Spring "Fall In Love With your Home" Workshop

So many ideas for Spring decorating and entertaining and it can be done on a budget! So many ideas and pictures to share that it may take a few days to share them all...

Ideas for Confirmation parties, Mother's Day...

Simple Spring florals...

And thanks to Rachel for all the incredible ideas for creating Spring Floral arrangements... loved ALL the tips!

Oh, and the Cinco de Mayo theme ideas... Can hardly wait until our next gathering girls! It was a BLAST!

Welcome - Ya'll Come On In

We all want our homes to say, "welcome come on in and stay a while", but how do we get that message across? SIMPLE... is your front door colorful and bright? Is there a place for people to sit and linger a while?
No need to have a wreath for every season - ugh... who wants to store all those wreaths?! A simple container can be a wonderful value! Cut fresh branches and flowers from your yard or invest in nice seasonal florals (at Hobby Lobby for 40% off using weekly coupons)! Mix it up and use both...
Add candlelight for ambiance for evening entertaining...

Just makes folks want to come on in and visit!

Family + Memories = HOME

Spring is when I miss the South the most! I LOVE Chicago, but the winters are long, windy, and often downright cold!! I long for dogwoods, azaleas, as my Granny calls them, "buttercups", or daffodils. But boy do I treasure Spring Break every year, as it means "going home" to visit my roots at our farm in Tennessee. For five generations this farm has been the very essence of what family means to us... being close to God, nature, and creating memories! This is where I discovered the meaning of HOME! It was nothing fancy, just place that made my heart warm and where I felt safe and happy! I laugh as I recall memories of the rooster chasing my sister and pecking her or the time our horse, Dolly, stepped into swarm of bees and went crazy bucking and Bridget screaming (almost in delight)! Oh, and my precious great-granddaddy who taught me a passion for sweet potatoes. I'll never forget and a dear grandmother whose heart is bigger than any other I've ever known! HOME!! It's where memories are created and treasured... Today we have to embrace our havens and enjoy the happiness and comfort "home" brings to us.

Check Out My Kids in Rachel Ray

Several months ago a dear friend emailed me and said she sent my name into the "Everyday with Rachel Ray" mag for Family Matters, a feature dedicated to families cooking together. Next thing I know, we are cooking Asian Sloppy Joes, takings pic (oh my kids LOVED that), and being selected for the May issue.

We had a GREAT time... Check out my son's veggie smiley face featured on ... of course, my Italian Stitch platter! We LOVED the Swiss Chard addition to a family fav! Hope ya'll enjoy....

Three Elements of Decorating and Entertaining

3 Basic Elements to Setting a Beautiful Table: COLOR, TEXTURE, and HEIGHT

Appeal to all the senses – smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing

COLLECT: ANYTHING around your house that reflects your theme (something might seem crazy at first - remember, this is going to be amazing & inexpensive!) Make this fun by sending your kids on a scavenger hunt! Pick pinecones or cut branches from your trees. Use things you already have! Go through the pantry… seeds, beans, coffee beans, pasta, fruits, veggies all add texture! Make your invites, napkin rings, centerpieces with scraps of ribbon, fabric, felt. Make it personal… family pictures, old books, collectibles, antique boxes, anything sentimental helps “tell a story” and makes guests feel special.

#1 Rule: Prepare as much in advance and keep it simple! Entertaining on a budget is easy… it takes some planning and creativity, but make it fun! Involve your kids (creates memories), make things, use things in unusual ways! See ideas below under “collect”. Have some “basic” pieces that you can “change up… see ideas below…

THEME: Choose a theme and use it for your invitations, tabletop, buffet, and even a small gift for your guests

Casual Holiday: rustic and natural, Fancy Holiday or Occasion: decadent, shiny silver, appealing colors.

Contemporary: clear containers, clean lines, simple.

Creating a Warm and Welcoming Home

The most common remark I hear after the holidays is that after the decorations come down, the home looks stark, boring, and down right cold! No one wants to welcome family and friends into their home feeling this way! Most women strive to create a warm haven for their loved ones. Well, there is hope! And it doesn't require a second mortgage!! You may even have some of these items around your home!

Let's take your mantel. It is usually a focal point in your home, right? And don't you love memories created sitting by the fire with your family? But where do you start in making this empty space look inviting and warm? Simple...

