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Showing posts with label Craft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craft. Show all posts

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Travelscape! (with recipe)


Our family loves traveling almost as much as tablescaping. Summer will be here soon and it is time to plan vacations. I invited my daughter and two granddaughters to lunch for a surprise discussion of our next travel adventure.




The table was set. Then, I added some black and white photos to remind us of our past travels.



Paris




New York



Morocco




Berlin


I used some square “cities” plates that I had bought many years ago at TJ Maxx. I had always intended to put them on the wall of one of my bedrooms, but never got around to hanging them. Each one has scenes of a different world city – Paris, London, Rome and New York.

Paris




London




Rome




New York




I decided to use yellow with the black and white, so I added some lemons to a black wire basket from TJ Maxx. Maybe, I will use them later to make my mother's lemon cheese cake (recipe at the end).



The Sunflower Yellow Fiesta tablecloth was purchased on Amazon.com.



I ordered the black and white napkins from an online linen store.
The napkin rings were made from flowers that I bought at Michael’s. The yellow centers were the inspiration for the black, white and yellow color scheme.



Target was the source for the black flatware and placemats.




The glasses are from Mikasa.



The stemware charms that I have had for years almost matched the plates perfectly. They include the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Of course, the leaning tower is not in Rome, but it is in Italy, at least!



Our trip last summer was to London and Paris, so I guess those cities will be eliminated from the list of possibilities for this year. I do love to shop in England for china, though - the first time that I ever visited one of the China Reject shops, I was overwhelmed. Of course, shopping at Harrod's in the tabletop department is not bad either!


Time to decide on a destination. Collectively, we have been to most of the countries in Europe. However, none of us has been to South America. Maybe, it is time to learn to dance the Tango - Argentina, anyone????






Lemon Cheese Cake






Cake


8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Sift flour and baking powder together four times.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour and milk alternately, mixing after each addition.
Beat eggs whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Add vanilla.
Pour into three greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees, until layers are done (the recipe reads 45 minutes, but my layers were done after 20-25 minutes).


Lemon Cheese Filling


1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
juice of 3 lemons


Cook together in the top of a double boiler, until thick. Refrigerate, until cool.


Seven Minute Icing


2 egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla


Combine the first 5 ingredients in the top of a double boiler. With hand mixer, beat for one minute to combine. Then, over boiling water, beat on high for seven minutes. Beat in vanilla.


To assemble the cake:


After removing the warm cake layers from the pan, spread cooled filling over the bottom two layers. Place the three layers together and spread seven minute frosting on sides and top of cake. Enjoy!


Diane


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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Mardi Gras Masquerade (Recipe to follow!)

Bonjour et bienvenue! 






Mardi Gras is an exciting time of year because I don't usually use purple! The paint job of the former owners of this house doesn't really "go" with purple, but I just went with it this year. I have to say, it was a hit! Even with my son's Cub Scout buddies. Or maybe they just liked the masks! :)







Because I was short on sparkly, purply, glittery, things, I was on a quest. As always, eBay saved the day with some stunning finds: all of the goblets and the wine glass charms.






I found the purple glass centerpiece, potpourri, the glass votives, and the green vases/hurricanes at TJ Maxx. The ribbon was in a bargain bin at Michael's.














The masks and beads were Dollar Tree finds. And the mirror place mats were purchased at Michael's. The china is my Lenox Tuxedo, the silver is Sir Christopher by Wallace, and the chargers and napkins are on loan from my mom. The flowers are from my Camellia bushes which have bloomed in the last few weeks.






A word on the mirror placemats.


Do you see what I have used as a tablecloth?




I purchased this AMAZING little find at TJ Maxx for $29.99, and it's actually an incredibly soft faux fur throw/blanket! It is masquerading as a tablecloth!  (I recently saw an embroidered purple velvet tablecloth on eBay for $2,800.00!) I HAD to use this blanket when I found it, but I was worried that plates and goblets would not really work on the uneven surface in real life.  I don't want to make tablescapes that only look good in pictures. I want settings that actually make sense and that I can use once the food is on the table. I remembered seeing mirror table decorations in someone's house when I was growing up, so I was on a mission to find some. I was shocked at the online prices. Up to $120 per placemat! I found one site that sold the larger size mirror placemats for $7.99 each, but then there was the shipping. And what about breakage? Luckily, a local Michael's keeps  the 12" x 18" inch size in stock for the same price and a ton of other shapes and sizes. Also, in brainstorming what I would do if I couldn't find any mirrors, I had made up my mind to go to Wal-mart and buy some 11" x 17" picture frames and use the glass!


Having found the magical mirrors, I was afraid that they might be over the top. But, I think it works! I am very happy with the look - especially at Mardi Gras!



Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Bisous!
Andrea


My Fast Gumbo Recipe:


Instant Rice
Gulf shrimp
Kielbasa sausage
Celery
Onions
Tomato sauce
Garlic Salt and any appropriate spices
If I have green peppers or okra, I throw it in, too.

I am sorry about the lack of quantities, but this is one recipe for which I have no measurements! In any random pan or pot, I sauté the celery with whatever I have on hand - butter, olive oil, bacon fat.

I add onions, spices, and sausage, then the the rice and water. Tomato sauce can go in here as well. Doesn't really matter the order. I cover it for five minutes or so until the rice is done. 

I add the shrimp last until it is pink. I taste and add spices as necessary - salt, pepper, filé, cayenne...whatever I have on hand.

