Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler

Sometimes I look back and wonder why I didn't get more things crossed off of my to-do list when my calendar looked pretty clear. This past week was no exception! I thought I only had a hair appointment and some blood work. That looked like the rest of the week would be open to get all sorts of things caught up. And then, life happened. Friends stopped by, family stopped by, I added a few more appointments...and so it went.

But the weekend turned out to be the best! I was invited over to daughter #3's house for the day. We were going to play games-which we did-eat and visit. As we were talking, she starts picking my brain for ideas for invitations. She and a friend sponsor a table at a local event for raising funds for Interfaith here in Ocala. It is a tea party and each sponsor gets a table for ten that she is then responsible for decorating and filling with "generous" guests. Money is raised by the guests as well as anyone else who votes for your table and the winner receives the ownership of the "coveted" golden teapot for the next year.

Since this year's event falls on Fat Tuesday, they chose a Mardi Gras vibe for their table. Jen is in charge of invitations and table settings while her friend is doing the very large centerpiece-which, rumor has it, will be a Bourbon Street sign surrounded with flowers and draped with beads.

Jen is using black and white harlequin fabric on the chairs and for napkins and settings will be on a black and white table with gold chargers, black and white plates, gold flatware and an embellished mask at each place. Things are kept pretty hush hush until the big reveal so I hope to show you more when that happens.

In any case, who do you call? Ghostbusters...Mom! Even though I take all sorts of flack for "hoarding" my many craft supplies, this is the second time in as many weeks that my stash has been hit up. The first time was when grandson #2 needed a Nathan Hale costume! Now who could possibly rig that up? Yep. Nana to the rescue. And now, after plying me with goodies and wine, my brain is being picked for invite ideas...and supplies.

What started out as simple quickly made a left turn to over-the-top. That's just how we both roll I guess. It literally took us all of the next day but we love the finished product. And, lucky for her, her "hoarding" mom had EVERY supply she needed!

We really did start with just cutting the masks out of glitter paper. We had two different color combos and added the green glitter to round it all out. The invite was printed on different colors of velum. We mounted them on the harlequin paper and were ready to call it a day. Then we decided to add the feathers. Then we decided to back the harlequin paper with a solid. Then we decided to add the ribbon. Then we decided to deckle the bottom edge of the velum. If it hadn't gotten so close to bed time, we might still be here "deciding" but we finally knew when to stop. Lol Invites are now all delivered...let the good times roll!

I don't know when I'll be back as I have some big plans for the rest of this week so how about a quick peek into the family room while you're here?

I laugh out loud every time I decorate my mantle for St. Pat's. The small picture on the right is of my grandson when he was in Pre K and still living in Lakeland. He was representing Ireland in his school's International Festival and my daughter called for my help in making his costume. Since I already had this Irish lad statue, I decided to go that route. I made him a vest with shamrock fabric and some brown knickers. I also found the sequined bowtie. Jen added the white shirt and green striped socks but ran into a snag looking for the hat. She found this little beauty that worked perfectly but, since it was an adult size, it kept slipping down on his head. Luckily, it also had lots of green hair which, when stuffed back into the hat, worked out just perfectly!

The only snag was that this was not an event that the family was invited to attend. If we had been, you can be sure that the shirt tail would have been tucked in for the start of the parade...

...and, that he wouldn't have looked like this the rest of the day after his best friend discovered the secret tucked inside the hat! Lol He spent the better part of the day looking like a leprechaun instead of a dapper Irishman! Too funny and I laugh every time I look at this picture...and, even as he turns 14 years old today, so does he!

So sorry this post went so long but, I'm so glad I do this as my own journal and notes to self. As I was posting the corn shelf in the family room, I realized that something tall was needed in the back corner. A quick trip to the cupboard and it was fixed...and now I will remember it next year. So much more pleasing to the eye with the right proportions but also, I think because of the rule of odd numbers. Before, there were 4 things in the vignette and it just wasn't pleasing to the eye. 5 did the trick. Who knew? Stay tuned.

Ta-Da

I truly don't know why it took me even this long to think of this! It's a mailbox...so it needs mail. And, since I have a whole folder of vintage postcard images at my finger tips, it didn't take long at all to get this done. I am pretty sure this box will hang here all year-with the exception of December when Santa's mailbox will go back-so I will be filling it with all kinds of greetings over the year.

I now remember that I thought Santa's box looked a little bare also until I added the letter.

Off to see what other tweaks I can find. Stay tuned.

Was There Ever Any Doubt?

If you know me at all, you know that once I truly get an idea in my mind, it is hard to let it go. Even though I had some flowers that would be OK, I had lavender in my head. I think the other flowers just read too "spring" to me...but, their day will come. I looked around for dried lavender stems but haven't found them yet so this little inexpensive faux stem will fill the bill for right now. Guess I don't have to say just how much I love that mailbox!

