We never need a reason . . . to celebrate (+ a GiveAway!)

Close your eyes and quickly bring up a couple of your warmest childhood memories.  I bet ya dollars to two Krispy Kreme doughnuts that what you remembered involved small details.  It might have been the way the tooth fairy always seemed to wear Mom's perfume or personal pizza night, where your brother concocted any combination of toppings that his belly could tolerate.

Happy childhoods are made up of moments -- and many of them don't have to cost a dime. 

Take last night for instance.  My son just finished up several days of school required STAAR testing (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) and I thought I would set a special table to celebrate - and give us a chance relax and DooDLe During DiNNeR . . . every need one of those triple D nights that Macaroni Grill provides?   We are big doodlers :)

I simply wrapped the our round breakfast tabletop with the back (white side) of cheapy wrapping paper.  Took a remant of bright paper and folded it on itself many times into a pie shape and cut a curved petal shape out of it -- unfolded it and set it on the center of the table . . . . keep reading for more detail on that . . .

Our kitchen table is typically set for just the 3 of us (We have chairs for 6 & a large round topper that are added for entertaining).  VERY Informal -- if you can't tell.  I was cooking spaghetti, garlic bread and salad -- which just needed a fork and a plate (we're casual!).

Sorry for the poor pic :( . . . the Petal Straws were completely unnessary, but fun just the same.  From Martha . . . 

Link to Martha's Idea

. . . to put these in perspective, I used a few leftover cupcake liners and mini foil baking cups, a bendy straw and scissors.  So ignore all the special tools her site suggests for making these -- completely unnecessary. 
I used this same folding technique for the blue wrapping paper petal in the center of the table. EASY! You can see the fold lines in the pic below . . .

I wrote & doodled directly on the blue wrapping paper with my Bistro Chalk Marker (love it) that I have used many times before.  I have bought them from Amazon & craft stores (bring a coupon).

It may seem a little girlie to have flower petals, but it was VERY Quick to pull together and it certainly didn't matter to my son.  It made him feel special.   

The 'centerpiece' is a caddy filled with Markers, Crayons and Strawberries -- oh and some orange fiber that a bouquet of flowers Mr. V brought me one time were wrapped in.

Willow House

It is a wonderful clutter collector and perfect for your family's homework spot (most commonly the kitchen table :). 

We've also used it for entertaining though too . . . 

MyStyleShare

Use it on a buffet and serve away!  The 5 removable glasses are food safe, and candle-safe too - gorgeous with fresh flowers as well.  The metal rings and center rod can be removed, so you can use the tray alone as a riser -- or flip it upside down as shown above.

What would you use it for?  Would you like to WiN a Willow House French Wire Carousel Caddy for your family?  Of course you would!

Here's How to Win One . . .

created a Google Doc form for entries. This prevents any of our email addresses from being harvested by blog-crawling harvester bots (ooooh!), 

Simply leave a comment with your email address for one entry. (Make sure you leave your e-mail address, so I can contact you if you win!)

• For a second entry, visit my facebook page and if you like what you see, become a fan -- Come back to this post and leave a second comment letting me know you are a NEW Fan!
• For a third entry, subscribe to my newsletter and leave one last comment letting me know you have (or already do.) The subscribe box can be found here or within my website here.

The giveaway will run through Sunday, April 29, 2012, at midnight EST. It is only open to readers over the age of 18 and living in the lower 48 US states.  One Winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday, April 30.  

Go ahead . . . give yourself a mother's day gift :)

Psst -- I am using Random.org's integer generator to choose a random winner.
THANK YOU in Advance & Good luck, everyone!

I am linking up with Between Naps on the Porch's Tablescape Thursday and Hookin Up with House of Hepworths :)