Autumn flora in the home

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

Posted by Karen B. in Autumn, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Flowers, Halloween, House and Home, Thanksgiving

Good morning, my friends! So much for getting back to regular posting, right?!

I am an avid fan of fresh flowers and plants in my house year round. I’ve used branches from shrubs and trees in the yard, and flowers from the market for our home most of my married life. I also have several living plants in my home. Ivy topiary, Peace Lily ‘spathiphyllum’ and a large pothos live in various rooms of the house. When Christmas rolls around I’m happy to use faux garland, embellished with live cedar and pine.

So it was with some hesitancy that I returned the kind email I received from Silk Plants Direct. They were offering me a shopping visit of their site, where they would ship a product of my choice (with a generous pricing limit) for my honest review. Still doubtful, I visited the link and found many of their plants to look very believable. The item I selected reminds me of bittersweet, something that is sold live per stem by florists this time of year in our area. I’ve always loved the look of bittersweet in autumn arrangements and wreaths, but couldn’t always find fresh stems.

I emailed my contact with Silk Plants Direct and was thrilled with the speedy delivery and the quality of the stems. The flowers filled the large porcelain blue and white vases and finished the mantle decor for the season for me. Thank you Silk Plants Direct!

Silk Plants Direct, a Silk flowers and plants retailer, has a user-friendly site and provides a column on their home page that allows shoppers to narrow their search by topics such as category, size, price, color, variety and season.

If you’re a die hard fan of real live plants and flowers, as I consider myself to be, you may be in for a surprise. I urge you to take a look at Silk Plants Direct.

Disclosure: I received a free product sample in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The honest opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Thanksgiving countdown

11 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by Karen B. in Autumn, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Holiday/Seasonal cooking

≈ 28 Comments

With only 18 days until Thanksgiving I thought I’d share some wonderful table setting ideas, compliments of talented folks online, along with a rough draft of our menu for the upcoming long holiday weekend. Williams Sonoma taste has so many great ideas for making this food-intensive holiday easy and delicious.

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This year we’re lucky enough to be celebrating Thanksgiving with the entire Bunch clan (our Austin family will be here as well as our California kids). We’re celebrating Olivia’s 5th birthday at Disneyland early in the week. Then the meal planning will begin, a collaborative effort. The fact that our kids like to cook is a great source of joy for me.

This is my favorite season and while I’m thankful for family year round, the Thanksgiving holiday shines a spotlight on family (and friends) and fortunately, we all get along and enjoy each other’s company. Some of the movies they’ve produced on dysfunctional family life brought to light during Thanksgiving are funny, thankfully they don’t apply! 🙂

Layla of The Lettered Cottage shared this simple centerpiece some time ago. It’s a reminder that setting the table can be lovely whether simple or elaborate.

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I’m loving the rustic feel of this elegant table. There are flowers but the pussy willow and nest give it a natural, rustic feel.

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Have you seen these placemats with space to write down what you are thankful for? I love this idea. A reminder that we all have something to be thankful for. I like the dried maple leaf as a placecard.

Figs, eucalyptus and candles, brilliant! Less is more. For oakleaf name cards…

this lovely free printable can be found HERE. If you’ve never visited EAB Designs, prepare to be amazed at the creative forces at work here.

This is another pretty free printable for place cards if you’re interested.

Our Thanksgiving table sans dinnerware…since I’m posting this early, I don’t have plates and such on the table. Redfern, our beloved pheasant, presides over the feast.

Here are dishes that I often use in the autumn, but this year I think I’ll use my white dishes…food looks good on white (or so I’ve been told).

Traditional, with updates, I love this centerpiece in a planter box. You can never have too many candles.

Our menu will be some version of the following:

I’ll be taking some time off. I know it seems that has become a habit! Family will be arriving and I want to unplug for awhile. I’ll be back with some Christmas cheer. I wish you all a joyous Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and good food. I’m very thankful for my friends here at GHP.

xo, Karen

Entertaining in the autumn

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by Karen B. in Autumn, Entertaining, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

≈ 37 Comments

I always jump the gun on fall…which is particularly defeatist since Southern California typically doesn’t see truly cool (a relative term) weather ~~ever~~ until late October or early November. Still, it’s my favorite season {with spring a close second} and I can hardly wait.

