Here are six easy and stylish looks for pashminas, a type of cashmere scarf known for its diversity and uses. The range of clothing it goes with starts at sleeveless dresses and goes all the way to a t shirt and jeans. An amazing fashion accessory it can be worn in any event, during any season, for any occasion.
We are getting excited for Mardi Gras here at The Garden Gates. The food, the revelry, and the decorations, all things we are ready for. This is a time to let your Fleur de Lis fly, to break out your purple, and eat some King Cake! We just want to make sure our customers are stylish while they are doing it. Some people go the route of a wacky costume that we can’t really help with, but others like to celebrate the season with stylish jewelry, cool decorations, and other fun accoutrements.
We carry an assortment of elegant styles for men to wear during the Carnival season.
Crown Cufflinks in Silver by India Stewart
Rebirth Silk Tie by India Stewart
King Cake Pin by India Stewart
http://www.thegardengates.com/product.aspx?zpid=22801
Mardi Gras Plates and Platters
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Kissing Crawfish Mardi Gras King Glitter Ornament
LET’S GET STARTED!
Here’s what you’ll need for this arrangement:
1. Aster Solidago- 12 stems 2. Dutch Iris- 6 stems 3. Bells of Ireland 12 stems 4. Gerber Daisy- 6 stems 5. Ficus Lyrata leaves 6.Perfect Arranger 7.Gloves & Flower Pruner 8. Vase (of your choice) 9. Mardi Gras Beads 10. Peacock feathers
Please keep in mind that all the cut flowers used can be interchanged with your favorite mix of purple, green and gold flowers. Feel free to be creative and experiment!
Step 1: Place perfect arranger into your vase
Step 2: Place leaves around your vase to ‘hide’ the perfect arranger
Step 3: Cut your flowers at a 45 degree angle using your flower pruners
Step 4: Begin placing cut flowers into your vase using the perfect arranger as a guide.
Step 5: First place your cut flowers into the perfect arranger ie. Gerber Daisy, Dutch Iris and Bells of Ireland
Step 6: Make sure that flowers are placed securely into the perfect arranger
Step 7: Continue filling the perfect arranger until you are happy with your floral arrangement
Step 8: Then begin filling in the gaps with greenery ie. Aster Solidago
Step 9: Begin adding any Mardi Gras ‘touches’ like peacock feathers
Step 10: Cut your Mardi Gras beads to use as an accent in your vase
Step 11: Fill 3/4 of your vase with room termperature water and be sure to add in the flower food that comes with your cut flowers so that they’ll last as long as possible
Step 12: Drop in your cut beads into the vase, allowing them to freely falll into the spaces between leaves. And that’s it!
You’re all done! Place your beautiful arrangement in your home and enjoy a delicious piece of king cake while you’re at it!
I’ve been getting some questions about Nola Winter Gardening so I thought I would refer back to a post that one of our landscape designers Jesse posted a while back.
Here in Metairie, Louisiana plants survive in hardiness zones from 8b to 9a. Because of the climate we experience…some 70 degree days some 30 degree days there are some important tips one needs to know when working on or preparing ones garden for the upcoming spring.
#1 Today is a great day to plant! Just as tomorrow and the next day and the day after! As long as a shovel can get into the dirt so can the roots of a plant. It is because the ground hardly freezes here that we are blessed with the ability to start plants on their growth journey a little early. It is actually better to plant in the winter then the spring or summer in New Orleans. The main plant parts may be in a dormant state but the roots of the plant are actively seeking water and nutrients year-round. Because of the root stimulation the plant can be much more prepared to take on the heat of the summer with an extra few months of root growth.
#2 Mulch! Mulch! Mulch! Now that the fall leaf color (not that there is much in New Orleans) has made its way into the trash or compost pile its time to add a fresh layer of crushed pine needle much to help keep moisture in the soil around plants. Winters tend to dry plants out especially if there is no mulch.
