Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Entertaining at Home’ Category

Sentimental Decorations

Posted in Christmas, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, tagged , , on December 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Flipping through a magazine the other day I noticed a little article about incorporating sentimental items into your holiday decor.

I loved the idea!

You could turn your wedding cake topper into a tree ornament or make it part of a centerpiece.

Drawings from the kids could become framed holiday works of art.

Maybe you have some vintage handkerchiefs or other memorable items from a grandmother. Put them in a shadow box with a few holiday touches and you’ve got a lovely conversation piece.

I think I already bought into the whole sentimental decor concept before I ever read the article. One of my favorite holiday items is a teeny tiny little elf fashioned from a pinecone that was given to my folks for their first Christmas together. That would have been 60 years ago. The elf looks a bit bedraggled (Ok, a whole lot) but I set it out each year anyway because of sentimental reasons.

If you asked Hubby, I’m probably long on the mental and short on the sent… but that is a story for another day.

Two other items I now consider part of our holiday decor are Christmas cards – the last ones sent by my aunt and grandmother before they passed away. The cards remind me of them and fun holiday times we shared.

I even have a tree ornament my brother gave me when I was about 6. I’m pretty sure it came off something like the back of a box of Twinkies, but it was shiny and fun and from my brother, so I have kept it all these years.

What sentimental items can you incorporate into your holiday decor? What brings back good memories and gives you that warm, tingly feeling in your heart?

Whatever it is, I hope you find a fun way to incorporate it into your holidays this year.

Happy Holiday Entertaining!

The Sentimentalist

Read Full Post »

Tom Browning

Posted in Christmas, Referrals, tagged , , , on December 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I first became acquainted with Tom Browning’s art about 14 years ago. Hubby and I were on vacation and ran across some of his art in a shop we were browsing through. I was hooked. His artwork is beautiful, lovely, real.

One of my favorite things that he paints is Santa. Not just any Santa, but a Santa that looks like the real deal. His Santa paintings put me in mind of  Haddon Sundblom’s Santa artwork done for the Coca-Cola Company (and I love his images, too).

I think Santa holding the roses is my favorite of all time. You wonder if he has brought those for Mrs. Claus or just what exactly the jolly old elf is up to. I’m a sucker for romance, even with Santa!

Browning was born in the small town of Ontario, OR, which happens to be in the neighborhood of where I grew up. He began painting professionally in 1972.  Although he started out with western and wildlife subject matter, Browning has completed many wonderful  paintings with a variety of  subjects and mediums.

For more details about Browning or to check out his artwork, go to his website at tombrowning.com

Happy Holiday Entertaining,

The Art Admirer

Read Full Post »

Sugar Cookies

Posted in Christmas, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Holidays, Recipes, tagged , , on December 17, 2010| 4 Comments »

Most everyone has a favorite cookie recipe and this is one of mine. I make this for Christmas every year and have been seen I was about 17.

I loved to bake when I was a kid and received my first Easy Bake oven when I was 5. That was a great Christmas. I remember whipping up something to give to my grandma who had come to stay with us for the holiday.

Experimenting with recipes was something I did, and still do, enjoy. It was this love of experimenting that led me on a quest for  the best sugar cookie when I was in my early teens. It had to be soft and moist, light and flavorful. After many, many trials and errors, I came up with this recipe that never fails to deliver soft, delicious cookies.

In fact, when I made them last night, Captain Cavedweller wandered in as I was pulling the last tray from the oven. Before I knew what had happened, he inhaled eight of  them, some before they were even frosted. For someone who rarely eats sweets, he was really going to town on them. I had to stand guard over the rest just to get them frosted!

Give them a try and let me know what you think. And hopefully you can get most of them frosted and decorated before they disappear!

Ingredients for Sugar Cookies

Cream butter and sugars.

Add in eggs, vanilla and lemon juice.

Mix together dry ingredients and add gradually to creamed mixture.

Chill dough, once mixed, for about an hour.

When you are ready to roll out the dough, make sure your surface is adequately floured. The dough can be a bit sticky.

Cut out your favorite shapes. Mine would be snowflakes!

Pop into the oven and bake until just set - about 6-8 minutes.

Let cookies rest in the pan when you remove from the oven for just a minute before moving to a wire rack to completely cool.

Frost and...

Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

dash of lemon juice

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Frosting

Cream together butter and sugars. Add in eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix dry ingredients together and gradually add into creamed mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Generously flour a flat surface and your rolling pin. Scoop out half the dough and roll until about 1/4 inch thick. You want to work fairly quickly at this point because the warmer the dough gets the stickier it becomes and you don’t want to add more flour. Cut into shapes and bake about 6-8 minutes or until cookies are just set. You do not want them to get brown at all. Cool in pan for one minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Frost and decorate then watch them disappear.

You can use a royal icing if you are of a mind to stir up a batch or, if you are a lazy slug like me, I whip out a can of Betty Crocker vanilla frosting and frost away. I also like to use decorator gels, especially the sparkly variety, along with sprinkles!

Enjoy!

Happy Holiday Entertaining!

The Cookie Guardian

Read Full Post »

How to Make an Easy Holiday Centerpiece

Posted in Centerpieces, Christmas, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, tagged , , on December 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Ever wanted a show-stopping centerpiece but just didn’t want to spend a small fortune or know how to make one?

Let me show you how! It is so easy. I spent about $5 on the materials on the day after Thanksgiving sale at our local craft store.

The materials you will need to make this centerpiece. A wreath, poinsettias (I used velvet), fake berries, some sparkly stems and ribbon. And don't forget the hot glue!

First, fluff up the greenery so it looks a bit more natural. If you are using a live wreath, make sure you set it on top of something that will catch sap and needles. I like artificial because there isn't any mess involved. After you've got your wreath all flouncy, start placing on the poinsettias.

Get them situated where you want them then hot glue them on (you can wire them, but glue is so much faster!).

 

Once you have the poinsettias glued on, start adding in little sprigs of berries. You can keep it sparse or go with my theory that more is better! (I use that theory with chocolate... a lot!)

The next step is to add some sparkle. You can use glittery branches, sparkly stems, whatever tickles your fancy.

Ribbon is the final touch to your centerpiece. You can weave it around the wreath, or just tie a big bow and attach to the front. I would recommend wiring the bow on because it is easier to handle than trying to glue.

Finish with a hurricane and a candle. If you don't have a hurricane, use a footed bowl. If you don't have one of those, just put in a clear glass bowl and filled with ornaments or nestle in some votives.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »