Spinning in Circles

Yes, that's what I've been doing, spinning in circles. There are so many things that I want to accomplish, and can't seem to settle on one specific task to complete first. I've found myself going from task to task, and back to another task, repeatedly. That's right, spinning in circles. First off, life has gone crazy, lots going on here, but nothing exciting enough to share. It's just been family life, doctor's appointments (lots of them), teeth pulled, orthodontist appointment (different kids), cats, school, classes, dinner, boyfriend/girlfriend dramas. Yes, that's more than one set of drama. You get the idea.....family life. The one thing that I haven't had time to do, is be creative. I do so miss it.

One of the many things that has come up has been the catalog and order sheet for announcements, cap & gown, and all of the other accessories that go along with High School Graduation. That's right, time to start thinking about it. My youngest son, GG, will graduate in June, then it's time for an Open House. Not sure if that thought excites or scares me. We did this 2 years ago with the eldest son, CC. I learned a lot and am now prepared to open our doors and yard to all kinds of friends and family. Well, better prepared.

Two years ago, my son, CC, wanted a slight Asian theme to his Open House and invitations. This time around, I have a son that just shrugs and says, "I don't know." He's been most unhelpful trying to come up with any sort of theme to add to the mix. So it's idea gathering time and time to look at the past and see what worked and what didn't and what should be done differently to make the day easier for me. To get in gear, let's look at some pictures from the Open House 2 years ago.

We had 2 tents, one larger and one smaller. Paper lanterns with the school color ribbons hanging from the top.

Inside of the large tent. Vegetable garden in the background, and perennial bed to the right of the vegetable garden.

 What an absolutely gorgeous day it was, the weather was perfect. Sunshine, blue skies, and all of the plants were doing well. I love summer. It's a little hard to see the smaller tent, behind the umbrella on the right, it's more of a canopy than a tent.

Looking to the back of the yard while standing on the deck.

 As mentioned earlier, there was a bit of an Asian theme. The takeout boxes were filled with blue and yellow Jelly Bellies. The boxes were super easy to make, just a little scrap booking paper, ribbon and the printer. Easy and cute. The chopsticks were free. When we placed the order at our favorite Thai restaurant for a tray and half of Pad Thai for the Open House, and I can't remember how many countless egg rolls and spring rolls, my son and I decided to get carry out to take home. We asked for a couple of sets of chopsticks, and they gave us about 15 sets of plain chopsticks. I put them in a drawer at home and thought we would just use them...whenever someone got an urge to use chopsticks. This was well prior to me coming up the with the idea below, it just worked out well. A little paint that I had in my craft arsenal, and we were good to go.

Candy dish on the cheap and cute. Matching chopsticks to boot. 

 We had lots of seating. I wish there was a reason to leave the backyard like this more often. Someone needs to get married, or have a baby, or something, after this year's Open House. It was very peaceful and serene.

Inside of the small tent looking at the larger tent in front of the shed.

Again, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It started out a bit windy as we were setting up. The table cloth kept blowing up. But it calmed down later in the day. Perfect timing.

Inside of the larger tent looking toward the smaller tent. Loved the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. 

These pictures were taken before the guests arrived, I wanted to get some pictures before everything was disturbed, and I almost forgot to take pictures.

Another look into the larger tent from the smaller tent.

This was a fun project, making name cards to go with all of the different foods. It really helped the guests know what they were eating, as many people had not tried Pad Thai previously. This picture was taken after everyone had eaten, as you can tell by the untidiness of the surrounding area.

Name cards for menu items made from the left over scrap booking paper that was used for the invitations.

Plasticware is a must for any occasion when you are serving food. I had these flower pots sitting in the basement on a shelf, already painted white from 2009. I was going to use them for my (step)daughter's baby shower, and decided to make bouquets instead of using living plants. Using the same ribbon that I used for the paper lanterns, I decorated the pots. The bamboo clusters are from a bunch that I had in the closet that I occasionally place them behind chairs in a corner or use them decoratively throughout the year. Using 2 stalks, I scored and broke them to the desired length, then wrapped them with ribbon and hot glued it to the pot. I will use these pots again this year, but will decorate them differently.

Quick, easy, cute, and very sturdy plasticware holders.

Loved the paper lanterns hanging around the yard and in the tents, I actually left them hanging in the trees for a few days after the Open House. It really made the yard feel like a little oasis. The lanterns are from Hobby Lobby, they came 3 in a pack for $6.99. Perfect! Even more perfect, they were on sale for 50% off, so just $3.50 for 3 lanterns, and I still have all but one packed away in the basement.

Lantern hanging in trees really helps decorate the yard.

Just beautiful!

Nice shot of some of the plants. The plants in the urn didn't grow so well that year.

So at this point, I am formulating some ideas for the big day, no reason to wait until the last minute to try to come up with something. This way I will have plenty of time to make anything that needs to be made, and still have a buffer just in case I change my mind. I will try, try, try to remember to take pictures as I go along so that I share my thoughts and ideas.

Have fun, bundle up and stay warm.