Marshmallow World

Last night, my Mom & I hosted a table at church to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. Our theme was "A Vintage Christmas" and our little winter village looked so cute after a marshmallow snowstorm. We served hot tea and iced petit fours and our table of eight laughed and talked all night. We had such a fun time planning this. My Mom's favorite part? The little skaters on the frozen pond...can you see them?

Advent Calendars

Advent Calendars are a sweet way to countdown to Christmas. This photograph shows mine from last year - a paper diorama with numbered windows around the border. Saturday is December 1st...do you have an advent calendar for this year? When you are out running errands this weekend, Cost Plus World Market has advent calendars from around the world - some include chocolate! This year, I am making an advent house from a Martha Stewart crafts kit at Michael's. Go find yourself a wonderful advent calendar and then tell me what you found!

Somerset Collection

The 2007 Somerset Collection Holiday Magazine includes a wonderful feature article about my family baking tradition. Every year, our 7 nieces and nephews spend a snowy Sunday afternoon with us baking & decorating sugar cookies made with my grandmother's recipe. We sort through my 150+ cookie cutters (including the heirloom cutters hand-forged by my great-grandfather) and get lost in a day of cookie dough, sprinkles and relaxed family fun. The article & photographs do a wonderful job capturing our home and style at the holidays - if you have a chance, pick up a copy...and flip to pages 116-118!

Cyber Monday

On a day when internet sales are whirling about, I want to highlight my most popular online gift...a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription to DELIGHT.
A subscription to DELIGHT brings her a surprise in the mail every month. Little things that are pretty, fragrant, delicious, fun…adding whimsy to life one package at a time. You know she'll love it...

Vintage style ornaments

I am designing a host of new ornaments for my Christmas tree this year - some inspired by the vintage ornaments in this photograph. They will revolve around antique shades of mint, pink and pale gold. I'll use glittter, paper, felt and sequins to add some holiday sparkle. I want to display them on a table in an old fashioned cardboard ornament box. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Give me about 10 days and I'll show you the result. We are getting our tree tomorrow...

 

You can see some of my creations here.

A Moveable Feast

Today is the day that I cue up my Tivo and play the Martha show back-to-back on my kitchen television while I cook.
*Yams with pineapple, mandarin oranges & spices
*Classic Green Bean casserole
*Mini-Cheddar biscuits (new)
*Cranberry jello mold with apples & cream cheese
*Corn Pudding (new)
*Fresh Cranberry Relish
*Ham & Cheese breakfast casserole
These dishes comprise what I call my "salute to the 50's" Thanksgiving and I make them every year. It makes me happy & tastes delicious. I also love to grocery shop the week of Thanksgiving - it is the one time of year that everyone has the same items in their grocery cart - many variations on a theme. Why "A Moveable Feast?" - I am taking all but the breakfast casserole to my parents house tomorrow. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving...

A Little Black Dress...

I wanted to share this delicious Tiramisu Cheesecake with you. So perfect for any holiday party, it is the recipe equivalent of a little black dress. I have been making it for years and it is always a great success.

Tiramisu Cheesecake

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

2 eggs

2 T. brandy

2 pkg. Lady Fingers cookies

3/4 c. strong black coffee

1 container Cool Whip

Fresh nutmeg to grate

Mix cream cheese, sugar & vanilla with mixer on medium speed until blended. Add eggs & brandy and mix. Butter pie plate (I love Emile Henry!) and arrange lady fingers across the bottom and up the sides. Pour coffee across lady fingers and allow a minute or two to soak in. You may want to dip the lady fingers that make up the sides to ensure that they are coffee soaked. Pour cream cheese mixture over lady finger crust and bake at 350* for approx 40 min. until center is almost set. I recommend lightly covering with foil to prevent lady finger crust from browning too much. Cool and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld. Garnish with cool whip puffs (use a pastry bag or Easy Accent decorator) and a dusting of nutmeg.

