July 4th Craft – Handmade Rocket Garland

Fireworks, backyard barbeques and flag waving parades. Yep. It’s almost here and we’ve been doing a little July 4th decorating.  

Brenda of alphamom’s 4th of July Confetti Popper Rockets inspired me to make our own patriotic rocket garland. She has a great step-by-step tutorial, so if you are interested in doing this project, head to her blog.

It was an easy craft that the kids enjoyed. Our rockets however, do not include confetti or “pop” – too messy for this mom! They sure look fun in the window, but we hope to hang them outside if the weather dries up!

Cute 4th of July Decorating Ideas

Throwing a July 4th party or simply want to add some patriotic touches to your home? In any case, here are some darling and inspiring Independence Day decorating and entertaining ideas to get you in the holiday spirit.

{Patriotic Table Setting via Southern Living}

{Red, White & Blue Paper Goods from Shop Sweet Lulu}

{Festive July 4th Desserts: top - berry cupcakes via Martha Stewart, flag rice crispy treats; bottom - flag tart via Martha Stewart, chocolate covered strawberries via allrecipes.com, patriotic parfaits via Martha Stewart.}

{Paper Lanterns via Pier 1 and 4th of July Signage via Pottery Barn Kids}

{DIY July 4th Rosette Banner via Country Living}


How will you be celebrating July 4th?

DIY Handmade Wood Block-Print Tablecloth

Block-print textiles are an obsession of mine. So, when it came time to dress the table for a recent family celebration, I searched for a block-print tablecloth that would compliment the lavender, purple and white color scheme.

When I couldn’t find a tablecloth I was envisioning, I decided to make my own. Using some Indian wood block stamps with a paisley pattern, purple & lavender fabric paint and a simple white cotton tablecloth, I created the tablecloth. I actually have three blocks and originally was going to use the pair of blocks which patterns overlap, but it was difficult to keep them lined up.

For the sake of time, I stuck with just one block and created a pattern by alternating the color from row to row.

Block printing is an art and I am by no means an expert, but I really liked how it turned out. And in case you missed it; Here’s how the ribbon chandelier and flower arrangements were made for the party.

I love the ikat fabric Elizabeth at The Mustard Ceiling made. She has a great tutorial and printable too. Hmmm. Maybe this will be my next project!

A Little Flower Arranging for Our Purple Party…





Last week I showed glimpses of a family celebration for my daughter and explained how I made the Martha Stewart-inspired ribbon chandelier. Today, I’m sharing the floral arrangements. Fresh flowers are a beautiful way to decorate an event and pull together a color scheme. I’ not a professional, but love arranging flowers and wanted to create some for our family celebration.

A couple days before the event, I went shopping at the San Francisco Flower Mart and boy was it inspiring. It’s a great time to go because the vendors are over-flowing with gorgeous springtime flowers. To coordinate with the event’s purple color scheme, I was drawn to these beautiful cabbage {aka brassica}  with lavender centers and knew I had to use them some how.

Here are some of the floral arrangements created for the party.





In a clear glass vase, I layered the ornamental cabbage with black calla lilies {actually a beautiful prune purple color} and bells of Ireland {a nod to our ancestors from Ireland}.

In the mint julep vase {purchased at the San Francisco Flower Mart}, I surrounded white long stem roses with delicate misty blue statice {aka Limonium}.





Six mini mint julep vases I purchased on One Kings Lane arrived the day before the event and as I was arranging the flowers. I didn’t plan on using them, but it was meant to be. Originally, I had clipped five white roses to be placed in a wreath for my daughter’s hair. The first hair wreath had white roses with sprigs of misty blue – it was way too heavy looking and a no go. I ended up only using the misty in the wreath hairpiece and although not perfect, it was sweet. I thought to myself, “Why did I cut these roses prematurely? They are too short to do anything with. What a waste.” Then I remembered the sweet mint julep vases. I decided echo the larger white rose & misty mint julep arrangement using the petite mint julep vases.

The misty blue floral wreath didn’t stay in my daughter’s hair and end up hanging around the neck of our white ceramic horse. We thought it fitting though because it was also the day of the Kentucky Derby.

One of the arrangements that I ended up really liking was the tightly packed dark purple carnations with pops of yellow with Billy buttons in a vintage milk glass bowl. It’s a dramatic look, but like it mixed in with the more feminine arrangements.

Do you enjoy arranging flowers?

*all photos by Jennifer Jacobson or Simplified Bee

DIY Ribbon Chandelier in Shades of Purple

This spring we have hosted several family celebrations. One was for my daughter. She requested the event be “purple.” Originally I was going to add pops of black into the color scheme, but my Mom said it would look too harsh. I agreed and instead mixed shades of purple. The result was feminine, fresh and fun.

To capture the moment, I hired Jennifer Jacobson Photography. She took all of the images in the collage above. I think she did an amazing job!



Martha Stewart’s ribbon chandelier was my inspiration and starting point for decorating the party’s main table.

