Whenever I visit a big city I try to make time to enjoy afternoon tea at a beautiful location. Since I was staying at The Peninsula in Paris, I knew I'd want take the time to schedule tea for one of the afternoons during my visit. It's so nice to be able to get ready and then simply make your way downstairs for tea, or in my case, champagne. When in France, right?
Afternoon tea is held in Le Lobby at the Peninsula. It's such a grand and beautiful room. And with it being August in Paris, and so many people away for the August holiday, I almost had the place to myself. I can't say enough about visiting Paris during this time of the year.
With it being Sunday, they set out a grand buffet of sweets to choose from as well as others brought to my table.
Everything was so beautifully done. The smallest details, mini treats (my favorite!) and who could ever resist a white chocolate cloud?! I'm happy to report it was filled with a pistachio cream and raspberry and it was divine.
To top it off, a large brioche was brought to the table to enjoy with a little pot of mascarpone for an accompaniment.
Cheers to Paris and the beautiful Peninsula Hotel!
This is the fifth post in my Paris Party of One series. You can find the first post here, the second post here, the third post here, and the fourth post here. There will be more posts to follow. Hooray!
Notes:
Afternoon tea at a fancy hotel is a great way to splurge and have the beautiful, over-the-top experience even if you're not a guest.
Meet Shannon, lifestyle blogger at Ladys Little Loves. She recently shared one of her favorite finds, a vintage ice maker, here on the blog. Today she's sharing some tabletop inspiration for a sweet summertime gathering.
Oftentimes, a tabletop can come up a little short if the table is too bare, but filling a table can be expensive. Shannon does a great job tackling both of these issues right out of the gate by simply using cuttings from her yard as a tablerunner and houseplants as decorative tabletop filler. Cakestands make handy display pieces for simple, yet elegant loaves of bread which double as a part of the meal, and as decorative items too.
Layers! Notice the varied shapes, textures, and finishes. These simple touches add depth and warmth and just convey such a simple sweetness.
Hobnail, basketweave, wood, foliage, linen, rafia, and ropey textures. Sigh.
Collecting key vintage pieces adds so much to a setting or room, it's like adding instant personality. This vintage icemaker is perfect!
Small details like tied napkin rolls are a nice finishing touch on each place setting.
Notes:
Visit thrift shops, estate and yard sales to stock up on simple everyday items such as linens and glassware.
Discount retailers such as TJMaxx are a great place to find a variety of tablerunners or placemats.
Shop vintage markets and antiques shops for great vintage vessels, baskets, flatware, glassware, and dishes. You'll truly be able to find pieces no one else has, which makes your decor even more special and showcases your personality.
Shannon is the author of the Lady's Little Loves blog. You can find it here. She's also a regular visitor of The Farm Chicks Fair. You can read her post from this year's event here. And you can find her on Instagram here, where she shares beautiful images of her home along with darling D-I-Y's and lifestyle inspiration.
Going back to my earliest memories, I've always loved a theme, and if you've followed along with me for a while you know that each year I plan a theme for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair and bring it all to life through the promotional materials, the events leading up to Farm Chicks, and the way in which I style and decorate The Farm Chicks Fair. This year I've chosen a party theme and the promotional materials reflect that with a really happy and fun, glam, vintage-meets-modern party style.
For the Poster Release Party, I wanted to bring the poster to life a bit and decorate and incorporate elements from the poster. My biggest challenge was having one hour to decorate, from when Madeleine's (the location of the party) closed for the day and the time that the party was scheduled to get started, so I knew I had to have everything ready to simply put in place once I got there. The posters were a good start, because we could easily hang them on the walls for decoration in no time, so that is where I began.
Confetti is one of my favorite party elements and I ended up having Danielle (this year's commissioned poster artist) add some in to her original artwork on the poster before it was completely finalized. Naturally, I wanted to add confetti to my party decorations! I added confetti into the decorations in a few ways. On the walls:
On the tables as a part of the centerpieces, and on the dessert bar as decoration. (Along with traditional confetti, I made tiny versions of the posters to act as bits of confetti on the tables and dessert bar too). I went with large confetti pieces because I thought they would be more impactful and it's a lot easier to clean up than teeny tiny bits:
I decided to make centerpieces to add life to all of the tables and to make them more useful, they doubled as my take-away treats for everyone, with each colorful centerpiece bag filled with a bunch of bagged gumball "ice cream" cones tied off with mini poster stickers. I made all of them in advance and had them in boxes ready to place on the tables once we arrived:
Madeleine's made treats inspired by the poster, which made the space so dreamy:
I made mini poster stir-sticks for the lemonade bar:
And lots of balloons, which along with their strings added a sort of confetti-ish effect as well:
I held the Poster Release Party for this year's Farm Chicks Fair last weekend at Madeleine's Cafe and Patisserie in downtown Spokane. The treats were so delicious, the setting so darling, and I loved getting to celebrate with everyone who stopped by.
Tomorrow I'll be posting about the specific details on bringing the poster to life through the party, the fun and simple decorations done with a very limited set-up time, and the take-away treats I shared with my guests!