Field Trip

I'm going on a field trip to a General Store in Ohio today to shop for vintage style Christmas ornaments...

Winter Medallions

Winter Horticulture 2007! I finished the medallion for my front door today. It looks very dramatic from the street and is way more interesting than a typical wreath. I built it on a styrofoam disc and used greening pins to keep the fresh evergreens, silk larkspur & wild blueberries in place. The focal point is a flowering kale surrounded by fresh juniper with it's signature dusty blue berries. Check out my Nov 4th post to read about how I first came to love winter medallions.

Wrap It Up!

Are you looking for inspiration? I love the books by Carolyne Roehm. She has an eye for combining color, texture and scale into lovely moments. Be it a wrapped package or a table scape, I always find myself commenting aloud when I look through her books. What do I say the most? "Oooohhhhh..." Shown here is one of my favorite books, Presentations: A Passion for Gift Wrapping. As you sift through the rolls of holiday gift wrap this year, consider taking on a color scheme under your tree. Cream & Gold? Cranberry & Evergreen? Red & White? It requires nothing more than a plan and the results will be so pretty.

Daley Center Christmas Tree - Chicago

A vertical forest.

I happened by Chicago's Daley Plaza last weekend and saw the city's official Christmas tree being constructed. Hundreds of live trees fastened in tiers to create one amazing showpiece. I thought you'd like a behind-the-scenes look at how they do it. I am including a link to the tree lighting and lots of other holiday events in Chicago. Be sure to pack your holiday calender full of fun.

Christmas Decorations

Imagine my delight when I walked into the Walnut Room at Macy's and saw full-size replicas of my favorite Martha Stewart ornaments surrounding the Great Tree. I love these pastel houses and every year I showcase mine as a little village on a plate rack in my family room. After the tree lighting ceremony, my friend, her daughters and I enjoyed lunch at the foot of this magnificent tree. What did we have for dessert? A delicious Martha Stewart Mini-Gingerbread Bundt cake, of course!

Martha Stewart lights Macy's Centennial Great Tree

November 10, 2007 was a magnificent day in Macy's historic Walnut Room on State Street in Chicago. Martha Stewart and Macy's Terry Lundgren spoke about the joy of holiday traditions in this photo just before the tree was lit. I promise to tell you all about this glorious event, but for now, take a moment to enjoy this spectacular Christmas tree.

Victoria

You know how I love & collect magazines for inspiration. One of my favorites is back on the newsstand this month, Victoria. It is different from other shelter magazines in that it is dedicated to beauty in this world. Beautiful linens, flower arrangements, holiday vignettes. There are no projects, instructions or changes you need to make after you read Victoria...it is published to be enjoyed. This photograph in my foyer looks like Victoria to me. Look for it...

Christmas at Macy's

My wonderful neighbor (mother of the garden club girls) is taking me on a field trip! The four of us are driving to Chicago to see Martha Stewart light the Macy's Christmas tree on State Street. I am so excited. A weekend of holiday shopping, Christmas cheer and Martha - I'll be in "girl heaven."
I thought you might like to see a picture of me with Martha Stewart in 1992. There were 200+ women in line for a book signing at Kmart, and Martha was there without an assistant. I could see that she could use my help, so I took photographs for those who had brought their camera and thanked people for coming etc. Basic hostess stuff, but it let me stay up front where the action was. Just as it was winding down, I had Martha sign a copy of Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts for me and got my picture taken. She was lovely and thanked me for all of my help.

Turkey 101

A year or two into my marriage, I casually mentioned to my friends that my in-laws were coming from Texas for Thanksgiving. I was 25 and had never cooked a turkey before and the more we discussed what went into a full Thanksgiving meal, the more they started to panic. They insisted that this was a make or break meal to show that I was succeeding as a new wife. Hmmm... Did I have the right serving pieces? What about a tablecloth that fit the dining room table? All good questions. So what did they propose? We hold a Mock-Thanksgiving in October. They would make & bring the key side dishes (and the recipes) and I would try out my first turkey on them. It was brilliant idea. I was able to do a dry run for everything from arranging the centerpiece to polishing the gravy boat (I managed to find it among the wedding gifts in the basement). The meal was a success, which made the real Thanksgiving dinner relaxed and perfect. I learned so much. #1 The perfect turkey can be achieved with Turkey 101 from Martha Stewart, #2 Polishing silver takes longer than I thought and #3 I have the best friends ever.

