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Mardi Gras Tree + Paper Lanterns…Oh My!

Deck the halls for Mardi Gras with purple, green, and gold! It’s easy to get the celebration started early, even before the parades begin, with this Mardi Gras Tree tutorial. Festive, lighted paper lanterns add all of the extra ambiance you need! Just so you know, I did receive fun decor from Oriental Trading® to facilitate this post, but all opinions are entirely my own.

There’s no need to take down the Christmas tree! The Christmas season (my FAVE) is over at the end of December, right? You loved the lights and magic of the season, right? Yea, me too. Keep that magic going because Mardi Gras is right around the corner and you can leave your (fake) tree up (sans the Christmas decorations, of course) and repurpose it into a Mardi Gras Tree! I’m about to tell you how to do that beautifully, affordably, and how to add some extra ambiance to the PAR-TAY. Y’all ready for this?

First, let’s set the mood! There’s no better way to set the mood for any party or celebration than festive colors and lighting. For Mardi Gras, as I’ve done with many other holidays, I chose to adorn my living spaces with paper lanterns! But for Mardi Gras, I stepped it up a notch and my paper lanterns are lit up like Mardi Gras Trees (see what I did right there?).

How to decorate a Mardi Gras Tree

Let’s get back to the star of the show…the Mardi Gras Tree, shall we? It’s fun, it’s festive, and it’s so easy to create with affordable Mardi Gras decor! All you need are a few simple things and you can set it up however you’d like!

The tree, of course, which you still have left up from Christmas…score!
Mardi Gras Feather Masks
Purple Glitter Tulle
Random Party Favors and Peacock Feathers (to poke out from the tree for added flair and dimension)
Christmas Tree Ornaments in Purple, Green, and Gold
Tree Topper (Since I live in Galveston, I was able to find this crown table topper at my local big box store, but you can get creative here with whatever you can find or make!)

Simply drape the tulle around the tree – or down it as I did in this case – then add your ornaments, masks, feathers, and random party favors, then top it off with your star, crown, or whatever else you can imagine. The result is fun, festive, and a party atmosphere that everyone will love!

Mardi Gras Paper Lanterns for Ambiance

Now, let’s talk about those paper lanterns again, shall we? You can get these in a variety of sizes, textures, patterns, and colors from Oriental Trading®. For Mardi Gras, I obviously went with purple, green, and gold. I chose the 12″ lanterns, got a set of six each, and hung them all around the house for a night time parade experience. These would look fantastic outside on a deck for a party, but it’s so windy in Galveston ALL. THE. TIME that I just can’t take that route!

To get the lighted lantern effect, I got some submersible (yup, they work under water too!) white LED lights and just tucked them into each lantern for that night time glow and ambiance I was going for. It worked out beautifully, dontchathink?

After that, just toss a few beads around, put up some themed tinsel and boas, and you’ve got yourself a full-blown parade right in your own home…just like that!

It’s your turn! Mardi Gras festivities are starting soon – February 2 through 13th, 2018 in fact – and you need to get ready for the party. Here at my house, every day’s a parade thanks to a little imagination, a lot of fun, and affordable decor from Oriental Trading®. I still have a Mardi Gras door wreath to make, so wish me luck (my first ribbon wreath ever) and stay tuned for that post in the very near future! Happy Mardi Gras, y’all! If you’re in the area, I sure hope to see you at all of the parades!

Patriotic Summer Beach House Decor

By Christy 1 Comment

Holiday decorating is a family tradition that everyone can enjoy. Thanks to my partnership with Oriental Trading, I was able to transform my home into a special Patriotic Summer Beach House to celebrate the summer holidays!

If you follow along here, or on Facebook, you probably already know that I’m obsessed with decorating for the holidays. Inarguably, Christmas is my favorite (I am actually an elf in mommy clothing after all), but I don’t discriminate against the other holidays. Whether it be Halloween, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, or really any other holiday, I’m always down for making the house fun for the kids, and for me if we’re being honest!

Patriotic Summer Beach House Decor

Although Christmas is my favorite, summertime decorating is a total win all around; a ~~lazy~~ busy mom’s decorating dream come true so to speak. Why, you ask? Because what’s better than THREE patriotic holidays in a row? That’s right, one set of decorations, a one-time set up, and BAM…you’re done decorating for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day…just like that!

Red, white, and blue everything…all summer long. From Patriotic Hanging Lanterns lined neatly (hello OCD) in your beach den with tiki bar, of course…

To Patriotic Windsock String Lights lighting the way on entryways throughout your home, you really can’t go wrong!

This year, I went with an American theme and I’m glad I did because this heavy-duty Cloth Americana Bunting and matching Cloth Vintage Pillar Buntings have really been standing up well to these crazy storms we’ve been having in Galveston so far this summer. Seriously….so much wind and rain, it’s insane!

Although I do primarily do all of my holiday decorating for my kids (and me), I really want anyone that stops by to feel welcome, so a patriotic welcome sign (or any other welcome sign) should always be on every home door…all the time. That’s my tip for the day; you’re welcome!

It’s not too late to decorate for your patriotic summer! The 4th of July is right around the corner and we still have Labor Day. Oriental Trading has everything you need at affordable prices with quick shipping. Your kids will thank you and you’ll enjoy knowing you don’t have to decorate again until Halloween. Show everyone how proud you are to be an American with your Patriotic Summer Beach House Decor. It doesn’t take a long time or a lot of money, and it’s SO. MUCH. FUN!

A Family Beach Day, A Day in Photos

By Christy Leave a Comment

A family beach day is so cleansing to the soul. Sometimes, words aren’t necessary when the photos tell their own story. This is one of those occasions, and I’ll enjoy this photo journal for years to come! Random thoughts from a mom after a day at the beach.

Sometimes, just letting them enjoy each other’s space is enough.

And most of the time, just letting them be them…well, it’s enjoyable for both of you. I dig his style!

Bubbles! What’s a beach day without bubbles? What’s any good day without bubbles, actually?

A day without bubbles is like a day without a beach ninja. I mean, it’s not even really a day, is it?

The only sad part of the day is when you look through the lens and realize they might be growing up too fast. It all goes by too fast. Until…

You realize that one of them is looking back at you, from inside of a sand hole, enjoying life like only a small child can, and you realize that there are still many years of joy, and frustration, to come. Be still my heart!

And then there’s this. THIS is the beginning of a memory in the making, with a man that you adore making memories with.

It ended way worse than this, of course, but I was too busy unburying my baby (face and all) to get a photo. Sometimes, like this time, it’s not OK to just sit back and be the spectator…because…buried alive?!?!

And just when you realize you’re absent from your own online album, all of your family photos, you see that you were there all along. In their reflection. Capturing every moment. While they looked adoringly at you, and you realize you’re doing exactly what you were meant to do all along. Take care of them, love them, enjoy the moment, and capture the memories in their reflection while they reflect on the love that you give them.

In the end, that’s all that matters. The memories, their love, capturing their beauty. When you realize you’re doing what you love…while you’re watching the ones you love the most…enjoy themselves? That’s when you know you’ve made it. That’s when you know your life, your world is complete. That’s the moment you realize you’re living the life you intended, the life you’ve always wanted to live. That’s when you know love.

I know all of these things, and I’m glad my camera reminds me daily. I’ve made it. I’m happy to be in their reflections. I’m just happy. Not everyone achieves that level of success in life. I’m content that I’ve found my success from within my own little world.

Are you?