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So, yeah...we are moving....tomorrow. And you would think packing would have been my main priority this past weekend. Well, my good sport of a husband no doubt wishes it were. But when you are moving into an apartment, and only have a backyard for one more weekend, sometimes an end-of-the-summer tea party just has to take precedence over packing. And in my opinion...it was entirely worth it.
We enjoyed a wonderful time of sipping delicious herbal teas in dainty cups and consuming delectable edibles such as Swedish meatballs, cucumber sandwiches on rye bread, deviled eggs, rosemary lemon sandwich cookies (these are to die for, truly), devils food trifle, magnolia cupcakes and lots of lemony candies.
It was my first time hosting a tea party of my own and I do believe I'm quite addicted. In fact I think I'm rather hooked on parties in general. They seem to encompass all things I love: design, decor, fashion, art, craft, food, and great company. And speaking of great company, I had a wonderful time with all the fabulously talented ladies that joined me for tea. Thanks so much for humoring me! It was great fancy fun.
If your interested in anything in the above pics, I'll try to break it down for you here:
Table cloths: Ikea fabric
Fabric banners: I made these from vintage fabrics (an easy and quick sew)
Tea pots and cups: from various antique/vintage vendors on ebay and etsy
Yellow and black silhouette china: from a local antique store
Yellow and white striped dress: I made this from umbrella awning fabric (it was the only kind I could find!) using this Butterick See & Sew B5339 pattern
If you haven't noticed, I like making things. Simple things. Easy things. I admire those that can spend hours on a just the right stitch, or those that do things over and over again just to get it right. I'm trying to work up to that...but let's be honest, I'm so not there. That is why I love little bit projects like these super easy pennant tea party invites. I made these by simply cutting decorative tape into triangles and a then sewing a stitch across the top.
Add a little hand written note, and voila! you are done.
Now that is my kind of afternoon project.
Done, and done.
Catch me over at decor8 today and see a few of my favorite nook/spots/things in my home.
Thanks Holly for inviting me to be a part of such a wonderful and inspiring series!
So here I am, having a lovely Saturday afternoon painting some dainty little tea party plates.
Jon gets home. Little A: "Dad! Mom made you a plate!". No sooner do I turn around when I see this mischievousness going on.
I see pennants. Apparently my boys see something entirely different. Something along the lines of scary, sharp teeth...
Guess I'll have to do a customized set just for my little monsters.
*addendum: Jon drew the face and put it together initially. When I went to photograph the before and after Little A refused to let me take the eyes and nose off and kept putting them back on...so I caught him in the act. And yes, that is a chocolate smear on his arm.
**If you are wanting to make your own custom plates, I used black Ceramcoat paint (instructions on bottle). The plates I found at a local thrift store (they only had two).
So I thought it might be nice to get you all that travel desk tutorial I promised you before the summer was over. Maybe you can squeeze in some sewing time right before your last road trip of the summer. This might seem pretty extensive but I promise that it's easier than it looks! My sewing skills/vocabulary/etc. are still novice so I apologize if some of the steps don't make sense. Hopefully the pictures will help.
1. Start with a board (any size you like). I used masonite but if you are intending to use this in the car it might be a better idea to go with a thick cardboard of sorts, or something softer than masonite, for safety reasons.
2. Measure the fabric so that when folded there is just enough room on the top and bottom of the board for seam allowance. Leave as much room on the sides as you like for folding over pockets.
3. Make loops for pocket closures (you can use bias tape or ribbon if you like) and sew them on the inside of the folded fabric.
4. You'll laugh but I can't remember what 4 is for. I say just ignore it.
5. Sew around fabric leaving opening for turning.
6. Turn fabric inside out.
7. Baste or mark area where board will be. Sew handle on to whichever side you want the top to be (you can also do this earlier like the loops in step three). I just realized that my drawing has the handles in different spots but I'm too lazy to fix it. Just play around and put it where you want it.
8&9. Sew on pockets (turning and sewing edges under ahead of time). I used large coat size zippers and sewed them straight onto the pocket fabric. You can also add a pencil pocket to the side.
10. Sew on pocket for board leaving opening for board to slide in and out.
11. Hand embroider initial to lower right corner (or wherever you like).
12. Fold up pockets and sew shut.
13. Sew buttons on for loops to close.
14. Sew pillow pocket. You can make this as deep or as shallow as you like. Sew sides at an angle.
15. Turn inside out.
16. Sew pillow pocket onto desk leaving opening for stuffing. Stuff pillow. Sew closed.
17. Insert board. You are done now ready to use your new desk!
*I also keep coloring and activity books under the board for storage. You can also add a metal sheet on top of the board for magnetic activities. Another variation would be to sew plastic on top to make it easy to wipe clean if used for eating. This is something I might do later.