Note: Meg, who runs Madeleine's, and I planned out all of the treats ahead of time (I'll tell you more about that in tomorrow's post) and everything was SO DELICIOUS. But I sincerely, truly, deeply hope that they'll add the macarons topped with frosting and a raspberry (seen above) to their regular line-up at Madeleine's. They were one of the most delicious treats I've ever had in my life, and my guests thought they were pretty spectacular too.
While MaryJane and I were visiting the Christmas markets, I was so completely inspired by all of the gingerbread and decided I wanted to make a big gingerbread statement piece when I returned. Every year I have so much fun creating a centerpiece for our dining table, and I started imagining a gingerbread village right down the center. It was fun to talk with MJ about ideas I had brewing while we were traveling around each country.
Although creating a bunch of gingerbread houses is really time consuming, it's so satisfying to see them all come together. Here's an overview of how I put it all together, starting with a simple piece of wrapping paper down the center of the dining table:
Placing all of the gingerbread houses:
Placing fresh greens throughout:
Pouring granulated sugar "snow berms" at the base of each of the structures and throughout the entire setting:
Dusting with powdered (confectioners) sugar "snow":
And decorating with sugared cranberries, sporadically placed throughout:
I made 27 gingerbread houses in total. I worked on baking the houses over about one week, just baking them whenever I had time and leaving the pieces on a cooling rack to keep drying and hardening until I was ready to get started with construction. Here are some of the finer details of how I created it all:
21 of the houses were miniature-sized, modeled from a gingerbread house cookie cutter I found at my local grocery store. The other houses were modeled from a set of Martha Stewart paper houses that I cut apart for the patterns.
I did a ton of recipe testing and found this recipe to be the best for what I wanted to do. I was able to roll the dough out really thin to keep the weight down and make the dough go further, and it baked up extremely strong. Note: It seemed as though there was something wrong with the dough once I mixed it up because it was really crumbly. Don't worry when you see this! Once you knead the dough as instructed in the recipe, it all comes together perfectly into a nice compact dough. (It is a bit tough to roll out).
I used melted white chocolate coating disks as the glue, piped on with a piping bag.
The thick finishing "snow" on the rooftops was made from Royal Icing, which is made from egg whites and powdered sugar.
The "thatched roof" was made out of generic Fiber One cereal, placed on piece by piece, starting at the bottom of the rooftop with a strip of piped on white chocolate followed by the cereal placed on top of the strip, one by one, and working my way up to the center (top of the roof) on each side. It was time consuming but not as bad as I thought it would be.
The "roof tiles" were cinnamon gum placed on in the same manner as the cereal.
The shutters and window trim on two of the houses were also made from cinnamon gum.
I make my sugared cranberries by coating them in egg white and then in granulated sugar.
This was a fun project and I'm so glad I did it. I've had such a busy month and it was a nice way to really put my heart into Christmas. I hope you'll give it a try if it sounds fun to you. Merry Christmas!
Something you might notice while visiting Europe are homes with their doorways marked with chalk. (You may see this in the U.S. as well, but it's not as widely common as in Europe).
Each year on the Epiphany (January 6th), families gather to ask for God's blessing on their home and those who live in or visit their home. For some, the blessing may take place with the family gathering, praying, and seeking God's blessing, and for others, a Priest may visit, bringing incense and holy water and blesses the house. Afterwards, the doorways are marked with the year and the letters of the three kings: Caspar, Melchior & Balthazar.
This tradition is practiced by many Christian faiths. In the Catholic church, the closing prayer at the end of the house blessing is:
Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The costs of decorating your home for any holiday season can really add up and finding pieces that can work for more than one holiday is always helpful. Cloth napkins are a great place to start because they are a small item with a big impact.
Consider plaid. There are so many cool combinations that you can make them work from October through December. For example, the red in these napkins is more of a rusty red, with the yellows, browns, and greens of autumn which you can find in squash, florals, and foliage widely available in October and November and then of course, they're easily integrated into your December table. Today, I'm focusing on showing how you can use them in October and November.
To further cut costs, visit the fabric store or a thrift shop, look for a plaid that you love and make the napkins yourself!
After Halloween, make sure to keep all your little pumpkins and squash for decorative purposes through November. They add such color and cheer to your home. And stay tuned for my next post that will show you how to make cute simple arrangements with your mini pumpkins!
I've always enjoyed finding reasons to celebrate with our family, whether it's a full-fledged party or a happy breakfast, lunch, or dinner celebration. And speaking of meal celebrations, by simply decorating the table, your meal becomes a celebration!
For a fun back-to-school theme, gather vintage children's books and place at each table setting as decorative chargers:
Top "chargers" with plates, napkins, apples, and little American flags:
Apples make great table decorations as well:
Garden and yard herbs are such a great source for simple floral arrangements. The chives are flowering right now in my patio herb garden and make the cutest tiny arrangements:
Whimsical old toys and children's items are so joyful to me. This vintage spinning child's cap adds a sweet touch to the table. A cute old toy truck would also be great:
Extra-wide rolled wrapping paper cut to the size of the table makes for a great small table covering. For larger tables, use wrapping paper as a runner:
With the exception of the earliest school years, our boys weren't ever too excited about September and heading back to school. I found that by celebrating this time in various simple ways, it made it a positive time in their lives. Happy September to all!
