Bull and Boots Decorations

We decided to rent the lodge at Oregon Ridge for our Bull and Boots Benefit. The lodge is very rustic--thus, we went with a "rustically chic" theme. There were two heads mounted on the wall in the main room that were just crying to be decorated.

This is the main room where everyone ate and danced the night away. We used the boots from a previous fundraiser and Rutland Beard Florist donated the flowers for the boots (we had to arrange them). We also took mason jars and glued burlap around the jars. We tied the jars with twine and put a candle inside. They were really cute. The icing on the cake was a silver horse shoe that would hang down from the twine....only problem is that I failed to notice that I was ordering them from Turkey and they arrived the Monday after our event!

There were benches that lined the room. Since they were rather stark, we took pillows from our houses and wrapped them in bandanas. (BTW: Walmart has the cheapest bandanas at $1 each!) We tied each corner with twine.

We all gathered buckets, jars, crocks, etc.from our homes and we used them for additional flower arrangements. We used Forsythia, Cherry Blossoms, twigs and grasses that we found along the side of the road...again, at no cost to us!

We also got western playing cards that we had on the table. Our hope was to have a list of games that people could play along with the rules for each game on the tables, but we ran out of time...oh well!

One afternoon after working for hours (We were quite punchy), we looked over and saw Chico sitting in the corner of my office. I pulled out a western shirt, jeans, a bandana and a hat. We decided that all "he" needed was a face. Since our assistant principal, Pat, was unable to attend the event, using her face was only natural. Our plan was to move her all over during the event and take pictures--like Flat Stanley. Flat Pat was born...only she didn't move all night because if you lifted her up, she was likely to lose her jeans and boots! None the less, she was a huge hit and people stopped to take pictures with her all night long!

One of the coolest things that we did was the boot pin raffle. We found wooden boots, decoupaged them with scrapbook paper and then hot-glued pins on the back. We then blinged them up with scrapbooking gems. We sold them for $10 each and everyone who bought a pin, won something of equal or greater value. (some prizes were a total bust, but we had a lot of great gift certificates and gift cards that were upwards of $50 each.) This was the perfect way to use those donated items that didn't fit in with the auction packages. We had 57 pins and we sold out in 28 minutes! It didn't hurt that they were so stinkin' cute!

Our committee minutes before the event started! This is the first committee that I have ever worked with where everyone did what they were supposed to do. It was a true honor to work with each of these awesome women.

You girls rock!

Bull and Boots Class Auction Items

A couple of weeks ago we held an event for the twins' school and we had each class make some of the items that were to be auctioned off at the event. Our event raised over $20,000 for new technology!

Below are some of the items the classes made...

We bought a large beach bag at Lands End and a Kindergarten class put their hand prints all over the bag. We turned the hand prints into fish and added the kids names. We then stuffed the bags with everything that a family would need for a day of fun at the beach!

A third grade class painted their hand prints on white felt and then their teacher turned it into a blanket. Our school colors are green and white.

Oriental Trading sells these photo quilts. Instead of photos, one third grade class did self portraits. They stamped around their portraits. Another third grade class drew their favorite things and decorated around their pictures using fabric markers. We had one of our committee members tie the quilts together and hang them on dowels.

A fourth grade class made these aprons. We made hand print crabs for the principals (Head Chef) and the fourth grade team (Jr. Chefs) and then the baby crabs were made out of the kids fingerprints.

This was my favorite project to do with a class. This was done with a Kindergarten class. I painted the checkerboard table and then another committee member went in and did the bumblebees using the kids fingerprints. Each child wrote his/her name on a checker.

We made mosaic benches with a fifth grade class. The designs were drawn onto the benches and then the kids filled in the designs with the tiles. Then the benches were grouted. If you are looking for a good place to buy tiles (or to learn how to tile), check out Maryland Mosaics in Glyndon. I can't wait to go there for a girls' night out!

Another fifth grade class made this mirror. The room mother painted the mirror white and then the class glued on tiny toys as seen in Family Fun magazine.

One of our committee members made these pillows with her third grade brownie troop. Each of the girls painted fabric that she then turned into the flowers on the pillows. These were beautiful!

A fourth grade class made these mosaic trays that were paired with outdoor entertaining things.

A first grade class made this quilt of their favorite things.

We made this stool with a second grade Brownie Troop. We painted the stool and then the girls painted the petals on the flowers and the designs on the legs using Zig Posterman Markers. We tied on ribbons and wrote the girls' names around the stool.

A first grade class made this stepping stone using a kit that they bought at Michaels. The kids pictures were underneath the glass stones and they used a design that was created by a classmate.

More pictures from the event coming soon!

Save the Date

Girls' Night Out
Multi-Vendor Shopping Extravaganza
Friday, November 13th
7:00-9:30 p.m.
Ascension Lutheran Church
7601 York Rd.
Towson, MD 21204

Vendors include: Arbonne, Artist Jackie Burkhardt, Beads for Life, Beijo Purses, Bobby Jones Golf Shirts, Creative Memories, Discovery Toys, Entertaining @ Home, Kathy Fick Designs, Mary Kay, Melaleuca Wellness, Nurse Stitch It, Pampered Chef, Party Lite, Silpada, Stampin' Up, Southern Living at Home, Tastefully Simple, Ten Thousand Villages and Usborne Books. Door prizes. Make and Takes and munchies will be included! Please bring your friends.

A percentage of your purchases will be donated to Ascension's Youth Group to help fund a mission trip to Charleston, WV and the surrounding communities in 2010!

Fat Tuesday

I am on the Youth and Family Ministry committee at church and I was in charge of the decorations for the annual Pancake Supper. I had a lot of fun buying decorations. We had purple and green tablecloths--they were sold out of gold when I went two days before the event. We hold the event in the Great Hall of the church, which I might add, is the ugliest space for an event EVER!

I found a Mardi Gras Scene Setter...I love these things! We pinned it to the curtain on the stage and it gave us a slight New Orleans feel.

We made masks...

We had Mardi Gras placemats for the kids and the adults. Placemats included a word jumble, info about King Cakes, and a Mardi Gras trivia quiz.

And we had King Cakes with plastic babies inside. Oh, and I made 200 pancakes before the event even started. If I never see another pancake, it will be too soon!