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Birds of a Feather Luncheon

Recently my crafty friends and I enjoyed a Bird-themed luncheon.  We were being instructed by the very talented Hap on how to watercolor paint a bird and a sunflower.  She made us all look like accomplished artists. 

Here is the bird she taught us to paint


It's my first attempt, so don't judge to harshly, okay?


This is my sunflower attempt, much better.  Hap did, however do all the beautiful outlining.
 
Take a look at the bird theme tablescape we enjoyed with our Thai lettuce wrap luncheon.

The bird themed plates are from Pottery Barn (a few years ago).

Unfinished wooden bird houses served as nametags.

The beautiful vintage blue glassware is from the 1930's.  I was blessed to find it at a reasonable price.

Thee pattern is Fosteria June Blue.


Wood handled flatware and natural colored napkins finish the look.

A natural looking plant served for much of the centerpiece.  It didn't seem right  to add a lot of flowers.


 The cutest looking salt and pepper shakers ever!
 


Blue birds were  positioned at each end of the table so that all could enjoy.
 
I hope you have enjoyed this little walk through the birds lives.
My group and I..."Birds of a Feather Flock Together".

Have a Tweet Day!




How to Make a Designer Tray for a Fraction of the Cost!

 

Greetings my friends!  

Today I will show you how to make a MacKenzie Childs knock off tray for a fraction of the cost.  My crafty friends and I undertook this project with great anticipation and we were not disappointed! 

 


Below is a look at the higher priced MC tray

 

 

 Here is the tray we made for under $20! You  could spend more to find a tray with sides and open handles but I like the openess of the one below.

 
 The completed tray 


 
You can embellish it any way you wish.  The black and white striped ribbon is a MC look.

Here's how you can make it:

Start with an unfinished wood 17' by 17" frame.  I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby.  With a 40% off coupon you can get it for $6.

 

Purchase a 12" by 12" square of black and white tile at Home Depot for about $10. Remove the tiles from the mesh.. Glue all of them to the bottom of the inside of the frame with E6000 glue.



 

                        

Tape around the tile so that you can paint the frame with black chalkboard paint. 

(So that you can write on it with chalk!) 


After you paint the frame, apply black grout between each square.  

Wipe off the excess grout.  Clean the whole tile service

I have used these numerous times in numerous ways.  They coordinate with almost everything!


Enjoy!




Wreaths With Friends



Wreath making with friends is a really  fun thing to  do.  Everyone loves the finished work.  This beautiful wreath was constructed by Jonell.




A full view of the wreath hung upon an ornate French mirror.


Everyone made a fine wreath that anyone would love to adorn their home  with. 


Me and my wreath





 A close-up of my wreath

 
If you wish to develop close relationships with other women, I highly recommend creating a group of women you enjoy and take the lead in scheduling monthly crafting events with or without food.  We always have either brunch or lunch. Lunch is such a great way to wind down after a few hours of crafting and completely enjoy each other's company.  Eight of us have been meeting for about four years now, once a month and we all make it a priority in our lives because we enjoy what we do and who we do it with immensely. 

You might ask, "How do you know what crafts to do?"  I have found success in choosing something I want to learn.  Finding out how to do it, then teaching my friends.  They teach me a great deal along the way too.   I try to select things that people would actually want, either for themselves or for giving to others.  Pinterest is a great source of ideas.  I have several boards designed for crafting.  Feel free to look me up and check them out.

In the coming days I will share with you a list   of over 40 crafts we have made together.  Who knows, maybe someday I'll compile them in a book in order to help others experience the fun and bounding we have enjoyed over the years. 

Until next time,  Debbie

Host A Luncheon Amid Pink Roses

Greetings friends!  I hosted a monthly craft event for seven close friends and me.  Every month I plan something for us to make and a delightful brunch or lunch. We always have a great time and, so far, the ladies all seem to love the crafts we create together. At one such event we all designed spring wreaths for our homes.  Wow!  What fun and creativity swirled in the air.  I will show you pictures of what we created toward the end.

Knowing me, you know I LOVE to set beautiful tables and have scrumptious food for them to indulge in.  We dined on a unique Apple Ginger Salad.



We also partook of HoneyBaked Ham and Turkey Croissant sandwiches and had old-fashioned Lay's BBQ potato chips.  If that wasn't enough nostalgia, we finished our luncheon with warm butterscotch pudding and a heart-shaped, un-frosted sugar cookie. It really surprised me how much everyone loved my simple but love-filled luncheon, especially the pudding! If it were polite and we were less than the ladies we are, I think we all would have licked the pudding dishes!
 


Pictured above is the vintage Metlox Vernon Rose dishes that I have collected over the past few years set for my lovely friends. The sherbet glasses are Morgantown Pink Crinkle glass. The water glasses are a Pink Diamond optic pattern that I have yet to identify.  Perhaps you will notice in a future picture that the flatware is Oneida Golden Damask Rose.  I inherited this set from my sweet mother-in-law.
 

Fresh flowers always elevate your tablescape greatly.  Wrapped within a cellophane bag, adorned with a pink satin bow, are rose buds soaps upon vintage Candlewick rectangular glass pieces.  Each lady took one home as a sweet remembrance of the day.




These colors and dishes make my heart go pitter-patter. I LOVE pink! I constructed the roses with a mixed white arrangement and pink roses.



Love the roses, Alstameria, Queen Anne's Lace and other white flowers.