to host a party in October/November to make homemade frugal christmas gifts and wrapping supplies. Have each friend bring a list of the ppl they want to give homemade gifts for and then make some homemade vanilla extract, infused olive oils, bath scrubs/salts, homemade cards and maybe even some homemade wrapping paper. So when everyone is done they have everything for an amazing homemade holiday gift basket and don’t have the stress of that and get to bless someone with a beautiful heartfelt gift!

There were a few similar answers to a couple of these later in the comments, and I would LOVE to be at a point, all Oprah or Ellen-esque, where I could say something like, “and guess what, everyone here gets a copy of the book.” Alas, I’m not quite there yet. I think you all had great stuff to say, and I thank each of you for taking the time to share your idea with all of us.

Scroll through the 71 comments next time you’re looking to dredge up ideas for your next gathering and prepare to be totally blown away by this inspiring community we all share.

I love having you all in my community. Happy gathering this fall!

Photo courtesy of Jo Ann Santangelo, all rights reserved