Winter Horticulture

In 1998, I read an article in Traditional Home magazine about the art & practice of "winter horticulture" in Coopertown, NY. The members of the Clark Foundation dress the town in nature-inspired lawn ornaments and topiary. I thought the medallions made from dried fruits and flowers, winter greens and natural materials like bark & pepper berries were simply beautiful. I was inspired and made this medallion for our front door. Well, it is 10 years later and that medallion is long gone, so I decided to make a new one today - wish me luck.

Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs

The Michigan State Alumnae newsletter has posted an online article about me titled "Spartan Wins Entrepreneurial Honor" and I have been receiving emails from Spartans around the country.

Back in 1990, I was the only girl in the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs chapter at Michigan State. Remember what I said about things coming full circle? It is very fun.

Trick or Pie!

I've told you the story of the neighbor girls baking apple pie with me on Halloween. When they come by later in their costumes, they call out "Trick or Pie" and I give them a slice. Well, today's the day and I wanted to share our recipe in case you want to start a pie baking tradition in your life...

Trick or Pie

1 frozen 9" deep dish pie crust

3 T. melted butter

3 T. flour

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. apricot jam

1/2 T. dried orange peel

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg (it is the most fun if you use a nutmeg grater & whole nutmeg)

1/2 c. yellow raisins

2 lbs. granny smith apples, peeled, cored & sliced (it is the

most fun if you use an apple, peeler, corer slicer tool

Delicious Crunchy Topping

1 c. flour, 1/2 c. unsalted butter, 1/2 c. white sugar

Place pie shell into a glass/ceramic pie plate and then place the pie plate onto a cookie sheet (to catch any drippings and make removal from the hot oven easier). Combine pie ingredients (butter through apples) and mix well. Pour into pie shell. To make the delicious topping, combine flour, butter and sugar in a food processor (or with a pastry blender) and mix until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle evenly over the apples and bake at 375* for about an hour or until golden brown.

You will love this apple, or rather, trick or pie!

Happiest Tourist

I am sure that I was the happiest non-smoker to ever visit a cigar factory. Back when my ANA cigar box purse business was just taking off, I visited the La Gloria Cubana factory in Miami to see where some of my favorite boxes originated. I love that someone has enjoyed the box, the brand, the product, long before it is ever appreciated as one of my handbags. I will never forget when a customer picked a purse from my display and whispered that her grandfather had smoked that brand. She thought she could still detect a faint scent of cigar and bought it on the spot. I love my job.

Art School

May I present the historic Old Art Building in Leland, Michigan.  It is a beautiful old building with a river running along the north side of the property.  For fifty years, Michigan State University taught art classes here.  One summer when I was a university student, I took a course here for college credit.

Three mornings a week I would arrive with a sack lunch and my "artist's" tackle box to paint in watercolor with a group of local artists.  I was the only actual college student and I saw first hand what praise and critique could do to art.

I had never been in a painting class before this and the conversations sounded so different to me. "Oh, Darlene, your clouds!" or "I wanted the water to really say something."  It was obvious that they were long-time students that really supported each other and that I was just a kid passing through.

Today the building is home to the Leelanau Community Cultural Center and 17 years after that summer class, my ANA's DELIGHT totes debuted here during a Northern Michigan art sale and exhibition - cool, eh?

My advice is to have as many experiences as you can...you never know when you will come full circle.