Aren't polka dots just about one of the cheeriest things ever? With a trip to the supermarket, you can put together such a cute and happy party by focusing on everything polka dot!
Lollipops make such simple, cute polka dot cake toppers:
Gigantic wafers from the Mexican grocery store make a yummy, delicate cake when layered with slightly sweetened airy buttercream:
Dotty candies make cute table decorations and cupcake toppers:
Tiny dotty sprinkles make the table even more festive:
Mini cake stands, a gift from my friend, Serina (yes we have the same name!), are fun to place at everyone's table setting along with simple colorful plates, napkins, tableware, and cups from the grocery store:
We celebrated my mother and father-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary this week. Colin is one of six siblings and there are sixteen grandchildren. I think mostly because we're such a big family and to keep it as intimate as possible, my parents-in-law decided to keep the celebration to just the 32 of us. The six siblings all took part in putting the party together and asked me to be responsible for the centerpieces for the table. Because it was such a momentous occasion, I wanted to do more than just a few centerpieces on the long table. I wanted it to be enormous - to really make a statement, reflecting this big day.
To give the runner an extra special touch and to save money on the cost, I foraged for Rosehips, Snowberries, and Wild Grass from the roadside, and Sage and Hydrangea from my yard. I limited purchased add-ins to a variety of Eucalyptus from the store along with sixty white roses. (The Hydrangea blossoms are not seen in the picture below, because they were protected in a large kitchen garbage bag full of cold water. The flower petals on hydrangeas absorb water so it's a nice way to keep the Hydrangea extra hydrated before placing).
The forecast for the day was 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I knew there was no way anything other than the Eucalyptus would withstand the heat and the greenery and flowers would definitely wither without a water source. After some trial runs, I settled on using floral foam as the base.
Because the floral foam is wet, I put down a base of Saran Wrap to keep the tablecloth from absorbing all of the water from the foam. I stretched it out to the length I needed and then pushed the sides in until it was just wide enough to hold the foam.
Floral foam is super simple to use and is great for keeping flowers hydrated AND for creating a heavy stabile base for your creation. Another way I kept the cost down was to cut each of the blocks in half horizontally, getting twice the coverage for the same cost. There are several varieties of floral foam on the market, with most of the options at the store for artificial flowers. You DON'T want any of those varieties. You want the WET FOAM variety for use with fresh flowers. To use, you'll need a bucket of water or a deep sink or basin to drop your foam blocks into. There needs to be enough room for the block to be able to be completely covered once it has absorbed all the water it is going to absorb. (So, if you're using a block that is 9 inches tall, you'll want there to be at least 10 inches of water). Keep in mind, if you're using a lot of blocks like I did for the runner, you'll need A LOT of water because each block absorbs quite a bit. I used a 10 gallon bucket filled nearly to the top and had to refill it once. Simply place the foam block on top of the water. It will quickly absorb the water, and sink just below the surface. Remove the block, allow a tiny bit of excess water to drain, and then place on the table as is or cut in half with a large kitchen knife as I did, and place.
As you can see in the picture above, I pushed in the Saran Wrap to just wide enough to protect the foam and make it so it couldn't be seen. You'll notice I left one of the blocks its original size to mark the true center of the runner. That way I could create a center focal point and also have a clear visual as I'm building it out beginning with the center point foliage angling straight up, everything to the left of center leaning left, and everything right of center leaning right. Although the arrangement is a bit wild or earthy in nature, to keep the overall look well thought out, there needs to be order. The center, left, right system does that.
The greens should go on in layers, starting with what you have the most of. You'll want to have enough of your main greenery to be able to create a good solid first layer. Remember, you're angling the greens to the right if you're working to the right of center and angling to the left if you're working to the left of center. I started my first layer with unripened rosehips. They were the perfect base because the neutral unripened color was perfect for my vision of simple, elegant tones and because the berries add so much visual interest. You'll also want to pay close attention to be conservative with how far out the greenery extends, making sure there is plenty of room for a dinner plate and glassware.
After that, it was simply a process of layering in each subsequent type of greenery: the Snowberries, followed by the Sage, then Hydrangea, Eucalyptus, the Roses, and finally the Wild Grass, which was my way of adding in a bit of gold representing the 50th "Golden Anniversary".
Notes & Tips:
Think about using several different types of greenery involving different textures such as berries, leaves, flowers, etc.
Sage is a big favorite of mine because of its velvety leaves and clusters that are so great for filling in spaces. It also smells super great!
Hydrangea is great for coverage but can be fragile. Read my comments at the top of this post about how I treat the hydrangea before placing. The extra Hydrangea leaves are great to save for use later when you've run out of greenery and need something more to fill in any last minute gaps. Simply use the little stem at the tip of each leaf to poke into the foam.