First, decide on a color palette or theme. Look at other colors in the room, say your rug or fabrics. Take a trip to your local craft store. I LOVE Hobby Lobby and they often offer floral stems 50% off... if not visit their website for 40% off coupons! Take pictures of you rugs, fabric, as well as paint chips from your wall colors. Then take a walk down the floral isles... Remember the three key elements to any decorating project... (height, texture, and color in case you have not been to my parties or workshops!) Find some branches that offer the height you want in the back... green, leafy branches are perfect. Maybe add some brown, earthy tones with some branches... curly willow is a great choice! Then add some varying shades of your dominant color... for this example I used reds and oranges (the color from my rug and throw pillows). I always buy stems in odd numbers to mimic nature. Then grab a vase or container of some sort. I chose the hand glazed cache pot.Next add balance to either side of the floral with sconces. Then flank each side of the floral with varying heights of candlesticks, lanterns, and hurricanes. To me nothing warms a home like candlelight! Now we even have safer option of battery operated candles... even comes with timers so they come on every night!!

Now the final "sprinkling" of personal touches... add some personal items that reflect something special about you and your family... a plate that was your Grandmothers, your grandfather's books, a metal cross, even pictures of your family in decorative frames. I also used a Luminary Chapel from our newest catalog! LOVE this item!!

Now you want to "complete the look" so don't stop at the mantel. A fireplace screen can be that final accessory that makes an outfit! Next add a bucket to house your firewood or ferns in the spring and summer!

Now you are ready to have your friends over for a relaxing and enjoyable night, knowing they will feel welcome, loved and special!

EASY Fall Entertaining and Decorating

Fall is a great time to kick off entertaining season! There are so many fun themes... Halloween, Thanksgiving, Tailgating, Harvest, and so on! I recently hosted an Open House to share my ideas for "Easy Fall Entertaining and Decorating" benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

We began with a SIMPLE MENU... cheese and fruit tray with crackers, Layered Santa Fe Dip with chippies was the big hit of the day, veggies with Tuscan Garlic Bacon Dip, and Tuscan Garlic Kabobs!

For dessert was my Cappuccino Mousse Cheese ball rolled in mini chocolate chips and served with graham crackers... tasted like Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Cheesecake, but soooo easy!!

Decorating the table was fun. And of course tons of candlelight for ambiance!

And of course Fall would not be complete without giving thanks for all of the blessing God has given us!

Thanks to all of my wonderful customers who made this event so much fun and successful! Not only that, but we raised over $500 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!!

Birthday Celebration - Luau Style

Birthday's should be special and for my daughter's b-day, she wanted to celebrate "Luau Style"! Of course the main attraction, her fav... "Strawberry Sunshine Sippers"!! The food was kept simple because the focus was on fun... tie-dyed t-shirts, "pin the coconut on the palm tree", Hawaiian dance contest, and lots of giggles! When doing a theme, have your kids help you find theme items around the house... make it a scavenger hunt! Here we used seashells from vacations, a beach matt, shovels and pails, anything that was free!
We had to have veggies ...

New twist... "Turkey on a Towel" ..lol!

Even Duke enjoyed the festivities! Have FUN when you celebrate! Every day should be special, but birthdays should be a BLAST!!

Dessert Parties

Delicious Dessert Party

• Gather the girls for a relaxing, enjoyable, calorie-rich night (or afternoon) in!
• Ask guests to serve their favorite treat and bring copies of the recipes to share.
• Who wants to crank up the oven in August? No thanks! Let Entertaining at Home’s a la carte desserts do the heavy lifting. Contact me to learn about our Tiramisu Dessert and other delicious mixes.

Edible Centerpieces

With summer comes fresh veggies and fruits galore! Why not showcase these at your next gathering with edible centerpieces? They are festive, fun, colorful, and delicious...

Kitchen Remodel

Many of you have requested pics from the kitchen remodel we did to our home. What an experience! Not in our original plan, but appliances didn't function and well, one thing led to another. Before we knew it, we were gutting the whole thing! Have to say... we love it! Robert, the kids and I all enjoy it!

during....during....
AFTER!

Spring Flower Arrangments

Nothing says "spring" in Chicago like fresh cut flowers from my garden. . .


3 elements create harmony and balance in floral arranging: height, texture, and color.


Vary Height by selecting different size containers and flowers.
Mixing textures of metal, glass, and flowers creates varying textures... add in some other natural elements such as stones, moss, and varying flowers.
Of course you have to add candle light to create ambiance... it completes the total picture...