What is a Link Party?
A link party is a fun, interactive way to share favorite recipes, craft ideas, and other creative projects with friends and family, from the comfort of your own home! Link parties are a relatively new phenomenon, typically hosted by blogs or other websites, and typically include some kind of feature that allows guests to “link” their projects to the host’s page. Many link parties also have weekly or monthly themes to provide some inspiration for guests who might not otherwise have had the same idea in mind. Hosts of link parties can range from individuals to professional bloggers to large companies.
Link parties can be a great way to connect with others in the creative community while gathering new ideas and inspiration! Whether you’re a beginner or experienced crafter, having an opportunity to share your work with others and learn from theirs is invaluable. Plus, it’s lots of fun!
Hosting a Link Party
One of the best ways to create a successful link party is by having plenty of communication with guests before, during, and after the event. This will help let people know that your link party is happening and why you’re hosting it.
You should also prepare for the practical stuff, such as setting up a sign-up page for guests to register for the event. You should also devise a way for guests to link their projects to your page, possibly through a widget or plugin, so you’re able to easily feature them on your website.
Hosting an ongoing link party is another great way to keep content fresh and get people excited about your page. It’s easy to set up a monthly or weekly theme for your link parties, encouraging guests to focus on new, creative projects.
Link Party Recipes
Food is always a great way to bring people together. Here are two recipes perfect for link parties:
Southwestern Cornbread
Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 can (4.5 ounces) corn, drained
- 1 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chiles, drained
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Add cornmeal mixture and stir to combine.
- Fold in corn and chiles.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Enjoy!
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 14 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate.
- In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, garlic, artichoke hearts, sour cream, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and pepper.
- Spread mixture into prepared pie plate.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve with chips, crackers, or toasted baguette slices and enjoy!
