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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 2014

Happy 2015

31 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Holidays

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

New Years Eve

Garden, Home and Party: Happy New Year 2015

Another year has flown by.  I’ve worked hard this year on living in the moment and it has been helpful, even if sometimes I forget to do just that.

I don’t do resolutions anymore but I like the idea of selecting a word that can provide you with a course towards something you’d like to strive for.  Goals seem somehow easier to stick with than a long list of homework for the soul.  Do you make resolutions?

Garden, Home and Party: Happy New Year 2015

Again, the opportunity has come to start off with our best. Make sure all the 365 pages of your book are worth the writing; as well publishing for. ― Kaushal Yadav

I wish you all a happy, healthy and joyous new year to come.  I feel a kindred spirit towards you and you all make this blog-biz a fun journey.

See you next year!

Happy Christmas

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Uncategorized

≈ 26 Comments

 The big event is here…this is a recap of our home this Christmas.  Enjoy your holiday!

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas 2014

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas…you are the icing on the buche de noël, the sprinkles on the sugar cookies, the unexpected gift of blogland friendship!

{Home} Christmas Cozy

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, House and Home

≈ 30 Comments

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Christmas Cozy

 

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas CozyChristmas / Cozy, these two words play well together…in our hemisphere Christmas usually means a cooling trend.  Even in the desert, December is cold at night.

What better way to enjoy the season then wrapped in the comfort of your own home, fire in the grate (if possible) and a throw at your feet.  To me these rooms are cozy and inviting by design and furnishings.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

Artist Carl Larsson

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

{via}

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

{unknown}

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

{via}

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

{via}

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

{via}

…one of the coziest homes in blogland…Kelly, of talk of the house always gives us cozy with style.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas Cozy

{unknown}

My home version of cozy…this is before the tree went up.

Garden, Home and Party: Christmas  Cozy

Here is our tree…

Garden, Home and Party: Happy Christmas 2014

Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.

~the conductor; The Polar Express (2004)

I hope you are allowing yourself some time just to enjoy the season.  This final week will be hectic to be sure, be safe and have fun in all that you do.  

{Party} Ideas for setting the table for a holiday meal

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Entertaining, Holidays

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

Table Settings

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings for the season

*I know I posted images of table settings for Thanksgiving, but I really love the inspiration for something a bit different each time I get to set the table for a dinner or lunch.  I hope you’re able to retrieve some inspiration for your holiday entertaining.

One week down, already!  Let’s all take a collective deep breath and slow down.  We need to enjoy the beauty that the season has to offer.  Make time to sip hot cocoa or a cup of tea as you review your ‘to do’ list.

This week I’m sharing table settings dressed for the season.  I realized a long time ago that while I thoroughly enjoy setting a table, most guests are in your home to share some quality time with you, and while they may subconsciously enjoy the lovely setting, its not as important as you may think it is.  That doesn’t keep me from always trying to make it as special as possible, but it does mean we can all relax and keep it simple.  It’s all about enjoying the moment this year.

Garden, Home and Party: Table setting for the season

This is my table for most Christmas entertaining.  The center piece is made up of a bronze reindeer I purchased one winter while visiting a friend in Snowmass, CO.  I love him and I have a florist set him in a low container with florist foam and then it’s filled with various evergreen pine and pine cones and faux berries.  As long as it’s watered as needed, it lasts the entire month.  

{This is last year’s arrangement, this year I went with white berries, pheasant feathers and pinecones.  I’d love to say that it’s still at the florist, but it is in fact sitting on my dining room table.  It’s just been a crazy week and I did not get a picture of it!}  

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings of the Season

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings for the Season

This is such a lovely, simple place setting, don’t you agree? White twinkle lights and candlelight, what could be better?

Garden, Home and Party:  Table Settings for the Season

Candlelight, whether achieved with flameless candles or real, makes any tablescape magical.

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings for the Season

Garden, Home and Party: Table settings of the season

{sorry, unknown}

 You can never go wrong with plaid for Christmas!  Throw in a few nutcrackers and you have the perennial favorite for the season.

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings for the Season

I like the rustic coasters and name card, paired with sheet music.  I wonder if this is for a caroling party? Wouldn’t that be a fun idea?

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings for the Season

Garden, Home and Party: Table Settings for the Season

{via}

This is really a great way to introduce some plaid to the table, a couple of plaid throws doing double duty as table toppers.  I do love an English styled room for the holidays. So inviting.

Garden, Home and Party: Table Setting for the Season

All white, even the Christmas trees are set with white lights and nothing else.  It’s simply elegant.

Garden, Home and Party: Table setting for the season

Delores over at Vignette Design always sets a pretty table.

Garden, Home and Party: Table setting for the season

Garden, Home and Party: Table setting for the season

Garden, Home and Party: Table setting for the season

{via}

Garden, Home and Party: Table setting for the season

{via}

Rustic is a favorite look of mine, this setting makes me think it’s a house in a beautiful mountain town….hmm, I wonder.

Garden, Home and Party: table settings for the season

{via}

This is my table set for New Years Eve last year.

Garden, Home and Party: Table Setting for the Season

What do you like to set the table with this time of year?  

I hope you’ll tune in for next week’s installment—“Christmas Cozy”.  Rooms that are sure to invite you in and help you relax, all the while in a cozy setting.

Countdown to Christmas – Gift wrapping ideas

03 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Holidays

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

gift wrap ideas

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

As we frantically calmly move toward year’s end, and one of my favorite times of year {who doesn’t love Christmas or what ever Winter Holiday celebration you enjoy?}I thought it would be fun to share some ideas for wrapping presents, setting a pretty table, and sharing rooms that evoke a cozy atmosphere over the weeks ahead.  I’m starting this 3-week series with:

Gift Wrap Ideas.

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

If you’re like me you need to figure out not only ideas for wrapping presents for family and close friends, but you also probably need a few items for hostess gifts.  The cookie exchange, a ladies’ lunch, or a Christmas dinner party…these gift wrap ideas are especially fun for little gift items, like a special bar of soap, scented candle or pretty scented hand cream and lip balm for the purse, those little presents are especially fun to wrap.  Good things really do come in small packages!

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

The creative gift wrap ideas seem equally worthy for gifts that go under the tree, they are so pretty they would enhance that space under the branches of a decorated tree.

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

How to wrap a wine bottle from Ann on Sutton Place is a no-sew idea for a hostess gift.  You can always find great looking kitchen towels at TJ Maxx, Cost Plus or Marshall’s and Ann explains how to wrap a bottle of wine, no sewing required, in said towel.  Suddenly, a bottle of wine is a gift with a bonus!

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

So many gift wrap ideas involve butcher paper.  I love it’s simplicity and when paired with a sprig of holly or a red berry wreath it’s a win-win.

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

A little sparkle goes a long way.  I love the beautiful, large bows that so many packages are dressed with, but these simple touches share the wow factor too, don’t you think?

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

Bonus gift, like the kitchen towel-wrapped wine, this little package is fun since it comes with a candy cane!

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

How pretty is this?

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

{via}

Most of the above gift wrap ideas have been in my file for some time and I apologize for not having a link to all of them.  Hopefully, they will give you some ideas that are simple to implement.

Garden, Home and Party: Gift Wrap Ideas

Week 1:  I hope you’re better organized than me!  I really need to get going, I have the tree up and most of the decorations but gift buying is still in the planning stages.  Enjoy the week!

 

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