Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.Sing to the Lord, praise his name, proclaim his salvation day after day. Psalm 96:1-2
According to his parents, on the day my husband was born there was a big Mardi Gras parade outside of his hospital room window. He was born on Valentine’s Day, so we have always had a mix of Valentine’s and Mardi Gras for his birthday. It makes life so much fun!!!
I knew I wanted to write a blog post about this year’s Mardi Gras celebration, but unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the set up, I just took after pictures. Not the best, I know, but hopefully it will give you some fun ideas for your at home celebration next year. I always start decorating for Mardi Gras on the first of February. Christmas comes down and Mardi Gras goes up!
I love adding a new piece of Mardi Gras fun every year. This year I added the Happy Everything mask attachment to go on my black and white striped bowl and I added a little gold Nora Fleming crown to go on one of my trays. They really help everyone get in the carnival mood early.
Amazon is a great place to shop for your Mardi Gras gear! This year I added little crown shaped tea lights and gold crown napkin rings. They really made the table sparkle. Every year I add new things to my Mardi Gras drawer. A drawer in a huge chest of drawers that holds my holiday napkins, tablecloths and napkin rings. I started collecting Mardi Gras decorations about 8 years ago and now my family really celebrates in style!
I take my Mardi Gras decorating into the powder room so that my guests can enjoy my fun! Gorgeous Mardi Gras hand towels to layer are a must! I bought the two tiny paintings from an artist in the square across from Saint Louis Cathedral. The silver powder compact is a Krewe prize from 1968. The powder is still inside!
Before every Mardi Gras party we dress up in all of the bling! This year I wore an adorable sweater covered with oversized sequins. It came for a little shop in Kerrville, Texas; The Golden Antler. I follow this shop on Instagram and have bought a lot of cute tops and sweaters from them. The headband is from an Etsy shop, TwineandVine. They have headbands for every occasion and every outfit. Super fast delivery made is a very easy purchase. Is it even a party if you don’t dress up in your finest?!
When I first fell in love with the colors and festivities of Mardi Gras, I started looking into its history. The parades and parties are put on by groups of people called Krewes. Each Krewe has a special favor that they pass out to their members at their Mardi Gras ball. I started collecting silver coins that were made into charms. Most of the ones that I have are from the 1960’s and 1970’s. I have charms from the Krewe of Rex, the Krewe of Alla, and the Krewe of Endymion. I also had several vintage New Orleans charms; a King Cake Baby, a riverboat, a court jester, tile NOLA sign, and several others. Instead of just leaving these finds in a box, I took them to James Avery and had them put on a bracelet along with some fun James Avery charms. This bracelet makes the most amazing jingle whenever I wear it. People always ask me where I got it. It is a real showstopper! I absolutely love this bracelet, my girls have dropped some not so subtle hints that they want one too. It was fun finding all of these charms, so they may be in luck!
After the parties are over, I like to keep the fun of New Orleans alive in our home. The one place that we have all been to is Cafe Du Monde! They have the most wonderful beignets, loaded with mounds of powdered sugar! I found this Christmas ornament celebrating the famous eatery at Needle Arts NOLA. They have a wonderful Instagram page and they ship!!!
Go by your local fabric store and pick up some festive Mardi Gras fabric and make your own tablecloths and napkins. It will help you set the stage for next year’s celebration!
The party is over and now it is time to get ready for the next part of the celebration. Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter are the reason we celebrate Mardi Gras. Get you heart ready for the Easter season. Study your Bible and devote your thoughts to the cross.
Thank you for Letting the Good Times Roll with me!