When you start each layer, begin at the center and move to the right of center to place a sprig, then move to the left of center and place a sprig until you reach the end of both sides. THEN walk around to the other side of the table, to the center, and begin again. Do this with every layer so you will have consistently placed coverage and consistency in the look of the arrangement.
In total, I spent $38 dollars on the Roses and 3 Clusters of eucalyptus from Trader Joes. The foam was $25 dollars, with the overall cost totaling $63 dollars. (You can find it here). Not bad for such a massive arrangement
I spent five hours building the runner and several hours foraging before that, so there is definitely a time commitment.
One of the things I learned while growing up with limited resources is that no matter what, you can make your surroundings homey. Early on I discovered that I could forage for pretty wild things like wildflowers, greenery, and twigs, and everything I gathered was free and could make things instantly better. Homey, in fact. The magic in that for me was that when I was developing my ability to make something out of nothing, I didn't know any different. It was just the way it was and I wanted to be surrounded by pretty things, so I discovered my own ways to do so. And you can too.
I love hosting family dinners at our house or having friends over and I find true joy in special little touches that make our gatherings just a little more meaningful. When I was on a walk the other day, I couldn't help but notice all the blossoms and wildflowers on our property and thought how cute they could make the little food markers at an upcoming barbecue.
I've found that the best, long lasting blossoms are the flower buds that are still tight and haven't blossomed or hardy little wildflowers:
To get started, find any paper markers you'd like to use or cut your own from a slightly thick paper - something like cardstock:
Pen or watercolor the names of the dishes you want to label:
Punch little holes, center the flowers between the punched-out holes, and stitch the flowers into place:
Place your markers in front of each dish or attach to large bowls with doubled over or doublestick tape.
You can find more of my ideas for celebrations and gatherings here.
-
Thanks for visiting! Between posts you can find me on Instagram and Facebook where I share a look into my life behind the scenes as I produce my annual vintage market, The Farm Chicks Vintage and Handmade Fair. 2017 marks my fifteenth year producing this special annual event! I invite you to take a minute and read all about it - after all, I consider it to be the happiest vintage event on earth. xo, Serena
We celebrated my friend Serina's birthday this weekend. (Yes, we have the same name) and I thought it'd be fun to share the common challenges of decorating for a party when the location decor conflicts with the party decor and what can be done to make it work.
The venue where the party was held operates as a wine tasting room and is a bit dark inside, which conflicted with the party's color palette of pink, gold, and white. And there was artwork prominently displayed that we were restricted from taking down which didn't go with the palette either. Her husband said that she would want a lot of balloons and hoped for the party to represent her sparkly, glittery style. I immediately knew that a balloon garland would work really well for disguising the artwork.
It's really hard to gauge how many balloons to order for massive garlands. We went through about 400 and weren't able to fully cover the artwork but it was disguised enough and the balloons came across as really happy and festive:
The lounge area had a black sofa and dark geometric chairs so I covered them with some white & gold and pink & gold Lilly Pullitzer blankets I got a few years back at Target:
I rented pink tablecloths for all of the tables, which immediately provides a facelift to any venue and creates a very special feel. It's one of those elements just like in the design of a home (like a beadboard ceiling for example) that a person might not necessarily notice about the space, but they do notice that the space feels nice and warm. Tablecloths are a must!
There was a lot of pink and I wanted to make sure the party didn't feel like it was childlike, so I made pretty floral arrangements for all of the tables. I purchased a variety of clear vases from the dollar store and spray painted each one with gold glitter spray paint. I chose roses because they have a more sophisticated feel than say, daisies or zinnias, and gathered sage and lavender greenery from my yard and clippings from trees for filler. Clusters of glittery gold balls were added as a final touch to each arrangement. Already made candle votives from the dollar store were placed throughout and confetti was sprinkled on each table, along with personalized "Serina" confetti I special ordered. (See sources below for info.) It was fun and festive to match her personality, but not childlike.
I simply festooned the black colored bar with metallic fringe, attaching with removable doublestick tape:
We had mini cupcakes and mini donut cupcakes and had a special cake made that we could sing happy birthday with. I wanted to make sure it was dripping in gold and topped with glittered macarons because the birthday girl is dreaming of a trip to Paris in the future. It was a very happy celebration for a sweet friend.
Tips:
I learned to make the balloon garland from The House that Lars Built. You can watch their tutorial here. I adapted the instructions by attaching the balloons to a balloon strip rather than chicken wire, and used an electronic balloon inflator. The balloon garland was A LOT of work and required A LOT of balloons. To get this one built, I had one person inflating balloons, one person tying balloons, two people creating balloon clusters and one person attaching the clusters to the balloon strip. It took about three hours for completion.
A couple of the tiny tables in the venue were too small for table coverings so I simply sprinkled them with confetti. I covered the coffee table in the lounge area with leftover metallic fringe trimmed from the bar covering.
