A new world of amazing ideas…free

19 Monday Jul 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Gardening

Tags

I have a confession to make, my first post for Garden, Home and Party was in June 2007. As you may have read in a recent post I was uncertain about the direction I wanted to head in with the site. Although the name of my site sums up my passions I was brand-spanking new to this form of expression and not yet confident that anyone would care what I thought about gardening, decorating my home (and home life in general) and party—entertaining and all of the fun associated with that (cooking, table settings, recipes).

Gardening is a passion, I find it to be so relaxing.

As you will notice if you visit my “archives” (some of which seem to be missing, I will have to consult my IT guy-son #2), I was sporadic at best and downright absent from posting for many months. Then I discovered, quite by accident, Pioneer Woman’s website. I was hooked on her entertaining style of writing. Sharing stories of her life on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma with 4 kids and a wonderful husband. From her site I followed links to other sites that were inspiring {The Lettered Cottage, The Inspired Room and Holly Mathis Interiors}.

My heart sings when I can relax with a stack of "nesting" magazines or embark on a new project for my home.

I realize that I will never have the following of fans Dee Rummond (PW) has but I can follow her lead and be inspired by her “journaling” (PW explained that she started her site as a means to keep her mom up to date with pictures and activities at the ranch). I can journal my passion for Garden, Home and Party.

There is nothing like entertaining friends and family in our home.

New to me is the site French Kissed. I love visiting her site. Her philosophy says it all, “French Kissed is a design philosophy for people with big ideas and small budgets. Adherence to its principals produces proof positive that we do not have to be wealthy to live richly.”

Antique Staffordshire figurines add a charming touch to any home.

If you are passionate about your home take some time to visit some of the sites out there, there are some incredibly talented folks offering all of us their ideas for creating a beautiful life using more creativity then $$$.

Welcome to my cottage! {I'm just kidding!}

Share some of your findings with me. I’d love to hear from you.

Atriums, Conversation Pits and other tract house trends

12 Monday Jul 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Misc, Outdoor living

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

architecture, outdoor living space, Trends

In the early 70’s, when my husband and I were looking to buy our first home many of the new housing tracts offered things like atrium’s, conversation pits and cottage cheese ceilings (ugh!). When I was a newlywed I thought I wanted a brand, spanking new house. Boy, did I figure out quickly that I wasn’t a “new home” kind of gal.

This is my friend Jane's house---the charm comes from years of work on various parts of a home. It makes it livable and cozy.

Our first home had an atrium. At the time this feature was a relatively new innovation for bringing the outdoors in—a Southern California passion (maybe this is common in the mild-winter states). We purchased the “model” so our atrium came with a lovely built-in, brick fountain which rarely worked but at least it was a finished space as opposed to the barren ground that the new non-model homes had. I admit that my current house, built in 1968, has an atrium and I’ve grown to love it. We enjoy the large outdoor wicker chairs and will often read and relax in this space.

Atrium / Courtyard outdoor living spaces

Even the cat is happy about the atrium.

My friend Jane has an atrium/courtyard that rivals most. This gate is a hint of the welcoming atrium just inside.

Jane often sets the atrium dining table with beverages for a party.

This wall hanging and a fountain on a nearby wall create a room that is as pretty as it is inviting.

Jane's Front Door is as pretty as the atrium it resides in.

Conversation Pit

Just typing the words “conversation pit” cracks me up. It reminds me of one of my all-time favorite movies, “Father of the Bride” when Steve Martin (playing the father) says, “we could have the wedding in one of our all-time favorite restaurants, Bob’s BBQ Pit” and the young son says, “Ah Dad, I don’t think we want the word ‘pit’ on the invitation”. Hilarious.

If you've never seen this movie, rent it, you will laugh out loud.

Our second home featured a conversation pit—I wonder what the thinking was behind this design detail. The pit in our house was a step-down space between the living room and kitchen. Our ‘pit’ was much smaller than the pictures below (and I’ve never had a contemporary house, maybe that was the problem for me). There was room for a sofa and we installed shelving to accommodate a television—therein lies the problem, we wanted to watch TV and the design team wanted us to converse.

Our "pit" wasn't nearly this large and our house has never been contemporary.

I don't have pictures of our conversation pit but you get the jest of it from these photographs.

The final trend in the late 60’s and early 70’s (at least for tract houses in and around Southern California) was the acoustical stuff they sprayed on all of the ceilings. I didn’t like the way this “cottage cheese” texture looked and I am not sure of why they used it but it seemed to be in most newly built homes during that time period. It was later discovered that a lot of the materials used in the product contained asbestos and we were very happy to have found someone to remove it from the house we are currently in.

What are the trends you find in your region for new home construction in your area?

4th of July

04 Sunday Jul 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Decorating, Entertaining, Flowers, Gardening

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

outdoor space, plants

Cayley, a dear friend of mine, lives in a beautiful home. The home is only 4 years old but her landscape and the amazing furnishings make you feel like this house was built somewhere in the countryside of Italy many years ago. The warmth and welcoming feel is what you might expect to find in a comfortable and cozy country home of Tuscany. She always sets a wonderful table and her setting for the 4th is no exception.

