Mardi Gras 2012 is Tuesday, February 21.  That means we are right in the thick of Mardi Gras season for the next month!  This time of year makes me think of king cake, blaring trumpets, and lots and lots of beads.

When I was little, my mom often took us to the huge (and family-oriented) parades in Kenner and Metarie, just outside of New Orleans.  Every year I was in college (all 6 of them, haha), I squished in a car with my friends and we drove to New Orleans, usually jamming about 12 people into one hotel room.  Mardi Gras in New Orleans is truly a unique experience.  I probably wouldn’t be able to handle it now that I’m older, but the memories of limping down Bourbon Street in sticky shoes, eating Popeye’s red beans and rice at 3am, and sitting on someone’s shoulders desperately trying to catch the biggest beads will always make me smile.

Now that we are in Houston, we celebrate a very sedate Mardi Gras season.  My husband made a king cake, and I’ve decided to honor Mardi Gras by creating earrings with authentic parade doubloons.  If you aren’t that familiar with Mardi Gras traditions, you may know about catching beads at parades, but there are also doubloons.  Each year every Mardi Gras krewe creates limited edition doubloons, which are basically big shiny aluminum coins, to throw at their parade.  The doubloons usually have the year, the krewe name, and the theme or name of the krewe’s parade that year engraved on them.

These Mardi Gras earrings are a great way to wear a little piece of Mardi Gras tradition during this season, whether you are participating in carnival season somewhere in Louisiana, or just want to celebrate the good times wherever you call home!

Silver doubloon earrings by Lazy Owl Boutique

Shiny blue doubloon earrings by Lazy Owl Boutique

Gold Mardi Gras earrings by Lazy Owl Boutique