Video - Midsummer Party: A Fragrant & Tasty Soirée

     

Here is the live performance from the Midsummer Eve.  All the men want their faces blurred, to protect the innocent.  You'll notice the Maypole tips over, we really weren't planning on actually using it, it was more just for looks.  But whatever, the spontaneity got to the women folk and we made the men get up and grab a ribbon, however much it put their masculinity at risk.    I know the music is much to be desired.  We're working on getting some music without copyright issues for future videos, but my daughter, Elsa, has been tweaking all kinds of things on my blog lately and adding little videos of things I do.  She's been hounding me about working up a new "300 Boxes" header for 2 months now.  So keep watching as things change here, we're just playing until we get it where we want it.  So excuse the construction zone.

Midsummer Party - A Fragrant & Tasty Soirée

Midsummer Solstice Soirée 

a t   t h e   S t u r t ' s 

Saturday,  J u n e  twentieth

at  s e v e n - t h i r t y 

under  t h e  s t a r s

(now say that five times fast)

*

Very little needs to be said about our Scandinavian celebration of the Summer Solstice.  If I could have chosen the longest day of the year, it definitely would have been this one.  The pictures will say it all, and what the pictures don't say, the video (in production) will, we'll post that tomorrow- technical difficulties pending.  All flowers were gathered from 2 different gardens (Sturt and Amis residences) and a few little leftovers from a weekday wedding (Thank you Cherie).  Someday, I will have a garden.  And I will have flowers.  And the deer won't get to them, because I'll build the biggest, baddest fence to keep them out.  But for now, I'm going to keep the floral and foliage from this soirée permanently planted in the gardens of my Midsummer dreams.  As I was placing arrangements on the dining table, I would think, "Yeah, this looks good," and then Stacie would lead me to yet another flower bush:  White hydrangeas, variegated salmon tea roses, bright coral garden roses, or soft pink English roses, deep purple Clematis.  The journey into her garden was a color palette of brights and pastels intertwined with vines and branches.  I discovered more and more flowers and leaves as I circled the grounds for the second and third time.  

Let's talk about a Midsummer Dream.  

Here we go.

   

Handmade watercolored and hand-lettered invitation by yours truly.

A traditional Scandinavian strawberries and cream dessert.  

The miniature maypole inserted in the cake prevented the layers from sliding. 

The favors were IKEA hazelnut chocolate bars and Swedish fish in floral cotton drawstring bags.
The cocktail drinks were a choice of ginger ale mixed with either Elder Flower or Lignon Berry
simple syrups, purchased from IKEA, bottles wrapped with handmade labels.

This branch looks a little peculiar.  

I made simple tree branch head wreaths for the women folk to wear throughout the evening.  

And yes, we felt like dainty fairies frolicking in the grass during the maypole dance.  

Well, at least I did, until I saw the pictures.  

Gazing up at the overhead outdoor candle chandelier 

with leaves and flowers wrapped around the iron frame.

A slightly Americanized Swedish Midsummer dinner menu:
Smoked Salmon, Dill & Cucumber Pumpernickel Bread Appetizers
* Swedish meatballs & cream sauce (sadly I forgot the Lignon Berry preserves) *
Boiled Dill Potatoes * Mushy Peas * Cooked Red Onions * Pumpernickel Bread *
White Cod and/or Halibut (we just simply couldn't do the bottled Herring)

No Midsummer's Eve is complete without a little dancing around the maypole 

while weaving large satin ribbons - over & under.  

Nanette kindly informed her husband to wear his best summer whites.  

Evidently no one else got the memo.

Midsummer Soltice Soirée Under the Stars

Summer is a time when I start getting my act together for the holidays.  Yes, you heard that right.  I do a local event called Swiss Days of Midway that is over Labor Day weekend, and I sell my wares.  It's really fun, in a very stressful sort of way, but takes a lot of prep during my summer.  I've been on a pretty rigorous schedule since the end of May.  But every now and again, you gotta party. 

I've been planning this party for several years, with my last name being Ferre (pronounced "Fairy"), it seemed like a perfect theme for me to execute.   I've dreamt of a Midsummer Night's Dream with little girls in white dresses prancing around a maypole with oversized red velvet polka dot toadstools and flower garlands peppered throughout the garden.  Mothers and daughters crowned with floral head wreaths drinking mint tea and nibbling on pumpernickel tea sandwiches and tarts while sitting on cut log stools.  I did build the maypole 5 years ago for the someday soirée.

Still dreaming of it.  

But every year when June 21st is around the corner, I think to myself, "Maybe next year."  Well, I'm sick of that, it's time to just do a Midsummer Soirée and indulge the men of my dinner group in all the feminine elements of this elegant evening of flowers and twinkle stars.   So it's happening.  This Saturday.  And yes, when I hand painted the invite, I accidentally scripted "2016" in permanent black ink with the original watercolor behind.  How do you white that out?  You don't, you hope no one notices.  I was probably dreaming of the future again.  

We're doing the Swedish version for this little party.  Come back next week and see the details, and then create your own for next year.  Elsa's gonna use her video skills and capture the whole deal.

  

Watercolored and hand-lettered art for the invitations stitched onto pale blue cardstock

Little personalized maypoles with silk ribbons and vintage millinery flowers on 12" dowels with finial tops

"Oh dear, I spy a mistake...

Behind the Scenes of Creating 2015 Graduation Announcement

This is short behind the scenes video of creating Elsa's Graduation announcement.

Enjoy!

Boho Babe 2015 Graduation Announcements

She's a boho babe.  

My little surfer girl.

And she paddle boards too.

She loves yoga and gets up at 5:30 every morning to do it.

No bling for this one, but she still shines from within.

photo credit:  Amy Little SLC,UT

On the way to graduation with her best pals

This little flower motif is very symbolic to the yoga culture.

I'm not sure what the motif represents, but I think it has something to do with the chakras of the body.

hand-lettered

hand-painted

All the layers stitched up

Elsa is definitely someone who makes everyone feel important. 

Thank you Maya Angelou for always saying it in the most exact way possible.  

The Announcement Suite:

The Announcement

The photo collage

The quote of the year best describing Elsa's personal philosophy

The beautiful African Tie Dye momi handmade paper.  

The beautiful momi, tie dyed Afrikan paper.  Not sure if you can tell the block print is the body of a Peacock.  This is the paper "belly" band that holds it all together.  

It can be removed or carefully slid off.

Peacock block print stamp from Flax Art & Design, to further reinforce her boho inner beauty

The beautiful envelopes below were a gorgeous brassy-gold 

and left over from a party we had a few years back.  

But they are heavy duty and with the postage rate going up on May 31, 

our delinquency in getting these mailed, cost a  few extra in change.

.

Mailing day was the day before her graduation day.  

2015

But she still graduated on time.