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The acorns and sycamore leaves were gathered on my walk that first weekend in September

When our Austin family visited earlier this month, I found myself decorating the dining room table for fall. We have several September birthdays in the family and since September always reminds me that fall is close at hand, I thought why not?! Besides, we had the a/c running so you could pretend it was cool outside. 🙂

I saved the oak leaves from a visit to Big Bear and wrote the name of each guest on a leaf to use as place cards.

Redfern the pheasant is in his usual spot for the fall season.

There were lively conversations among the guests…Olivia (4 years) & Fae (1 year next month) {granddaughters}

I’ve dropped the ball where entertaining / cooking posts are concerned. So in addition to the table setting, I’ve included the menu items I served for our birthday celebration {in the season of almost autumn}. 🙂

Our dinner menu was very simple and due to the heat, instead of birthday cake I created an ice cream bar with a variety of flavors and toppings for each guest to create their own sundae.

assorted appetizers

Costco’s Bill Baily’s Santa Maria Tri Tip [Mr. B. grilled] served with Chimichurri Sauce

Crispy English Potatoes from Barefoot Contessa/Foolproof book

grilled green beans

Happy Birthday Sundaes

The Costco tri tip is pre-seasoned and can be grilled or roasted in the oven. The fresh herbs and bright lemon flavor of the Chimichurri sauce were a hit. I prepared Crispy English Potatoes from Ina Garten’s Foolproof Cookbook and you can prepare them earlier in the day and reheat when ready to serve. Mr. B. grilled the green beans on the grill using a veggie basket. Son #1 assisted since his signature seasonings for the beans are a family favorite.

I will add some pumpkins and mums during the later part of the month…

spruce up my autumn wreath for the front door, borrowing inspiration from creative people such as Studio Choo…

and give some thought to a dinner for sometime in October…which will be here before we know it.

Happy Autumn to you all! Are you decorated for the season, please tell me I’m not the only one overly eager for the season.

{Home} Happy Thanksgiving ~ 2014

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Holidays, Thanksgiving

≈ 30 Comments

Well, the year is entering it’s final laps. Does time seem to speed by for all of you? It sure does for me.

{my friend’s iron pumpkins : Linda ~ Bainbridge Island}

Hopefully all of you have wonderful plans for a beautiful Thanksgiving day. Maybe you are the chef of the feast, or maybe you’re being entertained by others, either way, I hope you have delicious, sane, enjoyable day!

Since table settings are one of my favorite things to do to get ready for a meal, I thought I’d share with you some of the beautiful tables I’ve found online.

{Cottage Hill Magazine ~ Lauren Holly Photographer}

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We are enjoying the holiday with our new granddaughter and her parents! You, my sweet blog friends, are on my list of things I’m grateful for!

Garden, Home and Party wishes you a Happy Halloween

29 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Food, Halloween, Holiday/Seasonal cooking

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

Halloween 2014

This might be cheating, but today I’m simply sharing some Halloween images from Pinterest, blogland, and Martha. Those of you that adore this holiday probably already have your parties planned and decorations ready. It’s not my holiday…I enjoy the overall season, and I do like seeing the little trick-or-treaters at our door, but dressing up has never been my thing, so without further alienating the Halloween enthusiasts (many of them my friends)…

Leave it to Martha to pull off the good fairy costume with flair.

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If I hosted a party, I’d definitely want to copy this cheerful vignette. Truthfully, we have these black birds (American Crow) in our neighborhood, what are the odds of training a few of them to sit around and look slightly menacing for an evening?

{Country Living – photograph by Matthew Benson}

There is something so welcoming about light radiating from all of the windows in this charming home.

{Country Living – photograph by John Kernick}

This is more my speed, white mums, a white lantern and a bushel of white pumpkins!

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Mark D. Sikes…simply festive and elegant, as always.

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Kim, at Tidbits and Twine creates a beautiful autumn table as well…

Craftberry Bush, in addition to this fabulous table arrangement, is the place to visit if you’re interested in good ideas for recipes/food for any autumn event.

So while we’re on the topic of a party, here are some really yummy looking sweets for a Halloween party:

Jenny over at Everyday Occasions has a ton of great recipes. Her iced sugar cookies are my favorite.

{Everyday Occassions – Jenny Steffens Hobick}

{Martha Stewart}

{Martha Stewart – Halloween Whoopie Pies}

and, what Halloween party would be complete without apple bobbing?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What’s on your schedule for this Friday night holiday?

