Friday, July 26, 2013

Creative Ways to Fill Summer Days



I am honored to be a guest blogger at Ponderings of an Elect Exile. Check out my POST on creative, inexpensive ways to add fun to your Summer days. While you're there, be sure to check out Jen's other fabulous posts.
More about my friend Jen from Ponderings of an Elect Exile...
A Simple Wife and Mom with an Extraordinary God!
Jennifer is a simple wife and mom with an extraordinary God! She is the blessedly spoiled wife to Billy and mom to four crazy, highly creative, sometimes cranky, but always amazing children. Their journey has been far from what they ever expected, but God has proven Himself faithful through it all.
Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the green widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Summer Iced Tea Party


My niece Caitie is part of a trio of best friends that have been together since baby-doll age. These three young women are extraordinary examples of fun-loving, Jesus girls. 

After spending over a decade together, they will be separating next month. Two will go to different universities, and one will join the military before heading to college. 

Caitie asked if we could have a tea party before everyone leaves. Of course it had to be an iced tea party, because who drinks hot tea in the summer in the South?

Our menu included sweet tea- regular and raspberry, zucchini and goat cheese tarts, and sugar cookies. We also served flower shaped cucumber and pink, cream cheese sandwiches, and mini, bite-sized apple & peach pies. 

DECORATING TIP: Add fresh flowers to a tea pot then stack on a plate and candle holder for a darling centerpiece. 

Mini pies stacked on plates and tea cups.

PARTY TIP: Print guest's initials on clear stickers and use as drink markers. You can also use a flower vase as a decanter, and don't forget adorable, paper straws.

Christmas ornaments were used to dress up a blah light fixture.

PARTY DECORATING TIP: Use four dollar store doilies and scrapbook paper to make medallions. I hung three in the kitchen for a festive look. Double the doilies if they are too thin.


DECORATING TIP: Dip dollar store silk flowers in water with food coloring. This will tone down the brightness of the flower. They still looked inexpensive, but these flowers were plopped in a tea pot behind a glass door as background dressing.

We had a "Miss Tea Party" pageant. Everyone was a contestant and had to answer a ridiculous interview question as if it were a real situation. 
PARTY TIP: Make pageant sashes by printing titles on clear, full-sheet stickers and adorn them with stick-on pearls and rhinestones. One page of jeweled accents decorated all six sashes and cost $1.00 at Michaels.

 PARTY TIP: Make a scepter out of a sturdy, cardboard tube from a large roll of aluminum foil. Glue finials to each end and spray paint the whole thing with silver, glitter spray. Once the scepter is dry, add a pink, acrylic drawer pull to finish the look.

I filled tiny jars with sugar scrub as a party favor for each guest. These adorable little jars were bought at a flea market for 25¢ each! 
(Sugar scrub recipe found HERE.)

PARTY TIP: Print monograms on clear stickers and put onto pails with matching tulle for party favor packaging. The pails held the homemade sugar scrub.

Of course we had to have chocolate. The bars were wrapped in paper that matched our color scheme.

We also gave each girl a wire-bound journal wrapped in tissue paper and tulle. 
PARTY TIP: Use a vintage quilt to cover a table for a gorgeous shabby chic accent. I covered the coffee table with this beautiful pink quilt.

Here are the gorgeous guests with their Miss Tea Party titles. Such fun!
While I'm not in the picture, I was voted "Miss Silly", but that's because we didn't have a "Miss Laugh So Hard You Pass Out" title.

We also had a "photo booth" set up in the bathroom. Sure it seemed like an odd choice, but the counter was perfect for holding all the props. The girls also liked having the large mirror to try out the props before they posed. The shower curtain was a perfectly plain backdrop for the photos. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.









It was a perfect Sunday afternoon.


Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Mama in Stereo



Recently my mother got a hearing aid, and it has made a great impact on her quality of life. We both giggle at the discovery of "new" sounds to her. Now she can hear the click of the light switch on the wall, the smacking sound of soap when you wash your hands, and she can hear me when I have my back to her.

Sometimes Mama will sit still with a look of concentration, and I'll ask what she is listening to. She might smile and say, "I can hear the birds outside." It brings a smile to my face as well. 

Other big discoveries are that the television volume is no longer set to 64 (the loudest setting). The volume now hovers around level 30. She is also pleased to be able to hear the teapot whistle, the newspaper rustle as she reads it, and to be able to join in the discussion in her Sunday School class.

This new adventure has delighted me to no end. I am so very happy for my sweet mama. It's a joy to see her experience long lost sounds.

After she got acclimated to her first hearing aid, which was purple by the way, she went back for the second one. She chose silver for the second to make them easier to tell apart.

Mama was so excited as she waited for the second hearing aid to come in. On Monday she giggled as she said, "I get my other hearing aid tomorrow, and then I'll have surround sound!"

How cute is that?

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Animated Social Gadget - Blogger And Wordpress Tips