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I once read, to view a rainbow there must be 3 things present: rain, sunshine, and YOU. I cannot help but smile; it’s true. To see a rainbow you must be present. Otherwise, who sees and knows of its existence?  The answer to this is actually what gives me pause, peace, and true courage when pondering the meaning and semblance of such an arc on display. Through the eye of the beholder, light refracted or separated through the very waters that once signified death and destruction, joins in a dance with life, positioned at a perfect angle for an epic performance, and a rainbow, in an orchestral burst of joy and beauty, becomes a banner of glory for all to see - including the one who made it. 

It makes sense that the world is sharing rainbows of hope and personal reflection during a significantly challenging time in history as we face social distancing, economic down-turns due to covid19, and what will be known as the global pandemic of 2020. The rainbow has represented hope for thousands of years in the bleakest, hardest, darkest, and most troubling waters the world has ever faced, and yet it is still true today. Rainbows come after the rain!

And did you know that rainbows would form a circle if the earth were not present? Something about the understanding that a rainbow does not truly have an end gives me courage to my core! With these truths in mind and desiring to encourage our community in the hope and promises of better days, we created a Rainbow Day celebration. It is our response to knowing, trusting, and believing we have and always will have the ability to take heart in such things. 

Friends, we are not naive or childish (though child-like) to believe or apply the foundations of this symbol and beauty to our lives. On the contrary, we were made for such things - the rain, the sunshine, you, and me. We are all graciously a small part of the splendor far greater than the separation of light and color. The creator himself, who has the whole world positioned to see his kindness, is allowing us to be not merely at the rainbows end, but a part of it.

Now that we’ve shared our purpose our hope is to encourage you. Below you will find all our efforts, as we share what and how we accomplished our hope filled event and encourage you to consider doing the same. It was such a joyous celebration, and truly, we will never forget such a day. If you were there, you know. YOU my friends, showed up! YOU were there to view and celebrate sunshine and joy even in the midst of rain, and if that’s not a rainbow of hope, I don’t know what is?  

Here’s What We Did:

This past Sunday we hosted our event in our front yard. We chose the weekend to allow the potential for full families to show up if one or more of the adults were essential workers. Our time was mid-morning to early afternoon with a break for lunch.  

About a week before the event we texted invites to our local network, and delivered printed invites on rubber bands to hang on our neighbors doors. (With gloved hands, of course!) If a neighbor arrived at their door, we made sure to step back 10-12ft (more than the required 6ft) to give them ample assurance we were a safe distance away. This neighborhood invite had an extra invitation to not only grab a sweet treat the morning of, but to also attend a Rainbow Day picnic that evening in their own front yard. I could write a post on this alone, and I may, but for now, it suffices to say, it was the best way to end our already amazing joy-filled day. We did not require RSVP’s on either invite, and rather noted the that times treats were available while supplies lasted. (Note: Customizable picnic invitations are available in our printable package for your use.)

This party’s conception was in the midst of and because of our current pandemic, but we advise to not assume others will adhere to appropriate social distancing or safety guidelines without some instructions. We provided clear instructions to let people know our desires and expectations for driving up, waiting their turn, taking one item, keeping things sanitary, and so on.

For us, this event ended up being two-fold: share hope with our neighbors and extended network as well as support local vendors. My initial idea was to simply purchase everything on amazon for our goody bags + decor and be done, which is a great way to accomplish a timely event without much fuss. We’ve linked all our items here on this post, if you want to do the same. 

Then, the real me kicked in (ha), and I began to dream about all this event could be and how we could advocate for the support of local vendors as well as encourage our neighbors and friends. Our hearts are aching for the local restaurant and food service industries. What I did not expect was the incredible support these local businesses would bring to the table, literally. They were so generous and several matched our purchases or gave above our need!

