Wooden Christmas Ornament Tree

It is so cute!  I never had a chance to show you how my wooden ornament tree turned out!  Remember when I bought 3 bags of small wooden ornaments at a rummage sale for...wait for it....25 cents per bag?  I wrote about it here.

Well this is how it turned out!  I ended up using a hot glue gun and gluing the individual ornaments around a white Styrofoam cone.  Then I glued the cone to a white box and Voila!  The cutest tree ever for my first floor powder room.

Bottle Brush Forest

Adorable! This tiny assortment of bottle brush trees makes me happy.  The display acts as a kind of "visual vitamin" and I feel better every time I see it.

I have a Swedish-style plate rack in my family room and every Christmas I change the plates and decorations just a bit.  I realize now that you haven't seen it as I have it now, so I will add another photo to this post this afternoon to give you the full perspective.

Something to "take away" from this post, is the idea of keeping your eyes open for new holiday touches at craft stores and discount shops.  I found this collection of trees near the Christmas village and train set items (buildings, benches, people) at Michaels craft store.  It was $1.99 for the set and they have certainly made my Christmas a little merrier. 

You can see more of my house decorated for Christmas here.

Homemade Toffee

Tah-dah! Here is our pride and joy - gorgeous homemade toffee.  Every year my friend Alison and I dedicate a Sunday afternoon to toffee.  Sweet, crunchy, nutty, fabulous toffee.  It all started about 5 years ago when she invited me along on her pilgrimage to the cake and candy supply store.  She was shocked that I had never been to this baker's gold mine.  When I climbed into her car, I had my cookie and candy binder with me.

The binder is where I keep all of the recipes and articles that I have torn from magazines.  When I showed her my much coveted toffee page, she suggested that we give it a whirl.  Yippee! It seemed like a daunting thing to take on by myself (candy thermometers, molten sugar) but completely do-able with a friend by my side.  Aren't there a lot of life situations like that?

We have been making big batches of toffee together every Christmas ever since.  I love having tins of homemade toffee, of course, but I love our quality time together just as much.

This is our magic toffee recipe from the gorgeous pages of Southern Living magazine: Mildred's Toffee.   (*Note: We use higher quality Merckens dark chocolate buttons or discs, not grocery store bagged chocolate chips)

Beautiful Wrapping Paper

I had a really nice experience at the post office last Saturday.  It was jammed with people who had shopped till they dropped, wrapped their presents, found the addresses and organized themselves to the point where they had one final step to take...mailing the gifts.

Dan and I walked in and made our way to the display of shipping boxes.  He was  carrying a stack of our packages that was so high he could barely see over his armful and I was negotiating box construction, taping, addressing and arranging them in the shipping box.  We completed our task in front of the 25 people in line.  They were waiting patiently, but boredom made our process entertaining.

We thought we could mail the box from the automated mail station, but a kind woman saw our error and pointed out that we couldn't buy the box we were using from the automated teller.  I'm so glad she said something, because I did not need to camp out in the wrong line when I had lots of other errands to get to.

Anyhoo, when she finally checked out and was leaving (at least 20 minutes later), I caught her eye to say thanks again, and she walked over to us and said, "We're all really jealous of your beautiful packages.  Have a great holiday." and went on her way through the crowd.

Isn't that nice! Her comment made my day.  This year I chose a variety of red, raspberry and gold papers and I must admit, they do look beautiful together and really help to highlight the red and raspberry ornaments on the tree.  

Wrapping in coordinating papers does not take a lot of effort (it is really more of a plan), but the effect can be beautiful. Although they look expensive, I found these papers at Homegoods. If you see some pretty wrapping paper on sale after the holidays, pick up a few coordinating rolls and plan to make a statement under your tree next year.  You never know who will compliment your efforts.  

Sugar Santa

I love these super cute Santas!  I was at Heinrich's cake and candy supply store last week (of course I was!) and I took this photo in their Sugar Room.  They have small individual bins with fresh sugar (or frosting) decorations to enhance your holiday sweets. 

I like to dress up my sugar cubes with these sweet frosting faces.  Remember these from Thanksgiving a few years ago?  You just "glue" the faces to the sugar cubes with a dab of frosting. Super easy and super cute.  Try this at your next holiday gathering and notice how many people suddenly take sugar in their coffee!  

