Curiouser and Curiouser

Well hello!

These past two months have been crazy and exhausting, which is why you haven't heard much from my little corner of the world :P
It seems that at least one part of every year (if not more) I let myself get overwhelmed with life, which leads to me neglecting things I like to do. Blogging being near the top of the list. *sigh*

In my last post I believe I mentioned being in an Alice in Wonderland mood at the beginning of April. Well, you finally get to find out why!

I have been wanting to host an Alice themed tea party for like, EVER and I finally told my family that I would be hosting our Easter. With a twist :D

So naturally, I went all out.

Here we have the 'Drink Me' bottle which made Alice shrink, the 'Eat Me' cake which made her grow, and the key that magically appeared only AFTER she drank from the shrinking potion. Ironic, huh?

I read the 'Splintered' series during my party planning. I have to say I had high expectations for these and I was rather disappointed. There were a lot of things I liked about them, being Alice in Wonderland inspired and all, but the sexual innuendos and behavior of some of the characters made me not want to finish them. But I did, and I was very happy with the ending. By the way, I liked Morpheus better than Jeb in the end :) (I knew you'd be dying to know, Cait!) It was actually pretty tough to decide between the two, which I can't say the same for in other love triangles.

My collection of Alice books and decks of cards I found at a thrift store that reminded me of Wonderland.

THE FOOD! I made too much as usual, but it was gooooood. Lots of little tea sandwiches that Mom helped me make :)



I just made them up with ingredients I had. Here are the recipes if anyone is interested:

Cucumber Goat Cheese Sandwiches

1 loaf Gluten free or Regular Bread ,cut into fourths
8 oz. Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese (add a bit of water or milk to make it spread easier)
1 Cucumber, cut into thin rounds
1 bunch of Chives, cut into thirds
1 bunch of Dill, broken off into 1 in. sprigs

Take one of the bread pieces and spread on the goat cheese. Place the chive sprig first, then the cucumber, and top with the dill sprig.

Turkey Bruschetta Sandwiches

1 loaf Gluten free or Regular Bread, cut into fourths
1 pack of Turkey or another kind of lunch meat, also cut into fourths
1 jar of Bruschetta Spread
1 bunch of Parsley, broken off into 1 in. sprigs

Spread the bruschetta on the bread. Put the lunch meat on and then top with the parsley sprig,

Enjoy!

This was my second attempt at making petite fours and I was so happy with how they turned out!!!!!! They tasted AMAZING. I was quite sad when the last one was eaten. Definitely making more soon. Here is the recipe I used. I added vanilla extract instead of orange.

 

I found these plates, brand new and still shrink wrapped, at a thrift store a few years ago. I was saving them specifically for this occasion :)

         

I had a heck of a time finding these :P I looked everywhere EXCEPT the sugar aisle. I know. I figured they would be in the tea and coffee section but nooooo, they had to be in a logical place.



That's right, you aren't seeing things. Those are mushroom cookies, baby. A fellow blogger made a TON of Alice in Wonderland delicacies for a friend's party and she found this mushroom cookie recipe.

 

The dining room table. I made quite a mess! Also, my 'talking' flowers.



I had fun throwing them on the table :D

 

The 'Mad' Tea Party. I was so happy the weather cooperated with me! It wouldn't have been the same had I had to have inside. It was so warm being in the sun during the afternoon, that my brother actually fell asleep. At the table. I thought it was quite fitting for a mad tea party, and now I have blackmail pictures :D

 

 

My sister's contributed some of their dust collectors to complete the look :)

 

 

One of them even had this little dormouse-y fellow!

 

 

I made name place cards for everybody and I used my sister's collection of old keys to make it look cool. Did I mention some of my family dressed up for the occasion? *sigh* A dream come true!

 

 

I was Alice, of course. My sister, brother-in-law, and brother were 'cards' made from poster board. My Dad was the Mad Hatter. Mom was the Red Queen. My aunt and her friend dressed up as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. My nephew and nieces had bunny and mouse ears on. Everyone looked awesome and I'm so happy they agreed to dress up!!!! It's more fun that way.

 

 

My sweet husband consented without (much) complaint to be the Cheshire Cat, his favorite character! He even climbed a tree so I could take pictures :) I told him to give me his biggest, toothiest smile.

 

 

"I'm afraid so.You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

 

 

I had a mirror and a clock leaning against a tree. The roses are actually from Picmonkey since some of my siblings were in the reflection who have requested to not have their pictures shared on my blog.

 

 

I found this awesome contraption at a local boutique. It was a tea cup attached to a distressed bed post. Adorbs.

 

My red and white 'rose' bushes. I just stuck some fake ones in for the party.

Me and Chessie :D

 

 

I love these socks!

 

We ate delicious food, played croquet, set up an Easter egg hunt, had fun being crazy at the mad tea party, and basically had a smashing good time :) It was a blast.

 

Sunday Waffles, Trips to the Library, And Thrifty Finds!

Well hi there! It has been awhile. *apologetic smile*

I don't recall summer ever being this busy :P This month has toned down on all the hustle and bustle but I still feel like it's going too fast :P Ya with me?

So between work and get-togethers I have been able to fit in quite a few projects these past two months! OH FRABJUS DAY! I know, right? I have even remembered to (wait for it...) take before AND after pictures of some of the projects I've completed. I'm usually terrible at doing that, guys!  *pats self on back*

Onto the pictures!

Three Sundays ago, Robert and I unintentionally started a tradition. A WAFFLE tradition! Who knows if it will stick, but we've had waffles for three Sundays in a row now and who are we to stop it? ;) I shall proceed to make you hungry with these next couple of pictures:

My waffles topped with strawberries, blueberries, and honey. Is your mouth watering yet?