Dreaming of Dollhouses

Some things are just cuter when they are small. A bathmat & slippers, for instance. Or a stack of clean sheets. I made these tiny treasures for my niece's dollhouse. I love adding touches that make the place look lived in. You might want to check out this free online source for "printables" - miniature representations of household items that you can print and use to decorate your dollhouse (newspapers, Christmas cards, food boxes). Have fun with it...life is to be enjoyed.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Since this is a big weekend for Halloween parties, I thought I would share an appropriate recipe: Pumpkin Bread Pudding from Cooking Light. A nice, cozy dessert that is perfect for a chilly October evening. Light a fire in the fireplace, put this dessert in the oven to bake and read a good book. Happy Halloween from me to you...

Yarn Management

I wanted to show you a simple project to keep your knitting clean & portable. A light-weight yarn caddy made from an Oatmeal container. Choose a beautiful piece of wallpaper, measure, cut and glue it to the side of the container. Glue a circle of wallpaper to the lid and then attach a pretty trim to soften where the plastic edge meets the paper. Poke a hole in the center of the lid and then use a grommet setter to secure the hole with a grommet. Voila! A beautiful way to keep your yarn tangle-free and clean while you are out & about. This container comes in handy when you are knitting on-the-go, perfect for a doctor's waiting room or to take along on a weekend trip. Enjoy!

Halloween Traditions

Can you spot when a tradition is born? On Halloween three years ago, I looked outside around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and saw the 3 neighbor girls (you know them as the Roseglen Garden club) anxiously waiting for "Halloween" to start. It was too early to put on their costumes, too early to eat dinner, yet "not time" to actually start trick or treating. So I yelled out the front door, "Have you ever made an apple pie?" They leapt up, ran to tell their Mothers and within minutes, two 8-year-olds and a 6-year-old presented themselves on my doorstep. Together we made a delicious apple pie and when they returned in their costumes later that night, I served them a piece. A tradition was born and now every Halloween afternoon, the girls come over to bake an apple pie with me. How do I know that they love it? How do I know that this tradition will last a long time? Because once we head into October, they start calling out..."Mrs. Reeves...Trick or Pie!"

Cider Mill Moments

Ahhh...a Sunday afternoon at the Cider Mill. What's the best part? Everyone is relaxed. People do not mind waiting in line for doughnuts, you know? Their biggest decision is if they should get a carmel apple, too (definitely, yes). Families feed the ducks by the river. Couples take pictures by the water-powered wheel. Everyone needs a quiet afternoon...to find a cider mill near you, check out this cider mill directory and have a doughnut for me.

Collecting Collections

I like to think of a collection as a "group of objects gathered for exhibition." Yes, I love collecting (I have 200+ cookie cutters), but the collections of loved objects around my house have much more to say about me. A John Derian plate, a photograph from a flower stall on the Place de la Madeleine, a twig-handled teapot & a paper butterfly all come together to make quite a scene in my front hall. Let the objects you love become a collection.

October Roses

Can these be real? A handful of "Diana, Princess of Wales" roses blooming happily into October - be still my heart. The world may be turning upside-down with ghosts & goblins, but I am happy to preserve soft tabletop vignettes for as long as I can. I suppose once winter comes, I could make coffee filter roses from the Martha Stewart show last year - they were gorgeous!

Years, Months, Days, Hours, Moments

I took this photograph (now one of my most requested Delight totes) in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris on a Sunday afternoon in April 2004. Originally a train station, the Musee d'Orsay's historic clock, once important to travelers for time, now offers visitors a moment - a place where time stands still as they soak up a view of the city. Make your Years, Months, Days & Hours add up to a lifetime of wonderful Moments.

Delicious Roasted Apples

I love making roasted apples for dinner. Wash, Slice & Sprinkle with sage/onion/maple powder and Roast in a 8x8 glass dish - it smells heavenly. Or Wash, Core and Stuff with raisins, brown sugar & a splash of rum and Bake for 20 min at 350* until they burst -yum! I plan to make this Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples & Onions tonight from Martha Stewart's Every Day Food magazine. Side note: My Mom has a blue & white quilt just like this. It is so country living!

