Work Hard, Play Hard!

Mardi Gras celebrated the Mardigrasoutlet.com way! After weeks of long days and countless orders, the "krewe" at Mardigrasoutlet.com took a much needed break to enjoy Mardi Gras in New Orleans. What better place to do that than a balcony over Bourbon Street stocked with more beads and throws than we could possible throw in 7 hours...Or could we? Afterall, this is a group of people who know beads. And New Orleans Mardi Gras was packed with carnival goers clamering for beads.

Our road trip to the city was on Sunday of Mardi Gras. It was a great night to be in New Orleans. Bachus was rolling and Drew Brees was the main attraction. On the heals of a victory in the Superbowl, the Saint's quarterback Drew Brees was king of New Orleans, not just Mardi Gras.  I think everyone in Louisiana and maybe the south was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year.

Take a close look at this picture. The Bachus parade was just ending. From up on the balcony, we got to see the crowds roll into "the quarter" like a giant wave. The streets went from crowded to a sea of faces in minutes. Everyone was celebrating a great carnival season and a Saint's victory. The crowds from below yelled that familiar phrase of Mardi Gras "throw me somethin, mister!" And throw we did. Long metallic beads, light up medallions that flashed at night, fancy handstrung beads, fluffy feather boas,  crazy hats, and some beads larger than my head. It was great fun!

Late that night as we got to the bottom of that huge stack of boxes of beads and throws, the rain rolled into town. Some die hard revelers stayed on the streets, but the majority of the crowds headed inside to sample famous and infamous New Orleans cocktails.  Our group headed inside to the dance floor. It was a perfect day for a road trip to the crescent city. A great victory, a beautiful city, family, friends, good music and an amazing Mardi Gras celebration!

Good times, Good times...bon temps!

How to: Mardi Gras Wreath made with Mesh Sinamay Garland

This wreath looks impressive, but is so easy to make. I was inspired to create this wreath by one I saw on a friend's door during Christmas in red and green. I immediately thought of the purple, green and gold Sinamay Garland, I love to decorate with for Mardi Gras. I think this wreath is fun and festive, exactly what Mardi Gras is all about. And it was easy to make with minimal supplies.

Sinamay is an amazing natural product that is very versatile. Sinamay is a woven fabric or riboon made from Abaca fiber. It is also know as manila hemp. The natural fibers harvested from the Abaca plant (similar to the Banana plant that grows here in the South) are cut, dried, colored and then woven together. A huge array of products from hats to ribbon to gift bags are available out of Sinamay. It is a wonderful sustainable, eco-friendly product. I love using it because it is so versatile. I have made placemats, wrapped gifts and made huge bows out of it. The natural fibers are stiff so they hold a shape with out the need for wire.

Supplies for this Sinamay Wreath Project:

1 wreath form

Roll of 18" Sinamay Ribbon/Garland 

Roll of matching 2" Sinamay Ribbon or clear string.

Scissors

For this project I used two sizes of Sinamay. One wide 18" Sinamay garland roll  in the purple, green and gold Mardi Gras colors and a narrower 2" purple ribbon roll. I like the added contrast the smaller ribbon adds but you could opt for a clear string that would not show at all. For the base of this wreath, I used a plain grape vine wreath, but you could use a regular wire form. I prefer the grape vine form because my front doors are french doors with glass so the back of the wreath shows through when you are inside.

To start the wreath, I cut a few pieces of the 2" ribbon  in 10" long strips (about 8). You can cut more if you need later. Start with the 18" Sinamay garland. Gather the end piece together and tie to the front of the wreath form with the smaller ribbon strip. Tie in a double knot. Move down the wreath a few inches and repeat this same step.

 Keep the distance between ties consistent around the wreath. Closer together looks more "puffy", further apart looks more "free form." Don't worry to much about this being perfect. This wreath is supposed to look fun and the ribbons can be adjusted if you need at the end.

Continue around the wreath until you get back to where you started. Cut the end of the 18" Sinamay garland  in a distance that matchs the loop before and tie it down with a smaller ribbon. I tied a second ribbon directly over the first ribbon I started with.  Fluff the loops and ribbon  around the wreath. And your DONE! What a impressive project with very little effort and no messy glue sticks! Hang it up and ENJOY!

This project could be personalized for your needs in so many creative ways. Change up the color combination for a different holiday. Add a second 18" Sinamay garland for a bigger pouf around the wreath. Tie or glue on colored ornaments or balls for some added sparkle. I hope you are inspired to create a wreath of your own.

2011 Update:

MardiGrasOutlet.com now offers an affordable synthetic version, Deco Poly Mesh. It comes in a huge selection of colors, sizes, styles and finishes. 

We also have video tutorials on how to make wreaths from deco mesh and work wreath forms. The Mardi Gras Wreath instructions video can be found here.

Fun Mardi Gras Wreaths for your door!