Holiday Wreath

I wanted to show you these really fabulous wreaths I saw in a shop window in Houston.  It exemplifies the idea that a disparate group of items (different sizes, shapes and colors) can work together visually.

The artist that put this together hot glued a mish-mash of old holiday ornaments, candy canes and vintage floral picks (holly, mistletoe) to a wreath form and the results are beautiful! 

Frosting and Fellowship

We are getting pretty good at frosting with royal white icing!  My friend, Angie and I got together for our annual afternoon of Frosting and Fellowship (translation: we decorate cookies together) on Sunday and these are some of our best creations.

I made the cookies with my grandmother's Sugar Cookie recipe and I cut out a series of scalloped squares with a new cookie cutter, although I wasn't sure how we would decorate them.  Angie took one look at them and declared that they were postage stamps!  What a brainstorm. 

She decorated all five (shown at the top of the cookie sheet) and I still can't get over how cute they are.  I have a feeling that we will be including postage stamps in our cookie decorating from now on.  

The frosting is called royal white icing and is known for being smooth and flat.  Once the cookies are dry, you can stack them and they won't smudge one another.  This year we used bags of CK royal white icing mix.  You add the appropriate amount of water to the contents of the bag in a mixing bowl and blend until the consistency is like honey.  Then we color a portion of the icing with paste food coloring.  We put some of the colored icing in a pastry bag fit with a No.2 tip and we put the rest in a dish and add a touch of water to make it thinner.  We pipe the border of the cookies, and then "paint" or fill in the rest of the cookie area with the thinner frosting using a new paint brush.  You can add sprinkles or decorating touches while the icing is still wet. Allow to dry.

I had never tried using royal white icing until a friend of Angie's taught her.  Then she showed me and we have been having fun with it ever since.  If you have never tried frosting cookies with royal white icing, maybe this is your year.  It is really fun and the bakery-like results make it worth the effort.

Beekman Boys win Amazing Race

Our cheers for Team Beekman worked!  I am delighted to report that my friends WON The Amazing Race, which means they have won a million dollars!  

Dear friends of mine, Josh and Brent, were a team on the fall season of The Amazing Race.  The show began on ABC on September 30th and the finale was last night.  You can watch a pre-show video interview with Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge here.

I only use my photographs on my blog, so I've put a picture of Josh and me back in 2006 in NYC.  Josh and I went through the English Literature BA program at Michigan State University and I am so happy that this win means that he can stop commuting (for work) between NYC and their goat farm in the country and live with Brent in Sharon Springs full time.  

Josh and Brent have an exciting life as goat farmers, founders of the brand Beekman 1802 (a lifestyle brand founded in small town America) that features goat milk soap, BLAAK aged goat cheese and a selection of artisanal onion jams, caramel cajeta sauce and rosemary-creamed honey. (*Hint: I'm giving some of their glorious products for Christmas this year and I know the recipients will be thrilled!)  

You can actually watch their life on a TV show called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys."  An entire season is being rebroadcast on The Cooking Channel.  Originally filmed and broadcast on Plant Green, we are all hoping that the show gains a large enough audience to justify filming another season of life on the Beekman farm.  Could a win on The Amazing Race clinch another season? I hope so!

Josh and Brent's lifestyle/reality show is a charming look about the real life issues of working in NYC and trying to establish a new venture in small town America.  The photography is stunning (believe me, you will want to visit), plus the animals on the farm are characters in themselves.    

Josh is an advertising executive and New York Times best selling author and together he and Brent (MBA/Physician) have also written a Heirloom Cookbook, using the recipes they created from their heirloom seed garden.  Their talent is endless and a "game show million" couldn't benefit a nicer couple.


After last night's exciting win, Josh and Brent posted this thank you on their website and I wanted you to see it: 7 Billion "Thank You" Notes. | Beekman1802.com

Winter Brownies

I normally like to come up with my own cute, but this darling Winter scene (on top of a pan of brownies) exists because Nigella Lawson did it first.  She is a British television personality that has her own cooking show (and many cookbooks).

One day recently on her show, she made a gingerbread cake in a 9 x 13 pan, cut it into cubes, dusted it with powdered sugar and placed a few deer and trees on top.  I loved it!  And you know I have the deer from my successful "Reindeer Games" cupcakes of 2008.  When I was at the cake and cookie supply store the other day I noticed a bag of trees and knew that I had to try making my own woodland scene.  And all of a sudden today I had an occasion to use them!

