Happy Mardi Gras! Here at the Castle Fat Tuesday is one of our favorite holidays. Mainly because we like to eat King Cake. But there are a lot of misconceptions about Mardi Gras. Often  I get asked some pretty crazy questions about Mardi Gras and what it represents. So much so that I thought that I would share just a few fun facts about Mardi Gras with you.

What is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French.

The Mardi Gras season or Carnival season begins on January 6, Epiphany, the day that the Wise Men found the baby Jesus, and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday the beginning of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of lent, so Fat Tuesday has always been a celebration of enjoying all things before Lent begins.

What are the official colors of Mardi Gras and what do they mean?

The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, which represents Justice.

Gold, which represents Power.

Green which represents Faith.

How old is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras dates back to March of 1699!

So…. really old!

Is Mardi Gras only in New Orleans on Bourbon Street?

Nope.

And it’s not all about boobs and beads either.

Several parades take place all over the city of New Orleans .

Including family neighborhoods.

It’s also celebrated coastally.

Mobile, Alabama claims to be the 1st city in North America to host Mardi Gras.

 

What is King Cake and when do you eat it?

King Cake is very similar to a cinnamon roll.

It is sometimes filled  cream cheese, raspberry filling etc.

My favorite King Cake is with a simple butter, sugar and cinnamon filling.

What sets King Cake apart from other cakes is that a small baby, representing Jesus, is hidden inside the cake.

Whoever finds the baby is said to have good luck for the rest of the year.

So Yummy!

King Cake is only eaten during the Mardi Gras season.

Fact: It’s illegal to ride a float in New Orleans without wearing a mask!

As crazy as it sounds, this is true and was put into law at the beginning of NOLA celebrating the Mardi Gras season.

The theory behind it was to get rid of social constraints for the day.

If no one knew who you were, then you were allowed to mingle with all classes of people.

Today is just tradition that the city still enforces.

So that’s all of the fun facts about Mardi Gras that I have for you today.

While I am certainly no expert about all  things Mardi Gras, I hope that I’ve given you a few fun things to think about on Fat Tuesday!

Happy Mardi Gras Y’all!

Until next time….

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Merry Christmas in July!

Honestly, I can’t even believe I’m even thinking about Christmas as it’s hotter than the devil’s back porch here in North Texas! Seriously, while I’m not excited about the heat and humidity, I am excited to be a part of the Christmas in July blog hop!

Thank you Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for bringing us all together for a little Christmas fun!

If you are visiting from Carol’s Blue Sky at Home, welcome! Yay, you’re here!!!

Did you know that it is only 151 days til Christmas?

Probably didn’t need to hear that.

However, with a lot of us still staying home due to THE COVID, this is the perfect time to break out all of the Christmas projects.

You know, the ones we promise ourselves that we will get done, but never do?

My poject starts with these Mosaic Wooden Plaques from Michaels.

Today I’m sharing how to make a Christmas tree plaque.

Supplies:

Mod Podge

sponge brush

Ribbon

Scrapbook paper

Hot Glue and Glue Gun

Step 1:

First, paint your plaque the color of your choice.

I painted mine black.

Step 2:

Now it’s time to cut out your Christmas trees.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to do mine.

Don’t have a cutting machine?

No worries, there are a ton of templates online.

Step 3:

Next, make a background for your design using scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

Paint the back of your wooden plaque with Mod Podge.

( I swear I’ve Mod Podged more things since the pandemic started than I have my entire life!)

Step 5:

Lay your background paper on top of the glue,

Tip: I like to use a clean brush to smooth out all of the wrinkles and air bubbles.

Once your paper is smooth, paint a coat of Mod Podge on top.

Step 6:

Place your Christmas trees on your paper where you want them, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles.

Once you have the trees where you want them, give them a coat of Mod Podge.

Step 7:

While my design was drying, I made a bow to go on top of my plaque.

However, you won’t need a lot of ribbon for this.

In fact, I used a lot of scrap ribbon that I had in my craft closet.

Once your plaque is dry, hot glue the ribbon to the top of the plaque.

Your Christmas plaque is complete and more importantly it’s ready to decorate with.

As far as projects go this one is pretty simple and a lot of fun!

So much fun that I made several for gifts!

Now, it’s time to hop over to visit Chloe at Celebrate and Decorate. I can’t wait to see what she has featured.

After that, be sure and check out all of the other wonderful ideas.