Looking for some inspiration for your Mardi Gras door decorations? MardiGrasOutlet.com carries a few styles of ready made wreaths in the Mardi Gras colors: purple, green and gold. Instantly decorate your door with one of these wreaths. Add a coordinating garland to the header of your door for a complete look. Feeling crafty? MardiGrasOutlet.com  carries tons of supplies to craft your own one of a kind Mardi Gras wreath.  Here are some pictures to inspire you!

This Berry Ball Wreath and matching garland are elegant. These have a more upscale look with the subdued matte purple, green and gold color. Add a Mardi Gras ribbon bow to the wreath and garland at the corners of the door header for another punch of color.

Don't know how to make a bow? We have a photo tutorial and a video tutorial on how to make bows from poly deco mesh.

If you want to go for true Mardi Gras glamour, choose the Mardi Gras Greenery Wreath with lots of metallic flash. This wreath has sparkly mylar tinsel branches wrapped around it in all three Mardi Gras colors.

Pictured here are two more fun styles of a Mardi Gras wreaths. A creative southern girl's blog Deep Fried Kudzu shows how anyone crafty could assemble these Mardi Gras wreaths. I loved the finished wreaths. I think they are definitely worth the time spent crafting them. Check out this blog http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2008/01/mardi-gras-wreath-ornament-wreath.html to see great "how to" pictures for these two Mardi Gras wreaths.

Not feeling crafty today? The ornament wreath can be purchased here. Mardi Gras Outlet also offers a smaller 16 inch version of this wreath.

Any of these Mardi Gras wreaths could be personalized with your own unique style. Add ribbon, ornaments, beads, garland, masks or floral picks to each wreath for a one of a kind creation. Your options are endless.

2011 Update: 

We took the basic Metallic Mardi Gras Greenery Wreath and transformed it 3 different ways. Click here to see the blog post detailing how we did it!

Mardi Gras Christmas Tree

My house always feels so bare once the Christmas tree and decorations are put away. Somehow our home, which seems fine the month before Christmas, is now lacking something.

 Luckily, Carnival season follows quickly behind Christmas. Traditionally it is thought to be bad luck to take down your Christmas tree before Twelfth Night or Epiphany -- that being the day that the "true" Christmas season ends. Since Epiphany is also the beginning of Carnival it makes sense that many people just transition from one holiday to the next here in Louisiana.

At last, an answer to the question of what to fill your bare house with after the holidays...a festive purple, green and gold Mardi Gras tree. I love Carnival and all its metallic wonder! ENJOY!










2011 Update:
MardiGrasOutlet.com now carries a 6.5 foot tall Mardi Gras Tree. Perfect for a sparkling Mardi Gras themed tree!


Looking for the gold Fleur de Lis tree topper? Get it here.

Twelfth night rings in a King Cake tradition!

Epiphany.... Let's eat Cake!

 

Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child. It signifies the end of the Christmas season. And ushers in the beginning of the Mardi Gras season which will last until Mardi Gras day, or Fat Tuesday!

For most people around the world, this New Year week signals a time to cut back, reorganize and slim down. But not for us down here in Louisiana. With Lent fast approaching at the end of Carnival Season, we go ahead and pull out all the stops for another few weeks.  In south Louisiana, the tradition of King Cakes begins.  (King Cakes are yummy cinnamon roll-like cakes with icing and sugar on top.) Today starts the cycle of King Cake parties. But be careful while you eat,  there may be a plastic baby in that piece of cake!  The person who receives the piece with the baby -- to symbolize the baby Jesus -- in their piece of cake must bring the next King Cake, or host the next King Cake party. It is a fun tradition that people look forward to all year long. Offices, classrooms and homes around the south are slicing into King Cakes today.

So bring a slice of Mardi Gras home to your city! Bake yourself a King Cake with a King Cake baking mix or order one from a Deep South bakery to be shipped to you. Good times are here! Life is short. Eat Cake. Let the fun begin!

If you are having a King Cake party, you can find the King Cake platter pictured at the top at MardiGrasOutlet.com.

2011 Update:

New! Check out this adorable King Cake necklace, perfect for an inexpensive party favor for Mardi Gras or King Cake parties.

Also, we also made some tasty King Cake cupcakes! Click here to see directions on how to make these. They are very simple to make.

Venetian carnival paper mache masks featured in Martha Stewart LIVING October 2009 issue

Mardigrasoutlet.com offers unique paper mache masks that were featured in the October issue of Martha Stewart's Living magazine. The plain masks were transformed into dramatic Halloween creatures.

These paper mache mask creations are not just for Halloween, though. Scatttered down the center of a table they would make a beautiful Mardi Gras table centerpiece. Or use them for a creative craft project at a themed children's party.

Check out the October 2009 issue for more details and complete instructions on these fun mask projects. Click here: marthastewart.com