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Garden, Home & Party

~ My love of gardening, making home comfortable and entertaining friends and family.

Garden, Home & Party

Monthly Archives: December 2013

Garden, Home and Party wishes you a Happy 2014

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Uncategorized

≈ 18 Comments

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want. ~ Traditional Irish toast

Garden, Home and Party: Happy New Year's 2014

I haven’t given any thought to my “goals” for the new year.  I don’t like to call them resolutions…that sounds so definite.  I try to limit the goals to 3, I’ll have to get back to you on the specifics.

Garden, Home and Party: New Years

I hope the coming year is a good year for all of you.  I appreciate your visits and comments and hope to continue to hold your interest in the new year.

Garden, Home and Party: New Years Eve

Most years I take down Christmas on New Year’s Day, but I really enjoyed the simplicity of the decorations this year and will wait until next week to take it all down.

Garden, Home and Party: 2014

Did you take down Christmas yet?  

Happy New Year’s Eve my dear friends 

Merry Christmas

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Holidays

≈ 16 Comments

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

I hope you are enjoying the pleasures of the season…

…hot cocoa by the fire,

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

{via}

…all your presents are wrapped…

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

{via}

…you’ve sent and received cards with words of good cheer…

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

…you’ve delivered any packages that had to be sent…

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

…wreathes and garlands are hung, adding fragrance to your home…

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

because we know the time is near, when Santa will harness his reindeer and make his rounds.

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

Have a very happy holiday, my friends!  Another year draws to a close, it’s been wonderful.  I wonder what adventure 2014 will bring?

Garden, Home and Party: Merry Christmas

{Home} O Tannenbaum

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Holidays, Traditions

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Christmas tree

The countdown is on…only 1 week until Christmas.  I’m really getting excited.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

I know most of you have your holiday decorations up, especially your tree.  Still, I’ve found so many pretty images of trees and I’m at a loss to think of any other topic besides trying to finish my list of presents to buy, things to do, rooms to clean, so here’s some online goodness of my favorite Christmas trees.

You’re green not only
in the summertime,

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree
How loyal are your leaves/needles!

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

adventures in tartanscot

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

Centsational Girl

Garden, Home and Party: O TannenbaumGarden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

The Polohouse

Garden, Home and Party: O Tannenbaum

The Polohouse

Garden, Home and Party: O TannenbaumGarden, Home and Party: O TannenbaumGarden, Home and Party: O TannenbaumGarden, Home and Party: O TannenbaumNo matter what size tree you manage this year, I hope you are enjoying the season and are further along on all you need to do in preparation for the holiday than me.  Stop and smell the pine needles. 

{GHP} Christmas, a childlike faith in magic

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Uncategorized

≈ 18 Comments

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

A dear friend gave me a copy of The Polar Express the year it was published, 1985. {Thank you, Carla} I’ll never forget the first time I read the story and how it touched me.  There is something about the idea of believing in the spirit of Christmas even as we age that has always stayed with me.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Stories

This time of year I display my Polar Express book with the silver bell I had purchased a few years prior to the release of the book.  I hope, when Olivia is a little bit older, I can read this to her and she will remember it with a fondness for the season that her grandma enjoys.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Stories

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Stories

Both of our son’s enjoyed Christmas books.  They often choose The Grinch who Stole Christmas and tolerated the Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, mommy’s favorite.  I collected nutcrackers back then and the story still holds my attention.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

With this abbreviated season, one of the highlights of Christmas this year will be when Olivia arrives…her thrill with the smallest of things gives me such joy.  When asked what she wants for Christmas her reply, “Minnie Mouse socks, Grandma, mine have a hole in them!”  {Lest you think we are negligent, her socks have a hole in them because she wears her Minnie Mouse socks every day}

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

These are the books in our library of Children’s stories that we’ll be reading…I’m sure there will be some books read that aren’t Christmas themed as well.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

The 12 Days of Christmas was a favorite in part because of the incredible illustrations of Jan Brett…

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas stories

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Stories

All things Christmas makes me *happy* so I’m joining RJ at Art@Home for her happy party and Savvy Southern Style’s Wow us Wednesday.

Share your favorites.  Do you have a tradition of reading a particular Christmas or Holiday story to your family?  I hope you are having a wonderful December. ♥

Karen

{Home} Rooms that enjoy a neutral palette

04 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, Designer

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Henhurst Interiors, neutral rooms, Tone on Tone Antiques

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

John Saladino ~ Pinterest

Since we’re traveling high speed towards Christmas, where more of everything is the norm, I thought I’d provide some calming images of rooms that are spectacular in their neutral color palette and prove less (color), is more.

I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts that sometimes the beauty that tempts most of us online can cause me us to loose focus on my our personal style preference.  I save images that, in my opinion, have the ‘wow-factor’ and I’ll occasionally go through these files to tidy up a bit.

What struck me during this most recent housekeeping session was the preponderance of rooms that have a neutral color palette.  Small touches of color seem to stand out when you have the calm of neutral walls and upholstered pieces. I clearly adore these rooms, maybe in part because my own home isn’t dressed that way.  I found so many striking examples I decided I needed wanted to do a post on the topic.

There are examples every where you look, simple rooms, often adorned only in natural woods, shades of cream or white paint and perhaps an accessory or two that beautifully completes the room.  No fuss, no muss.

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

South Shore Decorating Blog

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

South Shore Decorating Blog

Garden, Home and Party

South Shore Decorating Blog

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

South Shore Decorating Blog

I regularly visit 2 blogs that have mastered this style of design.  Loi of Tone on Tone shares the most amazing rooms with his readers. Sometimes its his home, sometimes he features rooms he’s designed for clients.  The talented styling doesn’t stop with his residence.  He owns an antiques store that displays the European furniture found on his buying trips.   I love the styling and the furnishings and wish he would sign a book deal so I could enjoy studying the details of each and every space he’s created.  Rizzoli, are you listening?

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Tone on Tone

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Tone on Tone

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Tone on Tone

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Tone on Tone

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Tone on Tone

The other blog site I find a generous helping of neutral in is Henhurst Interiors.  As a designer, Phyllis’ blog regularly features homes that exemplify the Swedish style.  She has a talent for streamlining the design aesthetic of a room while still making it so inviting and welcoming.  Her own home is one of my favorites.

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Henhurst Interiors

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral Rooms

Henhurst Interiors

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Henhurst Interiors

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Henhurst Interiors

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Henhurst Interiors

One of my close friends, Glenys, has recently moved into a beautiful home she and her husband built.  The interior of her spacious home is a wonderful example of the ideal:  Neutral colors and plenty of warmth.  I always marvel at how she manages to provide such inviting rooms without over saturation of any color.  It’s the perfect calm for this busy world.

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

A home featured over at Joni’s fabulous site Cote de Texas also reminded me of the beauty of neutrality.  This home is amazing, if you have time you might want to hit the link and check it out.  Ginger Barber did the interior design work of what  Joni calls, An American Farmhouse.

Garden, Home and Party: neutral rooms

Cote de Texas

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

Cote de Texas

I’ve always admired the living room of Randy Weeks, of Aidan Gray Home.

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

I’m not going to ask you to choose, I love both neutrals and some amount of color, but it is something to think about…could you live with less color/more color?

Garden, Home and Party: Neutral rooms

There’s no right or wrong answer, its your style preference, what feels like home to you personally, but it is fun to find myself drawn to both almost equally.

Recent Posts: Garden, Home & Party

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