Robert's waffles topped with apricot jam, honey, and peanut butter.

We went to the library and came out with more than we'd planned :D I tried to stay away, really! But, but, just look and that scrumptious stack!

This is the dress I got myself in celebration of getting my license! It reminded me of rainbows. I like rainbows.

I also got these! Russian nesting doll key covers and a tea strainer! *squeals* I collect Russian nesting dolls, so obviously I'm in love with these.

Isn't she cute?!?! She just floats in your tea cup looking super adorable.

This is the Sacred Heart of Jesus driving cross that Mom gave me :) And the pretty heart earrings that go perfectly with a necklace Robert made me a while back.

First project! This was an old frame that Robert's Mom gave us and it happened to be the 'almost' perfect size for one of our puzzles we had been wanting to frame. So I painted it with the leftover red paint that I used in the Phantom of the Opera music room.

Voila! Robert cut the matting down to size, glued the puzzle together and onto the matting since we opted not to buy glass for it. I love it and it is now quite happily hanging in the dining room :)

Nerdy cups! Over the past year I've developed this nice collection. My family enjoys choosing who they are going to be every time they come over :)

I found the large mermaid when I was out shopping and my brother brought back this little mermaid after a trip. Both needed some tops painted on them! So here they are, all complete and awkward-free. I LOVE mermaids! Our bathroom is mermaid /sea themed and I'm always looking for something new to add.

New shoes! I've been needing some new tennis shoes for a while now and I found this brilliantly blue pair at Wally World :) I also finally had a good excuse to buy myself a pair of wellies. I've been looking for the perfect pair for a looooong time and here they are! More rainbow awesomeness :D

My niece's birthday is coming up and I was trying to think of what to get her the other day. I found these shirts in the women's section at Goodwill and came up with the idea to refashion them into dresses for her! I can't wait to see what she thinks of them!

I also found all of this on the same Goodwill trip! Some of the shirts might get refashioned for my future little girls. Goodwill is awesome.

THIS is a sign I have been wanted to create for a loooong time now and I finally did it the other day!!!!!! It will be going in our kitchen once we glue the hanging attachments on the back. The sign was inspired by the song 'Scarborough Fair'. This picture doesn't do it justice :P We don't have a lot of natural light in our house so it's hard to get really good pictures while inside.

This is my latest project. This is a desk that my sister was getting rid of and I claimed it as my own. It definitely needed some character added to it though, so I decided to give it a nice coat of paint.

I know the paint looks white in this picture but try to believe that it is really a very light blue. I just put some clear coat on it tonight so hopefully it is totally done!! It will be going into my craft room once it's dry :)

*sigh* I feel so accomplished :) I need to keep being creative 'cuz I seem to thrive when I'm working on a project!


How has your summer been so far?


Love you guys!

Cheers :)

P.S. I have read 47 books this year!!!!!!!!! How many have you read? I wish I could be as dedicated a reader as somebody else I know..... *looks meaningfully at Cait* :D Someday, I tell you! SOMEDAY.

Autumn Loveliness

Hello September!

I have been so looking forward to autumn. This is the time of year when my love of creativity is renewed and I feel like I can do anything! I have already started three crochet projects :) And if I remember to take pictures of them I'll share them with you, but for now I'll just tell you what they are.

1. A Gryffindor Scarf - Which I actually started last October but never finished. I was Hermione for Halloween and my fiancé (now husband) was Sirius Black. I ended up not needing the scarf so since I had no deadline anymore, I didn't finish it :P I always work better with deadlines.

2. A Civil War Handbag - I also had already begun this, a few years back actually, but that aside I am determined to finish it by the time our local Civil War re-enactment comes around, which is at the end of this month. See? Deadline. (In my defense, I have already completed three of these lovely handbags. This one is for my sister.)

3. Fingerless Gloves - This I started in August, but felt guilty about the scarf and handbag soooo this is being put on hold at the moment. The yarn is scrumptious though! Lion brand Amazing yarn in the  "Glacier Bay" color.

I love being busy with crafty things :)

So as I've been dreaming of autumn and all the loveliness that comes with it I decided that I am going to have a Halloween/Phantom of the Opera party! I'm so psyched :) I haven't had a family get together at my house yet and I've just been itching to have something. *Squeals* And I love throwing parties :) I also have no limits to decorations ( now that I have my own house) so this is going to be so much fun!

Here's a list of my favorite things about Autumn:

1. The colors - Burgundy, Sage, Burnt Orange, Brown, and Yellow, and Black. Ah, me! They set my heart a-flutter.  

2. Leaves -  I happen to like raking leaves and they are so full of color. Especially the red ones :)

3. Long walks on a brisk fall day with someone you love. And a scarf. Don't forget the scarf.

4. Creative-ness -  I feel so much more inspired and inclined to make things during the fall season.

5. Tea and Cider -  I don't like drinking hot things during the summer, so now I have an excuse :) I'm not a big fan of tea, but I'm a bigger fan in the fall and winter months.

6. Pumpkins and mums - The smells, the colors, the look, what's not to like?

7. Halloween - I LOVE to dress up. This year I think I'm going to be Christine from the Phantom of the Opera and have my husband be the phantom. He doesn't mind :) I don't think he would dress up if he didn't have me to give him a nudge, but he draws the line where he
wants it. And hey, at least my costume ideas are cool :D

I'll stop there for now. I could go on and on and on but then we'd be here forever.

What are your favorite things about autumn? Planning a Halloween costume yet? I'd love to know!

As for me, I will be planning away :) BYE!

~Mary~

For the Love of Tea

For the Love of Tea by fairymary95 featuring wedding earrings