I hope this was helpful. If you have any specific questions along the way I'll do my best to help you out. Happy sewing and last minute traveling!
**Oh and a big thanks to Ohdeedoh and Cafe Mom (and any other kind bloggers) for posting about Little A's desk!
Move over permanent marker, I now have a new, legit fabric doodle buddy. In the past I've been know to draw on sheets with permanent marker (for little A's first birthday I drew characters on sheets for the children to color in with chalk. It worked really well. When I washed the sheets the chalk came off but the marker stayed, ready for another afternoon of playful coloring). As great as this was, it was time to step it up. That's when I found these babies. Score. My head is spinning with options, ideas, and patterns.
I'm not sure what I'll do with this little pattern I'm creating (a table cloth? if I have the stamina...) but what I do know is that I'll have plenty of directed doodle time while on hold. Kenny G, bring it on, because I'm pulling up a chair and staying for a while.
(Oh and if you are wondering about the random yellow N, well little A's wooden alphabet was encroaching on my photo shoot so, being the visually obsessed mother that I am, I insisted that he choose letters that color coordinated. Makes perfect sense, right?)
On Monday we celebrated Jon's birthday. We started the day off with blueberry spice muffins, bacon and eggs and then proceeded on to gifts. Little A was very excited about this. I asked him what he wanted to give daddy and he said, "A big box! and then we can say Happy Birthday!"
So a big red box it was - complete with finger print cards from the littles (littla A turned his into a monster).
I made Jon a custom Shakespeare poster cataloging the Shakespeare roles Jon has played as well as a few famous Shakespeare quotes. After a wonderful morning we drove up the coast and found ourselves in Santa Barbara. What a marvelous day it was. Thanks Jon for having a birthday and for sharing it with us!
*Oh and thanks for all the hair advice. You guys are awesome!
Isn't the hair on this Keller NY model just heavenly? But believe you me...to get that messy, soft and tousled look, with a good bang sweep, is a whole lot harder than just waking up. After having the two littles my hair has become much more curly...or I should say "wavy" (used to be pretty much straight pre-kiddos). I like the idea of tousled hair but it is so hard to get it to look right. It either goes frizzy & poofy (too little product) or ramen noodle crunchy (too much product). The perfect balance is somewhere in between with the appropriate, magical product and styling combo. Gals with curls...give me some love. What products/styling tips do you suggest? And something a working mama could actually perform on a daily basis would be choice.
I thought I'd better share with you a few snapshots of our splendid Fourth of July celebration before the month was actually over. I'm still waiting on a few photos that my little sis took of us that I will of course post later.
I was so happy with how all the boys ensembles turned out. I managed to throw something on the sewing machine for myself the day before festivities began. It never got a zipper so I had to layer a bit but it all worked out...more or less.
and of course we can't forget the much talked about m&m display. It was all worth it, right?
We had a delicious time munching on ears of barbecued corn, dipping bread in various olive oil concoctions, sampling delectable slices of razzleberry, lemon meringue, strawberry and apple pie, and of course scooping up chocolatey crunchy goodness that most definitely melted in our hands as well as our mouths. The littles played rounds of miniature golf (the course of which was handmade by the sweat of Grandfather and father's brows), swam in pools, competed in chalkboard tic-tac-toe tournaments and most of all enjoyed eachother's company. Later there were of fire works, rocket launches, serenades and pj parties.
It was a grand ole time and the perfect way to kick off the summer.
Sorry the posting has been so infrequent as of late. I've been traveling and in the middle of Fourth of July party prep...And if I take one thing away from all of this it will be to never buy in bulk from M&M World in Vegas. Yes you may be assigned to bring red, white and blue candy for all the littles during the outdoor movie party and yes may think you are saving by avoiding paying shipping by not purchasing color coordinated candy online...but trust me...after the euphoria of seeing so many wonderful colors of m&m's dies off and you dreamily load up three bags of candy coated goodness...your jaw will drop and your hand will shake when you hesitantly hand over a sum that could easily pay for five bulk boxes of diapers...or half of a new iphone...no...just don't think about it. And don't think about how the supply will be gone is less than ten minutes...no don't think about that either. And don't think about charging the littles for each weighed and portioned serving...no that just isn't in the spirit of things...
No don't think of any of these things. Just think of how pretty it will look and how delighted it will make the kiddos. Just think of the happy red white and blue fingers and the stories you can tell.
Well, I'm traveling again tomorrow and then will officially be on vacay for a few days thereafter. Have a very Happy Fourth everyone!!
...hmm...I wonder how much each serving would have to cost to...
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