4th of July

I think my favorite outdoor space in her home is the courtyard, located off the dining room. This space has everything you could wish for in an outdoor living room. There is a fireplace with a back drop of olive trees and flowering plants…

…a multi-tiered fountain that provides relaxing sounds that calm and soothe you after a busy day…

Ahh, the soothing sound of water cascading gently.

…lush landscape that cools the space as well as offers the scents of jasmine and hydrangea.

I love hydrangea!

This is a wonderful outdoor room and one that inspires me to work in my garden!

Star jasmine, trained on wire, gives the space interest and fragrance.

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Cayley, thank you for sharing your home with me!

Happy 4th of July!

02 Friday Jul 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Dessert, Entertaining, Food, Party Planning

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th of July, Entertaining, holiday

Happy 4th of July (weekend). This holiday has always signaled the start of summer for me. I used to work at Disneyland and the 4th of July brought visitors from all over the world, the weather was almost always hot in Anaheim (where Disneyland is located) on this date, and it truly felt like the start of summer.

Edible 4th of July decorations, I love it!

According to Wikipedia: In the United States Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

She's a grand ol' flag, she's a high flying flag...

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. ~via Wikipedia

You can make these using Martha Stewart's directions in Living-July issue.

Have a wonderful weekend, we're lucky to live in a country that's free!

Pictures via Veranda Magazine & Martha Stewart

In a former life…

11 Friday Jun 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Austin, Texas, travel

I may have been a Texan. My husband and I visited son #1 and his lovely wife in their home town, Austin.

Austin, the Capital of Texas

My husband, L., and our two (now adult) children and I were born and raised in Southern California. Hot tub jokes aside, our little community is a “little slice of paradise” to us.

Ahhh, the beauty of the river

Early in our marriage my husband took a promotion in his job and we packed our toddler and moved to Arlington, Texas (a suburb of Dallas/Forth Worth, otherwise known as the “Metroplex”). During the 2 years we were there we grew to love the people (it’s true what they say about southern hospitality).

University of Texas, Hook 'em Horns!

We still find it a fun coincidence that son #1 met, fell in love with and married an Austinite (is that a term?) while living in Los Angeles, and now they call Austin home. For good reason, what a great city!

Note: Word has it that the UT football team may become a Pac 10 football time in a couple of years.

Happy Friday!

Weekday Cooking

02 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Food, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

simple meal cookbooks, Simple Weekday Meals, weekday cooking

My husband and I are off to Arizona to help my step-father. If I don’t post Friday, this is why. Meanwhile, since it’s Wednesday and we all have busy schedules and we all have to eat, I’ve posted these weekday cooking tips. We love these two cookbooks and have prepared several recipes from them. Enjoy!

I love to cook. However, working full time can present challenges to cooking weekdays. I have found a couple of really good cookbooks at Costco within the last few months and have found them do what their titles say, “The Best Simple Recipes” and Everyday Food, “Great Food Fast” cookbooks.

Available at Amazon and some Costco locations

I’ve tried several recipes from each book and found them to be easy and delicious—my family agrees, which is always a good sign. I don’t know about you, but usually if my husband doesn’t care for a new recipe I generally toss it. He’s not over picky so I try to cook recipes we both love. If the recipe is truly so yummy to me personally, I’ll save it for a ladies lunch. Is that what you do?

If you’re pressed for time during the week and don’t have an interest in trying new recipes, I totally get it. Give a few of these recipes a try on the weekend. It’s more relaxing to cook when you aren’t pressured for time!

Delicious and simple

Have a delicious week.

Flowers for Entertaining: Potted vs. Cut

24 Monday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Flowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

centerpieces

I may have mentioned this before—I love to entertain. I think setting the table is nearly as much fun as cooking for a party (and by “party” I mean any meal served at the dining room table with as few as 4 and as many as 10 {10 is the max that my dining room table will seat comfortably}.

I love the look of hydrangea with the Staffordshire figurines as added interest in the beautiful table setting.

I used to visit a wholesale flower seller where you could select cut flowers by type/color. This was fun but could be quite expensive depending on what flower you wanted and it often meant too many flowers of one variety (the bouquets were large). I would distribute them in vases all around the house but what I was really after was maybe 3 different flower species in 1 or 2 colors.

All of these plants were transplanted into the garden after the party.

Trader Joe’s and some of the local markets started carrying a greater variety of cut flowers and they weren’t too expensive. The problem was the odd color combinations the supplier would put together. I realize we all have our color preferences but I didn’t find mine very often—purple, orange and hot pink bouquets weren’t going to cut it.

