Happy 4th of July

I've had my table in the kitchen decorated for the 4th of July for a couple of weeks now.  I thought I would share it with you.  I have several vintage pieces tucked in along the way and I'll point them out to you.

  

I started off by gathering objects and tableware that I thought would go with my holiday theme. 

Some of the items wouldn't normally go together, but I decided that I would put them together to see how they might look.  I didn't think that the plates looked too bad with

 the little buckets (Target- several years ago) so I kept going.

I love to use this chippy column piece that was once on my great aunt's home

 (built in 1936).  When the columns were replaced about 8 years ago,

I got this piece and I'm glad I saved it.

The red doily was made by my husband's grandmother. 

I have them in several colors and I love to use them when I decorate.

I found these little star napkins/coasters years ago.

 They look good on the table, too, I think.

Last night, I decided to try putting these egg cups on the table.  My sweet mother-in-law gave them to me a month ago.  They were part of her original collection of dishes that she had when married in the 1950's.  The pattern is called Cornish.  I'm pleased to have them make an appearance on my table.

I added my Uncle Sam.  He's making he's debut on my table today.

 I just finished him last night.  I think he looks great.

 I hope you have a wonderful

 Fourth of July holiday weekend!

Be safe!

Check out my Flag Banner Post here
 for more decorations: Flag Banner Post

Linking up with:



Vintage Patriotic Party


I'm linking up with Tidy Mom

Sweet Sixteen Cake

My Baby turned 16 last week and we planned a party to mark the event.  I have made decorated cakes for years and I was really looking forward to making this cake for her.  I encouraged her to go with a theme or colors, so we picked out white, pink and black.  This really worked out well, because we already had some things that could be used at the party. 

I made the cake the day before and froze it.  I learned over the years that a frozen cake tastes great, but while it is frozen, you can handle it without fear of it crumbling and breaking apart.

I gathered everything together for the cake when I was ready to get started.  This was going to be the 4th cake I made with fondant.  When I started making cakes years ago, I only used a decorator icing.

The first thing I did was tint some of the fondant pink. I wanted to make the 16 in pink and I needed to give it time to firm up.  This isn't the finished 16, but you get the idea.  I used wax paper so I wouldn't get the coloring on my granite counter tops (Baltic Brown).

I made my icing next.

I love this icing for decorating.  I have been using it for a long time and can tell if it needs more water or powdered sugar just by pulling my spatula through it....

that's how long I've been using it.

The frosting takes the tint well.  I use gel coloring.  It will dry a little darker than it is when you first make it.  It freezes well, too.

I rolled out the fondant and put it on the 8 inch double layer cake.  I had iced the cake with the icing before I tinted it.  I didn't ice it too heavy on the top or sides as I didn't want it to be too thick under the fondant where it might make the surface appear uneven.

I placed three dowels in for the support of the top layer-a 6 inch cake.

I smoothed everything out and then I added the top layer. 

 Then, the fun began!!

I had never tried this product, but when I saw it at Michaels, I knew I wanted to try it.  Can you say fun and wonderful???  I love these Sugar Sheets.  There is one in the package and you can cut it with scissors, a knife or some tools that you will find in your local store with this product.  I LOVED using it!  I cut out shapes to make the cake look like a zebra.  The sugar is very easy to cut and then you dampen the back and stick it on the cake.  It tastes pretty good, too.

I got my tips ready and piped some borders.  I like using tip number 32 for this.

I put the finished cake on top of a chippy, white column piece

 that I got from my great aunt's home.  I love to use it on my table.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Check out the Sweet 16 Cookies I made here: Sweet 16 Cookies

Linking up with:

Linking with with Sunday Showcase Party here:

Linking up with :  Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Funky Junk Interiors

The Grand Hotel

A trip to The Grand Hotel is always wonderful and relaxing.  It is located on Point Clear, Alabama and it is on Mobile Bay.  We love to take a trip there in the summer.

Would you like to travel to The Grand Hotel with me? 

Once you see the sign, you know you have arrived

 and will soon be relaxing and enjoying your vacation.

You drive through the gate and then you pull

your car into this circular drive to check in. 

 This sign tells a little bit of the history of The Grand Hotel.  It is very old.  It became a hotel known for their hospitality in 1847.  Parts of the hotel served as a hospital during the Civil War.  It also was a training area during World War II.

One of the things that I like best about going to The Grand is

seeing all the beautiful flowers. The grounds are lovely.

They spend a lot of time making sure that the grounds are beautiful.

 They would never want any guest to be disappointed

 with the way the property looks.

The property has many beautiful Live Oak trees. 

They are very old and very large.  They just remind you
of how pretty the south can be.

There is a beautiful lagoon with three fountains.

  There is a brick walkway that goes around the water.
It is always nice to stroll around the water
 while you're at The Grand.  So peaceful!

Sometimes you see fish jumping in the water.  You'll always see the ducks.  They are very polite.  They don't rush up to you.  They are quiet as they share their home with visitors.

The property is on Mobile Bay.  You can walk along the grounds and see the water. 

 It is so pretty and relaxing.  There are a lot of pelicans that fly over the bay. 

Every afternoon at 4 o'clock, they fire this cannon.

They tell you a little bit of history and then they fire the cannon. 

IT IS LOUD! 

After the cannon is fired, you may go inside and have tea. 

 They serve tea, coffee, homemade cookies and scones. Yummy!

Even people who don't normally drink coffee,

 have a cup when they're at The Grand.

 They have bikes that you may ride while you're staying at The Grand Hotel. 

They have wonderful pools, too. They have a big one for everyone and then

 a regular sized one for the adults only.  No splashing kids allowed!! :)

One time, they had this guy out by the pool playing his guitar. 

 How good can it get?

During some summer nights, they have a bon fire on the beach.  They start that fire and then put out sticks and little individual bags that have everything you need to make the perfect s'more.

I hope you enjoyed the trip to The Grand Hotel!

If you liked this post, you might enjoy a walk I took while at The Grand Hotel: Fences and Gates