We’re in the Pink!
I love this saying and use it with some abandon.
What I didn’t know till I researched the idiom is that its use dates back to the 1500’s in England.
The Pink referred to the flower Dianthus or Carnation as we refer to these pretty blooms on this side of the pond.
My News Years Eve post here is brimming with pink champagne recipes that are sure to get you in the pink.
I couldn’t help but note on the Ladies Who Lunch Conversations posting that “few things scream Christmas like toys do!”
The holidays have a long tradition of gifting toys and I wanted to capture that spirit ~ that magic ~ on my tablescape as well as with this month’s featured guest for the videocast.
And we are truly blessed to have been able to talk with Melody Hsieh-Hornstra, Founder and CEO of Asa Products who inspires us with her award-winning toys and her life’s journey.
The Ladies Who Lunch Conversations Cocktail Napkin Collection has a new addition ~ and it’s just so perfect for the Holidays. All bubbly and pink..
Here’s how you can posh up your own bar cart, barscape, Stocking Stuffers or Hostess gift with a truly artful, unique design, that also has a story you can toast to for your smashingly, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Happy Hours!
And for the Cocktail Curious, this is the best part: It truly is the gift that keeps on giving…
Perhaps you’re familiar with the 12 Days of Christmas.
And the 24 Days of the Advent Calendar Countdown to Christmas.
Or even the Feast of the 7 Fishes.
But have you ever heard of the 5 Christmas Trees Tradition?
Really. Five glorious, decorated Holiday trees. In one home.
Here is the origin story ~ brimming with family, tradition, whimsy, and personal style.
If you find yourself humming about what “My true love gave to me” you will just adore this beguiling Christmas tale, filled with love.
This is a follow-on to my last post about Christmas tree traditions and history. Here you’ll find plenty to inspire your holiday decorating and traditions.
Choosing a Christmas tree is a cherished family tradition that has changed little over the years.
Every family had its own unique tree look.
That was half the reason for holiday visits. Folks would say, “Come over to see the tree!”
And of course, living near New York City, everyone made that pilgrimage to Rockefeller Center to see “The Tree.”
Nevertheless, tree traditions have been refashioned of late…From the need for sustainability, cost, availability or your own personal style. Let's explore holiday tree options.
Panotone’s Color of the Year is Viva Magenta. Welcome to the Magentaverse.
I love this bold, kinetic color. How could you not? It's rich and nuanced and irresistible.
Pantone’s Color of the Year, Viva Magenta 18-1750, vibrates with vim and vigor. It is a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength.
See how Viva Magenta takes its inspiration from Nature.
Just in time to coordinate with COP27, the global climate change conference, I was almost giddy to host a world-class climate/atmospheric expert on my Ladies Who Lunch Conversations Facebook videocast with someone I’d been so keen to talk to: Dr. Sandra Yuter ~ or Sandra, as she asked me to refer to her. (I am so respectful of honorifics, that it’s a challenge for me not to employ them.)
In our Conversation, you’ll learn about her personal journey to becoming a weather and climate scientist.
But if you don’t know an atmospheric scientist from an ecologist, I’m here to also introduce you to this most auspicious, propitious field by way of Sandra, a specialist who studies and predicts conditions to better understand the earth’s atmosphere, climate patterns, forecast weather and its effects, including lightning, air pollution.
This is truly a timely, topical, fascinating Conversation. It affects our food supply, water resources, transportation, construction. And well, everything.
Though, I couldn’t help but wonder, are we running out of time?
Together, let’s explore ~ We don’t have a moment to waste.
Let’s start off with THE most important element of good gardening: Soil.
Soil is life-sustaining.
Simply put; you cannot have a good garden without good soil.
How, you may ask, does one acquire this luxury?
It’s easier than you may think.
(Begin by not referring to it as “dirt!”)
More than just a pretty table setting, I just love to delight my family and guests with a bit of fantasy with every tablescape design.
I dreamed this Tablescape to mark our own version of a “green zone” (smile) in order to bring attention to the increasing extreme weather events we’re all witnessing or experiencing, repurposing table styling accessories that I already owned ~ very sustainable (and budget friendly), while also honoring the work of a world-class atmospheric scientist luncheon guest.
A too-tall order to trick ~ And ~ to Treat?
And what does a climate chaos chronicle and a pretty, seasonal tablescape theme share?
It wasn’t toooo long ago that the Bakery Bling team sent me two cookie house samples to trial: COZY COTTAGE and HAUNTED HIDEAWAY Designer Insta-Houses™. That’s a brand way to describe a delightfully modern twist on what we’d describe as a gingerbread house.
Getting our spooky on, Mother and I made the adorable, easy and fun Haunted Hideaway holiday house last week.
Here’s how it went:
For me, Halloween is all about celebrating the spooky season but with a bit more of a glamorous tablescape and hallway greeting than the usual gourds and orange pumpkins.
