eat..pray..love

Today is a great day to be outside and i have decided to sink my teeth into a new book, eat pray love, which most of you know of as a recently released movie starring Julia Roberts.  Instead of seeing the movie right away i have decided to read the book first, which gives me the chance to relax and take in the fresh air of the outdoors.  I have only put a forty page dent into this book but i must say that it has already had its affect on me.  This is a book worth reading, i cant wait to continue through its pages.

a birthday celebration

The tea party i have been planning for my grandmother's 80th birthday has finally passed and here are some pieces i would love to share.  In the first picture, i am showing you the party favors that i made.  I purchased loose leaf tea, put it in an aluminum jar, wrapped it in tulle, secured it with a bow and added a mock vintage button for a little flavor.  The second and third pictures show a wider view of the table setting which features the place mats that i made from scrap fabric that i had around my house.  I loved these place mats because they added a whimsical look to the table, the sort of mismatched matching look that like to strive for.  Also shown in the picture is the floral center piece, which was simply three hydrangea stems in a square vase.  The fourth picture displays the guest book, the fifth shows the cupcakes i made for the party (i will post the recipe for these very soon, they are delicious), the sixth is of the gift table, the seventh, as i have already posted about previously, are the "pretty pink pom poms" that i made, and the eighth shows my boyfriend, my cousin and myself. Everyone loved the party and i hope that you do as well.

pretty pink pom-poms

These decorative balls were something that i made for my grandmother's 80th birthday party.  They are very easy to make and are the perfect touch to any party.  I absolutely love these balls, they may look similar to something you can buy in the store for 20 dollars each but i figured out a way to get the same look for an extremely reduced price.

What you will need:

tissue paper (any color of your choice)

paper mache balls (www.save-on-crafts.com)

a pencil

a hot glue gun

scissors

fishing string

The first thing you need to do is cut the tissue paper into 9 relatively equal squares.  Take 2 squares of tissue paper and stack them on top of each other.  Place the pencil in the center of the 2 pieces of stacked tissue paper and gather the edges around the pencil (i don't know if you have had the same experience, but in elementary school i learned this technique to decorate pages of paper. And they say arts and crafts skills aren't used later on in life).  After gathering the tissue around the pencil, dot some hot glue on the paper mache ball and attach the tissue onto the ball.  Continue these steps until the entire ball is covered, make sure to space the tissue apart enough to cover the entire ball. Attach fishing string to the ball and hang them up! It is so easy.

a walk through the garden

   Making a nice bouquet at home can be a tough thing to do, i don't know about you but i can be my toughest critic.  A trick that i would like to share in making an inexpensive but beautiful bouquet is to buy a few of your favorite stems at the store and improvise the rest with what grows naturally at your house.  I bought some coral pink peonies at my local trader joes and filled in the empty spaces with wildflowers and leaves growing in the back yard.  This bouquet reminds me of attending a tea party in a whimsical garden, it is messy but the uneven stems and different colors work so well together.  Also, if there is a trader joes near you, they are a great flower provider, they are very inexpensive and have such a great variety of flowers to choose from that are delivered fresh on a daily basis.

 

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