My First Mardi Gras

this is my very first Mardi Gras ever. I have never decorated for this event but wanted to try after seeing Alma;s Tablescaper ans Cuisine Kathleen these table queens challenged my creative ideas so here is what I came up with.I know I did two posts in one night after the first one about three weeks before the second one is due but I wanted to join the linky parties right away.This little cake plate  I made has a Fleur Di Lis pattern perfect I thought for Mardi Gras Also I have little cake charms that hang from cake plates these are party theme, champagne bottle, balloons,bubbles and hats.

It is a double tiered cake plate I don't own anything in gold but felt this was significant in itself,with the help of lots of beads

 tea lite holders well nobody wanted them so they offered to come home with me Could I refuse?

I won these party sparkle plates on Ebay and thought they would look great for this table design.

Here is my glam silver mask I wore.Odd shaped lacey glasses and flowers from Trader Joes's with the most glorious color roses of orange with raspberry trim

they were so pretty when they opened up.the bead are behind the eye sockets but it looks like some beads are peeking thru like eyeballs

I will buy more flowers from Trader Joe's I will say this like a chant

I made this on my Island. Hubby wanted  to leave it up for a while he loved the colors.

Add don't they dance all night?

Purple and gold the colors of riches

                                                                     Lit by candle lite a touch of whimsy in the air

Well I hope you like my first Mardi Gras and enjoy yours,

An Irish escape

I wanted to do an Irish tablescape for St Patrick's Day. In 2008 we went to Ireland and spent a magical week touring Ireland

Of course we had to go see an official castle. Blarney Castle Oh the stairs, they were only two feet wide

But what a magical place with tiny windows and the kitchen to die for. really it was six stories up and was nothing but a hole cut in the wall

Our main goal was to get to Cliffs of Moer which was an amazing journey to get to.We drove over 584 miles around Ireland

One of our must stops was touring the Waterford Chrystal plant where  the worlds most beautiful glass was made and cut

The cliffs were stunning and I think the most magnificent site on this earth(sorry the pic is blurry)

I have shamrock napkins and I used a shamrock cookie cutter for my napkin ring gotta get creative and use what you got.

In these pictures that I put out around the table are some unique places like downtown Dublin, Trevalia, Tralee, Ring of Kerry

A few dollar tree pickups to accent with

I purchased this book on Ireland and it had many of the sites we went to and lots of castles that we didn't

Maybe we will have  a romantic candle lite dinner and re live all our memories of a magical week 

I loved Ireland it was so beautiful and vibrant. I stood on the Cliffs Of Moer and Praised God on the anniversary of my one year of stage Iv breast cancer that there was more to life than me or breast cancer.What a better way to share my St Patrick's Day with all of you  than a walk down an Irish memory lane.

a little bit small

A few years ago my dearest friend was dying of Pancreatic cancer. When she told me she wanted to give me something to remember her I refused because nothing could replace her to me, nothing she had or could give me could replace her in my heart.

She told me to go to her china hutch and retrieve a little tea set.She had so many I didn't know which one she wanted. She said the one with the cats.

When I returned with this little set she told me why this set was so important that I have it to remember her by. It seems she collected these little sets and we both loved cats. But it is what she said next that I will treasure in my heart forever. She said although it is a small set  to her it was a symbol of our friendship. Bound together in a tight knit quilt surrounded by playful loving kittens sitting atop tea cups. "They are small like the time we have had together, but forever joined with love" I felt as small as these little kittens and wept with her over the loss we were both going to share.

 

The pictures are a little blurry as my hand was shaking with the fond memories.We had only known each other  for two years and her friendship was the first person I had met when I relocated to a new city. Alone and just trying to find my way she took me in and the first thing we did was share a cup of tea.

This little set is only about six inches across and I placed in the top of a little cupcake plate stand  that I made. She knew my love for cake plates and that Christmas she purchased a beautiful snowman cake plate for m,. that I gladly display every Christmas.

this little set is always on display so I can treasure it  everyday and when I see it I can remember the joy and Love I had received in such a small package from someone who made such an impression in my life and filled my heart with everlasting love. Yes my cup over floweth even in a tiny cup. thanks for sharing with me. I miss her so very dearly.I wanted to share this little piece because so many of us have countless tea pots and tea cups but the one that means the most to me is the littlest. Good things do come in little packages.

A Slice of lemon

I feel so bad for so many of you who are experiencing the endless winter of 2013-2014. Snow and extreme temperatures and freezing rain.Yuck! Give me the endless sunshine of Southern California

I would get cabin fever so fast if I were living where you are wintered in,without the brightness of the sun to warm things up.We have citrus blooming this time of year and where I live used to be a citrus grove. to bad with the influx of people moving in the trees have either been chopped down or abandoned with the fruit left being unpicked and left to fall on the ground.

I try to pick as much as I can and give to anyone who wants it,lemons oranges and grapefruit.So I thought with nature's abundance I should make a table reflecting the beauty in the colors of these beautiful fruit.I bought the tablecloth at Dollar Tree, and used a towel from there also for the napkins.The plates came from Jo-Ann's about ten years ago

I centered a pretty white pitcher on top of a lemon cake plate added some yellow paper scrap booking twirls a couple of sweet yellow birds and beads(Michael' s 40% coupons ) and this is what I came up with.

I hope this gives all you a taste for spring and warmer times. It is coming!!!!

I love shopping at the local dollar stores for cheap thrifty finds like tablecloths and towels for napkins.

I also lvoe to use cupcake liners for decor put in some glass jars or just loose .They come in so many variety of colors and styles.

I pulled my yellow rose from somewhere else in the house to join here.

I wish I could stop at Trader Joe's and buy fresh flowers on a regular basis but I usually just forget to stop there.

Green chargers and wicker plate chargers from Grandin the Road

I wish you all  relief from winter and the cold and hope my offer of oranges and yellows and greens in citrus helps to get you there.Have a great weekend

Little table of white

after all the reds and pinks for Valentine's Day I needed a little bit of calm color white is so calming.

we all have some white some where in our homes to pull together

I love this little jeweled bird he just fits on top of his own cupcake stand

White gardenias are my favorite flower

 a little display of white flowers in a white pitcher

Add a little white frame with what else ?cakeplates

and a sweat little angel with white pearls

a sweet little white lace to finish this off. Hope you are all well with your winters. Color is coming to all of us soon