Herbs make a wonderful Spring or Summer centerpiece

One of my friends, who happens to set an amazing table, had a party recently and set her table using potted plants. (You know, the kind they sell in the nursery and warehouse home stores) She took some of them out of the plastic pots and arranged them in color-coordinated bowls and cache pots, others she was able to leave in the plastic pots and add a layer of moss around the top of the container. Bottom line, it was unique and beautiful and the best part?…she planted the little pots of flowers in her garden afterward, where they flourish to this day. Is that great, or what!?

Jan Barboglio (an incredible artist that designed the napkin ring in this picture) says, "I seldom choose color or floral arrangements. Instead I select artifacts my children or I have collected..."

You don’t really need to stick to flowers when it comes to centerpieces for a table setting, as demonstrated in the picture above from House Beautiful as well as the picture below.

Seasonal Fruit can be beautiful as a centerpiece.

I plan to copy this idea for my next party. In fact it has opened up a whole new creative stream of imagination for me. I now look at pottery, ceramic or metal containers in my home and stores with one thought, how would this look on the dining table filled with beautiful flowers that coordinate with my dishes?

Have you used potted plants as a center piece when you entertain.

Pictures: Bottom 3 pictures courtesy of House Beautiful

Easy Ladies Luncheon

19 Wednesday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Party Planning, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

friends, lunch, meals

Because I love to entertain—have I mentioned that—I’m always looking for easy, make-ahead recipes that are delicious but won’t kill the cook, so to speak, especially since I’m usually trying to entertain with minimum time to clean, cook, buy flowers, and set the table.

A beautiful table setting using similar vases and decorative items, not expensive and so lovely.

I was recently invited to a ladies luncheon in honor of a friend’s birthday. Our hostess had only recently moved into her new home and we requested a tour. I love home tours and always come away inspired to do something or another to my own home.

Don't you love the antique fire brand behind the stove?

We were invited to be seated at the dining room table, which was beautifully set (picture above). The first course was soup and as you can see from the picture (below) was beautifully presented. It tasted as good as it looked and we all asked our hostess for the recipe. My friend smiled and explained that the soup was Butternut Squash soup in a box from Trader Joe’s (a market located primarily on the west coast). She had garnished it with fresh chives and feta cheese and served it with warm baguette slices and butter. I’m telling you this soup was delicious!

Soup from a box---as delicious as it was simple to prepare.

Next came a salad of grilled chicken, baby greens, fresh raspberries, Craisins (Ocean Spray dried cranberries), candied pecans (now available in most stores) and crumbled feta cheese, topped with a bottled Creamy Raspberry Vinaigrette. Pretty doable: Grill the chicken in advance, assemble the salad in advance and toss just prior to serving. Yummy!

Dessert was French Macarons (not the coconut macaroons) and these too were purchased in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s. These were served with fresh berries and coffee to drink.

My point is, {honest, I have one} you don’t have to slave over a hot stove to entertain. Most of the food was pre-made and she presented it with such attention to detail we were all wowed and loved every bite! When someone else does the cooking food just tastes better, don’t you think?

A luncheon doesn't have to be overwhelming.

Have fun, invite friends over and experiment with a few short cuts. Do you have any entertaining shortcuts you’d like to share?

Focus on the Passion

17 Saturday Apr 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Decorating, Entertaining, Gardening

≈ 2 Comments

Sometimes I think to myself, “Self, why are you trying to blog while working full time, taking care of your home (I don’t employ a housekeeper) and tending to the garden (I do have a gardener that mows and edges our grass)?!”

But then I remember how I got started—our oldest son happened to be present when one of my good friends ask for advice regarding her garden. (As mentioned previously, I used to have my own gardening business). During our drive home son #1 said, “Mom, why don’t you let me create a website for you where you could blog about the things you love?” He knows I’ve always been happiest when I’m working on projects for our garden, our home and/or planning a party, preferably not all at once.

I was flattered that he noticed my passions regarding these topics and further touched that he thought I could offer something for people with similar interests—he was half right. I have received 1 comment from my writing, which began in the summer of 2007! (Confession: I stopped writing completely for a long stretch of time, all of 2008). I receive additional encouragement from son#2 (he reads each new entry) and my husband who always encourages me no matter what I might tackle. I believe part of the reason I’ve not gained many readers, besides the fact that if you’re like me you barely have time to answer your own email let alone comment on some web blog, is my inconsistency in posting to the site.

That said I have been perusing other websites that blog about similar topics. I could easily be depressed that my site isn’t any where near as entertaining, picture laden or cleverly written as some I’ve looked at but while reading through the archives of a particularly wonderful site by the name of The Inspired Room I read where Melissa, the talented author of this site, had a similar experience when she embarked on the adventure of blogging.

So, I’ve decided that if for no other reason than to journal my thoughts and ideas about the 3 topics I’m most passionate about, Garden, Home & Party, I’ll continue. I won’t look for gold stars of recognition; I’ll do this just for me!

If you stumble upon my site and have questions, suggestions or comments, I welcome them. I’m new to this and would love any advice you might wish to share.