Last, but certainly not least, we made a RAINBOW! This was our most asked about detail other than “where did you get your delicious donuts?” Yes, this was a DIY and the second balloon garland we have put together for a personal event. I highly recommend 4 things when it comes to a balloon garland: purchase a balloon pump (it’s worth EVERY penny), bribe a friend or family member to help assemble, purchase a garland with all the tools such as balloon tape, string, etc, and assemble the day before to save yourself the stress of wrangling a 100 balloons the day of an event. Warning: a few balloons will potentially pop in the middle of the night and give you a near heart-attack. Hindsight: Wear ear plugs. (I guess that makes five things I recommend.) All this said, balloon garlands are definitely doable and make a big impact. Speaking of impact…

Small Things That Can Make a Big Impact:

Printed notes and/or words of encouragement. (*see printable pack) We would have loved to have written on each note, but to keep things simple and sanitary we chose to print simple messages and used them inside and outside our rainbow swag bags. This gesture alone would make a sweet “event.” Again, this is not about the hoopla, but the heart. If you only have the budget of time and/or funds to print notes + drop them into the mail or on the doors of your neighbors, that is a beautifully thoughtful expression!

What you will find in our Rainbow Printable Packet:

• Rainbow Day Picnic Invitations

• Hexagon Notes Cards + Tags for goodies or swag bags

• Rainbow Game + Instructions for different age levels

• Rainbow Coloring Sheets

• Printable Rainbow

Add Music! Music speaks to the heart and spirit. It adds depth to any environment. We’ve provided our play-list below. It was a hit! Pun intended. We are kind of a walking musical over here so we have multiple amps, electrical instruments, and such, but even a small inexpensive phone speaker can help turn up the volume + ambiance.

Goody bags! Goody bags are not required at a party, but they are one of my favorite items to put together, especially with a fun theme. Stuffing our treat bags with all the colors of the rainbow tissue paper created another fun colorful affect alongside our balloon arch.

What We Included in Ours:

• Our encouraging rainbow hexagon notes + tags

• Our printable rainbow coloring sheet

• Temporary tattoos (which the kids loved!)

• Rainbow stickers

• Delicious treats (Donuts!) and gift cards (Coffee & Tea!) *See our sponsor list.

• Coupons + promotions from sponsors

Use Streamers: At 99 cents to 2 bucks a pop, the color affect is big, but the price tag is small. I will turn you onto a google search to see all the creative ways streamers are being used these days. There are so many fun ideas, but we kept our use simple and classic by wrapping them around porch supports and hanging over our porch walkway. You will not see ours in many pictures because, unsurprisingly so, they do not hold up to rain!

What NOT to include (during a pandemic): Leave out food items that are not pre-packaged or items that you coughed on, sneezed on, or snuggled with. (I could not think of more, but I needed a third item. It’s the rule of lists.)

Now it’s your turn:

This brings me to our most important portion of this post - our encouraging call to action. While it is extremely fun to share about our hope filled event, our heart’s desire is to encourage our community to ponder what it would look like to host a “Rainbow Day in Your Own Way.” We feel like this simple little movement can be accomplished in so many special ways, and does not all have to look the same! We have provided you all the essentials (see printable & links) to customize or make your own - whatever YOU want. Feel free to reach out in any way if you need ideas or encouragement to get started! Meanwhile here are a few to contemplate…

Ideas for your own Rainbow Day:

• Use rainbow streamers and/or balloons to decorate your porch, and simply let neighbors know the purpose with a call to action for them to do the same.

• Invite neighbors to have a rainbow day picnic with you, but in their own yard. You can wave at each other, and talk to one another by taking a little stroll down the street from house to house - 6ft or more away, of course.

• Set out pre-packaged treats, rainbow coloring sheets, or activities for friends to pick up off your porch.

• Host a virtual party! Invite friends to use our rainbow scavenger hunt printable or demonstrate a rainbow science experiment via Facebook live or zoom. 

• Call in a local snow-cone truck to come your way, and let your neighbors know when to expect the mobile treat. (It’s also okay to have them pay for their own, or limit the number on a giveaway.)

• Host an “Insta Party” with a simple call to action or giveway. For example, a rainbow picture challenge, #drawthisinyourway, and/or personal or collaborative giveway.

• Do a mail out party: Send close friends rainbow day boxes with plates/napkins, boxed cookies, rainbow stickers, streamers, and a few balloons and set a day for those near and far to celebrate!

• Send a text to your friends and family with a rainbow picture simply reminding them there are better days to come.

As you can see, there are so many ways to share hope with this rainbow expression!

