Mad Hatter Tea Party

So my lovely little middle dotter turned 8 this month. In our family that is a very special birthday. In our church children get baptized when they turn 8 and that important event will take place at the end of the month.

I wanted to have a special party for this special birthday. I have been wanting to do a Mad Hatter Tea Party for some time and she decided that the tea party was for her. I probably worked on it for about 3 months, making sure I got on the components. The fun part for me is trying to find just what I need on a pretty limited budget. I got most of the decorations at thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales and a few antique dealer friends.

I had so much fun doing this party for my sweet little dotter. Happy Birthday honey!

Okay, here is the disclaimer: Tons of pictures below, I  just loved them all. I owe the wonderful photography to the lovely Sarah Pennepacker. She is great photographer and helped me capture this fun party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bella's Vintage Market

I had the opportunity to be part of a new flea/vintage market in Salt Lake this past Saturday. It was at Wheeler Farm which is this charming park with old houses, buildings and lot's of farm life. It was actually a perfect spot for a fun vintage market. I saw lots of old friends (my two Fleaology pals Cathie and Paula were there with awesome stuff.) I also met some great new friends and people whose work I've admired at other shows. It was fun to be around so many creative people. I did some trading and got some great new stuff as always.

 


Here are some pictures of my booth. (I actually thought I got some decent booth pictures, which happens to me so rarely, I usually never have time.) I am excited for Flea.o.logy this weekend and will be bringing some great stuff. Come visit our Flea.o.logy blog!

The Dotters go to the Utah Arts Festival

 

Every year in June our family looks forward to going to Salt Lake City to attend the Utah Arts Festival. It is a fabulous festival that the dotter's and I have attended for 4 years. It features exciting artists who show and sell their work. It also has music, food and a wonderful children's area. It is the children's area that get the dotter's most excited. I love living in a state that knows the value of art in our society. The festival gives the dotter's a chance to see the world through different eyes and to experience the way others view life and the world around us. I was most excited and impressed by the random acts of art featured throughout the festival. There are always interesting people and stimulating conversation is generated by the dotters observing those interesting people.......

We found this car at the festival. Obviously some knitters were really busy.

A random act of art!

Dotter #2 found this lady in the car.

Dotter 1 is loving the dog.

One thing we do every year at the festival is go to the Mad Hatter booth. Here the girls get to make a crazy hat. This year it was wizard hats.

 Some other great pictures of the day......... if you live in Utah, mark your calendars for next June. Have a artful experience!

Summer at the Shell

We are so lucky to live in a community that loves the arts. Being a family that relies strongly on the arts for our livelihood I wanted to tell you about a gem of a community arts center. It is called the SCERA Center for the Arts and it is located in our hometown. My husband also happens to be the Technical Director and Resident Designer for SCERA so it is at times our home away from home. The SCERA has many programs, it has a indoor theatre season that features musicals, children's shows and dance shows. It also has a movie theatre that features most family friendly movies. It has many programs for youth including dance, choirs, art classes and theatre (a lot of theatre). But perhaps one of the most fun parts about the SCERA is it's huge outdoor amphitheatre located about 1 block from the center. The outdoor season consists of 3 big musicals and a concert series. It also has fun outdoor movies. The other night we went to the outdoor movie of one of our favorites, The Princess Bride.

If you talk to anyone who has grown up around here, most people have some memory of spending time at the SCERA. There is nothing else like it. A beautiful night surrounded by ones you love and the gorgeous mountains that surround our valley. To me this is what summer is about.

Hope you are enjoying your summer and able to find fun things to do with your family.


What fun summer things do you do with your family?

Dotter 2 and 3 are ready for the evening's performance.

I needed to show you how the theatre is surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

My hubby is thinking....I spend all day here, now I have to come in the evening too?

Friends Paula and Scott joining us for a performance of "Singin in the Rain"

We celebrated Grandma's birthday before the show, the flag cake is because she was born on June 14 (Flag Day!!!)

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!