Backyard Tea Party

(Let's ignore the fact that I haven't blogged in weeks ok? I'm busy. lol)

And when I'm lacking ambition of my own I turn to my sisters.....
This sister of mine.  She is so stinking cute.  Her baby just turned 3 and she had the absolute cutest little birthday party/photo shoot in the backyard.
I'm not going to post pictures of just how adorable the actual child is (because sadly my talented sister stopped publicly blogging because of creeps on the internet stealing her kids pictures. gross)  But I can share a few shots of her tea party!

 The lanterns and banner are from Target!  It also helps that she has the perfect spot under this tree!

 yo-yos are our favorite!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

New Year's Vow Renewal Decorations

I'm still alive! Sorry I've been so MIA lately the holidays were CRAZY!
My husband and I visited family in Canada and the US and our house has been FULL of people and fun stuff going on so I was way too busy to blog.
But alas the family has all gone home, my husband is in Canada for 8 weeks studying for the USMLE (licensing exam for doctors) and I am here waiting anxiously to be called for a job! shew.
anyway...
I've only been talking about my sister's vow renewal for an entire year and it's already came and went!
It turned out beautifully and went off without a hitch.
well aside from the music not working... microphone set up next to a CD player it was!
I'll share the pictures in steps... today the decorations!
We decided to do every table a little different and I am so please with how they turned out.  I didn't really stick to the plan so they are quite different than my inspiration images, but still beautiful and wintery.
Sometimes a girl just has to go with what's on clearance, right?
and don't worry, I found something to wear! at a yard sale! more about it later.

 Hot Chocolate and smores bar by the fireplace!

The stage

So what did you do New Year's Eve?

Shiny Brite Christmas

My Mom has a few vintage ornaments that my sisters and I love, come to find out so do a lot of other people.
Shiny Brites!

My sister has been collecting them and last year she hit the jackpot at a second hand store.
I cannot wait to hit the thrift stores and start a collection of my own!

Since I'm doing nothing interesting these days here are a few more images from my sister's holiday home

In the new year I will be a better blogger. promise.

New Years Eve Vow Renewal Centerpieces

I've mentioned my sister's upcoming vow renewal ceremony this New Years a couple times before - most importantly - what am I going to wear?! haha. just kidding Sister.  And also the save the dates that I made using Picnik.

Now onto the decorations! yay!
For the centerpieces I have a few different ideas, most of which haven't really been run by the sister yet, but all she said was that she wanted it to be pretty! Check!

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Bottles rolled in Epsom salts to look like snow!  I love these!  So easy, cheap, and beautiful!  Does anyone at home drink wine??  I'll be accepting bottle donations!

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Keeping with the Epsom salt theme... in jars or vases it looks like snow!  I'd like to combine this idea with these hurricane vases -

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I also think that Christmas ornaments make great table decorations and can be bought by the dozen at the Dollar Tree!

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One the things I made for my wedding was tissue paper flowers and I think that white and silver tissue paper flowers will be so pretty with a winter theme.

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And one final cheapo decorating idea is to gather a bunch of branches and spray paint them silver.  I think these could be beautiful on the stage during the ceremony if done in large bundles as well as dispersed through the dining room!

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I am so excited to get home and dive into making decorations for my sister's big celebration!! I will have 1 week to make all the decorations! haha! easy right?  Thankfully I have all the vases left from my wedding to use and finding Epsom salts, branches, and silver and blue Christmas ornaments will be an easy task... I hope.

Stay tuned for many, many more ideas!  Next I'll be sharing my idea for a huge lit up ball to drop at midnight!  Have you ever had a New Years Eve party?? Any great ideas to share?

DIY Halloween Party

Last year I threw a little Halloween party at our house, mostly just because my friend Amber and I wanted an excuse to dress up.
I thought I'd share a few ideas from the party.

I was a watermelon smoothie from my favorite local shop here in Grenada called Native Foods and Fruits.

 My husband was reluctant to dress up and so he was "thinking Arby's"

I saved all my pop bottles for weeks to use as decorations.

a little bit of nail polish and electrical tape and wha-la - Halloween decor!

My banner is made from cereal boxes and drawn on with a sharpie.

Mummy utensil holder is a tin can wrapped in toilet paper.

Keeping with the ever so classy theme, we served pumpkin poop to our guests.

Scary pizza

Bones and blood
and that carved piece of pumpkin back there is the best you're going to find in Grenada.  They don't sell whole pumpkins, just portions for cooking, so we carved our little chunk I used to make pumpkin bread. 

And finally witch's brew to drink.
Want to have a frozen hand in your punch? 
Fill a surgical glove with water, freeze it, and then cut off the glove and you have a frozen hand!

I'm wanting to have another Halloween Party this year but I now have way too many friends in Grenada to host at our teeny tiny apartment so I'm looking for other options! Stayed tuned for more Halloween decor to come!

Find Halloween costume ideas for couples over at Newlyweds Bliss today!

Pretty Pumpkins

I love pumpkins.
I love to pick them, carve them, display them, and eat them.
I even like to call my husband and/or little kids pumpkin every once in a while... (my family will get this)

But {there is always a but with me huh?} no pumpkins in Grenada.  They do have them, but they are green... and they don't sell them whole.  They sell chunks to cook with.  And it isn't cheap... and I am.

These images will tide me over until next fall when I can decorate my own.
Happy Fall!

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That darn cabinet.

Do you remember that horribly awkward cabinet I have dividing my living room and kitchen?
I am still on the mission to cover up the glass panes and hide all my dishes and food that fills these cabinets.
but I think the cabinet is winning.

This is our apartment on the day we moved in.
I can't believe how empty it looks.  Where did I get all of this stuff?!
oh yea. from the trash...

Halloween Party Last year
the cabinet looks slightly less cluttered because I was literally using all our dishes for the party.
and um like jello much?

Christmas snowflakes

so apparently the bottom looked so bad I just cropped it out.

And this is what it looks like today:

I only had 2 sheets of tissue paper left, and they're not even the same color, but it is more noticeable in this photo than it is in real life, and they aren't big enough to cover the entire glass, so I added the newspaper to tie into the newspaper roses I made and for more texture, but I still don't know about it.
I want it to look full and complete, but not cluttered, you know?

Glass panes aside, I love the top shelf. 

that wine bottle again! 
I don't even drink wine, I just like the bottle.  I picked some flowers and berries & bam fall decor!
That triangle is a piece of wood I found wrapped in twine & the basket really deserves a post all of its own... it is a Calabash.  A fruit  that I picked, carved out like a basket, and let dry.  They sell them in the markets here.  When I get home I'm probably going to paint it. or not. I like the color and texture.

remember when I made magazine roses? well newspaper roses are even better!
I love the texture and they are much easier to mold into shape.

love my sign from the ditch!

Do you have a problem area in your home that you're always trying to cover up or fix?
I'm open to suggestions for mine!  But remember that I don't have a Target or Goodwill to run to buy something...