House of Hydrangeas: Beauty in the Little Things

Thursday, April 28, 2011

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Oklahoma. I look outside and see my surroundings the same as they've always have been. The same cannot be said on this day for much of my home state of Alabama or the city of alma mater, Tuscaloosa. If you've been watching any news coverage in the past 24 hours, you'll know that the largest amount of tornados to hit a state in one day occurred yesterday in the state of Alabama. The aftermath is almost unimaginable. The current death toll is at 184 and still growing. People lost their homes and loved ones in a matter of minutes. I'm so very thankful that my family and friends remained unharmed and offer my sincerest sympathies and prayers to those that didn't escape unscathed.

With such damage and loss of life as this, it seemed almost trivial to write about the my latest party inspiration or room design today. What little it must mean in the wake of such a horrific disaster, I thought.

But then I began to look at this little blog in a different way. If we should take nothing else from this catastrophe, it should be that life is fleeting and that we should make the most of it. We should savor the small joys in life and take time to see the beauty in things. We should rejoice more, celebrate more and really appreciate every day. That's what I aspire to do with my blog--to showcase a little bit of beauty or inspiration in a world that is often so dark. By no means do I profess to think that my daily words make this world a better place, but if my post brightens just one person's day today, gets one person excited about the little joys in life, then it's been a success. With that being said, here's today's inspiration. I hope you enjoy.

I've been on a party design kick lately, and with all of the celebrations coming up in the lives of our friends, I have a feeling it will stay that way for awhile. One of the things I've been seeing and LOVING is the use of ribbons and fabric strips to create vintage-styled garlands and backdrops. It's a simple way to bring fanciful fun to any event.