SHERLOCK Inspired Party

I'm a bit particular.

There's other words for what I am,

but we'll stick with “particular” for now.

Typically, someone else arranges your Going Away party.

That did happen, too.

My best friend threw me an AWESOME Tropical / Travel themed party.

I have a lot of friends, though,

and needed two parties so that everyone could be invited to at least one of them.

I decided that I would plan the second party.

The chance to get exactly what I want!

"Particular," remember?

SHERLOCK Inspired

The invitation I sent out, using the awesome website PaperlessPost.com

I say “inspired” because I wanted it to feel genuine -
like you were inside a British flat that could possibly be Sherlock's.

Classy and engaging, not tacky and awkward.

I like the idea of parties, but the reality...

I walk in, say hello to a few people,

engage in small talk (which I dread),

and probably grab some appies and a drink.

...

"Alright... yeah... guess I'll go to the washroom."

Do I really have to come out?

Because of having experienced this awkward situation a number of times,

and noticing other guests feeling the same way,

I was determined this would not happen at my party.

At least, I would do my best to prevent it.

The dynamics between people depend on a number of factors,

but all those factors can be altered by introducing one new element:

GAMES 

The always fun OPERATION,
played by the Holmes brothers in an episode of SHERLOCK

Playing KING OF TOKYO

Games act like a mask,

a new identity.

Suddenly, you are the character that you are now playing.

The object of your life is now the game.

You have a purpose,

instead of just fake texting on your phone.

Your whole demeanour changes.

Awkwardness fades into:

a shared goal,

subject matter to discuss,

a mutual connection.

Even when the game is over,
you'll now have more of a connection with those people then you had before.
Hopefully that makes it less awkward.

(Of course, this doesn't guarantee that you'll like each person or get on well with them.)

I had friends bring BOARD GAMES that have been played on the show:

CLUE and OPERATION.

I also had JENGA, cards, and KING OF TOKYO (thanks to my brother).

WHO AM I? or 20 QUESTIONS,
except that we didn't have a limit on the number of questions.

In keeping with my inspiration,

I wanted there to be MYSTERIES for my friends to solve.

These could be played throughout the evening.

Sherlock and John played the game 20 QUESTIONS, or “Who AM I?”

I did a variation of that, having a name pinned to the persons back.

(That way you can't see it in the mirror.)

Mystery Central, where people could get facts about the two mysteries.
This table also had the guest book, card box, and donations box,
and note cards for writing down CLUES they find. 

These are the CLUES I had hid around the room for people to look for.
"He's clueing for looks."

A mystery about me for my friends to solve,
with instructions. They needed to find the CLUES that I had hidden
around the room.

The other mystery was about me (it was my party, after all):

WHERE DID AMIE GROW UP?

I created five CLUES, and hid them around the room.

I provided a note card and pens for people write down the CLUES as they found them,

trying to solve the mystery.

If someone solved it, or thought they did,

they were to approach me and ask:

“Did you grow up in _______?”

If they solved it (three people did!),

I gave them a prize – one of my handwritten candle holders.

Aside from GAMES and MYSTERIES,

I wanted to create an environment -

DECORATION AND ENVIRONMENT

The Photo-Op area, complete with props:
a violin, books, and a magnifying glass.

The collage of my life, separated into categories,
connected with red string.
(One of the CLUES is hidden here.)

Plenty of food helps keeps people happy.
My cousin drew silhouettes of Sherlock all over the table cloth.

I tried to create a table that looked like Sherlock's chemistry area.
I used an old microscope and some biology textbooks, sprawled around. 

The venue I used was perfect. It was large enough, and open,

but still felt like you were in a home.

There was even a fireplace!

I used this as the Photo-Op area.

A friend lent me her violin,

which was perfect as a prop.

I placed books on the mantle piece of the fire place,

and used a pair of Hand bookends that I had (in lieu of a skull).

On one table I had a beautiful old microscope (thanks again, Sharon!),

along with some text books on biology, opened and sprawled.

I wanted something similar to the collage wall

that Sherlock does when he's trying to solve a case,

putting all the pieces in front of his eyes.

For this,

I bought a piece of white bristol board and

some red embroidery string (all I could find at the time).

I went through a bunch of my pictures and random scraps,

and tried to place them as if Sherlock was organizing the evidence in a logical way.

Or something like that.

One of the final elements,

and the most quintessentially British...

Tea.

My family supplied a beautiful collection of teapots.

If someone wanted to fill a pot of tea,

and take it to their table, they could do that.

(I wish I had taken a picture of them.)

There was 4 small tables, a couch,

and scattered chairs for people to sit,

converse, play games, drink tea,

or read a book.

And people did!

WHY IT WORKED

GAMES and ACTIVITIES

These change the dynamic between people.

Awkwardness changes into Shared Purpose.

IN SIGHT, IN MIND

I had the game boxes placed in the middle of each table.

If it's in front of them, they're more likely to play.

SMALL TABLES

Having a bunch of smaller seating areas seemed to encourage conversation

and make people feel more at home.

As opposed to being lost in the crowd.

FOOD AND DRINKS

I did a pot-luck, asking everyone to bring either a main dish,

side dish, salad, desert, appy, or beverage.

This works well for any friends that have food allergies or diet restrictions,

as they can bring food for themselves (knowing it's safe to eat).

There's always plenty left over!

I hope some of these tips help you in making your next party a non-awkward success!