Spring Fever - Flowering Quince

I went to my hometown for a little girl retreat this past weekend. Our winter has been mild so Momma's Forsythia and Flowering Quince were already full of buds. I couldn't resist pilfering a few cuttings. I knew they would be perfect to bring a touch of spring into our home. 

Now I've got a bad case of spring fever!

~Southern Fried Gal

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Southern Fried crew! 

And remember...

 Sigh. I am blessed with a sweet and funny little Valentine 

(and a big one, too)!

Simple Valentines for Teacher

I was feeling a bit crafty and thankful tonight, so I whipped together this simple idea for BBC's teachers for Valentine's Day using items from around our home.

I had my favorite cocoa mix on hand which feels a little more gourmet than others. Using a 12x12 piece of scrap book paper, I trimmed the width to 8.5 inches (to fit through my printer) leaving the length at 12. I modified Roses are red to fit my needs and played with the size and font a few minutes in Ms Word.

I printed on one end of the 12x8.5 paper and then did the same from the other end. Why complicate things? Then I sliced the paper in half. This is a perfect size to wrap around the cocoa mix.

Center the cocoa mix with the poem, wrap the two sides around and staple at the top to attach to the cocoa mix. I also added a piece of ribbon scrap (cut about 1/2 inch wider on each side) and then tied a double knot to conceal the staple and dress up the Valentine. I added a tiny piece of double-sided tape on the back bottom piece so it would stay nice and neat.

And there you have it. Simple. Sweet. And best of all budget friendly! This could easily be modified to fit any holiday or gift-giving occasion.


Don't you love it when a simple idea comes together?


~Southern Fried Gal

For the Love of Hydrangea

Unless you are Madonna, here's a sweet twist on Valentine flowers. Instead of that expensive bunch of long-stem red roses that will soon fade away, why not opt for a lovely potted hydrangea?

I picked this beauty up at my local Kroger for around $25 last weekend. Yes, it is probably a little overpriced. Where else can you find blooming hydrangeas this time of year? And that is still a fraction of the cost of most Valentine flower arrangements.

To bring a little more elegance to the plant, I lifted it, paper and all out of the basket and dropped it into a silver wine bucket. I decided to leave the festive paper, bow and pick until Valentine's Day. After that I will remove them and tuck in bright green reindeer moss and maybe another small, trailing plant or two to get me through to spring.

I made sure to pick a plant with lots of buds so I will be able to enjoy fresh flowers for many weeks to come. I will snip the flowers as they fade. When spring comes I will plant it in the ground and wait patiently for the next round of blooms. 

I'm excited about my Valentine gift (even if it was a gift to myself). I look forward to fresh blooms year after year!

Do you have any tips or tricks to switch things up for Valentine's Day?

~Southern Fried Gal

Valentine Door Decor

I've had the same Valentine Door Decor for the past few years. I usually like to switch things more often than that.

It's hard to change when you adore something you already have and it only gets air time a few weeks out of the year. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of this door bucket project. But I decided this year it was time to look for something new.

And so I did. I started out in the neighborhoods around town. This door caught my eye right away. I love the bright pop of color in the stitching around the heart. Can you believe this is just brown paper (as in grocery bag or postal paper)? 

This look is simple to recreate . First cut two identical heart shapes out of brown paper. Paint them red and allow to thoroughly dry. Next glue the edges together beginning at the top to about 3/4 of the way down. Stuff tissue paper into the pocket to the desired fullness. Then glue the rest of the hearts together. For a finishing touch, you can a decorative stitch around the edges with a large needle OR just paint the stitches on. Of course this home has a large porch to keep it out of the elements.

I was looking through pictures for inspiration and came across the wreaths my friend Bridget used at Christmas. This could easily pass for Valentine's day just as it is or you can change it up. Instead of green, paint the grapevine wreath white with the red roses. or vice versa. It would be cute with bright pops of color, too - use your imagination! Here's a tutorial for making burlap roses - super easy!

Next I hit up the blogs for inspiration. I didn't have to look far to find another wreath to love. This burlap wreath reminds me of the Christmas door I did with burlap a couple of years ago. LOVE!. Fellow Arkansas Blogger, Amanda @ My Heart's Desire has a fantastic tutorial on how to make this wreath. 

Another great resource for inspiration is Pinterest. My friend Shea found this cutie on Etsy. It looks like this one already sold but it would be super easy to DIY. 

The X form can be made from branches you collect around the yard and wire together in the center with florist wire. Hot Glue pieces of red berry garland to the branches OR to simplify spray the sticks with red paint. The O is a wreath covered in pink berry garland and could also be as simple as a grapevine garland painted pink. Wire them together with florist wire and dangle from a white floppy ribbon. Super cute!

So - after finding all this fabulous inspiration what did I do? I took the lazy route. I found this cute heart bucket made from rusty metal, wire and nails on half price at a local boutique. The price was right. The effort was perfect (drop from a red ribbon on the door). It even has a little pocket in the top for Valentine's (hint hint to any peeps who want to make my day).

How do you show the LOVE on your door in February?

~Southern Fried Gal

Willow House Wednesday - I'm Retiring!

Last night was a bittersweet time for me. I submitted my very last Willow House party as a Director and Independent Consultant. 2011 was full of changes (I'll elaborate more on this in a future post) and in November it became apparent that my season with Willow House was coming to an end. 

I'm thankful for the income it provided while I stayed home with my BBC. I love how my home has morphed over the years with the gorgeous products. I appreciate the experiences, the personal growth and most of all the good friends that most likely would not be in my life any other way.

As this door closes for me I pray it will open even wider for my friend http://lovethedecor.blogspot.com/. I met Debbie a few years back through my blog. She won a giveaway on my blog, fell in love with the product and joined the company as a consultant not too long after. Since then she has consistently worked her business. 

On a personal note, she is a special person and there is not doubt in my mind that God placed her specifically in my life to minister to me during a challenging time (more to come later). I am now sharing my business with Debbie and pray it will bless her.

Debbie is much more organized in her business than I ever was. She consistently shares ideas and deals with her customer base (like daily - wow!). If you want to get in on that action and always be up-to-date on specials and ideas for design please click over and LIKE her on FaceBook. 

She is also a designer and can help guide you to the right decisions with one of her Design Consultations. You can get all her contact information on her facebook page, her personal Willow House website or her blog.

Thank you to everyone who supported my business over the years. While I'm sad to close this door I'm excited about the time I will have to invest in future plans. Those plans definitely include continuing to share design ideas, yummy recipes and lots more on this blog.

Have you made any big changes in 2012? I would love to hear all about it!

~Southern Fried Gal