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

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Entertaining, Holidays

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*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.

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!}

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

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

{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.

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?

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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.

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

Delores over at Vignette Design always sets a pretty table.

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

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

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

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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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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?

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

How pretty is this?

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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.

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!

{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} Gratitude

19 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Family, Thanksgiving

≈ 33 Comments

Over the past decade science has identified the great social, psychological, and physical health benefits that come from giving thanks.

No longer just a thing we remind ourselves to do at Thanksgiving, gratitude is now a tool for reminding ourselves of the things in our lives that we are lucky to enjoy.

family ⋅ friends ⋅ mother nature ⋅ pets ⋅ a roof over our head ⋅plenty to eat

Yes, sometimes appreciation seems a reach when bad things happen, but overall I’ve experienced a certain amount of balance and comfort when you can stop the stress long enough to realize that even though the water heater broke, your car needs a new transmission or a loved one is diagnosed with a health issue, your life overall is blessed and will go on. This may seem very Pollyanna like, but it works for most who practice the habit.

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So as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, and the soon to follow Christmas season, try to remind yourself every day over the next 30 days how much you have to be thankful for. It will be a healthy habit after 30 days, and we can all use a little good health and comfort this time of year, not to mention throughout the year.

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If you’re interested in reading more about the benefits of gratitude, whether you create a mental list or keep a journal, there are some great tips on making happiness a staple in your life here.

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Since this is a blog sit, not Lucy’s stand for counseling (remember Charlie Brown?), I want to share with you some images that make me smile. I hope you and yours have lots of reasons to be thankful not only this holiday but throughout the year.

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♥

The happiest lives belong to those who own the happiest days. There are the gilded days – weddings and births, Christmas and holidays – that take their rightful places on pedestals in our memories. But if we can manage to find beauty and happiness in the midst of the everyday, then we are truly fortunate indeed.

~written and published by Pamela of From The House Of Edward

I hope you enjoy the days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. I’m always thankful for your friendship ♥

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

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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?

Happy Independence Day ~ 4th of July

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Independence Day

≈ 34 Comments

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Independence Day

I hope you have plans for a wonderful, restful, long holiday weekend. I always consider the 4th of July to be the official start to summer.

Here in Southern California we often endure “June gloom” which means most mornings we wake up to low clouds and fog with the sun breaking through sometime after noon. July starts the warmer, sun-filled days and temperatures to encourage more outdoor time than indoors.

Dining outside is routine now through mid-September. Grilled meats, cobblers and salads fill us until October, when we’re ready for fall /winter meals.

Tyler Florence :: Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

Bobby Flay :: Mesa Grill’s Southwestern Potato Salad

Trisha Yearwood :: Easy Peach Cobbler

Summer fruit is readily available and the grill becomes the cooking tool of choice.

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I love the celebration of Independence Day. Fireworks, a sense of patriotism and a holiday!

I hope this Independence Day provides you and yours a relaxing day filled with good food, fun with friends and family and fireworks!

Happy 4th of July

{Garden, Home and Party} Happy Easter – welcome spring

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Dessert, Easter, Entertaining, Food, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

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Easter

I sure hope my friends that have experienced the coldest winter in recent memory, are finally catching a glimpse of spring.

I’m hosting Easter this year for our west coast family members and I thought I’d share some of the inspiration and ideas I’m using for our celebration.

I’m finalizing the menu (the ham has been a staple to the meal for some weeks, but I have flip flopped on the sides). Here are a few of the items that I’ll fix. Sweet Sarah will prefer the fingerling potatoes I’m preparing (much healthier), but I know a couple of family members that will enjoy scalloped potatoes. My office gives Honey Baked gift cards to each of us at Christmas. Honey Baked stores, which are plentiful in California, not so much elsewhere in the U.S., are known for their honey glazed hams. It will make my day of food prep pretty easy to have the ham cooked and ready. I think I’ll prepare some deviled eggs, a slaw salad that Sarah introduced me to, a few appetizers, cookies for dessert and that should be plenty.

Table setting is the icing on the cake for me. I look for any excuse to create a pretty table. Here are some ideas I’m contemplating compliments of the creative bloggers I visit regularly. {Thank you!} I like the idea of potted bulbs (preferably in bloom) and nests with eggs. Trader Joe’s has been carrying daffodils, hyacinths and tulips in little pots. The place mats are really cool and I believe they’re paper. I may not be able to find these but I have a collection of Royal Doulton Beatrix Potter rabbits that I can scatter among the nests and flower pots.

The happy faces on these pansies make simple eggs look festive.

If it’s a pretty day we’ll sit outside for appetizers so I’ll create an Easter basket similar to what I did last year. I used an assortment of color-pack sized flowers and they lasted for most of the early part of summer before fading.

I’ve ordered these tags from Everyday Occasions and will bake Jenny Steffens Hobick’s cookies with buttery icing. Recipe HERE. I’ll plate some and send each person home with a cookie or two wrapped like this. Jenny’s blog is filled with great recipes and ideas for setting the table. She provides detailed instructions for each recipe, and the best part? She has an online store filled with fun items for home and entertaining.

I hope my cookies turn out as well as Jenny’s. Aren’t the baby chicks cute?

So tell me, what are you doing this Easter?

Garden, Home and Party: I wish you love

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Holidays, Valentine's Day

≈ 24 Comments

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Valentine gift ideas

I wish you bluebirds in the spring, to give your heart a song to sing,
And then a kiss, but more than this, I wish you love.

Frankly, I love the various visual accompaniments, as well as the gastronomical delights associated with this holiday, but have always felt it was kind of over rated. Like New Year’s Eve {IMHO}. Still, I do love some of the things creative people come up with for parties, wonderful floral beauty, inspiring table settings and fabulous menus.

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I wish you love on this and every day of the year. There are so many ways to express love and it doesn’t have to be St. Valentine’s Day.

Some of my favorite ideas for displays of affection…

Entertaining. It can be Mr. B and me, or sometimes we invite a few close friends for dinner the weekend before or after. I’ve made this flower arrangement before (below). You use a straight sided square or round glass flower container. Then you center a smaller glass or vase inside (the glass or vase should be as tall, or just slightly taller than the first container). Then you fill the space between the glass container and the insert glass/vase with whatever valentine colored candies you choose. Carefully fill the inside vase/glass with water and add flowers.

Table settings don’t have to be red or pink.

Other little gestures include Flowers…

A bouquet for anyone, including yourself, says love better than a lot of other things (in my humble opinion)

For the Paper and pen/pencil person in your life, these great journals from Minted would be a welcome item showing your thoughtful care for them.

{Minted journal}

~or~ what the men in my family like to use when keeping a journal…

{Moleskine journal}

Home Baked Goodies are always welcome. I love the idea of giving someone, including Mr. B. cinnamon rolls for two (I’d have to insist he share), wrapped as only Jenny of Everyday Occasions demonstrates…

These cakes could easily put a smile on my face…

It’s the Little Things ♥…any one of these hearts would speak of fondness for the recipient.

Whether you’re staying at home this Valentine’s Day, by the fire, or out for a walk…

I wish you love all year long.

Merry Christmas

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Holidays

≈ 16 Comments

I hope you are enjoying the pleasures of the season…

…hot cocoa by the fire,

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…all your presents are wrapped…

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

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

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

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

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

{Home} O Tannenbaum

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Holidays, Traditions

≈ 17 Comments

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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!

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,

Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.

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

adventures in tartanscot

Centsational Girl

The Polohouse

No 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.