Dining Room Design

In a few spare minutes this morning, I designed my ideal dining room using Olioboard for a contest sponsored by Layla Grace. Here is my entry.

If you visit this link on the Layla Grace website you can vote for my entry (daily) for the next five days. You can also see how much this room would cost for each of the different elements. 

I tried to use some consistent colors across the design as well as create a theme of sorts with the birds (art & rug) as well as the bird cage like chandelier and branch-y candelabra. What do you think? Would you enjoy a meal in this room?? I think even my fish sticks would taste better here! ;)

Holiday Card 2012: Blessed

Today is the last day for 20-40% off holiday cards at Shutterfly (use code CARD40 at checkout). 

Because I tend to wait until the last minute, today is the day I ordered mine! It was super easy and actually sort of fun to create my card. I selected 31 favorite card images from a selection over five pages long, plopped in my photo which I had already uploaded to Shutterfly, and kept at it until I found a few that I liked. 

Narrowing it down to just one was difficult, (there were about five other choices I really liked), but ultimately I chose "Blessed" as our holiday message. The card is blank on the inside so I can write messages to loved ones; and although we are Catholic, not everyone on our mailing list is, so I wanted to avoid printing "Merry Christmas" this year. 


**Because I am sharing this image on my blog, I will receive a coupon for $10 off my next Shutterfly purchase. But, more importantly, I wanted everyone to get a preview! :)

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Six Tips for an Easy Countdown to T-Day

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Depending on your holiday plans this week, today is the day you might be getting your turkey out of the freezer to thaw, or labeling your pie plate or casserole dish to take to someone's house. 

Thanksgiving 2006. My biggest hosting gig, yet I still had time
to snuggle with my littles.  :)

In the past I have been a happy hostess, having as many as thirteen adults and eight kids including my own newborn, and other times as few as three adults and two kids. My view of hosting Thanksgiving is a bit like childbirth. I tend to underestimate at the outset how much hard work is involved in the labor, and then mysteriously forget everything about it after it's over. Thus, my first sentence above about taking your turkey out today... It all depends on the size of the bird, I guess, and I always have to Google just how long it is supposed to take per pound. 

So, if you are hosting the feast and need some encouragement, here are a few little reminders to make everything flow smoothly this week. 

Today...
1) Get all of your serving pieces out. 
Find the bowls & platters and the forks & spoons. Now is the time to realize your gravy boat is holding decorative soaps in the powder room, not Thursday morning. One thing I find helpful is to put a sticky note or even the recipe card into/onto the dish that I'll be using to serve whatever it is (and then add the serving utensil). Not only does this help me think through how many dishes I'll need, it can also be handy when company comes and wants to know what they can do to help. 

IF you are ordering pies or breads, go to the bakery today to get the best selection. Waiting until Wednesday might mean that you don't get what you want.

2) Plan something for the kids.
If you will have kids at your celebration, download some crafts or games that they can do while the adults are occupied. Construction paper turkeys and pilgrim hats are also fun and easy, or use paint & Q-tips to make a pretty fall tree. If the kids are older and the weather cooperates, consider setting out a football or other sports equipment to encourage time outdoors. If you're not sporty, you can plan a nature hike or scavenger hunt in the wild instead. Check out this fun printable from Bloom Designs.

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Tomorrow...
3)  Wash your linens.
Not only do you want to have your tablecloth(s) and napkins ready, but think about hand towels for the bathroom and kitchen dish towels. Have more than enough. Along the same lines, be sure to stock the bathroom with plenty of whatever you might need: toilet tissue, hand soap, feminine hygiene products, air freshener or a candle, and maybe even antacids and painkillers (just keep them way out of reach of children).

4) Get your table decorations ready.
If you haven't decorated for Thanksgiving already, or you want to ramp it up for the big day, consider a pretty table setting. It doesn't have to be expensive to be beautiful. In fact, the most lovely and memorable place settings are often small and pulled together. A bouquet of fall flowers split into smaller vases set along the table, votive candles on a runner, or tea lights on a dish of acorns would all make very cute and affordable table decorations.

Wednesday...
5) Set the table.
For the events I host at work, the caterer always pre-sets the tables. It makes things run so much smoother, and that's with waitstaff! If you are having a sit-down dinner, then on Wednesday night you may want to set a plate, napkin, utensils, and drinking glass at each place. For a buffet, you can set up the plates near where the food will be served, with a basket of utensils (perhaps wrapped in the napkin) here or at the end of the line, and create a station for drinks.

6) Prepare any make-ahead dishes.
Many dishes can be made and held over. Wednesday night is the perfect time to get these out of the way. Order a pizza or other take-out for your Wednesday night dinner, and start cooking! This is also the day to make any last minute trips to the grocery store or bakery.


Thanksgiving...
Have a wonderful day counting all your blessings! 

Hopefully this list will help you to feel less stressed. Let me know in the comments if that is the case, or leave your own handy tips to encourage someone else.

The Bookcase

I recently rearranged my bookcase, sorting the books by color. It was a bit of a challenge to apply ROYGBIV, and it may not entirely be how someone else would see the rainbow, but overall I am pleased with the result. 

The top shelf has books with black to grey spines on the left and white to cream spines on the right. In the center is a black & white photo of me and the kids from a few years ago.

The second and third shelves are seen in this photo. I like the way the warmer colors on the second shelf (the golds, reds, and oranges) contrast with the cooler colors on the shelf below (the blues & greens). I end-capped shelf two with a silver dish full of shells from our trip to Marco Island atop a reference book. The yellow flowers on the third shelf balance out the watery blues & greens of the book spines, and refers nicely back to shelf two. 

The bookcase is about six and a half to seven feet tall, and dark wood. It's hard to photograph, which is why this post is so wordy... The bottom two shelves are dedicated to the kids. Since this photo was taken I've switched around the baskets. Now it only holds two of those baskets and they are aligned the other direction; it is much less messy. The bottom shelf has board games.

Currently the bookshelf is in the corner of the living room near the bar. But that is the ideal place for a Christmas tree so it's time to do some re-thinking and moving!