Holiday entertaining: creating a rustic table

I started hosting Thanksgiving at my house a few years ago after my sister moved to Atlanta. She actually lives on my street. So convenient. Setting the holiday table is by far my favorite thing to do. This year I decided to go with a rustic woodland theme.

Creating this theme is easy and inexpensive. It works well for any holiday, and has become popular at weddings. It can be casual or elegant. Neutral or colorful. The possibilities are endless.

Get the look:

For this table, I chose a neutral palette with pops of green and natural fabrics like linen and burlap. A white tablecloth offers the perfect place from which to start. As does white china.

Tree slices -- often referred to as "tree cookies" --  form the base of my woodlands centerpiece. Birch votives in staggered sizes add height, but don't obstruct your guests' views across the table. Decorate with dried moss and berries.

Lots of texture = more interest.

Mix it up. Use fine china and silver with more rustic pieces like mason jars.

 {mason jar + burlap + raffia + blooms from your garden}

Make it personal and add a bit of whimsy.

Some shine….

Plus patina.

A bit of kitsch goes a long way.

You see. It's all in the details.

I hope this provides you with some inspiration for your next holiday gathering --  perfect for Christmas. Have fun with it!

Shop the look:
Tree slices, Amazon
Birch votives and card holders, Etsy
Moss, burlap ribbon & raffia, Michael's
Linen table runner and ribbon, burlapfabric.com
Place cards and rubber stamp, Paper Source
Succulents, Southeast Succulents

Memorial day...

Yesterday, we had the privilege of placing roses on gravesites at the Decatur Cemetery of American men who were killed during their tours of duty. Most of the graves we adorned were for members of the Air Force. This was an especially meaningful experience for me and my family as my dad was in the Air Force. He died when I was pregnant with my first son. They never got to meet him. My father-in-law, who they see often, served in the Army.

Today we will take a few moments to remember those who have died for our country and those still in service who continue to fight for our freedom, safety and peace.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To all of my fellow Irish friends…

Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers --

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours --

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through!

If you're looking for something quick to throw together for your friends to nosh on tonight…

{how about a bowl of lucky charms -- they're magically delicious}

And, for dessert…

{Elizabeth F.'s Guinness-gingerbread cupcakes -- yum!}

Leprechauns are on the loose. Don't forget to wear green.

Fat tuesday...

Happy Mardi Gras!

Some fun facts to wow your friends:

•  "Gras" is french for fat and "Mardi" is french for Tuesday. 
• Is a legal holiday in New Orleans.
• Has been an annual event in New Orleans for two centuries except for the two World Wars.
• Brings in $840 million in revenue for the city alone.
• Occurs 46 days before Easter.
• The official mardi gras colors purple (justice), green (faith) & gold (power).
• "King" cakes represent the three wise men (kings) who brought gifts to the Christ child. A plastic baby is baked inside the cake. Whoever gets it is king and must buy the next round of cakes. 750,000 king cakes are sold in New Orleans every year.
• Throws are the inexpensive trinkets thrown from floats. The first throw took place in 1871.
• The Krewe of Zulu is a parade of mostly African Americans with black painted faces wearing hula skirts. The parade is one of the most famous and well attended. Thousands come to watch and try to catch one of the Zulu's famous painted coconuts.

Speaking of. The Imperial parade in Oakhurst was lots of fun.

Kids floats...

{love our neighbor's craw fish}

Costumes and beads...

 {cool bracelet}

Music…

And, spectators…

 {too cute!}

I have been eating Girl Scout cookies with reckless abandon for two weeks. Thank goodness they're all gone. If you haven't already indulged, you have until the stroke of midnight to squeeze in some gluttony, revelry and debauchery. King Cakes for sale at Publix. Go get one.

My favorite things: hostess gifts

I'm back! If you're wondering where I've been, I successfully underwent ACL reconstruction surgery last week. On the road to a LONG recovery. Take care of your knees, especially if you're heading to the slopes for the holidays.

Last year during the holidays I shared some of my favorite things. Here are my picks for items any host or hostess would be delighted to receive:

Let's start with the most obvious -- a bottle of wine.

I'm not a chardonnay fan. I simply don't like the flavor of oak. When I ordered a glass of Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay this summer at George's in Alys I was hooked. This wine is fermented and aged in cement tanks, which sets it apart from oak barreled varieties. Tasty and comes in a cool ceramic bottle too. A bit of a splurge at $25 a bottle.

{via}

Block Nine Pinot Noir continues to be my favorite red. I just served it at Thanksgiving. At under $15 a bottle, you can't go wrong.

{via} 

And speaking of red wine. Back by popular demand -- Tech Stain Remover. An unexpected, yet practical gift. Be creative. Package it with a bottle of red wine. Trust me, every hostess needs a bottle in her arsenal. Available on amazon.com and most local hardware stores like Intown Ace.

