work of art DATE GUIDE
welcome Beautiful art takes time, thought and intentionality—so does love! Even if you don’t consider yourself artistic, give the activities a chance, because truly, the key to this date will be working together. We hope you enjoy this art-inspired date and, most importantly, your time together. Each month, we give a FREE DATE to a couple who snaps a picture of themselves enjoying that month’s Date Night In Box. To qualify, simply post your photo to Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #DateNightInBox. As always, we appreciate any social media sharing about our company. If you are new to Night In Boxes, head to www.nightinboxes. com to explore all of our subscription options. Please feel free to reach out to customerservice@nightinboxes.com with any questions. Now it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy your Work of Art date experience! DATE ACTIVITIES
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Set the Mood Table Talk Create Your Work of Art DIY Ice Cream Draw It For Me Reflection & How to Continue Your Date Night
set the mood Take a moment to consider the space where your date will occur. Setting the mood for your date is an important step to really enjoy your experience together. Once your space is ready, locate your included tea light candle and wine glass shade. This custom wine shade can be placed around a white wine glass or narrow drinking glass to elevate the ambiance. Light the tealight inside the glass, dim the lights and get cozy. WARNING: Do not use the wine shade without a glass to protect it, as it is flammable. Don’t forget to access your custom Work of Art playlist at datenightinbox.com/work-of-art.
table talk Creating art is no simple task; art takes hard work, time, creativity and more. Have you ever heard the metaphor about the back of a tapestry? The reverse side of a tapestry doesn’t usually look like much, maybe even a bit messy, and it never looks as beautiful as the front. From the back, sometimes you can’t even tell what the art is supposed to be. The busyness of our lives can often feel like the back of a tapestry—a little bit chaotic and imperfect—and it takes reflection over time to notice how beautifully our love stories have been woven together and see the view from the “front” of the tapestry. TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS TOGETHER:
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In what way(s) do you see your relationship as the back of
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In what way(s) do you see your relationship as the front of
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a tapestry? a tapestry? In what ways is it hard to see your relationship as a work of art? How do you want to continue weaving your stories together?
create your work of art For the next activity, you might want to move to a table or hard surface. Take a deep breath and get ready to create a work of art together! You’ll need to gather the paint set, paintbrush, canvas, tape and paper plate from your box. Additionally, you might want to fill a cup with water to rinse your brush between colors. Once you have the supplies ready, decide together what you want your artwork to look like. We’ve included several inspiration photos, but feel free to get creative! Start by taping down the design you want. Then, completely paint over it. Once the paint is dry, remove the tape to reveal your design. Remember that the key is working together. Maybe one person tapes and the other paints, or maybe you do it all together! TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR MASTERPIECE:
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Be sure to press the tape down firmly to get crisp lines. If paint gets under the tape, use white or black paint to correct it once the rest of the paint is dry. Get creative with your color choices, the paint included can be combined to make ANY color! Use your paper plate to create the color(s) of your choice. Here are a few color-mixing tips:
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Yellow + red = orange Blue + red = purple Use white and black to alter the tint, saturation and shading of a color. You can also use yellow to lighten or blue to darken. Dark colors mix more easily into light colors than vice versa (aka start light and add dark until you reach desired color).
diy ice cream creations Now, it’s time to head into the kitchen to create your own ice cream! In the spirit of the Work of Art date, we didn’t want to simply provide you with a snack. This time, you’re going to have to work for it ;). Our instructions below suggest using milk, which creates a lighter, less dense ice cream, but there are a few alternatives: · FOR CREAMY ICE CREAM: use half-and-half · FOR FROZEN YOGURT: use a mixture of yogurt and milk · FOR DAIRY-FREE ICE CREAM: use coconut milk INCLUDED MATERIALS:
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½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 ½ tbsp. sugar 2 plastic bags Chocolate fudge topping
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO GRAB:
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1 cup of milk (or substitute) ⅓ cup of kosher or coarse salt 2-3 cups ice, crushed or cubed
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Combine the milk, vanilla and sugar in the small plastic bag. Seal the bag tightly. Note: While sealing the bag, make sure to press out any air trapped inside it. 2. Now, grab the larger Ziploc bag and mix the ice and salt inside of it. 3. Place the sealed, small bag with the milk mixture into the large plastic bag filled with ice and salt, and seal tightly. 4. Shake the bag vigorously for about 5 minutes! Have some fun—snap a pic or take a boomerang and share it with us using the hashtag #DateNightInBox. 5. After about 5 minutes, you will see that the liquid inside the smaller bag has hardened. Without opening the bags, let them sit on a plate or towel for another few minutes. Rearrange the ice in the larger bag so that it’s surrounding the smaller bag. 6. Drizzle the chocolate fudge on top or add toppings of your own!
d r aw i t fo r m e Once you have your ice cream creations, head back to a cozy spot and locate your included drawing board, a dry erase marker and included player sheets. Each player sheet will have different words for the game, so don’t look at your partner’s! Play rock, paper, scissors to determine who will draw first. Once player 1 is ready, start a stopwatch. Player 1 will go through all 10 items on their list, drawing clues until their partner can guess what the word is. Once your partner has guessed all 10 words, stop the timer and write down how long it took. Then, switch roles; player 2 becomes the drawer and player 1 becomes the guesser. Whoever can get their partner to guess their 10 words the fastest wins!
reflection TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON YOUR WORK OF ART DATE NIGHT IN BOX. DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS TOGETHER
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Which part of the date did you enjoy the most? Did you try something new as a part of your date? What was it like to experience it with your significant other?
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Are there any aspects of the date that you would like to incorporate into your relationship in the future?
continue date night WAYS TO CONTINUE YOUR DATE NIGHT
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Hang up your artwork in your home as a reminder that your love story is a work of art still in progress.
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Take a different kind of art class together (pottery, cooking, etc.).
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Enjoy a movie together:
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Art School Confidential (2006) Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World (2017) Ghost (1990) Midnight In Paris (2011) The Monuments Men (2014)
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