Sources:
Balloons, metallic fringe, gold glitter balls for bouquets: Amazon
I was asked to speak at this year's Girls Scouts Leadership Luncheon in Spokane and when I heard they needed centerpieces, I offered to donate them. I thought it'd be fun to combine The Farm Chicks Show theme for this year, which is "County Fair", with the Girl Scouts motto of Girls with Courage, Confidence, and Character. I made special prize ribbons, representing the grand prize winners at the fair for things like best pickles, finest quilt, or grand champion steer, but with a Girl Scouts theme:
For me, the county fair is a celebration of agriculture and the American family farm and I wanted to bring in a few little pieces that really say county fair to me. I made cotton candy out of cotton to represent the midway:
I covered old tin cans with cheery fabric and my friend, Shawn, who owns The Flower Bar, made humble farm-like bouquets for each one, to represent the farm wife and all she does to make her home a cheery place:
Pastry and More Bakery made the CUTEST tiny little loaves of bread, representing the many baking contests at the fair:
They needed to stay cute, but still stay edible, so Shawn and I wrapped each one in cellophane and placed them into little lunch sacks:
To pull it all together, we lined bushel baskets with cheery yellow gingham and filled each one with the cotton candy, farmhouse arrangement, bread loaf, apples to represent agriculture, and adorned each one with the prize ribbon:
Most of all, I wanted to make something special out of not much at all, just like the farmers and their families of our country do with their plots of land.
Notes:
I learned to make prize ribbons from the talented Cathe Holden. She wrote a whole book about it. You can find it here. You can find Cathe on Facebook here and Instagram here.
I found the ribbon for the project many years ago at a fabric rummage sale. It had originally been fabric that the lady had cut strips from, sewing the lengths together to create hundreds of yards of handmade ribbon. I just know she'd be so happy to learn that hundreds of people admired her ribbon on those centerpieces!
The darling little bread loaves were made by Pastry and More in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and now I want to special order the tiny loaves for everything. They smelled like heaven. You can follow Pastry and More on Facebook here and Instagram here.
The little farmhouse arrangements were made by Shawn at The Flower Bar in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and each centerpiece was arranged in her beautiful little shop. Thank you, Shawn for your generosity! You can follow Shawn on Instagram here and Facebook here.
At the end of the luncheon, a winner from each table got to take home a centerpiece.
>>>><<<<
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there, Username: thefarmchicks
When you put a lot of effort into throwing a great party, don't miss out on adding the final touch: Signs to mark the way. For farm-themed signage, hang signs from pitchfork tines.
All you'll need is some paper, a printer, double-stick tape or a glue stick, and ribbons to hang. Start with a colorful paper you love. Large scrapbook sheets work perfectly.
Next, print the wording for your sign on a standard sheet of paper, and cut out the message you'll be using, in a shape of your choice.
Adhere cut out message to the pretty paper with double-stick tape or a glue stick.
At this point, you can affix the sign to a building, or sign post, or you can attach it to something like a pitchfork (as seen above). To hang from pitchfork tines, using a hole punch, punch out holes and affix with pretty ribbon. Lean pitchfork against a building or car, or dig a small hole to place handle into. Stabilize with packed dirt.
All images by Ifong Chen
>>>><<<<
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
A serene little Idaho farm was the scene for a summer's early afternoon, joy-filled Farm Chicks Style wedding.
The bride wore a vintage cotton dress.
Twinkly lights and a fancy chandelier were all that were needed for the barn, where the ceremony was held.
An old farm truck became the stage for the bluegrass band.
A bridesmaid's bouquet.
The groom's and groomsmen's bowties, handmade. Herbs were used for true country boutonnieres.
A hearty breakfast was served, including waffles, eggs benedict in mini cast-iron pans, fresh fruit, orange juice rosemary sippers, french toast stacks with berries and cream, miniature quiche, pancake stacks with fresh berries and syrup, and ice-cold milk.
The tables were adorned with fresh flowers, plates topped with fresh herbs, and homemade napkins were placed at each setting.
Delicious desserts included a homemade butter cake, a crepe cake, and miniature bundt cakes.
The truck stage was the perfect spot for the bouquet toss.
Guests were treated to a tea station for a takeaway treat.
And everyone lived happily ever after….
This wedding story was created for the book, Stylish Weddings. You can find the entire story, including how to make the bow ties, potato-stamped napkins, dessert flags, farm bucket cake stand, Serena's Butter Cake, Orange Juice Rosemary Sippers, swizzle sticks, tea station, and tea bag takeaways all in the book.
Acknowledgement:
Alisa Lewis (pictured) collaborated and styled the wedding with me. You can find out more about Alisa Lewis Event Design here.
The Farm Chicks Antiques Show is held the first full weekend of June each year in Spokane, Washington. To find out more about this happiest antiques show on earth, click here.
I'll be posting more about the poster and the artist that was commissioned to create it, later this week!
>>>><<<<
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there, Username: thefarmchicks
The chilly days of February call for cozy celebrations, and nothing could be more cozy than a cup of hot cocoa. How about a hot cocoa party for Valentine's Day?