Autumn Entertaining

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Holiday/Seasonal cooking

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

Birthday Dinner 2014

I enjoy this season [possibly] more than the others, although spring does play a close second. By ~~July~~ September, I start looking forward to cooking more. Or, I should say cooking more comfort foods. I realize that is often code for calorie-laden, but my take on it is, all things in moderation, right? So with a menu in mind, I started planning a party.

{Big Bear, California ~ 2012}

The “birthday group” Mr. B and I have celebrated with for umpteen years now, consists of 5 couples and each couple hosts a dinner once a year in celebration of two birthday honorees. If you’re interested, I have shared previous celebrations HERE, HERE and HERE.

{Side note: I recently replaced these homely shades with a pair that are better scaled to the barley twist lamps—pictures to come later}

This year I had the good fortune of hosting the birthday party for the two friends I’ve known the longest (we’re talking pre-children friends, Carla & Wendy). Since it was mid-September I took the opportunity to make the table setting and menu a reflection of the greatest season’s arrival—in just 1 short week from the date of the event, but who’s counting? Was it cool and crisp outside? NO. But with the aid of the air conditioner we managed to pretend.

I’m not usually much of a DIYer, but I did manage to make these invitations and envelopes — I used Paper Source pre-cut cards, a sunflower stamp and their envelop-making kit with paper from Michael’s. That’s it, easy.

I used white chargers and a vintage set of Villeroy & Boch, ‘la chasse’ dinner plates in black and white. They go with the newer pattern by VB called Audun, but they feature vintage pictures with hunters and their dogs. There are 6 different images.

I confess, sunflowers inspired this table setting. They always seem the ideal flower for fall. I added some yellow alstromeria and a few guinea fowl feathers.

Note: I had to have a saucer under the planter because it seeped water (somehow) through the bottom. There weren’t any cracks but the very bottom stayed wet. Fortunately I discovered it before placing it on my table, phew.

If you look at the left corner of the image (above) you’ll notice some candy. One of my favorite traditions with the “Birthday Group” is we hand select each person’s favorite *See’s candies and have them on the table. We all know which candy we consider our favorite and there are a couple of us that can identify each piece that See’s makes by shape and design, in case someone (the men) forget which is the Marzipan (Thomas) or white centered Butter Cream (Tom). 🙂

Even though it was only mid-September, I decided to put a few of the fall decorations out. I’ve really scaled back to mostly pumpkins, wheat stalks, feathers and berries.

My menu was a repeat of one I had done a couple of years ago…fortunately, everyone loves this dish and it is what the birthday girls requested.

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Herbs and Mustard Cream Sauce

As hostess, I only have to prepare the main course and sides, others bring appetizer, salad and dessert. I prepared the above recipe with oven roasted potatoes and green beans.

Do you cook differently for the cooler months than you would in summer?

Acorns, a sign of autumn

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Collections & Accessories, Fall Entertaining and Decorations

≈ 38 Comments

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acorns

Hi Everyone. Are you as energized once the weather cools as I am? The season, when behaving as it should i.e. cooler temps outdoors, gives me the same boost of energy I feel in the spring. Maybe even more so. So who do I write to to request a few days of fall? We’re still in the mid-eighties, not exactly sweater weather, she whined.

On of the less showy symbols of the season are acorns. It’s always been a source of beauty to me, whether a collection of the little nuts are displayed in a bowl or embossed on a serving piece.

{These little cuties are from Pottery Barn}

Today I thought I’d share some of the prettiest examples of acorn-adorned bits and pieces I’ve found.

This pottery is wonderful, subtle yet stylish enough to use no matter what the season. I love white dishes, don’t you?

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There are 600 species of oak trees world wide. As a result there are a lot of different shapes and sizes of acorns. There is a grove of oak trees in one of our local parks, unfortunately, the acorns that fall are not the rounded kind, the seed pod is elongated and pointy. I prefer the chubby little acorns you see depicted most often. Like the ones in this door embellishment. It looks like it might have been a pediment on a piece of furniture at one time.

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The wine coaster above and napkin ring below are favorites, I don’t own them, and I don’t remember where I found these images. If you have information leading me to the source, please drop me a line. Wouldn’t this be a pretty addition to the Thanksgiving table this year?

What would fall be without a smiling squirrel sitting on an acorn the size of a baseball?

The beautifully detailed creamer/sugar bowl and tray are favorites and if I weren’t trying to pare down I’d add it to my Christmas list.

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Detailed hardware such as the drawer pull below sometimes makes an ordinary piece of furniture shine. This one looks old, all the better. Try finding more than one of these beauties.

