Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter Part II

We wound up having Easter dinner on Saturday night at my mom's house...all because of this beautiful china cabinet.. We had to deliver it to my mom's house and she lives about an hour away..so we wound up eating there instead of my apt.  She had to run to work and left me with a bag of candy, all the food, and said go for it! so i did! She has lots of cute decor items around the house..so I just started grabbing from here and there...I know she looves the french country look..so I went with a Easter-in-a garden-in-the-french-countryside kinda look.. :)
She pot this terracotta chicken pot from an antique store recently and wanted to use it for part of the meal...I forgot all about it and it ended up being a centerpiece...she's got these french chickens everywhere in her house...plates, pictures, dish towels..you name it!
I set the chicken pot on top of raffia, on top of a glass cake stand, on top of  a large floral platter...then placed apples, pears, and onions around the platter.  
Here is the beautiful china cabinet!  I'm going to chalk paint it in antique white..leaving the back board  brown...distress it..and maybe change out the handles/knobs!



I saw a bunny like this on pinterest except they baked in slivered almonds for whiskers... using what I had..I used string beans, roasted pepper, and mushrooms.
You should have seen grandma's face when  I said I was using this pail (used for decoration in the house) for the turkey and roast vegetables!  But I think it is so rustic looking!  The vegetables were fingerling potatoes, asparagus, red onion, red pepper, mushrooms, and string beans.
Antique French bunny plates...with a chocolate bunny, radish, and candy eggs.
PEEEEEEEPS!
WhAAAT?? Can't hear youuu! HAHA
Mini hashbrown casseroles:  hashbrowns, parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh parsley, cream of mushroom and chicken soup, sour cream, and cornflake topping!

Friday, March 29, 2013

Happy Easter!

I picked up a box of carrot spice cupcake mix from Fresh Market... I made a little squiggle with orange icing for the carrot..and added apple pieces for the green.. I even tried to make homemade cream cheese icing! (recipe was on the box) And I sprinkled the cupcakes with some hot chocolate mix powder to give it a garden-y feel! 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

stripey straws!

Stripey straws in the dollar bins at Michael's craft store!  I'm saving the black straws for either a Alice in Wonderland party or a bumble bee themed shower!  The blue could either go with a baby boy shower or even a beach themed party! I have almost 100 mason jars left over for my wedding that make cute drinks with the striped straws.. and for Christmas I saved Starbucks frappucino glasses and served milk and cookies with a red and white striped straw..they look a lot like vintage milk bottles! 
Here's a photo from my wedding using pink and white striped straws... I bought all the mason jars for cheap from Atwoods.. and we served pink lemonade in them! along with flavored popcorn : )


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Thrift Shop Finds!



Today my mom and I drove up to Claremore, OK and visited some really fun antique and thrift shops.. I convinced her to buy a china cabinet..and I am going to try my hand at redoing it in that chalky french country-ish shabby chic off white look!  I ended up buying..a drawer..lol... but it's a cute drawer! that vintage rustic feel but already painted my favorite color!  and for 7 bucks!  I've seen some pins about using vintage drawers at weddings or for a party as a serving tray...I love my cute little drawer already!  ...and  I added two new friends to my 80's glass collection.. it's so much more fun to drink from a glass with a goofy cartoon character on it! Care bear and Kermit meet Mickey, Daffy, Donald, Petunia, Capt. America, and the Ninja Turtles!


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Spring is almost here!

While waiting the 10 min. for those rice crispy treats to cool, I set my Easter table..yes! in 10 min! that's all it took! I grabbed some dishes from here..candles from there.. so easy and so pretty when you mix and match...
This little duck I found in the garden/outdoor/pot section of a Ross store.. I think what makes decor in your house or a table setting special is decorating with things that you like or have special meanings.  I love this little rainy day duck because he adds a touch of whimsy and he reminds me of my Nana who had those blue bonnet ducks decorating her kitchen...
The silver candlesticks and runner were gifts from my mom... The runner reminds me so much of Peter Rabbit.. Walmart had honeysuckle candles.. I debated about the yellow color.. but then you don't want to be too matchy matchy..matching the candles with the dishes with the runner..
A view of the wall and table in our tiny apartment!
I love these cupcake plates..they are not hard to find..I've seen them at many discount stores and dept. stores lately. You can fill them with mini birds nests with candy eggs, mini chocolate rabbits, pastries, and cupcakes of course!
I love that look of an all white pottery or white milk glass collection..with all styles and proportions of bottles and vases. I painted a coca-cola glass bottle last summer for my desk flowers and one of those fragrance diff users.. The flowers are left over from my wedding shower..and a friend gave me the other vase that looks like a ceramic paper bag (she knows what i like! quirky and whimsical!) 
The napkins and napkin holders were gifts from a dear friend... I tried  purple napkins but it was too predictable that they would match the flowers.. I like the brown, with a bit of teal on the seam..and the napkin rings remind me of a lily pond. 
I ADORE my bee glasses!  Anything with a extra something..something you don't see everyday or everywhere will make your table setting something to be desired.. something where the guests have to look a bit closer.. 
I think these are called zinnias?  I've seen them at Michael's craft store.. fresh tulips in pink and plum colors cascading out of a footed ceramic vase or bowl would be pretty too
All it needs is a honey ham, right?
Use things you already have! You might be surprised with what you come up with ...This vase I took from a bookshelf in my bedroom.  I once attended a Pottery Barn table design class. It was so neat to see how different dishes and a few staple accessories, like silver candlesticks,  can transform into several different tablescapes. 
One thing I've always noticed from admiring design magazines and from when I studied food styling was how designers work with layers and textures!  How boring would it look to have a flat flowery material teal placemat, teal dinner plate, teal salad plate, and a matching napkin? How much more interesting to the eye and to the touch is it to have different colored and textured layers to the place setting and to the overall table decor? 

Something sweet...

Three weeks of spring break and what to do?!!!  The school that I teach at runs on a continuous learning calendar..so some of our breaks are shorter and some are longer..this just happens to be one of those longer times..yahoo!  We're still in the first week of spring break here and I've already been on two shopping trips..today is the first day that I'm at home..have NOTHING to do (except mop the kitchen floor..that can WAIT!) and so I am just hangin out in my pj's..all the windows are open..80's music cranked up loud.. I love being home.. My husband's mom made these DELICIOUS rice crispy treats over winter break so I decided to give them a try..with a few minor adaptations.. I replaced some of the syrups and sugar with marshmallow..  They are YUMMY!

1. On low heat melt down 3 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 a bag of marshmallows..save the 1/4 to add in later!
2. When it's melted down and smooth..stir in a cup of peanut butterrrrr... yuuuuuum : )
3. Measure out 6 cups of rice crispies cereal.. stir in a little bit at a time to the ooey gooey goodness...oh and add in those extra marshmallows so there are some chewy parts..it gets THICK!
4. Spread in a large glass pan..I lined mine with wax paper.
5. Melt down half a bag of butterscotch chips..then add in and melt down half a bag of chocolate chips.
6. THEN....ya spread it..ya spread it (sorry! pre-k teaching pb and j song comin out!)
7. refrigerate an hour so it can set up.. i say that but i did it about 10 min. till i couldn't wait anymore.. : )