Gather up your favorite sweets, like cupcakes, strawberries and sweet marshmallows for floating in your cocoa.
Whip up a batch of your favorite cocoa and add it into a pretty little teapot for easy pouring. Add special touches like little heart sprinkles on a cakestand or serving tray.
Don't forget the whipped cream!
Offer strawberry milk or keifer for a special sweet and refreshing option.
Make the party festive by hanging paper lanterns.
Create a happy party table in an instant by sprinkling sweet little heart candies all about.
Place settings are as simple as heart-shaped plates, inexpensive ikea dish towels as napkins, and little boxes of chocolates.
What a treat!
Sources:
Hanging paper lanterns: I stock up on paper lanterns whenever I visit Chinatown in San Francisco. You can find them online at a number of retailers by searching for chinese paper lanterns.
White cakestands and teapot: Martha Stewart for Macy's.
Pink bowl holding strawberries: Fish's Eddy.
Heart Sprinkles: Carolyn's. (You can place orders by phone).
Heart Plates: Target
Dish Towels (used as napkins): Ikea
Small milk bottles: I found a huge collection of single serving vintage milk bottles at my local Value Village and purchased the entire lot. They are perfect for parties and grab-and-go moments. You can find a similar new version here.
The paper heart straws are from Target.
The whipped cream crock is vintage, found at Pink in Spokane.
The heart-shaped marshmallows are by Campfire and are called CupidMallows. I found them at Wal Mart.
The heart-shaped candies on the table are Everlasting Gobstopper Heartbreakers by Wonka. I found them at Target.
The little heart-shaped candy boxes are from Martha Stewart for Michael's. I purchased a bunch of them a few years ago. I filled them with chocolates. If you have a hard time finding the Martha Stewart boxes, a great substitute are little boxes of Whitman Chocolates that are available for only $1 each at Target and Wal-Mart. I recommend removing the brown plastic holder, leaving the simple white box, as shown above.
Strawberry Milk: Nestle Nesquik
Notes:
A great dairy free hot cocoa option is chocolate soy milk. Simply heat and serve.
A yummy, healthy substitute for strawberry milk is Nancy's Strawberry Keiffer, available at some health food markets or large supermarkets with a health food section.
>>>><<<<
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there, Username: thefarmchicks
This time of year we take the time to make beautiful things and serve our favorite foods, so why not serve them in a pretty way? The best thing is, it doesn't have to be hard or complicated.
My friend, Jill, serves appetizers on a cutting board, simply topped with cedar. You can add a few cranberries here and there to make it even a bit more festive. I love this presentation. If you don't have extra greenery laying around, fresh herbs are a great substitute.
To serve my friend Sylvia's delicious olives, we simply filled a wooden bowl with eucalyptus and placed the vessel of olives inside. Just that little touch is all it takes to make the presentation beautiful. I picked up the fresh eucalyptus in the floral section of my local supermarket, but any greenery or herbs you like can be used.
Serving desserts? My friend Pam likes to cover her hot cocoa tray in gobs of teeny tiny marshmallows and serves brownies atop crushed peppermint candies.
Notes: This project was a collaboration with my friends, Sylvia, and Jill. Watch for Sylvia's fantastically delicious olive recipe on her website (Feasting at Home) soon.
Sylvia and Jill
>>>><<<<
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there, Username: thefarmchicks
Oh what fun it is to make merry little cakes…. ♬♪♫
Today I started with basic cakes from the bakery and some simple essentials.
First step, sugar the cranberries. (I do the entire sugaring process over the sink. When I'm done, I can simply rinse the colander and the sink all clean). Place cranberries in a colander and rinse. Next, pour apple juice all over the cranberries.
Toss the berries around to coat each one, by shaking the colander, while getting rid of all the excess juice at the same time. Pour about 1/2 cup granulated sugar over the berries, shaking and tossing the colander to coat the berries in the sugar. (I use about 1/2 cup sugar for one bag of fresh cranberries. You can add more or less, depending on how frosty you'd like your berries to look). Once the berries are all coated, transfer them to a parchment paper-lined tray. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least an hour or overnight. (This allows the sugar to really stick to the berries quite nicely. If you're in a hurry, you can use them right away, you'll just need to be a little more careful that you don't smudge the sugar off while handling).
Now it's time to start festooning your cakes. Thyme makes a simple and beautiful wreath. Place little sprigs around until the wreath is just your style.
If you want to add a little color, a few sugared cranberries here and there are just the ticket. (You might need to gently press the berries into the frosting to make sure they stay in place).
And here's the cupcake version. Sweet and simple.
How about a holly inspired cake? Some mint leaves and cranberries are just right. Place the little arrangements symmetrically around the cake.
Or just one for a cupcake.
And rosemary makes for the best tree branches. How about a Christmas tree? ♫ O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging… ♪ ♬
And a rosemary cupcake version. A winter flower. (You could also flip the tiny rosemary sprig around to look like a tree, with a little cranberry at the top).
For a beautiful cake that really makes a statement, mound lots of cranberries on top.
We did this for our Christmas shoot and it was so lovely, sitting there on the buffet.