While I've got you, let's head to another room...or two.

I changed the niche up a bit. I seem to almost always have trouble decorating these shelves. I tend to use a lot of smaller things and that just doesn't work so I decided to leave out my new urn and bring in the one I found at Kohls a few months back. I anchored them with the corbels that I bought to use with a shelf but just haven't gotten around to deciding where so for now, they're here as decor. I kind of like the way the two urns tie into the colors of the table runner.

It looks like we are going to have another beautiful day so, once again, I'm off to the gardens. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and stay tuned.

It's So Easy Being Green...Especially In This Weather

We are having an incredibly mild HOT winter. I am having a hard time believing that it is February and our temps are hitting in the 80s every afternoon. It definitely lulls you into a false sense of spring! After I did some weeding and planting and re-potting yesterday, I hit the garden centers again today for yet more plants and flowers. Guess you could say that I'm putting all of my money (literally) on no more frosts or freezing weather this year. It is just so hard not to be outside in the gardens in this weather!

As much as I love spring and all that it brings, there are a few things I could live without-pollen and falling leaves. My yard is full of huge, old oak trees and the leaves are coming down in sheets. Just when I get the drive and decks blown off there is another deluge! And the pine pollen is everywhere. Keeping my fingers crossed for some nice rains to wash some of the yellow away.

While all of that happens outside, St. Pat's continues inside so let's move into the kitchen.

I still love this cross stitch done by daughter #2 in 1985 as a part of her project on Ireland.

Not much to say about the kitchen. I left things pretty much as they were last year. I've got more to show you but first I'm off to the yard to get the new plants down...and keep my fingers crossed for a few showers tonight. Stay tuned.

Random thoughts...

So this is one of "those" mornings. I have a lunch time appointment. All of the real things on my to-do list are projects that will require some time-time I don't have. But, I have too much time to do nothing. This is when I get in trouble become creative and start walking around looking for things to do or tweak.

When I told you about my pillow orders, I forgot to mention one other little goodie coming my way It's this beauty!

I know I have mentioned many times before how obsessed I am with script, stamps, postmarks and postcards. Well, I guess I need to extend that list to include mailboxes. If you remember, I bought a red Santa's mailbox for Christmas and I loved it. I had a really hard packing it up when Christmas was over. And so, no brainer, when this goodie entered my email, I wasted no time in ordering it...and, I'm really glad I did because it sold out in no time flat!

It will be here on Thursday afternoon so, of course, my brain went to thinking about hanging it. I knew I was going to hang it by the chest inside the front door. That is where the Christmas one hung. And, I knew that I would want to put some sort of floral tucked into the slot. I was kind of thinking of lavender but in order to skip the step of another shopping trip, I went shopping my house.

I started in the closet where I keep a lot of spring arrangements and found something close...that might work. But then, I realized that this bundle would be enough to fill the olive bucket I've been wanting to fill...so,...

...this now sits in a previously much too empty a spot...and the quest for mailbox filler continued. The sad part is that while I was in the spring closet, I also found a number of other green things that could be out and shining. But, alas, there is truly no other spot available-guess they will have to wait their turn until spring.

I any case, I did find these so I just stuck them here until the mailbox arrives and we shall see. Does anyone else think they might to too "purple" for St. Pat's. I don't mind the light lavender color for this holiday because it reminds me of the color of the blooms on shamrocks but I usually save the darker shade for spring and Easter. I think I see another shopping trip in my future. Lol

All of this reminded me that I haven't shared another "random thought" with you. During most of the end of 2018, I had some kind of a floral container on the bay window area in my bedroom. Previously I had just had a few photos and my clock there but I enjoyed the height that the florals brought to the area so when I saw 60% off some decent faux flowers at Michaels the other day, I grabbed a few.

I must say that I have recently been drawn to vignettes online that featured peonies or ranunculas. That is what I set out to get. Imagine my utter joy when I found an arrangement of both at Home Goods. I couldn't get to it fast enough. Imagine again when I flipped the price tag to see the numbers $199.99 staring back at me. I guess that is when I changed my mind about what I could or could not live without!

I think the flowers I found at Michaels are probably cabbage roses but, once I got them home and in the flower holder, I realized how well they went with the things already here. Check out the design on my clock and carpeting in this room and, if you look really closely you might catch a glimpse of the same flowers on one of my frames. Ah...serendipity!

So now that you've had another insight into just how my brain functions-and possibly why I get in way less trouble when I'm working on one of my larger projects-I'm off to my appointment. If I have time, I'm hoping to run by Lowes and start picking up some things for spring maintenance. With our weather in the 80s this week, I find it hard to believe that we'll plunge very much lower any time soon so I'm ready to get a head start. Out with the old and in with the new!! Stay tuned.