Quick and easy! Especially if you buy the shrimp prepared.

Bon appétit! 


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http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/
http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/
http://itssoverycheri.com/2011/02/26/02-27-2011-its-party-time-at-its-so-very-cheri/
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
http://gigglesglitzandglam.blogspot.com/
http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/
http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/
http://breathoffreshair-paperbutterfly.blogspot.com/
http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
http://todayscreativeblog.net/
http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.dittledattle.blogspot.com/
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/
http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/
http://bellavita-bellasblog.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 18, 2011

Fifteen-minute Frosted Potpourri Experiment

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I have heard people get roses for Valentine's Day. You might be one of those lucky people. What are you going to do with them as they die? Just throw them out? 

Maybe not this year. Why not try to make your own potpourri? 

Being that I had no handy rose petals lying around, I bought these rose petals at Kroger. There they sat, unused on the shelf after Valentine's. Pitiful. So, being a person who has never made potpourri, I decided to would see if I could do it JUST with what I had around the house. Let me preface this by saying I know that there are better and more professional ways to accomplish this for potpourri aficionados. However, the goal of this post is for those of us who sort-of want to save the flower petals but who aren't going to elaborate expense or effort to do so. :)


There are many websites that tell you how to dry roses or make potpourri in the microwave or just by hanging them somewhere out of the way like your laundry room. They require - or strongly suggest - silica gel, (which I don't happen to have saved from my shoe boxes), or orris root powder, (which I didn't bother trying to buy). Salt was suggested in addition to either to help flowers retain their color.


 Also, I had read an article about achieving a glossy look with high-gloss hairspray. I had hairspray, believe it or not. ( I have children who perform on stage - dance, theater, etc.) But, I still didn't have a drying medium other than the microwave alone. It seems the experts think the microwave needs some help. The idea of glossy rose petals made me think of frosted, glittering rose petals. So, thinking about what I had on my shelves, I decided to see what would happen with salt by itself.



I removed the rose petals from the box and placed them in a bowl. I poured salt over them - maybe a third of a cup. I confess. I didn't measure. (That's what makes me a great cook of main dishes and sides and a terrible baker; in baking, measurements MATTER.) Anyway, I threw away the petals that had any obvious brown or dry areas. That turned out to be a good decision. The parts that I missed had to be removed later anyway.

I put my mixture in the microwave, for 30-45 seconds at a time. 


I ended up with something like this after about 4-5 rounds in the microwave. At this point, any brown parts I had missed earlier were pretty obvious as they were mushy. So I removed them. I tossed between each round, separating petals that were stuck together by their own moisture. (This made clear to me why the experts recommend only drying a few at a time and the need for a desiccant.)


At this point, I shook out almost all of the salt and separated the petals onto a paper towel. One more round in the microwave.


Surprisingly, even with the salt, the petals smelled great! But I wanted to add something else. From my reading and available stock of scents laying around the house, I had perfumes and diffuser oils to choose from. I grabbed the nearest one, sprinkling the oil onto the almost-dried rose petals.



I tossed the now fairly brittle petals and shook the salt out in a bag, carefully removing the sparkling petals.


I placed the rose petals in a crystal bowl. They glistened in the soft afternoon light. I never tried the high gloss hairspray, but I bet it would make an especially nice touch around the winter holidays.




Surprisingly, the roses still smell wonderful!  I have let them sit a few days, and they have retained the scent. I doubt they will last months on end, but I could always add more oil or perfume later. 

My little project took about 15 minutes would only cost about a third of a cup of salt and a little diffuser oil - IF you had been given some roses!  :)

- Andrea

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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

All Audrey, All the Time



Search Amazon.com for Audrey Hepburn

If you haven't ever heard of Audrey Hepurn, now is the time to learn!  My grandmother and I just ADORE her! One of our traditions is to watch one of her movies every now and then. I think I have seen all of her movies except one she made when she was older. A good starter movie to watch if you haven't ever seen anything with her in it is, "Wait Until Dark." Beware, it's scary! But it is very, very good! My first was the original, "Charade," which is also great. This is my list of Audrey favorites:
1. Wait Until Dark
2. Charade
3. Sabrina
4. How to Steal a Million
5. My Fair Lady
6. Breakfast at Tiffany's






 So, I hope this explains why I made an Audrey Hepurn tablescape today. The plates, cups, and spoons are from an espresso set my grandmother and mother bought me at Tuesday Morning. They are pink, black, gray, and white. I think Audrey would have liked them. The plates under that are some white accent plates that belong to my grandmother. The pink candles in mini-wine glasses came from CVS. They are the cutest things, and they were the perfect size for the china! The napkins are white. For the napkin holders, I had a creative idea. I found some faux flowers and hot-glued them to new, unused black hair-bands. (P.S- From experience, attaching the flower to the rubber band with a hot glue gun might not work the first time. :) ) It makes just as nice a napkin ring as anything and looks great on the table. You can use other things besides flowers. 








 Also, I used four black placemats. The focal point is a black wire stand from T.J. Maxx. For inexpensive decorations I found pink things I could layer, curled paper ribbon and even a bath scrunchie.  Then we put electric candles from CVS and covered up the bottoms of them as much as we could. My grandmother reminded me she had all of the DVD cases, and I thought to make a DVD tower on the stand. I added a few things to build it up, like more faux flowers. They are just layered on, not even glued. Over all, I love the table! I hope that you and Audrey would, too!








Thank you for visiting my post! I hope you will see some Audrey films soon!


- Emma :)










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