[Is this the year you're going to indulge your inner artist? Bring out your creative side with these cool girls night ideas by guest author and girlfriend Carly Huegelmann. We're so pleased to have her writing for us!] by Carly Huegelmann It’s your night out. A night you’ve been working toward all week so you can feel accomplished and guiltless as you set out to see your friends, the ones you miss a little bit all the time. The friends who, at one time, were a part of your everyday: whether by phone, email or drinks at the tavern in town after work. Casual conversation among close friends over dinner can never be underestimated; but doing something creative with your girlfriends can help you strengthen your bond and feel better about yourself too. Here are some low-cost and relaxing ways to spend precious time with your closest girlfriends while celebrating creativity. Photo by gierszewski via flickr

“How To” Club

Find a “how-to” book that’s of interest to you and your friends— whether it’s going green, travel tips, healthy cooking, saving money, parenting, genealogy or whatever. Each friend reads a chapter or two, highlighting the main idea, and passing it on. When you get together, have each girlfriend summarize what her chapter was about. Conversation will ensue, and you’ll head home not only having caught up with your friends but armed with new knowledge from a book you never would have found time to read on your own. Try a different one every couple of months and see how green, organized, and/or knowledgeable you’ll become in a year!

Studio Night Out

There are many small art studios (find them via internet) that offer art classes and workshops. Usually they offer girlfriend nights out and you can work with them on a budget. You can bring wine glasses and etch initials or proverbs, or decorate a cheese plate while catching up with your pals. Most of them are BYOB-friendly. Or, make stylish, decorative ornaments for your home with scrap-booking paper, all for a reasonable price. The studio will set everything up so you don’t have to find time to shop and then store leftover supplies. You’ll leave with memorable favors that you can show off at the next family gathering. Also, there’s no setup before your friends arrive or cleanup after they leave.

Gift Extravaganza

Nope, I don’t mean secret Santa or a gift exchange. If you’re fearful of how you’re going to afford gifts for friends and relatives’ birthdays this year, gather with your girlfriends to make some gifts together. Create a recipe book of your faves, or an eco-friendly, nontoxic house cleaner or home fragrance. If each of your friends picks up one of the few supplies needed, you can gather around the table and create small gift baskets for each person on your list. For recipe books, find a small, fashionable photo album, print up and exchange your favorite meals. For non-toxic cleaner, find a basic recipe on any “green” website and be amazed at how simple and inexpensive they can be to make. The same is true for home fragrance spritzers. Chances are co-workers, neighbors and in-laws will be so blown away by your creativity, time and thoughtfulness they won’t ever realize it was so incredibly inexpensive!

Get Lit

Your local paper promotes some incredible community theatre or literary readings. Even if you’ve never heard of the play or the book, go investigate. You will be blown away by local talent. You may even stumble upon a new favorite book or author. Either way, it makes for great conversation outside the usual, over coffee or drinks afterward. It forces you to get those critical, “intellectual” thoughts in order. It always feels so good to have important conversation with good friends on a new topic.

“Do” it Up

Call a local salon and ask about bringing in a small group of friends for a casual introduction to quick and easy ways to do your hair. There’s never enough time to “play around” with or find a new way to wear your hair that fits you. And, there are so many products continually flooding the market that it’s impossible to keep up on what’s best for you. Also, there are many techniques and tools that are somewhat impossible to master without a beautician around. So, make time with your friends and have fun. You’ll leave with excitement about waking up and doing your hair the next day!

Carly Huegelmann is a writer, teacher, mom, and owner of Children’s Art Studio in Villa Park, Illinois.