Keeping Valentine's Simple

Over the years we have had so many fun Valentine's Day celebrations. This year we are keeping life simple by having a family taco party with friends. I had great ambitions of making elaborate V-Day cards with the kids, but as time passed and having 30 cards held over our heads, we have simplified. Keeping life simple these days is on the top of my 2015 to do list. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Besos,

Mel

Annual Tea Party

Last week we celebrated Valentine's Day. One tradition we have created as a family is to have a fancy tea party on Valentine's Day; this was last year's post. We had so much fun. Sophia requested sushi rolls instead of tea sandwiches and plenty of chocolates. I think we did well and covered it all. Here is how it all turned out!

One thing I always keep in mind when I set a table to remember to add layers and textures. I found these birch placemats at a wholesale shop. I LOVE them. I also found the stump in the same shop. Remember my post on V-Day a couple weeks ago? This is the tissue paper I bought at Target, for 58 cents. I love what the design added to our settings. 

There is no secret that I LOVE colored candles, especially when you find them attached at 2 for 3.99, you can not beat that. 

I also love mixing blues, reds, and pinks together. I just love how well they come together. P.S. we included chocolate covered cheerios from Jacque Torres, and they were a hit!

In the end we had cupcakes, played Valentine's day Bingo, and everyone one was happy. 

Happy Celebrating,

Mel

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have been busy this week arranging flowers for friends' wives. I have had so much fun and loved shopping in the market this week. If you love pinks you would have loved shopping the floral district.  My theme of this year has been flowers from STILL LIFE. I have been combing through paintings of still life images of flowers. I love how dreamy and romantic floral paintings can be. I have to say, I have shifted from mod design to the eclectic. 

MIL BESOS

MEL

Sewing Quick Pillow Covers

Up until last week, the guest room was looking pretty bare and needed something to tie together the floral headboard and the rest of the neutral room.  Since my linens are all white, I decided a throw pillow for the bed would be the perfect place for a new pattern.  I wanted a rectangular pillow form on the larger side and picked up this soft, very affordable one at Hobby Lobby (SO conveniently located right next to my home away from home, Home Depot:)).  

I chose this fabric for its fun, whimsical feel and its perfect combination of pinks and reds (to tie in the headboard) with blues and creamy beiges (for the rug). I love how it has both scrolly floral patterns plus fun animals-- it's just the kind of thing I would have loved as a child (and apparently still do!).  Plus the name is great: Uzbek Jewel.

My pillow form was 14" x 28", so I measured my fabric and cut two rectangles leaving 1" extra on each edge-- so in this case 16" x 30".  To create the piping around the edges I cut 2 1/2" strips of fabric at a 45 degree angle, which gives it flexibility for rounding the corners, even if you are using a stiff material.  Then I wrapped the strip around some cotton upholstery cording and stitched all the way down, keeping the needle as close to the cording as possible.  

With the welting all stitched and ready to go, I turned the two front sides of my rectangles to face each other and positioned the cording-- rounded side inwards-- around the edges, pinning to hold it all together.  Then I just used a simple straight stitch, again keeping close to the bump of cording, to sew about 3/4 of the way around, leaving a hole to turn it inside out.

 To allow the cording to wrap around the corners without buckling, I snipped several cuts into the extra fabric before pinning into place. 

I am usually too impatient to bother with sewing in zippers to my pillows, and I'm afraid this case was no different.  Instead I crammed the pillow form into the hole left open in the case, pinned the opening together and stitched it closed as close to the edge as possible.  And done!  It's such a quick, satisfying project, and you can change up the look of a room so easily with new pillows.

xo

Liza

Simple Valentines...

Sophia and I have been working diligently on her Valentine's Day cards for her classmates. Since she has such a large class we started the process a little early, but found these cards to be so simple you could get them done before Thursday. 

WHAT YOU NEED

 colored paper

paper bags

colored tape 

animal images

heart cookies

paper straws

HAPPY VALENTINING!!!

BESOS,

MEL

Valentines Day Ideas

Hi All, with Valentine's Day just one week away we are in full swing prepping for our annual tea part. Remember this post. Each year Jake and I host a little tea party for our sweeties.  Thankfully Liza is kind enough to gift Sophia beautiful tea cups throughout the year and we are able to have a very fancy teatime.  

A week ago I was visiting Liza in KY and while I was there I made two, well three trips to Target. I could honestly go there everyday and find some I NEED. I actually think I save money by living in NYC because there are no Targets within walking distance. 

MY FINDS

BINGO
S & H love playing games and as soon as I say this 5.00 BINGO I knew it was for them.

I also found this lovely patterned tissue paper. I just love all the bark patterns out there and hey you can not beat the price, 58 cents is a steal.

SIPS
One drink we will not do without is pink lemonade. There is nothing more fun then pink lemonade in a fancy pink glass. I picked up these dainty glasses at Anthropologie.

Each year I have so much fun dressing up the table for Valentine's Day. Last summer I picked up these oil cloth table covers. I love the patterns and they are so easy to clean, you just wipe them down, they truly are NO fuss.

Come back next week for our table setting reveal.

Besos in Pink!


Mel