Tea by Teaism

Try to imagine how I felt...I was vacationing in Washington, D.C. (I love cities) walking to a shop I'd heard about called Teaism (I love tea) with plans to check it out and then head to a much touted Indie Craft Show (I love crafts/design) in a nearby park. 

Needless to say, I was happy.

Then I walked into Teaism and saw that it is actually much more than a store. It is a modern Japanese-inspired tea house with a store next door. So at 10:30 am, I decided it was time for lunch and ordered this darling Chicken Bento Box for one and a tall, cool Ginger Limeade.  I loved it all! 

Oh happy day.

Football & The Movies

Once when I was staying at the Vintners Inn in Sonoma County, California, I confessed to the concierge that I was ready to go home. We had been traveling through California for about 10 days and although it was lovely...it was also "Fall" at home in Michigan. I told her about tailgating before football games in snug coats & plaid scarves. That the leaves on campus change to yellows and oranges and reds. That there was nothing better than going to a MSU football game on a day with bright blue skies and a chill in the air. She looked at me and said "It's just like the movies." Yes, life is good here in Michigan and although it was an unseasonable 88 degrees yesterday, there I was, starring in my own movie yet again. Thank you, Spartans.

Books & Butterflies

More than 120,00 people attended The Library of Congress & Laura Bush 2007 National Book Festival with me on Saturday, Sept 29th on the National Mall. It was a gorgeous day and the crowd was buzzing with author sightings and the sheer joy of reading. Afterwards, we strolled through the United States Botanic Gardens walkway (lush with beautiful plants that attract butterflies) on our way to lunch at Rosa Mexicano. It was truely a wonderful day. Did I manage to shop too? Of course...a quick trip to Home Rule on 14th Street was a fun way to start...I'll let you know how the towel tablets work out. :-)

Washington, D.C.

I had a wonderful time in Washington, D.C. this last weekend. The National Portrait Gallery is amazing and offers a little known place to relax and reflect - a cafe out on the portico. Then, after a lovely day of walking and talking, we had an amazing Asian-Fusion dinner at Oya (Chilled Yellow Tomato Soup, Grilled Beef Sirloin & Banana Bread Pudding - oh my...). I want to recommend the website http://www.opentable.com/ for making dinner reservations from out-of-state. I have used it for Chicago, Las Vegas, DC & Baltimore and it has been fantastic every time. Great tables, VIP service and cell phone confirmations. Boy, I love technology!

Best Post Ever

I am thrilled to announce that my company, Subscribe To Delight, has been chosen as a winner in the Country Living magazine Women Entrepreneur“Pitch Your Product” contest. See the feature and my company profile online at the Country Living webpage here. The upcoming article will be in the November issue of Country Living magazine.

Cinderella's Coach

There are so many spectacular varieties of pumpkins & squash at the farm stands right now, I thought that this Pumpkin ID chart would be fun to include. I really like "Cinderella" named for its magical coach quality. And have you seen the new battery operated votives? They are perfect for lighting your jack-o-lantern safely. And for the holidays...Battery operated votives work just as well in paper bag luminaries. Right now mine are flickering inside 3 mercury glass votives - beautiful.

Last Roses of Summer

It has been a wonderful Summer. I am trying to squeak out the last few bouquets, nosegays really, from the garden. An old salt jar holding one rose, one snapdragon, one sprig of ginger mint & one tuft of blue verbena. My husband says that I always love the "next" season best. True, I am planning for college football games & cider mill trips. But I will really miss my roses...

Artists Everywhere

Saturday afternoon on a little dirt road, I found a farm stand gallery. Each pumpkin was displayed just so.  There were dried herb bouquets pinned up like a garland.  Even the walls of the stand were lined with burlap to set off the colors in each little vignette. The owner of this stand is truely an artist - making her little corner beautiful - letting each passer-by see the world as she does.