When something shines like yesterday's idea for the Dine by Design party, then it works through and through.  Ideas that truly shine aren't only successful when all the planets align or when circumstances are just so.  Really great ideas are forgiving.  They can be scaled up or scaled down.  They can be adapted to engage any population, ranging from old to young, men to women, and people with all kinds of backgrounds, hobbies, and resources.

Last summer we challenged our readers to put Dine by Design to the Shine test. 

Our challenge was to pick a day during the summer and to host a Dine by Design event at your home.  Not an event with 80 tables and hosting hundreds of people.  One table hosting a small group of friends.  Our philosophy?  If readers across the country took on our challenge then we could post 80 pictures of 80 individual events and, in effect, we would have hosted our very own Virtual Dine By Design Party. 

If the recipe for Dine by Design shined like we thought then it would work with one table or with 80 tables.  Creativity, food, and fellowship among friends.  An age old recipe for success!

We got gutsy and added one more dimension.  Turn your Dine by Design event into a fundraiser.  Proceeds went to the House of Shine so that we could continue engaging in philanthropy.  Up to that point we had already adopted a family at Christmas, supported a silent auction, and helped a terminally ill patient.  We wanted to do more.

We had a couple of takers.  And...

As we established is the case with ideas that shine through and through, it worked.  

The theme of the party pictured below was POTATOES (talk about a challenge!).

Guests brought dishes, incorporating potatoes as the secret ingredient. 

Centerpieces and decorations were made with old potato sacks and used potato chip bags (LOVE the flower centerpieces pictured above!)

Creativity, food, and fellowship.  It was the perfect recipe.  In the end this committed group of women raised $135.00.

It turns out, while these women were enjoying potatoes, there was another group in Illinois enjoying chili.  Their story was similar only they raised over $200.00.  Together, these visionary readers provided Thanksgiving to families who otherwise would not have had the means to celebrate. 

You don't think we're going to stop there, do you?

Tune in tomorrow for part three of our three-part series.  Bring your shine.