Pretty Little Things Annual Fundraiser
WHEN: December 12th, 2023
WHERE: In person at the Spirit of Hope United Church, 7909-82 Ave. NW Edmonton OR on Zoom.
TIME: Doors & Zoom open at 6:15 PM and ticket sales begin. They are 10 for $5
There will be a few brief announcements at 7:00 PM followed by the Pot Luck.
After dinner, we'll take a break for you to purchase more tickets and then we will draw for the Pretty Little Things.
PLEASE BRING:
Your own plate, cup & cutlery, and a potluck dish to share with serving utensil. Tea, coffee & punch will be served.
A Pretty Little Thing and cash for tickets. This is optional, but the more people who participate, the more selection we have. If you don't know what to donate, think about what you'd like to win. It could be a Christmas ornament, artist trading card, pincushion, bookmark, box, scarf, toy - anything you've made that you think is a Pretty Little Thing.
BACKGROUND: A few years ago, when the Edmonton Needlecraft Guild was looking for new fundraising ideas, two members suggested an idea that the Edmonton & District Quilters Guild did called "Pretty Little Things." We decided to try it at our next Christmas Pot Luck meeting instead of our ornament exchange that people were tiring of. Since the switch, attendance at the Christmas Pot Luck has soared!
The way it works is this: members of the guild bring beautiful small handmade items and set them out in two lines on long tables. The organizers then set up a paper bag by each item for members to put half of a split ticket into the bag beside the pretty little thing they would like to win and keep the other half. We have refined it over the years - the bags are now pretty colours and saved from year to year and one of our members makes small labels so all of the makers can be identified and congratulated.
It is very entertaining as tickets are on sale as soon as we get to the meeting and sales are so brisk that it takes two members to keep up. Selling 10 tickets for $5 ensures everyone has a chance at every prize they would like. It’s very easy to get carried away and buy more tickets as more items appear on the tables.
After dinner is cleared away, and everyone has bought as many tickets as they want (or run out of money) a winning ticket is drawn from each bag and the pretty little thing goes to the person holding the ticket. Our emcee and her helpers draw one ticket from each bag to the delight of the winner and disappointed cries of “I had the next number” and “I really wanted that.” Every year there seems to be one person who wins more than their ‘share’ and we have the most fun teasing them about it.
It is always amazing how many pretty little things our members contribute and the great quality and care put into them - it seemed everyone felt they were giving gifts to good friends or sisters or someone who they knew would appreciate a handmade item. It also surprised us each year as more members became more involved until we now receive twice as many items as we have members, filling three eight-foot tables. There is, however, always one item that is most coveted for its beauty and how much work has gone into it and that ticket is the final one drawn.
Some of the funds we collect go towards our Bursary program which helps a guild member travel to a class or workshop not available here in Edmonton. This bursary has been awarded twice so far, once to a guild member taking a certificate course in England at the Royal School of Needlework and to another attending a workshop at Maiwa School of Textiles in Vancouver. We also purchased materials that were distributed to our members as a sampler challenge to mark the guild’s 40th anniversary.
We do have to get a licence from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, so other provinces may have rules on draws too. This doesn’t cost anything but it is a bit tiresome to file all the paperwork.
So we can say that our Christmas Pot Luck is very successful with great food and entertainment from our wonderful emcee, making the whole event fun and successful. We get to appreciate each others work and the lucky winners go home with Pretty Little Things.