Speaking of stains, do you all know about The Laundress? I think we all agree that doing laundry is a tedious and loathsome task. The Laundress products can add a bit of style to your otherwise dull laundry room. I like the Apres hand cream and soap duo. On sale now for $34. Okay, a bit of a luxury, but every laundress deserves something special. Why spend money on the living room, when we spend most of our time in the kitchen and laundry room? If you have a question about a mysterious stain or truly terrible laundry quandary, just ask the laundress.

{For a small fortune, you too can stock your laundry room with The Laundress products}

 via

There's always a lot of food around for the holidays. It's nice to receive baked goodies, but why not gift something that can be enjoyed after the holiday season? As you know I'm quite smitten with Jeni's ice cream. Her salty caramel sauce is to die for! A steal at $22 for a two pack.

Scented candles can be a tricky purchase. A candle scent -- like perfume -- is a personal preference. I continue to stand by my fave Seda France "Japanese Quince." For something more subtle, you can't go wrong with "Cutting Garden."

Note to the hostess: You do know not to burn scented candles near food, right? They are meant to be used near an entrance to your home or in the powder room. Burn non-scented candles on any surface that has food on or around it.

I love these signet mugs from Anthropologie. Perfect for tea and coffee drinkers alike. Mug + small treat = $10!

{via}

I stumbled upon the Canadian company Chive last summer. Chive has an extensive collection of vases and pots -- not to mention gnomes -- for all of your floral needs. Styles are definitely more on the modern side. My fave is the simple frog cube. At less than $10, it comes in a rainbow of colors. Cut a flower, herb or piece of greenery from your yard -- holly would be nice this season -- pop it in a cube and present it to your hostess. Go ahead and order a case. You will have to pay a small shipping fee, but I received a free gift with my order. I do love a little surprise. White is an obvious choice for its versatility, but silver would be nice for the holidays.

 {I always have one in my powder room.}

Enough for now. What will you be giving as hostess gifts this season?

Hoo...

 {Anthropologie}

A Wise Old Owl

A wise old owl lived in an oak

The more he saw the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard

Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
-- The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes

Curious about the wise old owl, I did some research. In Greek mythology the Little Owl was a messenger of Athene -- the the goddess of wisdom. This may explain why owls symbolize wisdom today. The Greeks used owls as decoration for their army as they believed it offered them protection. If a Little Owl flew over the army during battle, it was an omen of victory. During World War II, the US Army used the rhyme on a poster tweaking the ending line with "Silence means security."

Has anyone else noticed that owls are trending big time this holiday season? I'm seeing them everywhere. And they are really cute. Let's take a look.

Anthropologie…

{flannel wreath}

{fluffy ornaments, accessories and more mugs than you can shake a stick at}

Star Provisions is filled to the rafters with holiday decor. Owls abound, including this owl adorned tree…

{The silver owls are my faves.}

{Love this vignette. The white porcelain guy is a piggy bank -- cute idea for a child's bedroom.}

Jonathan Adler added an unglazed porcelain owl ornament to its "swanky swag" menagerie...

Here's the wise guy hanging on a gilded tree...

Last, but certainly not least, what a fun way to plate your eggs Christmas morning and store your contacts before bed. Ace is the place.

It was pretty obvious what to order with my delicious dinner at Sobban last weekend.

{Hitachino Nest beer from Japan}

Restaurant review coming soon.

My holiday tablescape...

Thanksgiving was an exciting day here. We celebrated Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and my sister's birthday.

Remember my blue and orange mood board? Here's how it came to life:

Hope you all had a good one, and for those of you who are still enjoying the festival of lights...

Thanksgivingukkah food and decor...

For the first time since 1899, Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah will be celebrated on the same day. And it won't happen again for 70,000 years. In light of this very special occasion, I've decided to do a mash-up for my menu, tablescape and decor.

Orange and blue happen to be one of my favorite color combinations. I was flipping through some shelter mags this week and couldn't help but notice that the covers of House Beautiful and Cottage Style both feature rooms in blues and oranges. Purely coincidental I suppose. But a nice jumping off point for my holiday inspiration.

My mood board:

{evidence of my lovingly used Paper Source rubber stamp collection}

 

Twists on my regular menu:

• Latkes instead of mashed potatoes. No need to cut your knuckles grating potatoes or splatter grease all over the kitchen when you can use frozen latkes from Trader Joe's.
• Maple cinnamon roasted butternut squash (Short cut: Use Trader Joe's pre-cubed bags.)
• Challah stuffing
• Brussel sprouts with pomegranate molasses

Recipes for these sides can be found on one of my favorite blogs The Shiksa in the Kitchen. I am, after all, a shiksa and slowly learning about Jewish cooking. I like Tori's blog for a lot of reasons. She's cute, her step-by-step recipes are easy to follow -- she does tutorials on stuff like how to peel, seed and prep butternut squash -- and she doesn't use a lot of mixing bowls, because she doesn't like to do dishes. Her History Kitchen tells the stories behind our favorite foods. Plus, she has an adorable yellow lab named "Marley." A girl after my own heart.

I'll be back soon to show you how my vision comes to life. In the meantime, check out my Thanksgivingukkah Pinterst board for more ideas.