My nephew came home from Switzerland today after 3 months studying abroad  and his parents hosted an impromptu welcome home party.  I made this batch of brownies and brought them to the party to represent the the snow-filled forests in Switzerland.  They looked adorable and were a big hit.   

Cookies: The Power of Cute

Look how cute he is!  And he doesn't even have a chocolate chip eye or hooves yet!  This gingerbread moose is a perfect example of the power of cute. 

Much like a sound byte is a memorable moment in a speech or presentation, a  simple but cute cookie can leave a lasting impression at a party.

Think I'm joking?  I know this from experience.  One night I took a plate of snowflake cookies to a book club meeting.  I made a simple powdered sugar frosting and frosted the snowflakes in different shades of blue - starting with white and every few cookies, I'd add a drop of blue food coloring to make the frosting a shade darker.  Plain sugar cookie dough, Plain frosting, blue food coloring.  Simple, but beautiful. 

This was at least 8 years ago and I every so often someone in the group reminds us of those beautiful cookies, the most recent mention was last month!  It makes me feel good to know that something I baked gave them a moment of delight.

The power of cute is keeping it simple.  Gingerbread is brown.  Moose are brown.  That is all you need to know to make an impact. If I recall, I found the moose cookie cutter in a set sold at IKEA. 

Finding Delight by Anne Reeves

*Click HERE to take a LOOK INSIDE*  

I am so thrilled to announce that my new book, "Finding Delight" is available for sale now and I will be shipping them out for holiday gift giving on Friday.  Click the BUY NOW button at the top of the blog (or in the side panel on right) to process your secure transaction.  I will email customers after I receive each order to find out if you would like an inscription inside the book.


Finding Delight is a 135-page soft cover modern coffee table book dedicated to the joy of finding delight in everyday life. With a full-color photograph on every page, topics include: "Living A Life of Layers," "Visual Vitamins" and "The Power of Cute."   

"I believe that the best life is a varied life.  When hobbies and travel collide with friendship and collecting.  Where sugar rules and stories matter. I've been writing about Finding Delight for years and I have woven my methods and mantra into these pages. As you read, pay attention to the pages that capture your imagination. Notice how happy you can feel, simply by thinking, by remembering.  I find delight all over my life...at different times of day, in different cities and settings, with people that I love and in strangers that I meet. This is delight." - Anne Reeves

Anne Reeves in Metro You Magazine

I've waited 365 days for the holiday edition of Metro You magazine to come out - Tah-dah!  I am so happy with the article and the photos of my house are gorgeous!  You can read all about delight at my house each holiday season online here.  Are you getting in the spirit?

Advent Calendars

Today is December 1st and it is finally time to open Window #1 on the Advent Calendar.  Except of course that I like my new advent calendar so much that I don't want to disrupt this pretty picture of a general store by bending the flaps open.  Am I the only one that feels this way? Year after year the joke in my house is that you can't actually open the windows on the advent calendar on display.  Today I'll pretend I opened #1 and saw "a sewing basket full of thread." 

My parents found this beautiful advent calendar for me and brought it over as a surprise last week.  When she saw it, the design immediately reminded my mom of a sketch I did of an armoire full of clothes (below).  And I must say, I see the similarity too.  This advent calendar is full of some of my favorite things: fabric, ribbons, sweets, toys, housewares and Christmas decorations.  I wouldn't think such an advent calendar exists!  You can see why I want to keep it forever.

I was able to find a link to my darling advent calendar online in case you want to order one.  It is made in Germany by Korsch-Verlag.  You can also find some wonderful advent calendars at Blumchen and in your local bookstore. What is behind your Window #1?

Advent By Candlelight Table

We had such a lovely night.  My mom and I hosted a mother/daughter table at our church's Advent By Candlelight last night and it was a big success.  I know because our table was the last one still seated and talking long after others had started to pack up and go home.  And I swear the coffee was decaffeinated!

Our theme was "A Vintage Christmas" and we used some darling bon bon bedecked paper goods (that said Merry Christmas on them!) to highlight our pink and green table.   Our vision all came together when we gave our table scape some height by filling two glass hurricanes with my collection of vintage ornaments.  Pink and green and gold, oh my.  And when the overhead lights were turned off and all of the tables were lit by candlelight, it looked even more old-fashioned.