To make the ribbon “chandelier”, I first wrapped lavender satin ribbon around a 12-inch wreath form to cover the surface of the form. Using three colors of satin ribbon – lavender, purple and white – I cut lengths of about 16 inches. Then I created a pattern by knotting cut pieces of ribbon around the wreath at their midpoints.

The ribbon “chandelier” was hung using three smaller cut lavender ribbons and tied to my dining room’s chandelier. I love the whimsical touch and the way it pulled the color scheme together.

Next I will share the floral arrangements and block print tablecloth made for the party!

Wishing you a great weekend!

Footstool in Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon Fabric

A few months back, I won a remnant of Schumacher’s fabulous Chiang Mai Dragon fabric in aquamarine from Mr. Goodwill Hunting {great blog - I’m a fan - you must stop by!}.  

This fabric is so beautiful {not to mention pricey}. I was nervous and didn’t want to ruin it. Therefore,  it sat idle until I could find the perfect application. 

This sweet footstool with brass curved legs was stolen purchased for $2 at a local estate sale last summer. This was it. It needed a new life.

With a pair of scissors and a staple gun, I transformed the once tired footstool. It 's now so Chinoiserie chic. I love it. I hope Mr. Goodwill Hunting approves too. Do you?

Hopping over to Miss Mustard Seed's furniture blog party... will you join me? 

And the Winner is…

Today I am very excited to announce the winner of the Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway! Comment #52 from Allison was selected from random.org. Congratulations Allison, you have won a $40 gift certificate at Cutting Edge Stencils!

{Clematis Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils via Centsational Girl}

Reusable wall stencils are an emerging hot decorating trend and are very popular amongst style-savvy DIY decorators. Interested in doing a stenciling project in your home? Visit Kate’s Centsational Girl blog to get inspired and learn priceless tips on wall stenciling from some very talented and crafty bloggers.

Congrats again to Allison! And a big thank you to Cutting Edge Stencils for sponsoring this giveaway! Be sure to drop by their online store to see the largest selection of stencil patterns around.

Stay tuned… there will be another fabulous giveaway next week!

My Favorite Design Blog Posts of 2010

It’s hard to believe 2010 is coming to an end soon. Seems like just yesterday I wrote a post about my favorite blog posts of 2009. With more and more beautiful design blogs, it was very difficult to narrow down my favorites for 2010, but here goes {in no particular order}…

Holding Court’s How to Find Inspiration Shopping.  The design blogging community continues to morn the loss of Marija who was killed in a car accident returning from an antiquing trip to Atlanta on July 10, 2010. My heart goes out to her family and friends this holiday season.

Pure Style Home’s Our Thanksgiving Table. This fun post by Lauren represents her wonderful whimsical, eclectic style to a T.

Isabella & Max Rooms’ Kitchen Island Pendant Project. In this post, the multi-talented Janell shows us how to make a custom drum shade for a pendant fixture. Aren’t this beautiful?

Cote de Texas’ The Hottest Photographer Going. Joni’s posts are always informative and beautiful. This is no exception. She walks through who Candida Hofer {the hottest photographer} and why she has attracted the attention of so many of the finest interior designers and art collectors. {image above from Town & Country via Cote de Texas}

Emily A. Clark’s Where to Start. This is a great article where Emily gives her design advice on where to start first when decorating your home. {image from House Beautiful via Emily A. Clark}

Centsational Girl’s Laundry Room Project Breakdown. Well, it was hard to pick just one post of Kate’s. She has some many great ones this year. However, her laundry room face-lift is a favorite of mine.

Bright.Bazaar’s Rue Magazine: My Holiday Column. Will’s column for Rue Magazine is always a treat. I especially like his holiday where he captured three different Christmas looks in the same room … all in one day!

6th Street Design School’s Office Details. Kirsten’s pretty and functional home office was designed with items from all different sources – many at deep discounts. Love that!

A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress’ Mail Call! DIY Mail Center. Stephani has tons of inspirational DIY projects on her blog, but the organizer side of me loved this incoming mail sorting center she made using picture frames and radiator grill. Brilliant!

Things That Inspire's Kitchen Sinks and Sink Tips from Readers. Holly is in the midst of building her dream home in Atlanta. She blogs about all the big and little decisions that she is making throughout the process. In these posts she walks through images of kitchen sinks and highlights readers’ advice regarding a variety of sink designs. Great ones to bookmark!

Velvet & Linen’s Leila’s Room. Brooke’s daughter, Leila’s new “big” girl room is eclectic, colorful and inviting. Starting with an floral rug from Anthropologie, Brooke & Leila created a beautiful bedroom retreat.

There are so many other posts I enjoyed reading in 2010. The lovely blogs listed under "buzzing blogs" are my daily reads. Please check them out when you have the time!

If you have areas of design or organization you'd like me to cover in 2011, just drop me an email - simplifiedbee {@} yahoo {dot} com.

Thank you for reading Simplified Bee and wishing you a joyous 2011!