Tag: gatherings

Every year on Christmas Day, my family has a pretty casual breakfast — saffron buns and my mom’s famous Christmas bread by the tree.  Later in the morning we sit down for a more formal brunch of eggs, bacon, and Monkey Bread (only my mom made this stuff before it was cool).  This got me thinking all about Christmas brunch table ideas because I love a good table setting!  🙂  I’ve put together two different ideas — one for a more formal brunch, and one for an event a bit more casual.

First up is the more formal table.  You’ll see that I used the dining table in the Brick Room (I showed you the table’s centerpiece in yesterday’s post).

I used a combination of my mother-in-law’s Lenox china and silverware, some gilded plates from Pier 1, and red chargers to keep things festive.

 Gold-dipped pine cones and a small ornament ball add a little bit of glitz and fun.

 I love the details on these little demitasse spoons.  Champagne flutes are from Crate and Barrel.  Stemless and simple!

 Super obsessed with these Christmas tree plates, too.  I love the pops of berry red!

Moving on to the more casual table…

 I used Christmas-themed dishes for this table setting, as well as a layer of everyday dinnerware.  Ruffled chargers, and everyday flatware.

 I love using napkins like this on a table.  The coffee cups match the middle layered plate, and the saucers match the Christmas variety.  I just looped some faux greenery and set the coffee cup in the center.  And added an ornament ball, because they are fun and add some color!  🙂

I think this setting goes really nicely with the centerpiece!

Which one is your favorite?

It has been a crazy month of November for so many of us — and that includes me!  I have been working a ton, which has been great since I love what I am doing, but that also has taken time away from this creative space.  I’ve been trying not to be so glued to my technology, read more, and be a touch more present, too.  But I’ve missed writing and sharing here.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We shared time between our two families again — and as much as the running around can be crazy, we really are so blessed to have both sets of families so close — both in distance and relationally.

Here is the Fall mantel at my in-laws’ house.  Pretty, huh?  Those are fake gourds, but they are very convincing!

 This is the centerpiece that was in the Brick Room before our Thanksgiving table was set up.  Pinecones in an apothecary jar, circled in a wreath.

And you know by now that this foyer table always gets decorated with a little something.  🙂  This time, a metal leaf garland and a pumpkin for good measure.

 Also, a pile of plush velvet pumpkins never hurt.  These are so awesome and came from AJ’s.  But I hear that you can find them at HomeGoods now, too!

Here is the Thanksgiving table that my Mom-in-Law and I put together.  I’m very proud of this table!  It was a team effort and was so beautiful.  That stick runner is mine and was a Target purchase several years ago.  Although I have never made it look quite this pretty before!  It was perfect.

 And here’s my mom and dad’s pretty table that I got to set.  I love her Thanksgiving turkey dishes — I look forward to using these every year.  🙂  It’s easy to make things look pretty when I get to play with such pretty things!

 Here’s my hubby and I.  🙂  Stretchy pants and sweaters for the win!  We were very deliberate with our outfit choices, lol.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We’re gearing up for Christmas now!  In fact, I have a pretty little vignette to show you next week!

Happy Monday!  🙂

I hope you had a great weekend.  We are inching closer and closer to Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays.  There’s still more decor for me to show you, but over the weekend I made some fun, festive cupcakes that I thought I would share.

 The recipe for the cupcakes is from Ina Garten, so you know they are amazing.  The yield is only about nine cupcakes, so these were gone fast, but unless you are taking them to a party, who wants dozens of cupcakes just sitting around the house?!  😉  I mean…you want them, but you also kind of don’t.

The little cobwebs were pretty easy to make once I got the hang of it.  I watched a video tutorial from Style Me Pretty and that was all I needed.  At first I tried to make these with a piping bag, but I am not that great at it and I found better luck with a plastic bag — just snip the corner a teensy tiny bit.  The nice thing about these is the less perfect they are, the cooler they look, I think!

Hey there, friends.  I hope you’re having a great Tuesday so far.  I had some fun in the Brick Room today and came up with a Halloween table setting that is more fancy than spooky, but still has some fun elements of the season.

 Lots of layering going on in this table setting — I love that about this time of year.  The more layers the better!

 I went with a red, black, and gold theme because it’s classic, but also because with the feather elements, it’s a little Halloween-y, right?  Sort of like the fancy dinner all the Hogwarts students have!  The bottom layer is a super cool feather placemat, and on top of that is a black ruffled placemat.  Then comes a gold charger, and lastly a gold-rimmed dinner plate.

This was fun to play around with.  I wrapped the feather stem in the red napkin and just sort of gathered it a bit, and then I stuck that tassel in there to add a little bit more visual interest.  The tassel is actually a napkin ring – they are from Pier 1 Imports.

 I found these feather bunches in the laundry room.  There were a ton of them, but I just used one bunch for each glass.

 Here is the tassel napkin ring.  The top part of it I just stuffed in the glass and the beaded part drapes so nicely!

Spring is in full force, and thus begins the time of al fresco dining, cocktails and magazines by the pool, and a new outlook on entertaining with lighter food choices and fresh ingredients.  Pretty appetizers are my favorite, and sometimes the best thing to do on a warm night is to just create some heavy apps, open a bottle of San Pellegrino, and call it good!  Sharing some appetizers that inspired me today on the blog.

Melon, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Skewers

Pears with Bleu Cheese and Prosciutto

Honestly, if there is anything better than good, salty prosciutto, I haven’t met it yet.

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Tortellini Skewers

Individual Veggie Dippers

Herbed Feta

Serve with good, crusty bread.  That’s a meal in itself, in my opinion.

Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta

Broccoli Rabe Crostini with Burrata and Prosciutto

And then there’s this, which I just think is stunning.

Hey there.  🙂

I hope you all had a very blessed Easter.  Greyson ended up getting the day off of work, and it was so nice to have him there with us.

Our Easter lunch table.

We spent the daytime hours at home with my in-laws, Greyson’s brother, sister, and her husband, and our baby nephew.  It was his first Easter, and that was very exciting.  🙂  After that, we went to my parents’ house where we grilled some chicken and spent time outside.  It was a great day.

Vegetable appetizer in a silver urn.

 Cheesecakes baked in jars with a graham cracker topping and assorted fruit.

Easter feast remnants; photo by my father-in-law.

I hope your day was relaxing and spent with friends, family, or both.  What a great day to celebrate!  He is Risen!

I really should have posted these Valentine’s Day projects last week, but my day job was in full force, and I got distracted.  Plus, there’s the added element of the fact that because we aren’t in our own space, I didn’t decorate for Valentine’s Day this year!  I don’t usually do much, anyway.  Last year I made a little V-Day mantle on top of a bookshelf with a playing card garland and some rose petals in votives.  It was simple and cute.  I did go all out with the meal, though.  My hubby and I decided that instead of gifts we would spend the money on a meal that I would create for us, and it was one of my most favorite Valentine’s Days with him yet.  We had bacon-wrapped filets, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and the best strawberry goat cheese salad with a bacon dressing.  So good.

This post is just a round-up, much like yesterday’s treats post, of ideas I have seen for Valentine’s Day decor.  There’s still time to get one or two of these projects done!

Martha Stewart

Etsy

How cute would these be on a little branch tree?

Hidlesundet

Ribbons

Cutest Paw

Hehehe.  If your pup will let you.  😉  I know mine will not.

Etsy