When we were planning our table, my mom wanted me to bake my chocolate cake "cottage" with butter cream snowdrifts as our dessert.  Of all the cakes that I make, this is her favorite and she knew that it would be the perfect centerpiece.  She was right.  Everyone wanted to know where I found the cake pan and loved the little touches, like the fact that I made the sidewalk coming from the front door look "shoveled."  Ha!  

The pan is the "Gingerbread House" from Nordic Ware and I just love it.  It bakes perfectly every time (I like Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix in "Chocolate Fudge" and homemade butter cream frosting) and unmolds like a dream as long as you use "spray with flour" (like Baker's Joy) and wait exactly 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven before you try to unmold it.

Come on, you know you want one.  I also use this pan as a Housewarming Cake - people love it!

Preparing for Advent By Candlelight

Tonight is Advent By Candlelight at my church and the preparations have begun!   Over 400 women will participate in this quiet evening that celebrates the beginning of advent. 

There will be a church service (a sanctuary filled with women singing!), followed by a chance to walk around and admire the different table decorations and then an hour or so for tea and dessert.  My mom and I are hosting a table this year and spent last night setting up our table with vintage ornaments, pastel place settings and lots of candlelight.  I will show you tomorrow - it looks beautiful! Remember our "Marshmallow Snowstorm" table that we designed a few years ago?

Today is filled with baking tonight's dessert (a chocolate cake with homemade butter cream frosting) and...driving my final draft of my book to the printer! The epitome of a modern woman's life - baking, business and blogging.    

Walking Through Fields

I literally pulled off the road when I saw this fence cutting through the landscape.  Doesn't it look beautiful?  I knew that if I stood right in line with the posts going into the distance, it would have a photo that would spark the imagination.

Did it work?  Have I gotten you thinking?  When I see this photograph, my mind ping pongs between scenes from Anne of Green Gables (remember how she would walk to Diana's house?).  It also makes me want to go on more picnics!  

I'm putting that on the calendar for 2013 - I am going to write "picnic" in now blank margin of June.   

Sea Glass Goddess

My friend Corinne is a Sea Glass Goddess.  The bounty you see here (carefully divided by size and color and stored in an empty organic egg carton) was found by her, one piece at a time on the shores of Oahu, Hawaii.

Sea glass makes her happy.  The quiet beach walks.  The thrill of finding a glint of color in the froth of waves and sand.  She has been making jewelry for almost a year now from these tiny treasures and her inner artist is coming out.  Her pieces of clean, beautiful jewelry speak for themselves.  And after giving her lovely necklaces and bracelets as gifts to family and friends (believe me, I am spoiled!), she is beginning to sell them.

If you love the sea, you might just need a piece of classic jewelry made by a sea glass goddess.  

Christmas Cottage

Someone is a genius!  Look at this sequin-bedecked design that uses a rectangular gem as the front door.  I just love it!

This Christmas Cottage was stitched by my sister-in-law's mother onto a Christmas stocking (from a pattern) at least thirty years ago and it is still as cute as the day it was made.  

I saw it and instantly wanted to create a house like this of my own on a small pillow.  Have I? Not by a long shot.  Writing and publishing this new book of mine has taken up every extra minute these last few months, but any day now I will be able to announce that it is for sale (in time for the holidays!) and then I can get down to some serious crafting and baking.

I will get out my felt, sequins and thread and embellish something with my own little Christmas Cottage.  Maybe I should stitch this design onto a guest towel.  Or an ornament?  What do you think?  Pillow, hand towel or ornament?

Christmas Cookie Dough

Today I make 4 batches of my grandmother's (Nama's) sugar cookie dough.  Two batches with go in a freezer bag (wrapped in wax paper first) and into the freezer until I have more time to bake. And two batches will become holiday shapes like trees, stars,bells and sweaters. After baking and cooling, I will freeze them too.  The day I am ready to decorate them, it will take just an hour or so on the counter and they will be room temperature and ready to frost.

I do a lot of baking this time of year (and know a lot of cookie eaters!) so this is the best way for me to get ahead.  All of my Thanksgiving side dishes will be made on Wednesday.  Today, we bake!


