Flannel Fling 2018
I love non-profit events because not only do I get to flex my design muscles in a different way, the work I do assists in raising money and awareness for organizations making our world a better place. It feels great to do good! I have worked with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities for the past four years on their “anti-gala” the Flannel Fling and the only bow ties you will see at this event are made of flannel.
The Machine Shop is the perfect venue for an organization that builds things as part of their mission. An unexpected bonus of designing an event for handy people? They will build stuff for me! The growler wall, shiplap house backdrop and corn hole game were all created by the Rebuilding Together staff. Rebuilding Together is known for their work improving peoples’ homes so for this year we wanted to focus on how they work with residents to improve their neighborhoods. Rebuilding Together’s work on community gardens, kitchens, and basketball courts transform communities and truly change peoples’ lives.
The garden inspired design was so much fun! I loved partnering with D’Amico to create a fresh menu of small bites. The La Tavola linens are a picnic throwback, naturally. And when you are thinking about vegetable gardening and canning you cannot escape the mason jar. The mason jars and the pitchers used during the Flannel Fling were donated to the community gardens and kitchens that Rebuilding Together serves. Bring on the next generation of canners!
Our host Matt Muenster of HGTV and DIY Networks’ “Bath Crashers” and auctioneer Kurt Johnson kept the program entertaining. The big highlight was the Dessert Dash. Everyone bid to have the chance to select their dessert first and you literally had to dash to the table to get your dessert! Cakes by The Sweet Retreat, Cocoa & Fig, Farina Baking Co., Ink Sweets, and Queen of Cakes were almost too pretty to eat, almost. The evening’s festivities raised over $110,000 and guests left excited for next year.
Special shout out to Kalsey and her team at Do Good Events who planned the living daylights out of this event and to Cadence and Eli who took all the flannel-tastic photos.