#3 Pruning is a great idea on plants not flowering in the spring. As long as the plant flowers after April, pruning is recommend during the winter. Choose a cool day to do it so as not to stunt new growth which may occur on warmer days.
#4 Stay off your turf! Let it remain dormant if it is a warm season grass, it can not regenerate to repair itself when it gets into the dormant state.
#5 If you do not have a plan for your garden or yard now is a perfect time to work with a Landscape Architect on preparing the perfect atmosphere for your outdoor living. Set up a consultation at the Garden Gates today!
Today- Beth and I decided we’d play a word game with the greatest group of people on the planet- The Garden Gates Management Team. Our team consist of Landscape Architects, ArchiHortiDoanything King,an Architect, a Graphical WarLord , a Spaceman/Photographer, a Marketing Goddess, Analytical Conversionary, Visionary Buyer and me.
They had no idea the 1st clue ” 9 letters” would lead them to an ” Apple iPad” as a gift for a job well done. So we went round and round for about and hour with some really funny ones. Vacations, Strip Club( Jesse- mind in the gutter) , Steve Jobs( Emily-you win) Pinterst( we’re obsessed)
Beth and I passed out neatly wrapped gifts and I said, ” In my spare time, I wrote a book and signed the 1st copies for each one of you” Of course they opened their presents and as you can see….they were very happy that it was an iPad and not a book written by me.( but when I do write that book…they will be able to read it on their iPad)
We have they best staff, the best customers, the best vendor partners and I get to share all this with my best friend( my crazy wife- Diabla Blanca as Jesse like to call her)
Today- I had a great time watching people I truly cherish be so surprised….Thanks for Making The Garden Gates Great….
Remember to Be Merry- Be Happy and Give more than you take…
Beth and Chad
We just wanted to give a shout out and congratulate Funkychunky for appearing in the latest issue of Redbook. It all makes sense to us here at The Garden Gates, we love the mouth watering artisan flavors of Funkychunky. We actually have a hard time choosing which one is our favorite, the Funkychunky Chocolate Popcorn Bag, the Funkychunky Popcorn Box, and the Funkychunky Chocolate Popcorn Canister.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to bring the holiday spirit into your home is with a Christmas Tree. The Garden Gates has you covered with their Fraser Fir Christmas Trees, all delivered and they come with or without Christmas lights. Fraser Fir are the superior tree due to the fact that they retain their needles the longest of any other commercial Christmas tree. Make sure to order your tree by calling The Garden Gates at 877-780-6699 or by logging on to their website here. With Fraser Firs ranging from 5’ to 14’ they have the perfect tree to match any home.
So you have your tree and you are wondering, “now what?” Well you have to decorate it with beautiful ornaments. Once again, The Garden Gates has you covered with an amazing collection of beautiful handcrafted ornaments by Katherine’s Collections, One Hundred 80 Degrees, Creative Co-op, Raz, and more. These are some of the most amazing and beautiful items on the market sure to be the start of many holiday traditions in your home.
One of the most popular items is the Mystical Chubby Fairy by Katherine’s Collection. She brings magic, joy and whimsy to everyone that sees her.
For the last nine years The Garden Gates have been delivering Christmas Trees to the people of Metairie and the New Orleans area. They all come with a leak proof cinco stand and with a Christmas tree removal bag and Christmas tree preservative.
The Christmas tree preservative KLING helps the needles stay on and stay lush and beautiful throughout the holiday season, and one it isn’t it is time for it to go into the removal bag.
The Garden Gates will come alive with the holiday spirit… we will have snow, and good cheer. Here are some videos of the past:
There is something else we are going to have that is really OFF THE HOOK but we can’t really tell you what it is yet. All we can say is all the kids are going to flip for it. Keep you eyes and ears peeled on our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
Make sure you call The Garden Gates at 504-833-6699 or Toll Free at 877-780-6699 if you have any questions.