Nama's Old-Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter in mixing bowl. Beat in sugar, egg, milk & vanilla. Add flour, salt & baking powder. Mix well. Divide dough in half and wrap in waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour. Use plenty of flour on board, rolling pin & cookie cutters to prevent sticking. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Bake at 375* on an ungreased cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes.

Nama's Cookie Frosting
Mix 2 Tablespoons of hot water to 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix with knife. Tint with a drop or two of liquid food coloring. Note: Using hot water makes the frosting shiny. Add hot water as needed to perfect consistency.

Anne's Holiday Coffee

I have been experimenting with different ingredients to make the perfect hot coffee drink and I have formulated a winner!  This coffee drink has a touch of alcohol for flavor, not kick.  You can easily have a cup and feel like you are indulging in a holiday treat, without the negatives of many of the high octane and whipping cream-filled holiday drinks.

Holiday Coffee

Brew 4 cups of decaf coffee.  While the coffee is brewing, mix together 1/2 cup of Fat Free Half & Half, 1/2 cup of 2% milk, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 block of unsweetened Bakers chocolate.  Microwave this milk mixture a minute or two until the liquid is hot and the chocolate melts when stirred.  Add 2 Tablespoons of Jim Beam Bourbon and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.  Pour the hot decaf coffee into the milk mixture and serve in pretty coffee cups.  Top with a puff of real cream Reddi-whip, if you wish.

This hot coffee drink is perfect to share with friends and family gathered for the holidays.  

(Note: The photo above is a coffee from a restaurant in Paris.  I drank my Holiday Coffee last night before I had a chance to get a good picture!) 

The cover of "Finding Delight: Ideas and Inspiration to Enhance Everyday Life" by Anne Reeves

Tah-dah! Today I can unveil the cover of my new book, Finding Delight: Ideas and Inspiration to Enhance Everyday Life!  It is in the final stages of production and will be available for gift giving this holiday season.

Finding Delight is a 135-page soft cover modern coffee table book dedicated to the joy of finding delight in everyday life. With a full-color photograph on every page, topics include: "Living A Life of Layers," "Visual Vitamins" and "The Power of Cute."   

I believe that the best life is a varied life.  When hobbies and travel collide with friendship and collecting.  Where sugar rules and stories matter. I've been writing about Finding Delight for years and I have woven my methods and mantra into these pages. As you read, pay attention to the pages that capture your imagination. Notice how happy you can feel, simply by thinking, by remembering.  I find delight all over my life...at different times of day, in different cities and settings, with people that I love and in strangers that I meet. This is delight.

If you would like to receive my e-Newsletter to get more information and to stay in touch, sign up in the sidebar in my blog. 

Holiday Cards as Art

Sometimes a little art is just the touch your kitchen needs during the holidays.  I have always loved this painting by Monet called, The Magpie.  When I received it as a Christmas card last year, I saved it with the thought that I would frame it someday and hang it by the telephone in my kitchen.  

Last month I found the perfect piece of scrapbook paper (red with aqua polka dots), and today I cut the paper to size and taped the Christmas card to it.  Once it was behind glass in the frame, it looked like it has been professionally framed with a mat. Magnifique!

Do you have a few Christmas cards from years past that were so beautiful you had to keep them?  Maybe you should chose one, find some coordinating scrapbook paper and frame it for your kitchen.  If you haven't saved any, keep your eye out for something beautiful in your mailbox this holiday season.

I am hoping to receive lots of warm holiday messages written in Caspari cards this year.  They have a beautiful selection of elegant cards, and I particularly love this one called, Snow Tree with Fence.    

Easy Ornament Storage

Have I got an easy holiday storage idea for you!  Turn the compartmentalized plastic containers that they sell apples in at Costco, into safe storage for delicate Christmas ornaments.  

You can see that I also use the empty plastic egg cartons (2 dozen) for my smaller vintage ornaments.  I love this method and I wanted to share it with you.  

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, so get to it!  

Quiet November

It is November. Take time to enjoy the quiet.  The depth and detail of this room in the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg looks like a painting in this light.

I chose this photograph to represent the quiet of being at home.  I am working at my desk in a quiet house, putting the finishing touches on my book.    

