Passion for Purple: Drop Crystal Tree Centerpiece and Easy Wedding Flowers

One of the more frequent questions I get on my website and from friends is about wedding decor and flowers. People STRESS out about the flowers! Here are some images from recent weddings... all taken by our very favorite photographer, Arden Ward of Arden Photography. Take a look and get some ideas for your own wedding....  

PRETTY IN DEEP PURPLE

Purple has become one of the most popular colors for wedding decor because it really makes everything that is used with it just POP. Look at the beautiful nosegay shown below. While the arrangement and flower variety is simple and affordable, it looks rich against the deep purple gown. The same goes for the table decor to the right. Photos copyright/ courtesy of Arden Photography.

Wedding or Party Decorations: Easy Paper Lanterns

Need a fast, simple, and cheap table decoration for your wedding or party? Make these paper lanterns- they are so simple and add a pop of color to your table. You can use scrapbook paper, heavy wrapping paper, craft paper, or any stiff paper that will stand. Color coordinate with your party theme; you can personalize with stamps, punch a decoration, or ribbon trim.

EASY TABLE DECORATIONS: SCRAPBOOK PAPER LANTERNS

Scrapbook paper sheets

Double sided tape or glue stick

Mason jars or other jar, vase, etc

Candles: floating candles, tealights, or other light source

These lanterns are so easy to make and can really dress up a table or customize any party for very little money! Since scrapbook paper comes in all colors and patterns, you really have endless options. Here's the how to:

Get a sheet of scrapbook paper. If it is thick, you'll want to cut in some designs so light will shine through. If the paper is thin or you use vellum, you don't need to cut in a design. You can use a hole punch or a paper cutter- or a utility knife. Use a glue stick or double faced tape along the edge of the back side of the paper to form the paper into a cylinder.

Put the light source into the jar. LED lights work great but you don't want to see the clunky base through the paper so use a dense paper with a design at the top. You won't even need a container if you use the LED lights. If you opt for candles, including tealights or votive candles, make sure to put some sand or salt in the bottom of the vase, glass, or container to keep the candle off the bottom of the jar so that it does not get too hot. A great use for canning jars, you can cut the paper to different lengths to stagger the height of the

This is a great use for floating candles or even glo-sticks!

Place the paper cylinder over the jar.... and you have a customized lantern!

Design your paper lantern so light will shine through using a punch or create your own design!Use LED lights or flameless candles for long-lasting light! Put them in a clear canning jar or vase so the wind does not blow them over!

How To Make Speckled Easter Eggs

There are all kinds of techniques for dying Easter eggs... and it seems every year the eggs are more and more creative! I particularly love the natural look of speckled eggs and the technique is very easy to master. Here's the how-to:

Photo: Arden Photography Location: The Sonnet House Leeds, AlabamaSUPPLIES
Newspaper or something to protect the work surface

Boiled eggs or blown out eggs (I made both)

Easter egg dye- there are tons of brands. Pick one or you can use food coloring*

2 black tea bags

Plastic cups

Brown craft paint

Old toothbrush

Rubber or plastic gloves (gotta protect that manicure)

Drying rack of some sort. I used the top of a Styrofoam cooler and some toothpicks for mine. Push in 4 toothpicks and let the eggs rest on top. But you have to rotate them so they don't have a big drip mark on the bottom side.  You can also use a circle of tin foil on newspaper.  You can use straight pins and a foam board also. 

Cover the work surface with newspaper or Kraft paper. Boil 1 cup of water and add tea bags to steep to make a strong, dark tea. While the tea is steeping, boil eggs as you normally would for dying. As they are cooling, mix dye according to package directions.

Natural looking speckled eggs look best colored pale blue, aqua, pale green, soft tan, and even violet or pale pink. (Yes, there are pink eggs, I promise! ) To achieve a natural look for tan eggs, use the tea to dye the eggs. I also used a small amount of the tea to muddy the bright color of the dye to make a more natural look. Feel free to adjust the colors until you get the dye the color you want.

Once you've dyed the eggs, allow them to dry completely. For the speckle effect: dip the toothbrush in a small amount of the brown craft paint and run your finger over the toothbrush, causing the paint to splatter onto the eggs. A random pattern looks good- but keep it very light for best results. Allow to dry and you've got natural looking speckled eggs!

I also love these bright colored and glittery eggs the kids made... so cheerful and happy! No matter which way you color your eggs, I hope you create lots of fun memories for you and your family. Happy Easter!

 *Dying Eggs with Food Coloring

In a heat-proof jar (like a canning jar) mix one tablespoon vinegar, 4-5 drops food coloring, and one cup of hot water. Place the eggs into the dye for thirty seconds to one minute... the longer you leave the egg in the dye, the more intense the color will be.

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Martie Knows Weddings: Cotton Candy Tree & Candy Table Ideas

We did this adorable cotton candy tree and candy table for my sweet friend Kristina's wedding. I was looking through the images and I realized I had not posted this fun idea for a wedding or birthday party or a centerpiece for a candy bar or candy table buffet.

COTTON CANDY TREE HOW-TO

Decide on a color for the candy. You can readily find cotton candy in lots of colors- even at the dollar store and Wal-Mart! Kristina's wedding colors were blue and green so she opted for blue cotton candy. There are lots of online stores for cotton candy with tons of colors and cheaper prices.