You can even bedazzle a cupcake the same way. (Pretty, yes! But indestructible? No. These are more of a pretty display-way to decorate a cake. Some of the berries will fall off when cutting and eating).
Even just one little berry is as sweet as can be. If there were a sugarplum cupcake, this would be it!
Notes:
Cranberries are pretty sour. If you love sweet and sour things, you'll probably enjoy these sugared berries. But most of all, they're just meant to look darn cute.
Sources:
Cakes and cupcakes from Sweet Frostings Blissful Bakeshop in Spokane. The icing technique on the layer cake is called "Grandma Icing". Isn't that the best?!
Cranberries and herbs can be found at most supermarkets during the winter season.
Each year I love thinking about how I'll decorate my table for Thanksgiving. Oftentimes, I'll pull everything together earlier in the fall to enjoy the bounty of the season we're currently in for as long as possible.
This year was no different. I picked some squash and miniature pumpkins from our field. I wanted the larger squash to be the focal point of the table (I love their color so much!) and decided to add in some pinecones as well.
When I visited my parents property this summer, I gathered a bagful of Sugar Pine pinecones and am so glad I did. Their size and shape are truly eye catching.
Laying out the table couldn't be more simple. I start with a table runner, then place the large squash evenly spaced along the center of the table, followed by the mini pumpkins, and finally the pinecones.
And now the stage is set for a most scrumptious Thanksgiving feast, starting with these mouth watering Thanksgiving Stuffing Muffins made by my friend, Sylvia. You can find her recipe here.
Something to consider is that your table doesn't need to be complicated. By pulling together a few natural elements, you can have a warm and inviting tablescape with very little effort.
Notes: This post is part of a series of collaborations with my friend, Sylvia Fountaine, and me. I love the inspiration that comes when creating beautiful things with friends. You can find the recipe for Sylvia's Thanksgiving Stuffing Muffins here. You can also follow Sylvia's Feast Catering & Feasting at Home Facebook page here and Instagram here. Sources:
Table runner: Michael's Craft Store
Table: Antico
Chairs: Cost Plus World Market
Cakestand: Martha Stewart for Macy's
Chandelier: Pottery Barn
>>>><<<<
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there, Username: thefarmchicks
It's fun to find new ways to serve up treats. What can you do when you have tipsy little treats that wobble about when placed on a serving tray? Why, fill a favorite vessel with Jimmies, of course!
Then, place your little treats...
Oops, now that's better with ice cream. Just place your little treats, and serve! No more wobbly treats.
Last month, while visiting Harry & David, I was treated to dinner at the beautiful Hillcrest Orchard and RoxyAnn Winery. A true orchard to table event.
Dinner was planned for outdoors, but the weather took a turn for the worse and was unseasonably cold and wet. So, they moved dinner indoors to the barrel room.
I'll never tire of sunflowers. They're just so beautiful and are great for a summer or autumn table. I love how they added in their pears and local bay leaves for added beauty. My heart aches for bay trees like the ones that grow wild in that area.
Sometimes the most simple ideas are the best. Case in point: the wine bottle candleholders, made from what they had on hand.
The menu:
It was a delicious, cozy, and memorable evening.
* * * *
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
A fun, quick, and easy way to display your seasonal treats is on stands. I happen to own LOTS of cakestands, but thought it would be fun to make some specific to the season. With pumpkins and paper plates.
I've found an abundance of little pumpkins left in the field from the pickers, who accidentally broke off their stems. Once the stems are gone, they're not really desirable to most people buying pumpkins, so there they sit - all broken hearted. In an attempt to rescue these orphaned pumpkins, I've discovered they're great for stacking on each other for decoration and for these cute little stands.
Step 1.) Start with a mini pumpkin. If your pumpkin has a stem, cut it or break it off:
Step 2.) Hot glue a paper plate atop the pumpkin. I've used a small salad-sized plate here, as the pumpkin is small:
This pumpkin is slightly larger, so I've used a dinner-sized plate here:
Step 3.) Fill plate with treats:
or stack the stands two high for double the treats - double the fun:
And there you have it. Changing the world - one pumpkin at a time. :)
* * * *
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
Adding an Easter egg-themed touch to your dinner table is really simple. Simply take platters and cut colorful paper napkins in the shape of an egg to line the platter. Use for serving rolls or other dry items. To use for serving veggies, simply cover the paper napkin with the same shape cutout of white parchment. The napkin will still show through and will appear pretty and toned-down pastel and it won't get soaked.
* * * *
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
Cute little place settings are such a fun addition to the Easter table. For these little egg cup markers, I simply filled each one with rice, topped them with moss and poked little handmade toothpick flags in with each person's name.
* * * *
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
What better way to celebrate the coming of springtime than with a Cloud Soda? For all those times you saw the perfect fluffy cloud and thought to yourself...I wish I could just scoop that cloud up and eat it! Now you can.
To start, dip the tips of lollipop sticks into some honey and top with a puff of cotton candy. Place cloud-topped sicks into tiny glasses. Fill each glass with the soda of your choice, being careful not to pour on the clouds. They don't like to be poured on. And if you do, the poor dears will just disappear.