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I like this finial, if I had a staircase, I would consider it. I’d like it stained a dark walnut with some distressing, please.

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The simple acorn and the oak branch are favorites at the table this time of year. Homemade napkin rings, like this rustic twine piece with the faux acorns is such a great accent…it appears the seed is painted a burnished gold.

Each autumn I use Redfern, my pheasant {thank you, Sarah} and scented candles with a surround of leaves, berries and acorns. My friend Linda W. finds these Cinnamon candles each year, this was a gift that was appreciated for each hour of delicious fragrance it provided us.

Since acorns come from oak trees, this is probably one of my favorite ways to display acorns. This arrangement looks like its been cut fresh from trees, not preserved. So pretty.

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This little Etsy frame is so cute, I’m tempted, except it doesn’t appear to have glass or a stand.

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Here is a step by step tutorial on how to grow an oak tree from an acorn. If you are willing to do this, it’s clear to me you have way more autumn energy than me! (I’d love to hear your secret if this is the case) 🙂

Do you use nature’s seasonal bounty for your home? I mostly use natural things over the little ghosts, spiders and goblin decorations from the days when the kids were small. There are some really great looking pumpkins available and I even found bittersweet at one of the markets the other day. Happy October, I hope you’re enjoying seasonal weather where you live.

Karen

{Party} Autumn Celebrity Dinner

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, House and Home

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Diane Keaton, Ellen DeGenerous, Jon Stewart, Meryl Streep, Table Settings, Tom Brokaw, Willie Geist

Those that know me probably already know that I prefer the cooler months of the year. When the first promise of fall weather hits Southern California I’m energized, let the entertaining begin.

[By the way, I do love summer entertaining as well, I’m a party girl at heart.]

Eventually I ran to Minneapolis, where it’s cold, and I figured I’d keep better – Rhoda Morgenstern

We’ve been doing quite a bit of entertaining lately. “Entertaining” for us means setting a nice table, cooking a simple meal and having a relatively smallish group over for good food, nice wine and great conversation.

Since setting the table is one of the perks to entertaining for me, this post is mainly to share some seasonal table settings I hope will inspire you. To mix things up a bit, in addition to table setting ideas, I thought I’d share a list of guests I’d invite over in a heartbeat if I thought they wouldn’t report me to the authorities as a stalker crazy lady! You’ve undoubtedly read interviews where they ask you, who, alive or dead, would you like to have dinner with? Well, I’m doing it one step better…I’ve thought about this, this list is of people I’d like to talk to, even just casually. I don’t need Einstein, although I’ve read he was quite a jovial fellow. These are people that are alive and seem like genuinely nice and fun people.

Also, since I don’t like enormous parties when I entertain, I’ve only invited 6, with Mr. B and me that makes a very doable 8 at the dinner table. That also gives me a head start on subsequent celebrity dinners…there are so many more folks I’d invite if I could. So, first on the list:

1. Diane Keaton, she may not be exactly as fun as I perceive her in the movies she’s been in (how does one really know, right?), but she loves to decorate, so I know we’d have topics in common. Plus, I love that she seems genuine, not overly self-possessed.

2. Jon Stewart, politics aside, is there anyone that gives a better interview?

3. Meryl Streep, there are no words, rather there are so many adjectives I could use to describe her, but her name, for me, is synonymous with fabulous.

4. Tom Brokaw, I grew up listening to him on our local news station, back in the day. Then, as a Today show enthusiast, I watched him all the years he was there. I just really, really like him.

5. Ellen DeGenerous, she’ll keep us laughing.

and last but not least…

6. Willie Geist, the son of Bill Geist of CBS Sunday Morning, appears on Morning Joe (MSNBC) and does the third hour on the Today show. He’s smart and funny and I love him like one of our sons. He’s a guy that fits in with old and young people alike.

As any skilled party planner will tell you, once you have the guest list you can begin your plans for table setting and menu. We’re going to jump right to the table settings since that is a major part of the fun for me.

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The ever talented Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions published a post about fall table setting with muted colors, so pretty. Oh, and did I mention she recently opened an online store selling some of the best tools for entertaining.

Yvonne of Stone Gable shared her table setting for an autumn high tea back in 2011 and that table is still one of my all time favorites, be sure to visit the post if you like autumn and blue and white.

Carolyn Roehm has written so many great books, but her book, Passion for Parties is a constant source of inspiration to me.

Martha Stewart never disappoints and I appreciate her ability to make simple components come together to create a pretty table.