I was looking to tell a twinkling, autumnal interpretation of a happy trick or treat holiday.
I wanted it to be more about the art of tablescaping for this most favorite holiday.
(Did you know that, in fact, Halloween is now only second to Christmas in terms of popularity?)
Given that Halloween has, at its core, dressing up in costumes, it only seems apropos to “dress up the table and noteworthy home spaces with some inspired, seasonal masquerade.
Especially when the harvest season screams out for luncheon, dinner, and cocktail parties to celebrate the abundance we enjoy and share this time of year.
So let’s delight in dressing up.
Learn how my special guest, Susan Ungaro, managed scandal, change, and her own family ~ while helming the Family Circle Magazine and later, the James Beard Foundation.
Not surprisingly, I received so many delighted Comments and happy Feedback for this Ladies Who Lunch Conversations feature, calling attention to Susan’s “invigorating, inspiring, and empowering” persona.
Susan is surely a dame who knows how to keep moving forward; hand on the tiller, while always keeping the other hand open to help others.
Susan is that rare human who manages to be like a best friend ~ very nurturing and understanding while also being a very commanding leader.
People just can’t help being drawn to her. It’s that high likeability and accomplished manager that is a potent one-two punch.
How does she do this?
Last year about this time, I’d just completed trialing a few creations for a couple who was soon to wed and wanted some bespoke cocktails for the celebration.
I have long advocated for eating ~ and drinking ~ with the seasons, so as author of Art of the Garnish, I couldn't wait to whip up a few drink designs based on two of the best ingredients: Fall and Love. (Or should I say, “falling in love?!”)
Don’t you love Kiku? It’s even fun to just say it: Kiku, Kiku, Kiku!
Kiku is, in fact, the Japanese word for “chrysanthemum” ~ the most celebrated of all Japanese fall-flowering plants.
For me? I so often “rescue” chrysanthemums from suburban cast-offs left on the street for pick up near our country house and guess what? They rebloom gloriously. The variety of colors and bloom types are a perfect way to mark the season.
I also feature the blossoms as a pretty Garden-to-Glass, Kiku Cocktail Garnish!
But for the real chrysanthemum art, running now, is The New York Botanical Garden’s unforgettable presentation of Kiku, painstakingly trained to grow in a mesmerizing variety of forms and sizes, that pays homage to hanami, the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the ephemeral beauty of flowers.
At long last, the fever broke.
It was a red-hot, sizzlin’ summer that wreaked havoc on my gardens.
By the time relief came in September, I was already dreaming of a tablescape design that would capture the spirit of the season.
And then, just like that, while gazing at the blue bay in front of me, I was tickled by the idiom, “Gone Fishing” ~ meaning we are taking a long break. And as Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong crooned in Gone Fishin': A way of getting away from the routine; taking time off; a vacation from the realities of life.
I got super excited to create a tablescape with a fishing theme!
If your herbs are too sassy, do you know how to slap them?
Seriously, a good whack releases or activates the aroma in an herb.
You can rub them and crush them and muddle them, too -- along with spices.
The sheer emphasis on quality, garden-to-glass ingredients has elevated mixology from “merely” bar tending to the art of using homegrown, hard-to-find and hand-crafted fixings to create innovative, sophisticated cocktails, as well as artful and reimagined takes on classic cocktails.
Here I am sharing some tips, recommendations, and informed guidance from my Art of the Garnish book to help you grow, cultivate, harvest; and hopefully expand your repertoire of garden-to-glass cocktail garnishes to make your happy hours, well, happier!
Cooking is a metaphor for life.
"Getting cooked means going through different experiences in life, and these help you evolve to become a better person” is a terrific quote I discovered on the web while writing this post. And it’s rather a delectable prelude (dare I say, amuse-bouche?!) to my post about Marion Nestle.
The Marion Nestle was a recent guest on my Ladies Who Lunch Conversations Facebook videocast.
At that time, I preordered Marion’s long-awaited book, Slow Cooked. Now, finally, it’s getting ready to ship ~ very soon according to the tracker.
I have to thank Mother Nature that we completed our planned garden design changes during the spring’s “Silly Season” ~ long before the relentless, blistering temperatures and water shortages we’ve endured this summer.
Remember my last post introduced my garden design plan to “do less.” Well, we shuttered the garden changes not a moment too soon.
They say war is hell. So is trying to garden in an extraordinary, inhospitable climate.
Still, like any great matriarch, Mother Nature teaches us many things. Here are a few I took to heart this growing season….
"Less is more."
The architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe may have underestimated just how spot-on his pearl of wisdom resonates with landscape architecture~garden design.
Why is it so much more work in order to get to less work?
See, I’m referencing the Mies quote not just as the finished design but also, and particularly, with regard to the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into changing out and updating garden designs in order to get a beautiful but less maintenance and resources to support the gardens.
