Mexican Fiesta ~ Paper flowers for Decorating

Several weeks ago we hosted our Sunday School class party. We thought a Mexican theme would be fun and that fajitas with all the fixings, chips and salsa, Ginger Lemonade, and Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie would be the menu. I purchased some bright green tablecloth plastic from Party City and some very colorful plastic plates and cups from Sam's. I know it's hard to believe but I already had a large supply of fuschia tissue paper to make lots of large paper flowers. I had Jerry pull out the pool fountain he had given me for my birthday several years ago to add the soft sound of splashing water.


All set and ready for the party.


We took this photograph after everyone was gone to show how the lights illuminated the flowers. The setting was the most impressive at dusk, as you can see in the first photograph. If you're hosting the event and want photographs consider designating someone to snap photographs for you. I had a friend jump in and say let me take some photos for you. In fact, Carolyn Barnett, actually snapped the first photograph which is my favorite. I'm thankful Carolyn volunteered to be my photographer for the evening.


Along with the tablecloths I found the perfect napkins at Party City.


As I was pondering what to do for a floral arrangement, Kroger's floral department came to the rescue. Who knew Kroger would have my inspiration? The flowers were sorta of deserty looking and even better news was they were on clearance for $3 a bunch. I purchased four different bunches and I walked out of Kroger with my $12 floral arrangement.



As I was searching my cabinets for containers, I found this super cute bowl that my mom purchased in Japan in the 60's. It still had the label on the back. She tried to sell it in a garage sale many years ago for $2.00, I'm so glad no one purchased it. It's a perfect container for sour cream.



These tissue flowers are so easy to make I thought I would share how I made them. This style flower can be used for Mexican and Hawaiian party themes. And of course, fuschia colored tissue paper will work for either theme as well. Since we have a pool and with stone columns, it was easy to decide where to place the flowers. We have 12 columns and I needed three flowers on each column. So I needed 36 flowers in all.


Each flower requires three sheets of tissue paper. First, round the corners on every sheet. Then layer the three sheets and rotate them to resemble a circle.


Next, grab/pinch the center of the three sheets and twist to create a stem and wrap the stem once with scotch tape.



Lightly pull on the paper petals to create and shape the flower. And voila you have a beautiful tissue flower. Each flower only takes about 2 minutes to make.

Enjoy!

Need to freshen up a room?

Need to freshen up a room? Let me count the ways . . . You can paint the room a new color, add custom window treatments (please be sure to call us), change accessories or add new artwork. Artwork is the choice for this post.

This week I received an catalog from one of my artwork vendors and I wanted to share a few of their new designs.


I love this cute little bathtub scene. It reminds me of my two granddaughters in the tub. Adorable!



I like any type of art that looks like it was sketched by hand especially horses.

I know this is a little abstract, but I like it. I love the colors and the subtleness.




What a great look for a simple style kitchen. I think my daughter-in-law is going to use these in her new house over a long buffet.

How fun is this print for a media room, play room, child's room or any room you want to add a little fun.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

I love the snow! The view is fabulous from the bay window in my breakfast room. New fallen snow gives the earth an enchanted and uncluttered look. I know Jerry disagrees with me about the snow because he doesn't like cold weather at all. He would rather be golfing.



In Nashville, we only had a couple of inches of snow. On the other hand, Casey and Owen in Huntsville received lots of snow. This is their second large snowfall this season. This is highly unusual for Huntsville, in fact, they rarely see snow. As you can see from this 10'6" ginormous snowman it took kids and several neighborhood adults to build this monster. The snowman took approximately three hours to build.



Look at those snowballs. This reminds me of the movie Elf when he created a huge amount of snowballs in a matter of seconds. I bet it took them a little longer than a few seconds. In the above photo they were getting ready for the neighborhood snowball fight.

What's the tallest snowman you have ever seen?

A flower you can neglect!

There's something about flowering plants that gives us a feeling of joy inside. However, most of the time that joy includes some effort on our part. In fact, it's not just the initial effort of planting or pruning, the work continues throughout the summer and into fall. With our busy lives, it's hard to keep the landscaping in tip-top shape unless you are fortunate enough to have a gardener; which I don't. So I am always on the lookout for low maintenance, but BEAUTIFUL plants.



During our annual trip to the Farmer's Market in downtown Nashville, we found the perfect solution for the two stone planters beside our mailbox. Our mailbox is too far away from the house for us to make a commitment to watering the planters on a daily basis. We thought if we could find a plant that we could water once a week or every four days that would be ideal. It seemed like a lost cause, but then we remembered Lantana! We planted it several years ago in our landscaping around the house and it was beautiful, but YIKES, it tends to take over. Lantana is like a desert plant; it doesn't require much water or care. In fact, you can plant it just about anywhere and then forget it. Another benefit to planting Lantana, it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Lantana comes in several different varieties. Check our your local nursery to see what's available.

If you're looking for a plant that has color and is practically care-free, Lantana might just the ticket for you.

I'll take another picture later in the summer to let you know how our neglected Lantana is faring down by the hot busy road.