We Had a “Tiny Things by Bowen” Family Party!

Our family’s finished products.

Our family of eight has many creative, artistic people in it. I am not one of them. I do think being artistic is fun, and in the right circumstances, I can immerse myself in the creative process with no expectations for the final product. This was one of those rare experiences for me. We had a “Tiny Things by Bowen” family party, and we all loved it!

“Tiny Things by Bowen,” owned by Sarah Bowen, is a local company specializing in polymer clay. Sarah combined her background in education and her passion for art to form “Tiny Things by Bowen.” She teaches “Tiny Things” classes for the Any Given Child program at Gilcrease, conducts summer workshops for Tulsa City County Libraries, and hosts public events and private parties.

For our family “Tiny Things” party, there were six adults and two children, ages five and nine. Six is the recommended minimum age for parties. If there are younger kids, there needs to be additional adult guidance. The only thing the host needs to furnish is a location with a large enough table for all the participants and an electrical outlet. All of the supplies are provided by “Tiny Things by Bowen,” along with instructions and encouragement. Because I suffer from creative trauma inflicted by a harsh elementary art teacher (time does NOT heal all wounds), I am always reluctant to even attempt anything art-related. Sarah provides the encouragement and assistance I need to let my insecurities go and enjoy the activity. When I got stuck on the octopus tentacles, she stepped in with helpful advice. Working with polymer clay is fun and easy and leads to a sense of accomplishment.

The youngest in our family is 5-year-old Sylvia. She loves all arts and crafts and was excited to participate. She is just two months away from her sixth birthday, so she has the fine motor skills and ability to follow instructions more aligned with a six-year-old. Sylvia needed no help with ideas. She knew immediately she wanted to make a unicorn on a cloud, and she wanted it to be a necklace. For her second project, she made a Hello Kitty magnet for her Aunt Caroline.

Sylvia and Aunt Caroline made one for each other.

Everyone is allowed to make two projects, and the more enthusiastic family members did two. I felt proud of myself for working through my one octopus magnet. You can make charms, necklaces, magnets, keychains, or figurines. If you want to have a themed Tiny Things party, Sarah can work with you ahead of time to plan for that. I can envision an under-the-sea theme, an insect theme, a holiday theme, or an animal theme, but let your imagination go wild.

Tiny Things is a versatile and unique party idea! It’s great for kids, families, work parties, book clubs, or just a random group of friends. We try to have a family get-together once a month. For the last three months, we’ve been hanging out in the pool to escape the heat, so it was time to do something different. One of the requirements was that we be inside with air conditioning. To stick with the “tiny things” theme, we had a tiny things dinner — all finger food snacks! We talked, snacked, and laughed as we created. Our family party ranged in age from a five-year-old to a seventy-one-year-old, and I think everyone would agree it was an activity we all enjoyed and would sign up for again.

To contact Tiny Things by Bowen, you may email Sarah at tinythingsbybowen@gmail.com

There is also a website: tinythingsbybowen.com

Sylvia showing off her new unicorn necklace!