Nancy’s Daily Dish features some great table settings for the season. Her Etsy shop sells trasferware of all kinds. This is such a great autumn table setting.

Delores, over at Vignette Design always provides me with good ideas for whatever season when it come to table top design.

Even though this tablescape doesn’t have the strictly traditional autumn touches, its a subtle and lovely table for this time of year.

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The sisters at Providence Ltd. never disappoint…this rustic table is great and completely out of the box.

{Southern Accents ~ oh, how I miss that magazine}

Who would be on your celebrity list for a dinner invitation?

{GHP} Autumn favorites, II

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Halloween, Holidays, House and Home

≈ 30 Comments

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Autumn

Note of Appreciation: Some time ago my blog friend Leslie of Around the Table had a giveaway. Winner would receive one of the fabulous candle holders called Glassybaby. These beauties are made in Seattle and come in nearly every color under the sun. Well, imagine my delight and surprise, I won. {Thank you Leslie} If you’ve not already discovered Around the Table blog site, stop by. Leslie shares fabulous design ideas, great (and healthy) recipes and skin care information. Did I mention she has a degree in nutrition and is a licensed medical aesthetician. Most importantly, her posts are always useful and fun!

Glassybaby as displayed in Leslie’s kitchen.

→Hi Everyone. I feel so much better. Seriously, to those readers that host a blog, don’t you sometimes feel like you’ve run out of ideas for a new post…in fact, I sometimes think, “what frivolous topics I gab on about, what am I thinking?” That’s what vacations are for. The break brought home that the fun of this is the blog friends and readers that check in, even if they don’t comment, and the creative wheels that turn each time I work on a post. So, thank you for your interest, friendship (of an internet variety) and support. I so appreciate it.

Are we there yet…has autumn arrived? I don’t care if it is still warmer than ideal fall weather should be, I’m sharing my annual autumn favorites. [It reminds me of back-to-school, when the new sweater was worn that first week back because you loved it and didn’t care if it was 90 degrees outside]

If you missed my fall favorites last year, have a look. You’ll see I haven’t changed much of what appeals to me about the season, other than to add additional images. 10 photographs just wouldn’t allow me all that I love about this time of year.

I always pause before stating this is my favorite season because when spring comes around, I think this is my favorite season! But it’s September 25th and I’m looking forward to the short weeks from now when I can expect to wear turtleneck sweaters, put a fire in the fireplace, have a casserole in the oven and a hot beverage in my hand.

Enjoy!

Have you visited this shop yet? Check it out ~ terrain

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Sitting by a fire, what could be more cozy? Having reason to stay indoors and read a book or two, one more reason to love cooler weather.

{above 3 images :: tumblr}

I love turtleneck sweaters…this is definitely a reason to love autumn/winter.

Fall/Winter means comfort food for me. I use portion control to avoid winter waist expansion, but here are a couple of recipes that you might enjoy when it cools down…

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Maybe a ride in the convertible (that I don’t own) with Madison…

Finally, the promise of Christmas and…

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…on January 5th in the U.S, the return of Downton Abbey

Do you have a favorite season or a favorite thing about each season?

HAPPY AUTUMN

I’m joining in the fun: Savvy Southern Style, Wow us Wednesday and Stone Gable Tips and Tidbits

{GHP} Things that delight the senses

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Fall Entertaining and Decorations, Holidays, House and Home, Thanksgiving

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Thanksgiving

Each season seems to have its own list of treasures from which we derive great pleasure. That list can vary but there are common truths about a season that most are in agreement on. I’m sure that’s why certain seasons appeal to some and not to others.

{This is my first picture collage, the large image on the left is from Greet, Belgian Pearls – this is an exceptional post and if you’ve never visited Belgian Pearls, I think you’ll be hooked. I apologize about the other 2. I was so excited to create the collage I failed to write down the source, but I believe they were from tumblr, Debby at Inspired Design has the best tumblr site [That Inspirational Girl] and I probably captured the pictures from there.}

My perspective is slightly different than say those who experience extreme cold in winter or loss of an otherwise lush landscape in fall because (and trust me, I’m not bragging here) I live in Southern California where a change in season is subtle, to the point of being nearly non-existent.

We locals take the changes where we can find them, cool nights, warm days during the month of October, the drop of leaves on certain trees i.e. liquid amber, sycamore and birch, in November and a medley of other thing’s that delight my senses and confirm fall’s arrival for me.

{Courtenay Hartford}