Turkey Cake Pan by Nordic Ware

This is just a friendly reminder to order your cornbread turkey pan by Nordic Ware now, so that you can get it in time for Thanksgiving.  The moment that I saw this pan debut on The Martha Show, I had to have it.  It works incredibly well with not quite 2 pouches of Marie Callender's Corn Bread Mix.  Once it is baked, you level off each side of the turkey with a large bread knife and frost the two sides together so he'll stand and be 3-D.  I use a few toothpicks inserted on an angle to stabilize the seam and then I prop my turkey in a pie plate full of whole cranberries to help him stand up. 

I have also used one side of the mold to make a molded cranberry relish.  I served it on a bed of ruffled green leaf lettuce.  This was a pretty and festive dish to display on a large holiday buffet.

Come on, you know you want one.

Presidential Election Day

It is a very exciting day!  Today we vote.  I found this photo of mine that depicts "Michigan" in a stone mural that I saw in Washington, D.C.  

This installation is on the ground, so you can walk around on the 50 states and perhaps even map your route home.  This is my bird's eye view of my favorite place.  I thought it was a fitting photograph for an election day.

If you happen to live in Michigan, you can go to www.publius.org and see a preview of your ballot.  It is very helpful in preparing to head to the polls.

Have a wonderful day.

Antiquing for Ornaments

I surreptitiously took this photo at an antique show this weekend.  I knew the vendor wouldn't mind since I am trying to inspire you to collect and appreciate vintage ornaments.  Aren't they beautiful?

I have quite a collection myself, remember my vintage ornament tree?  And since my mom and I are using vintage ornaments in our Advent By Candlelight tablescape, I am about to find out exactly how many I have!  

She is coming over on Wednesday and we are going to pour over all of the ornaments and choose which ones to display in our two glass hurricanes.  We are concentrating on pinks, greens, gold and silver.  I can't wait to show you.

But I am a little nervous to actually get them all out.  You know how you are a collector, you pick up a few items here and there over the year, but until it is all on display in one place, you are never quite sure what you have?  I have a feeling that I have a lot more vintage ornaments then I think I have!  Blame the rummage sales, I tell you.  I had a lot of luck lately and I promise to do them justice in some lovely holiday displays this year.

Violets

In the no man's land of decorating between Halloween and December 1st, I like to buy and display violets.  I can put a grouping of five on a large tray in the family room or a just one in a pretty planter on the front table.  The hearty blooms add just enough color and warmth in the dim light of November.

Violet plants are inexpensive, come in beautiful shades of pink, wine and purple and have leaves that seem appropriate in the cold weather (a delicate plant just won't do).  I can easily move them upstairs when I start my Christmas decorating and best of all, they require very little care.

Have you given any thought to violets lately?  They just might warm up that table in the den. 

Happy Halloween

Wishing you a safe and Happy Halloween!

Darling Diorama

I never get tired of looking at miniatures and I thought it would be fun to show you a photo of one of the many diorama scenes that were once on display in the (now closed) La Samaritaine Department store in Paris.  I certainly hope someone saved the diorama series for a museum when the store closed - it is a handcrafted treasure.   

In this scene, a middle aged couple seems perfectly happy to read the morning paper in silence.  I can almost hear the rustle of the newspaper as Papa turns the page.  I love the heavy green velvet drapes and various framed paintings designed to give the room an air of opulence.  And have you ever seen framed wallpaper panels in a dollhouse?  This proves that a room can never be too small for good design.

Las Vegas: Pool Paradise

I am not a big fan of the typical Las Vegas activities.  However, when someone says Las Vegas in March to a girl in snowy Michigan, there is lots of appeal.  When Dan was sent to a work conference for a week at the MGM Grand earlier this year, I tagged along for fun.  We had dinner together each night and during the day I did some writing and explored many of the French patisseries in the area.  You can see all of my posts from this trip by clicking Las Vegas under the City Series section in the sidebar of my blog.

But in terms of the casino, I have to be honest, the smoke, fake strawberry air freshener and noise of the public areas was a lot to take.  I am lucky that I found sanctuary on the pool deck, which was deserted from early morning until about 11 am.

This gorgeous setting was where I spent my mornings reading, writing and blogging.  Neat, eh?  It was warm and quiet.  Not a soul around except for some lap swimmers in one of the other four pools.

