Birthday Magic | 25th Birthday Picnic

Hello Friends!

So it has been a hot minute since we have posted anything thanks to all the summer festivities that have been going on. The most recent summer festivity, my 25th birthday!! As you may remember last year I celebrated with a Lobster Bake. This year I wanted a more laid back picnic themed family dinner, and here is the result!

PICNIC VIBE

I 100% knew that I wanted to eat on the ground, but also knew I didn't want my food in my lap. We remedied this situation by boosting a large wooden pallet up with 4 concrete blocks. Since pallets have big gaps between the wood, we set another thin flat surface on top so our drinks, etc. wouldn't fall through. To cover it up we used sheets that were floral, pastel, and light. I didn't want any heavy colors weighing down the party atmosphere, so white based sheets were a must.

If a birthday picnic was a recipe, a tree would be the secret ingredient. I know this might seem silly, but a tree is integral to creating shade, hanging things on, and just all around looking cute in the background.

EXTRA PADDING NEVER HURTS

For seating we used outdoor cushions, but normal pillows would have worked fine too. We used these ones because we have outdoor furniture they go on and were easily accessible. I also added a couple throw pillows, simply for décor purposes.

BIRTHDAY ATTIRE

For my birthday outfit I wore a long dress from Rue 21 to match the vibe of the dinner. I also made a floral crown with fresh flowers (p.s. Kroger's fresh flowers are sooooo much nicer than Walmart's fresh flowers). I used green wire, green floral tape, and pink and gold ribbon from Pat Catan's to make the floral crown. I premade it and kept it in the fridge until it was time to wear it. The crown surprised me and stayed looking fresh for TWO DAYS afterwards!! How crazy was that!?

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

For dinner I wanted my favorite food: shrimp, asparagus, pasta, and sweet potatoes (fun fact: sweet potatoes are my favorite food... like EVER!!). I also wanted pink lemonade because I feel like its cousin, yellow lemonade, gets used a lot more and I feel sorry for pink lemonade. Yes, I understand that it's irrational for me to feel sorry for something that's inanimate, but tell my feelings that.

Okay, so cake. I wanted TONS of candles. Little candles, big candles, sparklers. The photo above where Rem and I are making O's with our mouths is the moment when a sparkler caught fire literally took our breath away. It was simply stunning!

LIGHTING 

The star of the show was definitely the lighting. When the sun finally sank past the horizon, the fairy lights had their moment to create magic. Literally, it was magical. I bought 4 battery operated paper lanterns to hang from the tree. They created a soft ambient lighting that complimented the Thomas Edison fairy lights. I bought 2 strands of the Thomas Edison fairy lights from Kroger (ON SALE for $10 each #BargainShopper). We also had torches in buckets of gravel to string everything together. The torches were filled with bug repellent and were a must to keep the bugs away.

FINALE

To finish off the night, we set up the outdoor theater and watch A Royal Night Out on the side of the house. All in all the picnic dinner theater night was a huge success! I loved every minute of it and cannot wait to recreate another similar summer night!

Any questions? Comment them below!

Tilly

Mothers Day | 2016

Hello Everyone,

Although our Mothers are near and dear to our hearts everyday, we have a special day set aside every year in May to celebrate them.  As the long winters end and the smell of spring is in the air, we join together to honor the greatest women in our lives.  Mothers deserve so much for are their hard work, dedication, and grace they show to the ones they love.  For this reason we set up a few sweet items that any Mom would like to have for breakfast to let her know that she is truley favored and highly blessed on this special day.  One of the most iconic ways to tell someone they are special are with fresh flowers! Fresh flowers are inexpensive and vastly accessible during this time of year. In addition to flowers, we set up some strawberry pancakes, cupcakes, and muffins.  Garnished everything with fresh strawberrys and a few extra added touches.  Last but not least we added in a little spot of tea.  Tea will make any place setting feel distinguished and special.  This is a wonderful opportunity to find out your Mother's favorite tea and suprise her with it on Mothers Day.  We pray blessings on all dedicated Mothers and hope this inspires you and all Mothers out their on their wonderful day.

 

God Bless,

 

Trina Belle

Decorating | Tea Pots and Tea Cups

Hello friends,

My mother and I have accrued multiple tea pots and tea cups through vintage shopping. I have been asked more than once what we do with it all. The answer is simple: we decorate with them!

A recently purchased of mine has been this tea cup (Rose Bouquet made in England by the Johnson Bros.) antique shopping for a mere $8. I decided to place in on top a couple books stacked on my nightstand. The other items on my nightstand are quite taller than the tea cup, so providing it with some elevation, helps to balance out the arrangement.

On a little round table in my room, I have placed a gold and white tea pot (made in Japan, no company stamp) with some other items in the same color scheme. There are two candles, one if front of the teapot and one top of a couple books. There are also two plants, one real in the glass case and one artificial flower in a glass jar. Keeping a color theme on a table is a great way to bring the pieces together and really make them look like they belong on the table.

Since I use my vanity daily I don't want a lot placed on it because it would get in my way. Here I simply have a pitcher I picked up for $12 antique shopping. In the pitcher I have my Maid of Honor bouquet I carried on my best friend's wedding day. This just helps to bring some extra color into my room in a unique way.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I incorporate my antique tea finds into my bedroom décor. Please send me pictures of how you decorate with tea things! Also comment below which of the three decorating looks was your favorite.

Hope you have a great day!

Tilly 

Tea Time Decoration

Hello Everyone,

I simply love to look and shop for teapots.  I have made quite a collection over the last few years and love to decorate and use them whenever possible.  I am always scouting thrift stores and magazines for new ideas.  Imagine my delight when I found a feature of a tea set in Tea Time Magazine for the March/April 2015 edition that is similar to one I already own.  Not only is this encouraging and inspiring, but the colorful blooms in this chintz-patterned tea set is a reminder that warmer weather is upon us.  How sweet to know that we can start to celebrate spring and summer with a little outside tea in the garden. How will you celebrate? Comment below!

God Bless!

Trina Belle