DAR Hostessing

I was head hostess for the first time for our March chapter meeting for my local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter. The program was on the "real" Edenton Tea Party. We learned a lot about what really happened and who was really there. The oral history passed along had a lot of errors, but historians believe they have determined the truth. For the event we decided to have a tea party with no tea to honor the pledge that the Edenton residents made in solidarity with their Boston brethren. For the decor I took advantage of the spring like day to use white, cream, and pink.

I used my childhood tea set as part of the decor. The set has lots of chips from being well-loved but with light pink roses, baby's breath, and white lisianthus it really shines.

The main centerpiece was a large airy arrangement of light pink roses, white lisianthus, and baby's breath. I used my grandmother's tea pitcher. We no longer use it for tea because of it's age, but we do use it for flowers. It's the pitcher that my mother remembers as always having tea ready for the family.

We had lemonade instead of tea, Edenton Tea Party cookies, Sally Lunn bread with jam and butter, cucumber sandwiches, and pimento cheese sandwiches for our menu. Check out my cooking blog for recipes.

CPC's 25th Anniversary

Last night my church celebrated it's 25th anniversary at the Hilton. It was a fun night with former pastors back for a visit, delicious food, and a glorious cake by Little Sister Cakes. I was asked to do the decorations for the tables, stage, and cake table. They wanted something simple and elegant. What better colors for a silver anniversary than silver, white, and green. I also used a lot of natural elements.

One of the table decorations was a wooden candlestick spray-painted silver with a globe of baby's breath.

A second table decoration was simply a vase of branches spray-painted silver with rice to anchor. Silver painted leaves were also in the vase.

A third table decoration was a simple cylinder of pine cones with battery operated white lights. (Not the greatest picture and I evidently only took one.)

There were three reserved tables that had simple arrangements of blush roses, baby's breath, and greenery.

For the stage I used two large tulip shaped glass vases that had curly willow spray-painted silver with cream roses, bells of ireland, and baby's breath.

For the cake table I used grape vine that I found in the woods behind my home that was sporadically spray-painted with silver. I strategically placed silver leaves and pine cones to appear to grow out of the vine.

Holy Week Flowers

We use artificial flowers at our church normally, but I like to use live when I can on the "high holy days". For the two Sundays in Holy Week I made the following arrangements.

For Palm Sunday I used two new bell bottomed vases that I found on sale at Target. (I actually bought all 3 off the shelf.) I used pink and candy cane alstroemeria, baby's breath (gypsophila), pussy willow, and palm branches. The children sang an offertory song waving palm branches, I was able to incorporate some of the extra in the arrangement.

For Easter Sunday I used cream roses with pink tinged edges, yellow tulips, purple iris, eucalyptus, and baker fern in two large urns. My sweet mother helped me with the arrangements. The idea was to look like spring bursting forth.

I also placed several lilies in pots on the stage and in the foyer. It isn't Easter without lilies!