Mad Tea Party 2016

Welcome! to the 9th Annual Bloggers Tea Party hosted by A Fanciful Twist.  

This year I held an actual tea party for my children and their friends.  And as usual, I created something new to celebrate the event.  New to Watermelon Party are a 

Watermelon Surprise Ball and a Strawberry Surprise Ball. 

 Each one has at least 6 prizes wrapped within layers and layers of colorful streamers.  

On the menu:

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast roll ups with powdered sugar 

Whipped Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Flower Shaped Sugar Cookies

Milk Chocolate Frosted Pound Cake

Four different teas and drinks.

Our little guests practice their "pinky finger drinking".  Did you know?...Since ancient Rome, a cultured person ate with 3 fingers, a commoner with five. Thus, the birth of the raised pinkie as a sign of elitism. This 3 fingers etiquette rule is still correct when picking up food with the fingers and handling various pieces of flatware. 

After the tea and snacks they opened their surprise balls.

Thanks for visiting!  Check out other Tea Party goers at AFancifulTwist.com.

Where Bloggers Create 2016

When I made the decision to move my workspace from the basement to the playroom I must admit, I was a bit overwhelmed.  How was I going to fit everything in a space that measures only about 5 x 7 and was mostly windows and a door?!    With a lot of purging and focus on only the bare necessities, I made it work.  I left completed projects and packing supplies downstairs and brought up only the things that I would use on a regular basis.

The basement was a nice place to work but it was too far from my living space and I felt like I wasn't getting as much work done as I wanted.  With my workspace back upstairs I am able to create and keep an eye on the kiddos.  One side of the room is dedicated to my workspace and the other side is divided off to a play area with toys, costumes, kitchen set and craft supplies.  There is another door on their side so the areas are easily separated.

Most of my own artwork is stored away which allows me to display collections from other favorite artists.  Including some art done by my children.

Live plants (albeit small) help balance the space.  Pruning the leaves and rearranging the small scenes is relaxing and it's a nice break for when I'm having a creative block.  

I surround myself with inspiring and pretty things.  A few of my favorite dolls are from Du Buh Du Designs, Deerfield Farm, Cart Before the Horse and Miss Clara.

 An antique plaster and wood theater is a recent purchase along with the glass glitter letters A-R-T from Wendy Addison.  Every now and then my husband annoyingly switches the letters around to see how long it will take me to notice that I have a RAT or TAR hanging in my room.

One of my favorite art quotes is surrounded by some findings from Parcel, the best store to find unique and nostalgic items.

An easy (and very cheap) way I store and display my paints is by 

using cardboard boxes with the backs and fronts tucked in.  

It takes up hardly any space and it prevents the paint tubes from rolling all over the place while I can easily see the color I want. 

Thanks for visiting during this years Where Bloggers Create!