Don't you just love a summer tablescape look that stirs up your patriotic feelings while celebrating life, love, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
What can be happier than a bold, star-studded look inspired by our iconic flag to gather around?
Here’s how to layer in Old Glory’s Red, White, and “You” ~ to create a season of joy when entertaining family and friends at home.
You’ll be totally “on-brand” with a table setting you can maintain all summer long with just a few updates.
Here are some ideas I hope will inspire you to create a grand ol’ flag-infused table design. While freeing you up to enjoy the season’s happy times and sunshine being outdoors.
"Summertime is always the best of what might be." —Charles Bowden.
When creating your patriotic table setting, the stars and stripes of the flag are a natural starting off point.
From there, I wanted to design a look that was both elegant and whimsical.
This time, flowers would play the supporting role to the leading actor, the flags.
In accordance with the color theme, I could use the blue and white of my blooming hydrangeas and the red from the rose bushes.
It’s so lovely to combine garden-fresh blossoms into your seasonal table style.
At the same time, a good tip that I suggest is to use a mix of high-quality faux flowers and real blooms. This way you can change out the spent blooms without forfeiting the entire look.
When I discovered the hydrangea and flag placemats from Hester & Cook, I was elated!
I just love when my design concepts are “affirmed” by other tastemakers :)
I purchased a kind of glittery, iridescent “fabric” rolls of red, white, and blue at Joanne’s Fabrics & Crafts that I used as runners. On sale, too. (I used the same style in autumn colors last year and it worked so well.)
The material offers a terrific nexus of glamour and casual.
I ran the blue runner first (and on the entryway table too), cut it to roll under each table end, then topped with the white color. The transparent “fabric” allows you to see through the layers of color.
I used the lipstick-red runner positioned perpendicular on two sides of the table.
We hosted a big brunch with extended family after our annual Independance Day Fireworks party and Mother’s Birthday party. She turned 97 this year! What a firecracker she is.
I put in the two additional table leaves in to accommodate our guests.
This also gave me more of a decorating footprint ^:^
I added faux hydrangea along the length of the table on top of the blue and white runner, weaving in a strand of soft, sparkly, lights.
Gold votives inserted with battery candles added to the table’s luster.
I used one of my favorite tableware plates: the blue and white Marchesa by Lenox .
In this way, I could add many of my lovely chinoiserie pieces ~ from vases to place card holders to votives and name cards.
I also added the blue and white shell art pieces I’ve been collecting.
To allow the plate’s blue and white design to be a key focal point of the blue and white design element, I placed the navy blue, folded linen napkins under the appetizer dish and let them hang over the place setting a bit. Like a ribbon.
I placed a flag on each place setting as the finishing touch.
I punched up the colors with red, sparkly glass candle tumblers filled with battery-operated lights to illuminate the flags included there.
I opted for the Italian blue with gold rims for wine glasses and the chinoiserie-like blue design on the water glasses.
The striped, seersucker-looking poppers at each setting with its ring-like flag adornment just screams summer. I love them and use the poppers for most every holiday. I’d love them for the crowns alone!
Seriously. Not seriously. Ha. It’s a terrific way to start or end a party meal.
The poppers are filled with quizzes, games, and trinkets. The whistles were a hit in these patriotic poppers!
I told you it was about the fun :)
Here's the fun of table popping:
Here’s the two video tours of the Stars and Stripes tablescapes ~ from June through Independence Day.
God Bless America.
I sincerely hope you enjoy your gatherings with friends and family.
After all, as Gershwin wrote and Sam Cooke (along with many others, but he could be my fav, or maybe Ella… ) sang,
“It’s summer and the livin’ is easy…”
Cheers.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society shares the list of award winners at the 2022 Philadelphia Flower Show, “In Full Bloom.” Categories this year included the coveted ‘Best in Show’ award, The Governor’s Trophy, and The Philadelphia Trophy, among over 30 others presented for horticultural excellence and mastery of this year’s theme.
I wear my heart on my sleeve. It’s no secret that I love, love, love peonies.
Hands down, my favorite tree as a main character in the Avatar film is The Tree of Souls, the giant willow tree that is the Mother tree, that is the sacred soul ~ the connection to spiritual and guiding forces.
There were also those magical floating trees. Ahhhh…
It was pure heaven for me. And seeing it in 3-D is about as magical as it gets for a tree and nature lover like me.
Ents are trees in Lord of the Rings. Their leader is Treebeard of Fangorn forest. They are similar to the talking trees in folklore around the world.
In researching my homage to trees for Arbor Day this year, I learned more about The White Tree of Gondor that stood as a symbol of Gondor in the Court of the Fountain in Minas Tirith.
There are the apple trees in The Wizard of Oz, the Whomping Willow Tree in Harry Potter and the Tree of Life in The Lion King.
Why do trees so often inspire not only filmmakers but poets, fine artists, musicians and well, all of us?
The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes (Homegrown Cookbooks)
The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes (Homegrown Cookbooks)
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