When people asked me how my trip was, I say that I loved my time in Las Vegas, but probably not for the reason they think.  Sometimes you have to tweak things to make them right for you.

Flower Arrangement for the Stars

I have been taking "floral portraits" of my flower arrangements for years.  No background.  No distraction.  A photograph of the beauty of the composition.  This particular arrangement was for a friend's birthday and let two Paul McCartney roses and a sprig of oregano float inside a pale green hydrangea.  The vase is a one-of-a-kind vessel I decorated with crystals in grey and pink.

If I lived in Hollywood, California and made bouquets for the stars this is the type of arrangement that I'd want to be known for.  Pocket-size beauty.  A little piece of floral delight. 

Wouldn't receiving this arrangement make you feel like a movie star?

Fall Cookie Cutters

Look what I'm planning!  The cutest Fall cookie ever!  Okay, a moose doesn't really represent Autumn, but if I am going to make gingerbread dough for squirrels, I want to get a few gingerbread moose out of the deal.

If you don't know by now, I collect cookie cutters.  They tug at my "love of baking" heartstrings and I simply can't resist getting a new one when I'm in a shop.  My next challenge is finding a cute way to display and protect them. 

The sweet pine tree on the left is my latest aquisition.  I see thick shortbread trees made with pale green cookie dough, with a chocolate chip for the trunk.

Do you collect cookie cutters?

Spice Puzzle

Wouldn't this make a great puzzle?  Last week I got a bee in my bonnet and decided to organize the cupboard next to my stove top.

Halfway through, the array of spices, salts and herbs was so overwhelming it almost looked pretty.  So I grabbed my camera and took this photo to show you.  This is real life - a combination of high hopes, wrong turns and a lot of spice.  

I was looking through my stack of Everyday Food magazines (December issues) to find a one-cookie-dough-many-ways recipe.  What I found was an advertisement by McCormick that said if you have any spices that were packaged in Baltimore, Maryland, they were at least 15 years old.  Yikes!  And the issue I was reading was from the 2006 issue, so add another 6 years to the past its prime calculation.  I had to know if any of my spices were 20 years old.

Yep.  I found 5 bottles from my wedding shower days!  I now know with certainty that I don't use: Allspice, Marjoram, Chervil or Savory.  Ha!  I pitched a few other bottles that seemed old and now I have more room on the behind the door adhesive spice rack for flavorings I do actually use and the rest of the containers are arranged by type in the cupboard. Victory.

Do you have any vintage spices?

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

I was in shopping in Houston at a shop called British Isles when I found this product called Hot Chocolate Sticks.  I chose dark chocolate and the salesgirl told me that hot chocolate on a stick was a very popular seller lately.  She said that once her customers try them, they always come back for more.

When you take a block of Belgian chocolate and swirl it in a cup of hot milk until melted, how could you go wrong?  You can't; it was delicious.  I had been saving my hot chocolate stick for a chilly day and on a damp and rainy day last week it really hit the spot.

I think these sticks would be perfect kept in a jar and you could pull them out as a treat during book club or a knit night.  Hot Chocolate on a Stick, why didn't I think of that?   

Custom Timepiece

I don't scrapbook.  I make and sew and glue and play with everything under the sun, including paper, but in terms to "official" scrapbooking with papers and embellishments enhancing a photo album, it is not one of my hobbies.  That said, I love scrapbook stores.  I never know what I am going to find or how I am going to use it, but that is half the fun!

I have made little works of art by covering matchboxes with scrapbook paper and stickers, used scalloped paper as a doily and made my own cute clips using clothespins.  But this may be my favorite project of all.  A clock!  

I bought a sheet of Bo Bunny scrapbook paper that looked like a clock face and I   glued it to the front of a clock kit from the craft store.  It is as light as air and made of paper - but it is a real clock!  Now I have a custom timepiece hanging in my office that is just my style, beautiful and interesting.

Pink Geraniums Leaves

How can it be?  Every time I look outside and see my pot of geraniums I am amazed.  The leaves are "turning" bright pink.  And I mean really bright pink.  I've never seen anything like it.  

I chose this variety (which now I really wish I had saved the label marker!) because of the pretty bright pink geranium bloom and 2-tone green leaf.  You can see how the leaves have been all Summer in this photo.  But would you ever expect, and have you ever seen, the leaves turn pink in the Fall?