Sources: The darling fabric is from the amazing Sandi Henderson
The popsicle sticks are from Michael's
The cotton candy is from Cost Plus World Market.
My soda of choice is R.W. Knudsen Boysenberry Spritzer because it has no added sugar, just sparkling water and fruit juice. And it's delicious.
As always, my honey comes from sweet Lyle, of Hilltop Honey, who raises bees just around the bend from me and has sold his honey at The Farm Chicks Show since the very beginning. His honey is the best.
* * * *
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
I had a tiny party with my nieces, Chloe and Annie and their mom (my sis-in-law) Alison this weekend. Everything was tiny - except the fun.
We made tiny aprons for all their dolls and tiny dishtowels too.
And then we packaged it all up in tiny little bags for the dolls to take home.
And we managed to drink our tiny little tea, eat our tiny tasty treats, and have tiny conversation all while my tiny little nephew took a teeny tiny nap.
How-to's: I made the dots on the table by punching out scrapbook paper with a 7/8" circular craft punch.
The tiny three-layer cakes were made by baking chocolate cake in a sheet pan and cutting out the layers with a small circular cookie cutter. I frosted each tiny cake just as I would with a regular-sized cake, and covered each one with white chocolate shavings.
The party hats are from Martha Stewart, but you could also easily make your own, using scrapbook paper to roll out into a cone, hot-gluing into place, and then attaching elastic.
I made the tiny pies in little oven-safe condiment dishes and made the tiny circles on the upper crust using the tip of a cake decorating tip.
The tiny cute-as-a-button cupcakes were baked in cupcake liners I found at the Japanese Dollar Store and the sugar buttons came from Bake it Pretty.
We made the aprons by cutting out an apron shapes from fabric and edging each one with bias tape. We used bias tape for the apron strings as well. We stitched the bias tape into place, but it could also be attached using hot-glue.
The tiny bags are from Martha Stewart.
* * * *
Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.
I love collecting great old pop bottles to fill with special drinks for guests. Like these I filled with vanilla chai tea I'd brewed the day before. Delicious juices work really well too! To seal, I use new corks that we purchase from home improvement stores like Lowes. And I always make sure to sterilize the bottles before use.
For this Prairie Party, we placed the bottled ice-teas in a huge old yellowware bowl and filled with ice.
Whether you're planning a summer party with friends or a casual country wedding, it's the extra little details that can make all the difference. Don't hesitate to pull out your favorite furniture pieces to use as clean-up stations, and to use fine linen napkins for your meal. Mix casual and elegant, junky and fancy - but most of all, just have fun!
Wild rosehips fill a vintage dairy cooler atop atop an old dough table. A funky enamelware tub will hold used silverware, the wired wheeled market basket a gathering spot for used linen napkins, and a chippity old wood box serves as a recycling receptacle:
An old washer is used as the gathering place for plates on one side and canning jar "glasses" on the other:
Chicken feeders make perfect vases:
Vintage silverware is placed atop linen napkins and tied off with strips of cheery calico:
A special lunch with friends calls for pretty little settings. I love these tiny café creamers I found at a sale, and for a recent lunch party, decided they’d make perfect personal vases. I filled the “vases” with tiny wild roses and set out a mix of beautiful old china plates to create special place settings.
Forks were placed atop cloth napkins and tied off with pretty vintage ribbon. As a final touch, I placed a sprig of wild rose buds under each ribbon.
This salad is the perfect light lunch:
Raspberry Poppy Seed Salad
Ingredients
SALAD:
greens of your choice
thinly sliced red onions (just enough to lightly accent the greens)
fresh raspberries (enough to accent the salad)
RASPBERRY POPPY SEED DRESSING:
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon raspberry jam
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
GARNISH with feta cheese and thinly sliced almonds
Directions
Combine salad ingredients in a pretty bowl. Combine dressing ingredients, and pour desired amount over greens. Toss gently and garnish. Serve promptly, and enjoy.
Note
To keep the dressing from separating, slowly pour the oil into the lemon juice, while whisking rapidly. Whisk in remaining ingredients. The result will be a creamy dressing that won’t separate.
Make delicious sandwiches by hollowing out good quality focaccia bread squares and stuffing with this yummy salad.
It's been an overload of sisterly love for me lately. First, getting to spend a great weekend with my sister and then today, getting to spend the day with my friends, the sisters (I've mentioned before) and some other friends too. Today started out as so busy - zipping here and there and a business meeting too. It was so nice to head to Chris's house for an amazing lunch and good conversation. I'll post more about my visit tomorrow, but I wanted to show you what we were treated to for lunch:
Fresh Fruit:
Southwestern Chicken and Avocado Soup, Creamed Asparagus Soup and Bread:
Fresh Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad:
Ginger Cake with Lemon Sauce:
Oh, and here's our hostess, Chris:
I can't even tell you how delicious everything was. And all homemade. Just like sisters do.
Recent Comments