DIY: Mardi Gras Mask

It's Fat Tuesday, y'all!

Otherwise (and less jarringly) known as Mardi Gras, today is the day to throw caution to the wind! Go ahead and binge, gorg, drink up life's pleasures to your heart's content!  Because Lent starts tomorrow and we throw ourselves into 40 days of restrictions..don't we?

Well, whether you do or you don't, what better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than by making your own Mardi Gras mask?  Legend has it that people wore their masks out on the Tuesday before Lent so they could frolic and play incognito.  This is a really fun, creative project! Options and designs are endless...would be great to do with kids too!

DIY: Mardi Gras Mask

Materials:

Mask

wooden dowels

craft paint and foam brush

glitter

hot glue/gun

clear craft glue

feathers

jewels

ribbons

sequins

generally any sort of bits and baubles you want to make your mask gorgeous!

1.) Paint mask a base color with a small foam brush.  I chose black paint.

2.) Once paint is dry, spread a skim of clear craft clue on mask and sprinkle on glitter.  

Once again, I went with black glitter.

3.) Using your hot glue gun, slowly glue on sequin border.  This is where you can 

start to get creative! use old beads, ribbon, shells, feathers, whatever!

4.) Wrap wooden dowel with ribbon, or paint a color of your choice.  

I wrapped the dowel with gold ribbon - hot glue the end of the ribbon to the dowel, 

wrap all the way down, then glue the bottom end.

5.) Hot glue the dowel to the back of the mask.  I also wrapped a purple ribbon around it.

6.) Attach feathers and jewels and ribbons!  I hot glued them to the back of the mask.

7.)  Tie on butterfly pin.

Viola!!

These would be very pretty and whimsical placed in a floral arrangement on your dining table, too.

 

 

You are free to masquerade, my dear :)

xo

Kate

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Pumpkin Carving Party

Last week I made a "Fall To-Do List".  In trying to cross a few to-do's off my list, I threw a last minute Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party!  Why not have one yourself?  Invite a few friends over tonight or tomorrow...it's a great way to celebrate Halloween low-key style.  This party is easy and quick to put together....the main ingredients? Pumpkins, a signature cocktail, and some warm, feel-good Fall food!

On The Menu For The Evening:

DRINK: Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktails

SNACK: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

EAT: Homemade Meatball Paninis

DO: Pumpkin Carving Kit

LISTEN: New Fall Itunes playlist

DECOR: Finished pumpkins! Scary, funny, classy - the world is yours to carve :>)

DRINK

Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktails

2 parts fresh Apple Cider

2 parts Ginger Ale

1 part Bourbon

Apple Slices

*Stir all ingredients together on the rocks.

*Garnish with a slice of apple

SNACK

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1.)  Save the seeds you dig out of your carving pumpkins.

2.)  Rinse seeds well with water.  Then lay seeds out to dry on a paper towel.

3.)  In a saute pan, heat a little olive oil.  Saute seeds in oil and salt.

4.) Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 350 Degrees.

5.)  After about 10 minutes, remove seeds from stove, and spread them evenly on a cookie sheet (or 2!)

6.)  Sprinkle seeds with desired flavoring.  I chose 4 different flavors:  Plain, Lowry's seasoning, Garlic Salt, and Molly McButter (all seasonings found in the baking aisle at your grocery store).

7.)  Bake seeds for 15-20 minutes, until slightly golden in color and crunchy to the bite.

EAT

Meatball Paninis - makes 6 paninis

Italian bread

tomato sauce

meatballs

red onion

sliced prosciutto

arugula

sliced provolone cheese

red pepper flakes

Meatballs:

1 lb ground pork

1 egg

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp dried basil

3 tbsp garlic powder

garlic salt - a few shakes

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

salt and pepper

1.)  Mix all ingredients together with your hands in a mixing bowl

2.)  Roll mixture into balls roughly 2 inches in diameter.

3.)  Place meatballs on greased cookie sheet.  Gently press into each, flatting them slightly  This makes it easier to fit in the sandwich.

3.)  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, turning meatballs once.

***Either make your own tomato sauce (great recipe here) or use a store bought version.

Paninis

1.)  Using a good crunchy Italian bread or ciabatta, cut into panini size.  

2.)  Spread tomato sauce generously on both sides of sandwich.

3.) Slice a meatballs in half and layer on one side.

4.)  Add sliced red onion, prosciutto, provolone cheese, arugula, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes on other side of bread.  Put panini together.

5.)  Using panini press, heat sandwich until warmed through.

6.)  Serve immediately with fresh green salad.

The decorations and activity for this party take care of themselves.  I simply lit a few candles and prepared the table for carving (garbage bags, newspapers).  

LISTEN

Fall Playlist

Ellie Goulding "Anything Could Happen"

The Black Keys "Gold On the Ceiling"

Imagine Dragons "It's Time"

Mumford & Sons "Below My Feet"

Mumford & Sons "I Will Wait"

Fun "Some Nights"

Phillip Phillips "Home"

The Lumineers "Ho Hey"

Van Morrison "Into the Mystic"

NeedtoBreathe "Stones Under Rushing Water"

Mumford & Sons "Awake My Soul"

The Black Keys "Chop and Change"

Of Monsters and Men "Little Talks"

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros "Home"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Xo,

Kate

linked to: The Girl Creative, The Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Home Stories A2Z,