We, at Craft Party PH, like to try out new things and collaborate with makers who are looking into sharing their craft and extending the reach of their brand. Last February, we collaborated with Nikki Garcia of Nikkimbento and did a basic bento making Craft Party. It was most definitely a first for us because it involved FOOD!
It wasn’t the first time we worked with Nikki, though. We met her when she agreed to be one of the sponsors for our halloweem-themed Craft Party October last year. And that’s when we discovered what an awesome bento maker she is! (Remember those cute little ghost and monster rice bentos?!!) We super adored her and her work so since then, we had been coordinating with her, trying to schedule a collaborative workshop! And finally, we made it happen.
We called it PLAYFUL SNACKS and decided to go with a kawaii theme. Kawaii is japanese for cute and it’s all the rage with the little ones, plus you can’t go wrong with little bear shaped snacks! Too cute! We held it one lovely Sunday morning at LES Bagels at McKinley, Taguig and it was a full house with 18 participants!
Nikki divided the workshop into three segments: sandwich bento making, rice bento making and lastly, basic food styling and photography. She did a great job of going through the bento making step by step, making sure everyone is able to keep up. At the end of the first two segments, the participants were able to create bento boxes like pros! Everyone worked on the same design but you’ll notice that each has it’s own different little accent or nuance.
After the bento making, Nikki went over some basic points on how to properly take photos of food and shared some of her personal tricks to make her bento shots more interesting. Then, everyone headed to the store front of LES Bagels where Bouqueria Lifestyle Market had set up a table filled with props and styling accessories they could use to create their photo vignettes and flat lays. We did a little contest and it was a lot of fun to watch! Everybody’s personal style came out as they mixed and matched bits and baubles to take their best bento photos.
It was such an enjoyable morning! The participants, who were mostly Moms, couldn’t wait to get their hands on more bento making tools so they could create playful snacks for their little ones at home. If you’re a mom, you would know how tough feeding kids can be and these colourful bento designs could definitely get them more interested in eating their vegetables and other healthy food. They have the potential to change a mom’s life (Haha!) and improve the eating situation in a house with little kids. It can even be an activity to do together! So this workshop was a real treat. On top of that, Nikki was such an easy and amazing person to work with. Thanks, Nikki, for really pouring yourself out to make this a successful event!
It wouldn’t have been such a wonderful workshop if it weren’t for the contribution of the following brands and people:
Bento Shop PH for the bento tools included in the kits
Boqueria Lifestyle Market for the styling pharapernalia
Cutieverse for the Hurraw Lip Balms we raffled off
Kraft Kart for the kawaii stamps we raffled off
Juice Hut for the cold pressed juice that came with their snacks
Coca Cola PH for the bottled water
Nadine’s Bakery for the kawaii bear and bunny cupcakes
Sunshine Pots for the beautiful succulent arrangements we raffled off
Biscuits Kids for the handmade aprons we gave away as prizes (See photo of Nikki wearing it above)
LES Bagels for the space and our delicious snacks
This Craft Party was such a success that people have been requesting for a repeat. So wait no further, we are having a second one and this time it’s summer themed! It will be on April 2 at LES Bagels at The Podium (see poster below). This is open to beginners and also to those who have more experience. Come share a crafty morning with fellow bento makers! Once again we are offering an early bird discount so sign up now and secure a slot by clicking on HERE.
We are so excited to be partnering with Nikki again! We hope to see you there. And to those who were at our first one, thank you so much for joining!
To see Nikki’s bento creations, follow her on Instagram: @nikkimbento.
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