Ole Miss Printables (Freebies!!)

You walk into your friend's tent, head to the food table, and suddenly you have no clue what you're looking at! Some tailgate foods are pretty noticeable (Pigs-in-a-Blanket, 7-Layer Dip, etc.), but some of these tasty treats are unrecognizable! That why I think it's a great idea to make some little printables to place in front of your treats to let fellow Grovers know what they are about to devour. Printables are also an easy way to add a little frill to your table! Preppy Paper Designs on Etsy has some great Ole Miss printables that you can order.

I've also made some food labels just using a Word document. These aren't as detailed as the ones above, but they're still cute! All you have to do is download the document, type in whatever you want (food labels, Hotty Toddy, etc.) print them off and fold them in half! I recommend printing on cardstock so they will stand-up better. If you are really crafty, grab your scrapbooking scissors and add a fancy trim!

Here's some cupcake toppers I've also made that you are welcome to save and use! Put them on a lollipop stick or a toothpick and you can add them to your cupcakes, flower arrangement, or they're even cute just by themselves!

Just 2 more days until Kickoff!! Can't wait to see everyone's tent this season, and all the new Pinterest crafts you have been working on! Hotty Toddy!

Last Minute Tent Decorations

LESS THAN 3 DAYS TILL KICKOFF... ARE YOU READY?!

With less than 3 days until the first kickoff of the 2012-2013 Ole Miss Football season, you're probably rushing around getting all your last minute Grove gear together. Here's a couple CHEAP and easy last minute decorations you can throw together to make sure that your tent stands out among the sea of red and blue in the Grove.

Canvas Penant Banner:
This project takes about 2 hours to complete (with a little paint drying time in between). Here's what you'll need:
-Canvas fabric... you can buy this at Wal-Mart CHEAP. You'll probably need about 2-3 yards depending on how large you want your banner to be.

-Acrylic paint and brushes (red and blue preferably!)
-Quilt Edging Trim- also available at Wal-Mart in Rebel colors!

-A sewing machine or thread and needle

(please excuse the BYU example!)

Cut out a triangle pattern from some cardboard or paper. Then use this pattern to cut out triangles from your canvas fabric. Now paint letters onto your fabric (I used "Hotty Toddy"... but you could also use "Ole Miss" or "Go Rebels" or whatever you'd like!) After the paint has dried, grab your quilt trim and sew the canvas triangles together onto the trim. And ta-da! You have a penant banner to hang in your tent. For a more detailed tutorial check out Your Homebased Mom's post. She uses multiple fabrics and prints, but I find that canvas is the easiest to paint on, and it also is stiffer which hangs better on a Grove tent. Here's the quick-and-easy banner I made last season...

Tissue Paper Poms:

Another really easy and CHEAP addition to your Grove tent is a Tissue Paper Poms. These add a lot of fun and fluff to your tent. Here's what you'll need...

-Sheets of tissue paper... find these in the gift wrapping section at Wal-Mart or even the Dollar Store

-Some string (I used some extra burlap string I had leftover from a previous project)

-Scissors

Fold the tissue paper in an accordion style about a 1-1.5" thick. Tie the string in the middle of the strip of tissue paper, leaving plenty of string out to hang the pom from. Take your scissors and cut a rounded end on both sides of the tissue paper strip. GENTLY unfold and fluff the tissue paper. For a more detailed tutorial (with pictures!) check out Martha Stewart's How-To.

Add these two simple decorations to your tent, and I guarantee you will be tailgating in style! Hotty Toddy!

Terra Cotta Clay Pot Fun

Of course your tailgating treats have to taste yummy, but they also need to be displayed in an elegant and organized fashion. Many Grovers pay lots of money for their food stands and silver platters, but there are also many budget friendly DIY projects you can use.
These terra cotta clay pot food stands are one of my favorites! They are very easy to make, extremely durable, and they work great for all sorts of appetizers and treats!

There are many different ways to make these "cake stands". Joshua Trent's tutorial is one way to make them. (Of course you'll probably want to use Ole Miss blue and red color instead of the sea blue Joshua uses!)

Using clay pots to makes these stands is very versatile. You can buy different size pots and plates, and vary them by height as well. I used Gorilla Glue (can be found at Home Depot or Wal-Mart) instead of the caulking. The Gorilla Glue takes longer to dry, but it's cheaper and can be used for many other projects. I also painted my stands with basic acrylic paint (Wal-Mart) instead of spray paint. I did not put a clear coat on my stands, instead a bought some Ole Miss fabric and sewed a quick little scarf to lay over the base of the stand and place the food onto. Here you can see some of my stands in my Grove tent:

Here's another fun Ole Miss project you can make using clay pots! I haven't tried this one yet, but it's definitely on my list!

Are You Ready?

Wow it's been a while! But who's excited for football season to begin in just a few weeks?! This gal sure is! For all you Ole Miss ladies, here's what color dresses you need to be shopping for!

 I'll be posting some more fun tailgating tips and recipes in the weeks approaching kick-off, and stayed tuned this fall to see pictures from my tailgating tent! I'll also be adding a new addition to the blog this season... I'll be picking one tailgate from each game to be the the Tent of the Week! So be sure to comment and let me know where your tent is going to be so you can be a part of the contest! Also check out my "Tailgating in Style" Pinterest board, I've added a lot of fun things to it in the past few months. Hope everyone has had a wonderful summer, and see you all in the Grove soon!