It is an unexpected bonus in a plant that has bloomed for me for months.  Thanks, Mother Nature!

Brain Overload

My brain is overloaded.  I love it, of course, but I can hardly think straight.  I am about to finish my third book and I am deep into editing in an effort to keep my thoughts, photos and the feel of the book consistent.  I chose this photo because it is dreamy and beautiful, just like my book.   

First let me say that the contents are g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s.  I absolutely love it. The title is "Finding Delight - Ideas and Inspiration to Enhance Everyday Life."   And I am spending 8 hours a day reading, proofing and reorganizing my work so that reads and relays well.  

It will be available for sale in mid-November, in time for the holiday season, so stay tuned here.  I can't wait to show you!

Charleston: Historic Ironwork

Have you ever discovered something on a trip and then returned home to realize that it was only the tip of the iceberg?  In my walks around the city of Charleston, I noticed this beautiful iron gate with a gilded harp.  What an entrance.  The intricate ironwork of Christopher Werner is what made me stop and take notice, and upon reading about Hibernian Hall from home, I wish I could have known to go inside.  Flamboyant ballroom? Double Stairhall?

How I could I not know about Charleston's historic ironwork?  If I would have known, I would have done some research before I arrived.  I really enjoyed my time there - I was able to wander the city for the better part of a week a few years ago when my husband was in town for work.

I explored the beautiful shops on King Street, wandered an indie craft show and had my first bubble tea with made with tapioca pearls.  It was a lovely city to explore and I wanted to see more.  I would love to tour the gardens of Charleston one day.  Or be able to walk the streets when it is decorated for Christmas!  Have you ever been to Charleston?

The Last of the Garden

*Sigh* This may be the last bouquet of the season.  Isn't is gorgeous?  We have had a few frosty mornings and I went out to save the last few buds before the cold sets in.

For this bouquet, I took one of my hand painted glass jars (green polka dots!) and centered one reddish green hydrangea blossom and leaf over the opening.  This way I can use the hydrangea as a "frog" (a flower arranging tool that stabilizes an arrangement), and tuck the yellow and peach roses through the hydrangea petals and into the water.  It makes an arrangement of very few flowers look full and lush, don't you agree?  And the roses aren't going to slip or droop.  I added a sprig of ginger mint (green and cream variegated leaf) near the top for added dimension.

I love it!  And I'm not ready to give up on the roses, I still see buds coming!  If only Jack Frost can hold off a little longer...  

Make Your Own Snocaps

I was in the cake and candy supply store (Heinrichs in Centerline) when I thought of making homemade Snocaps or chocolate nonpareils.  I know it sounds a little crazy, but the ones at the movies are so small and I thought that they would make a beautiful candy to have in a dish at the holidays.  You know, when there is snow on the ground.

Anyhoo, I was talking to a saleswoman about how I would go about it when another saleswoman came by and blurted out, "Okay, here's what you do..."

She had tried this technique last Christmas (with a mixture of red, green and white nonpareils) and it was as if she had been waiting all year for someone to ask about it.

Her enthusiasm was warranted.  I just made them and they are fantastic!  Each piece of candy is a little bigger than a nickel.  They are the perfect size - big enough to look special and homemade, but not so big that you don't want to eat 2 or 3.

Okay, this is how you do it.

Homemade Snocap Nonpareils
Buy a pound or so of bulk Merckens Dark Chocolate Buttons for candy making and a container of white nonpareils at a cake and candy supply store.  Take a cookie sheet with sides and line it with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Lay out the chocolate buttons in rows and columns.  Turn off the oven and place the cookie sheet inside.  In about 5 minutes (watch carefully) the buttons will soften and become shiny, but still retain their shape.  Remove cookie sheet from the oven and set on hot pads.  With a spoon, sprinkle white nonpareils over the softened chocolate buttons until they are completely covered.  Set cookie sheet on a refrigerator shelf for a few minutes to help the candy set.  When buttons are hard, remove from refrigerator.  Remove each piece of candy, shake off any excess nonpareils and place in a storage container until you are ready to serve.  When all of the candies have been removed, pick up edges of parchment paper and ease extra nonpareils back into the nonpareil container to use for the next batch.  Put the parchment paper back on the cookie sheet, turn the oven back on and repeat steps.  Enjoy!