What to do Before your No-contact Event:

• Set a date, time, and place (more than likely your front-yard, business parking lot, virtual office, or place of worship outdoor area.)

• Mail, text, or email your personal invites a week ahead if able depending on your type of event.

• Be clear on guidelines. We created instructions on how to spread joy not germs and abide by appropriate social distancing instructions. (Be sure to check what those are in your state.)

• Let others get involved! Collaborate with some local shops, restaurants, friends, and/or neighbors. I was amazed with the amount of support we received before our event even took place! (See our list of credits below.)

• Order party items via mail or curb-side pick-up.

• If assembly of items takes place whether food or rainbow swag, wear gloves. Vendors should gladly give you items in individual wrapping to keep things safe and sanitary during this time.

things to Remember:

• When Planning an Event: Stick to your budget. Remember, this event is about hope not swag.

• Make it doable. This should be a blessing not a stress bomb in the midst of a pandemic. I am a dreamer. If you think this event was big, you did not see all the items I had in my amazon cart and erased, as well as the acrobats, original music score, and… I’m joking… sort of. I tend to expand on an idea, but thank goodness I love editing. This said, my time constraints + budget helped me form my personal boundaries on what I could or could not accomplish.

• If you have a family, allow your kids to get involved with planning. Kids have great ideas!

• Spread joy not germs. (See note in “What to do before your No-Contact Event”)

“Rainbow Day In Your Own Way” Tool Kit:

Thank you to our sponsors:

Summer Moon Coffee - Summer Moon is new to Fort Worth and they also have locations in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, TX. Known for their magical secret signature moon milk, they are quickly building a cult following. We now know why! Their lattes and wood-fired coffee are amazing, and it’s true, moon milk is magic in a cup. I’m picky #coffeesnobprobs, folks, but trust me their honey latte with oat milk is divine.

Pinch of Salt Pastries - Pinch of Salt Pastries is our new crush! They offer gluten free, vegan, and paleo pastry options that are seriously the best in the DFW.  Abby, their founder, is an absolute delight, and we are convinced her treats may be infused with some added ingredient that causes fits of glee. I have loved every item I have tasted! She and her team of bakers are eager to create custom orders even down to custom color sprinkles for particular clients who care. (wink, wink.) If local, you can find her delicious items at Summer Moon and Roots coffee shops. Check their website to find other locations for their delish gf fare in the DFW.

Dale’s Donuts No. 10 - This is the donut stop for many in our neighborhood and we had heard good things. They serve an assortment of classic donuts - everything you would expect and more as well as custom orders.  Check out their Instagram to see; they’ve been busy. As you know we can not eat gluten in our house, but our guests sent texts letting us know these donuts were delicious.  They were so easy to work with and especially supportive and genuinely excited about the purpose behind our event.  We will assuredly work with them again when we need full of gluten donuts for our glutenful guests. 

Feng Cha Fort Worth - Feng Cha is our nearest and dearest boba tea house. We have a serious obsession, and though we may love their tea, we love their staff even more. They dote over our kids, and make us feel as special each time we visit as the first. We visit for the communitea as much as the tea, and we miss them immensely. One of our favorite pre-pandemic activities was bopping in for a date, playing games from their assortment, and/or working w/ a headset while sipping my signature drink: loose leaf rose oolong + earl grey with cheese milk foam (If you don’t know, you must. Go now.), lightly sweetened with honey + boba.

Roots Coffee House - Roots Coffee House has swagger; they are just cool. Their building is even noteworthy. Their minimalist design and craftsmanship shows they pay attention to detail. What I love about them is their desire to support local business in more than one way, and they have been serving greater Fort Worth for over ten years. My favorite options on their menu are their plant based signature drinks: sea salt mocha, and pumpkin oat latte. They also get props for kombucha on tap.

**All our sponsors are offering delivery and curbside options. Use their personal business or partnered delivery apps for menu options and orders.**

Credits:

Photos by HIVEhome team-member, Jessica Collins of Jessica Collins Photography.

Printables, Editing, Layout + Publishing by Andrea Haney

Hashtags:

#rainbowsofhope #rainbowdayinyourownway #rainbowday #rainbowway #rainbow #somewhereovertherainbow #hoperainbows #rainbowconnection

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