Get tiny glycine envelopes or plastic treat bags from the party store or hobby store. Make up labels with your name, monogram, or a photo and affix them to the bag. Oriental Trading Company has the clear mini-treat bags $1.99 for two dozen.

You'll need a tree branch for the arrangement. A manzanita branch works well. I got branches from the yard... but hobby or floral supply stores have several different types.

Secure the branches in a tall vase. You'll need something to really weight it down. The "trunk" part of the branch needs to be pretty long if you are going to use a tall vase. We used river rock in the base for weight and filled the vase with water. Be sure to push the tree to the center of the table so children will not be tempted to pull on it. You should not use a glass container if the party is for kids. Use a plastic vase or a sand pail filled with sand (add a little water to wet the sand for weight) for a kids party.

Tie the bags of cotton candy to the tree with matching ribbon. We also tied several pairs of mini craft (not pointy) scissors to the tree so guests could snip the cotton candy.

Under the cotton candy tree, we put glass bowls, cylinders, and vases filled with different candies along with mini Chinese take-out boxes so guests could take home a treat from the couple. Easter candy is out so now would be a good time to find an assortment in the stores... but the day after Easter, all of the left-over candy will be 1/2 off! 

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Summer Entertaining: Host a Pirate Party with Island Decorations, Food and Drinks!

Ahoy maties.... Are you looking for a fun party theme? An island-inspired pirate party is the perfect way to kick off summer- or end it, for that matter! Use these ideas for a end of school party, a high school graduation, a backyard movie night party complete with a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean, a birthday party, a Luau---it's even perfect for your next supper club or a bridal shower! Tweak the decorations and the food to fit your crowd. I got the idea from a dear friend, Terri Merren, who lives in the Cayman Islands. Terri sent me her cookbook and explained that the Cayman Islands hosts a "pirate week" celebration each year. Her picture below inspired my pirate party theme. Thank you Terri!  

 

HERE'S THE PIRATE PARTY WE SHOWCASED DURING THE METROPOLITAN COOKING & ENTERTAINING SHOW IN ATLANTA!

PIRATE PARTY MENU

Signature Cocktail: GOOMBAY SMASH

I knew I wanted to use my Goombay Smash recipe as the signature cocktail for this party theme because it is a favorite drink in the islands. Since it has rum and pineapple, I decided to use those elements as a consistent theme throughout my menu and for decorations. To cut costs, eliminate the brandy and use Grand Marnier or whatever orange liqueur you have instead.  

MARTIE'S MOJITO MELON BOATS

Use honeydew or cantaloupe as your melon. I prefer cantaloupe. The marinade is exactly what you'd find in a mojito.... rum, mint, and lime.

For the marinade, mix a cup of rum, the juice of one lime, and 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves for each melon. I don't use spiced rum for this recipe. If the melon isn't very sweet, I will add about 1/2 cup simple syrup that I have infused with mint to my marinade or a little drizzle of honey.

Cut your melon into "boats" and use a toothpick to poke small holes in the top of each slice. Fill the holes with the rum mixture and let it marinate in the refrigerator or cooler for an hour or more before guests arrive. Plate and insert your "pirate sails" or other nautical decoration. I used scrap paper and some pirate stickers from Oriental Trading Company and a wooden skewer to make the sails.

CARIBBEAN-SPICED SHRIMP with PINEAPPLE SALSA

I love this recipe from my great friends at MyRecipes.com and it's perfect for this party theme. I thought it would make it on skewers to make serving easier. The shrimp cook so quickly, it's an easy make-ahead dish. Make the salsa in advance and bring it all to room temp before serving. This recipe calls for a lot of spices but you don't have to use all of them.

BAYLEY'S WEST INDIES SALAD

Another great recipe from MyRecipes.com, also perfect for an island themed party. I make it ahead and store individual servings in jars (a mason jar works great) kept on ice in the cooler until party time. I like to add plantain chips as a garnish just before guests arrive.

PIRATE PARTY DECORATIONS

The decorations are so simple. You can get a lot of what you need from my friends at ORIENTAL TRADING COMPANY. I made some of the decorations---- like the pineapple tree and the sails for my melon boats and filled in the rest with supplies from OTC. The pineapple tree only took about 30 minutes to make- start to finish. The sails were about 15 minutes. Use pirate hats, swords, coins, treasure chests, etc to fill in the rest. Here are the instructions for our fantastic pineapple tree:

You need a stable base--- a heavy piece of wood works. I told the guy at Lowe's what I wanted to do and he pointed me to the plumbing supplies for a flange and a short piece of pipe that screwed together. I attached it to the wood with Velcro but you can screw it down or glue it. Next, twist the top off the pineapples and cut the top and bottom to make them level. Cut out the inner core of each pineapple. I used an apple corer to do this, but a long, thin knife will also work. Stack the pineapples on top of each other to form the trunk of your tree. Add some foliage (you can even take cuttings from your own plants) by sticking the stems into the cut pineapple. Add a flag if you want to like we did. You can also use the pineapples to serve your shrimp skewers by inserting them into the pineapple! Everyone loved this idea! 

Get party decorations from Oriental Trading Company. You can get a huge box of pirate party booty and supplies for very little money. Check out the awesome pirate hats; you can double duty them by turning them into table decorations and serving bowls like we did for our Pirates of the Caribbean candy bar! Special shout out to all of our friends from the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Atlanta for having so much fun with us at our pirate party!    

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