By Jessica Mathiasz

So, you want to throw a Sip & Paint party? Amazing choice! Whether for a birthday, bachelorette, girls' night, or just a fun weekend with friends, it’s a guaranteed good time.
The best part about this is that it is not rocket science, anyone can pull it off. With a little prep, you can host an unforgettable artsy hangout. We’ll make it even easier for you. Here’s everything you need. 

1. The Paint Kit 
Alright, let’s talk about the star of the show. You can’t have a paint party without a paint kit. So here's what you need to make your own paint kits for your Sip and Paint gang. 

• Canvases - It doesn’t have to be those big art canvases. The small canvas, which is just 6 x 6, would fit perfectly for your art masterpieces. 
• Mini Easel - This holds the canvas up and makes it look like a very aesthetic painting class. You can get these if you want the sip and paint to look like it’s right out of Pinterest. 
• Acrylic paints - You just need one paint box with 10 colours. It can be even less. A few colours can help you paint something magical. 
• Brushes - Get a variety pack—big for backgrounds, small for details. 
• Water cups & plates - You can find old plates or paper plates and water cups from home for mixing colours. 

You can get all of these painting products for a very reasonable price in these stores, 

• Scan Lanka - https://scanlanka.com/
• Premium Stationers - https://premiumstationers.lk/
• Alston - https://shop.alston.lk/

2. Food & Snacks
Rule #1, or the only rule really, is no saucy, sticky foods. You need clean hands to hold that brush. Go for finger-friendly bites like fruit platters (mango, pineapple, grapes, strawberry), short eats (samosa, cutlets, sandwiches), or cheese and crackers (fancy but effortless). Or if you are feeling very generous, you can include all of the above and go for a charcuterie board. Tastes delicious and looks picturesque. 

3. Drinks
There is no sip and paint without the drinks to sip on. Make sure you have options that the whole gang likes. Some of the more popular options would be, 
    
Alcoholic Options

• The Classic Wine 
• DIY Cocktails (Sri Lankan mojito)
• Non-Alcoholic Options
• Fruit Mocktails 
• Iced Tea 

4. Decor
This is not a must. But it always sets the vibe when you have cute decor. The best place I know for decor is Pettah. You can also raid your house for candles, fairy lights, and those random fabric scraps you’ve been hoarding. Bonus points if you make a DIY photo backdrop, your friends will thank you when their Insta stories look fire.

Here are some themes you can easily do. 

• Boho Vibes (Fairy lights, floor cushions, neutral tones, dried flowers in vases)
• Italian Vineyard (Checkered tablecloths, grapevines & wine bottles, dry flowers in mason jars, moody lighting like candles or string lights)

5. Protect your stuff
You are going to ruin your clothes or table if you don’t protect them. Why? Because paint can happen. Here are some tips on what you can do to avoid the disaster. 

Newspaper to protect the table before the painting starts. 

Aprons or an old t-shirt to protect your clothes from turning into accidental tie-dye outfits.
Paper towels to soak up all the accidental drips and spills. 

Set the vibe and play some music to tie it all together. 

Pro Tip - Ask your sip and paint gang to think of something they love and Google a simple way of painting it so that they don’t panic about not being a painter. 
Also, remind them that it’s about FUN, not perfection. Even if your tree looks like a blob, it’s ~abstract~.

Happy painting and sipping!