"Fascinating"" Party Idea....Cheerio!

Haven't had enough of the Royal Wedding after buzz??  Looking to get your crumb cakes going?  Then why not host a "Fascinator Party?"  That is just what my good friend, Dani, did and we had a fabulous time.

What is a Fascinator Party?  Well....it is a craft-style get together.  Everyone brings supplies to make their own British Fascinator.  The hostess sets up an area to work.  Everyone brings extra supplies to share of whatever might be laying around at home.  Remember glue guns, staplers and the like. 

I was amazed at how every-one's take on this project was so different!!  So much fun!  Take a look....

She started with some theme-specific treats...

A nice toddy.....

and the creating began................

Here are a few of the finish products!!! FUN!



My sister's fascinator...very Kate.



A prize winner! Also, very Kate!



How much fun is this?! A little more like Beatrix!



A plate of sushi! Hysterical!



Two heads are better than one!
These two sisters made hats that together made a
dachshund!



My fascinator...of course, a finch!

We had such a blast making these fun hats, but the best part was.....we continued the party at a local restaurant for drinks and a little dinner!  It was crazy fun and everyone in the restaurant had fun with us too!  Crazy women out for some fun! 

I loved my fascinator so much, I decided to add it to a candle stick holder that I picked up at a thrift store last week for 50 cents.  Walla!  My hat is now a decoration! 



You gotta try this with a group of your friends.  It's a great way to get together and do something silly.  I think the key to is to keep it simple.  My friend had a very nice table of snacks to enjoy while crafting.  Tables set up with covers in a blue and red theme is fun.  She also had two prizes for the best of Kate style and the best of Beatrix style and we all voted on slips of paper.  



First Prize was this
neat coffee mug!



Get your crumpets going and plan one of these unique parties with your friends.  It's jolly good fun and the dining out in public while showing off your creations will definitely yield a few "Cheerios!" from your fellow diners.....

-The End-

On My Soap Box For Art's Sake



Jumbled
 Artist: Lesley Litrento

Arts and cultural activities are so important.  Some people think that the arts are an extra, not an essential part of our lives.  People spend millions a year traveling to key cities where the arts are not only respected, but heavily invested in. We decorate our spaces, dress ourselves and surround ourselves with creativity. Yet what is the the first thing cut in school and government budgets?  You got it....the arts.  Okay, I am not going to get into anything political here, so relax! The point that I am making is we really do need to become more active in our communities in support of the arts.  We need to get out there and involve ourselves, even if it is only for a evening out supporting our local arts community. 

ArtServe, a community arts organization in South Florida, presented their annual event last night, "Red Eye."  The idea of this event is to fuse the visual arts with performance art, music and fashion.  The place was packed and I had a great time.  Here are some of the images from the evening, just to give you a flavor of what I saw. 

Performance Artists

Graffiti Artists

Fashion Art

Poetry Readings

Music

There is nothing like spending a few hours immersed in art and creativity.  The arts community is such a supportive, accepting and exciting place to spend an evening.  If you are a creative person, or just appreciate the arts, make sure you support these organizations by attending an event in your hometown.  Heck! It's the weekend! What are you planning to do tonight?  No plans yet?  Pick up your local newspaper and find out what's happening.  Art matters.  Get out there and mingle in it.

-The End-

Swivel Chair Reveal: A Project for my Sista

If you follow my blog you know that I have a sister who is a fourth grade teacher and is my best friend, confidant and number one fan.  Our friends refer to us as the 'sistas.'  We are most definitely a 'Power of Two!'  Individually, we have our strengths and weaknesses. Together, we are unstoppable.  We are both strong women, both creative, both passionate.  She is bossy and puts up with nothing. (I think that comes with a lifetime as a teacher.)  I am artsy, a little flaky and do whatever she tells me to do.  After all, she is my big sister and that fact will never change. 

So when she told me asked me to redo this chair that she picked up last week at a thrift store for $15 and will be using in her classroom, what was I to do but comply!!! (wink)  Now....this is where the power of two comes into play.  What makes us a strong unit is that we both know when to step aside and let the other one lead.  On this project, all she said was that I had no limits and to go wild. 

I knew that I needed a good base color to work with, so I picked up a few cans of Valspar Spray Paint in Black Satin and gave the chair several good coats of black.

After this point, I struggled with project more than most because I really wanted to make her happy the look I was after required multiple patterns and colors and the crevices where the rattan meets made it very difficult to hand paint.   After attempting a few areas, I stopped and put my thinking cap on. I just don't do anything that I don't think will be awesome.  Quite frankly, anything less?.....isn't worth my effort!  Yep. I know. Insanity.  But this chair is for my sister! My most important customer!!

After two days, and waking up at 4 AM obsessing about a solution, I came up with the idea of applying strips of decorative papers in a decoupage manner of application.  I got my stash of papers out and sorted through, picking out the patterns that I thought would clash, but compliment each other in their own right.  I painstakingly cut the strips and applied them as I went along with my Modge Podge.  Don't feel sorry for me.  I was in my studio, with my favorite music, ignoring the world and creating.  Is there anything better??  The answer is "No." 

She was okay with the fabric on the seat, but I knew that I would definitely need to change it up.  That fabric was just too conservative, predictable and well.....boring.  (Sorry sista)  At one point when I was allowing a layer of Modge Podge to set up, I searched through my stash and found, oh my, the grandest most fabulous fabric ever!!! Yeah!  A few staples later and it was good to go!   

I am super pleased with the results. With no further adieu, the results....

-Before-

-After-

So now my bossy sister has a sweet little swivel stool to sit on in front of her classroom and I have a new technique to use on a few more projects.  It's win, win.  You know.....the Power of Two. 

 -The End-
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