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.

Easter Decorating ~ Quick and Easy Ideas

I love all the seasons and I like to decorate according to the season. Over time I have collected several accessories that reflect the different seasons. When spring arrives, I replace my Pansy arrangement with my sunflower floral arrangement.


Last year Carrie Jones, my daughter-in-law's sister, gave me this adorable ceramic bunny as a hostess gift for hosting Easter dinner. She knows I love to decorate when I entertain. I decided he would look cute in a bed of Baby's Breath. I layered the Baby's Breath in a clay saucer.



This year I purchased these natural looking bottle brush bunnies from Pottery Barn. They were on sale a couple weeks ago. I couldn't resist. I cut some of my Mugo Pine and placed it beside the bunnies to make them feel at home.


Maddie and Morgan, my granddaughters, are going to love them. They arrive in town this afternoon. I can't wait to see their smiling faces.


Maddie and Morgan are in store for a big surprise today, a mommy bunny decided to have her babies about 20 feet from our side door. She burrowed a small hole in the ground and covered the hole with fur.

When the fur is moved we can see three tiny bunnies. You can only see one bunny in this picture. The burrow has a very small opening.


Mommy bunny is very nervous because I was near her babies. Normally, a wild rabbit would never allow me to be near her. It is never a dull moment at our house.

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?

Lantana ~ Three Months Later

Wow, our Lantana is amazing! It's been three months since we planted Lantana in our mailbox planters. The Lantana has performed fabulously. We, well when I say we I mean Jerry, didn't totally neglect them we averaged watering them every three days. You can see from the photo there are a tons of buds about to pop. Some days we look out the window and all we see is yellow. Lantana has added new life to our entrance.

I guess we will be planting Lantana next year.

Take Me Away Calgon . . .

So many things affect how we feel and act. Eating and drinking healthy things not only have an effect on our body they also have an effect on our mental attitude.

We feel better about ourselves when we take care of our body. After all, we were only given one body. I love drinking Silver Needle White Tea from Teavana. I loved it even more because I know I am drinking something that's healthy. When I brew my tea I make extra so I can drink it cold. I purchased a couple of items to make this tea brewing ritual a truly delightful experience.

This cute owl teapot was purchased for me by my daughter-in-law, Casey from Anthropologie. Isn't he the cutest?


Here is the Silver Needle White Tea from Teavana. This tea steeps for a full five minutes and has a very mild flavor.

The honey pot and the spoon rest also came from Anthropologie.

I add a touch of organic honey.


I add fresh mint because I like the taste. I also feel like it gives me an energy boost; although my research can't substantiate my claim. This little green leaf is rich in Vitamins A, C and minerals such as manganese, copper, iron, potassium and calcium. I store my tea in my grandmother's antique Ball jar, which of course, evokes that sense of family feeling. I told you, I turn this tea brewing thing into a full blown experience.
I think everyone should have special glasses that evoke that "Take Me Away Calgon" feeling. I found my hand blown fish glasses from Crate & Barrel several years ago. I instantly fell in love with them. They're so happy looking!

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.