5 Ideas for Hosting a Girl's Night

A good old-fashioned game night is always a fun way to get a group of girls together. Do you hang out with some smarty pants? Challenge them to a game of Trivial Pursuit. If you want to keep it light and get some laughs, indulge in games like Balderdash or Pictionary. Know any card sharks? Deal up some Rummy, Spades or even fun betting games like Poker or Blackjack. Play with chips or pennies to keep the stakes low. If you want something loud and fun, Yahtzee never disappoints. Or, you can get out your favorite old-fashioned board games like Monopoly or Clue, even if the likelihood of actually finishing the game is low.

A club of any kind is always fun to start because it means that you're going to meet again in the near future. Do you have some great soup recipes you'd like to share with your besties? Then start a soup club.

Here's how it goes: The hostess and one other guest make two different soups for the group to eat and brings along copies of the recipe for everyone to take home. Everyone else brings a bottle of wine. If soup isn't your thing, it could be ice cream, bread or even fondue. The whole point is to eat, drink and socialize -- and take a yummy recipe home to make later.

What lady doesn't love a good spa treatment, but who has time to book one these days? Not to mention the expense of going to a pro. Why not make girl's night in a spa night, instead? Come up with a few spa treatment ideas before the event and divvy up the supply list amongst everyone on the guest list.

For a flawless mani/pedi, don't forget to pack the sugar scrub and eco-friendly polish. Better yet, go to the grocery store and get ingredients to make your own. Cane sugar and olive oil make an excellent all-natural sugar scrub, while ingredients like yogurt, avocado and oatmeal are great for face masks.

You know that your husband will never watch any movie with Sarah Jessica Parker in it, so save it for a night in with your sisterhood. Movie night is always a casual and fun girl's night get together. If your crowd isn't into chick flicks, pick a new thriller or an old classic. To keep the fun going, make it a double feature and provide a few options to fit different moods. Tell everyone to show up in their most comfortable clothes (even their PJs if they're so inclined), pop a huge bowl of popcorn and turn off your brain for a couple of hours in the comfort of friends.

Everyone has a crafty friend who's great at something, so why not take advantage of her prowess and turn it into a crafty girl's night in? Whoever knows the most about the craft du jour comes prepared to teach the group how to do it.

Scrap booking, knitting and candle making are all great ideas that can be accomplished in an evening. Just be sure to plan ahead and send out a supply list. Craft supplies can get expensive, so ask friends to bring any surplus supplies that they aren't using. Ideally, everyone will leave with a finished project, or at least a good start on one.