Blue and White Spring Tablescape

March 23, 2016

Don’t you just love spring? The bright colors, beautiful flowers, birds chirping and all that sunshine. Spring is one of my favorite times of year and the season always pushes my creativity to new heights. Over the weekend as I was moving the accessories around, the creative bug hit and I decided to pull together a spring tablescape featuring blue and white.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared seasonal table decor with you so I’m excited to unveil my Blue & White Spring Tablescape!

Blue and white tablescapes have always caught my eye but until recently I never owned enough blue and white decor to create one of my own table setting. Over the last year or so I’ve collected a handful of blue and white porcelain pieces and together with some new items I picked up recently, my spring table was easy to pull together. Let’s take a look…

…

Read the Post

Get the Look: Valentine’s Day Table Setting

February 11, 2016

source

Setting a pretty table is one of my favorite things to do and Pinterest supplies me with an abundance of creative ideas and inspiration. I’m typically not one to decorate with pastels but this gorgeous table decor felt like the perfect Valentine’s Day table setting. It exudes elegance but it’s not fussy. And I just love the warmth the mix of pinks and gold creates. With all this beautiful inspiration, I thought I’d show you how easy it is to recreate this look for Valentine’s or whatever special occasion you might be celebrating…

Silk Flower Arrangement // Gold Charger Plate // Brass Taper Candle Holders // Glass Votive Holders—1/2/3

Luminous Coupe Dinnerware // Gold Flatware // Pink Linen Napkins

Metal and Glass Terrarium //Pink Wine Glasses

♥♥♥

Three Styling Tips for an Elegant Table:

♥ Gold and metallic finishes will make the entire table feel more expensive

♥ For a dramatic centerpiece, arrange flowers to fill the table side to side and top to bottom

♥ Create layers with candles using different size, shapes and styles of candle holders

What’s great about all of these items is that they can easily be mixed and matched with seasonal decor to create a table for Easter, a ladies luncheon or even a New Year’s Eve celebration.

If you were creating this Valentine’s Day table for two, how would you put your own spin on the decor?

FIVE Champagne Cocktails to ring in the New Year!

December 31, 2015

via Hunted Interior

Are you ready?

Is your champagne chilled?

Are the toasting glasses ready for a midnight toast?

As we bid farewell to the old, embrace the new and welcome all the good that will come our way, it’s the perfect time to indulge in a glass or two of bubbly as we celebrate the new year.

Here’s are round-up of 5 of my favorite Champagne Cocktails to help you welcome 2016!

♦♦♦

Blackberry Thyme Cocktail

via StyleMePretty

Ingredients:
FOR THE BLACKBERRY SYRUP
1/3 cup blackberries, plus 8 more for garnish
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
FOR THE COCKTAIL
1 bottle of Prosecco or champagne
FOR THE GARNISH
4 sprigs of thyme
Instructions
In a small saucepan, bring the blackberried, water and sugar to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain blackberries and let syrup cool.
Add 2 tbsp. of syrup to the bottom of each glass. Top with champagne and add in a sprig of thyme and 2 blackberries!

Champagne Margaritas

via The Kitchen Is My Playground

Ingredients:
For 2 Margaritas:
4 T. Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice
2 oz. white tequila
2 oz. Triple Sec
1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
6 oz. brut champagne/sparkling wine
For Sugared Rims & Garnish:
About 1 T. turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
About 1 T. granulated sugar
Lime wedges
Directions

FOR SUGARED RIMS: Combine turbinado and granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Wet the rim of each glass, all the way around, with a lime wedge. Dip each rim into the sugar to coat. Set aside.
FOR MARGARITAS: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice, tequila, Triple Sec, fresh lime juice, and champagne. Gently shake two or three times.
Strain into the prepared glasses and garnish each with a lime wedge.

Raspberry Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail

via Heather Christo

Ingredients:
-8 tablespoons pomegranate juice
-1 pint raspberry sorbet
-4 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
-chilled champagne
Instructions
1. Freeze your glasses until frosty.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of pomegranate juice to the bottom of each glass.
3. Add a few small scoops of the raspberry sorbet and 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds to each glass.
4. Top with chilled champagne. (I continued to top off the glass with more champagne as I drank, because there is more than enough sorbet to flavor several glasses full if you wish.)

Honey-Almond Champagne Cocktail

via Freut Cake

Almond Champagne, chilled
Honey
1-cup Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Honey Almonds

Directions:
1. On a cutting board, chop almonds finely.
2. Rim champagne glasses dipping them in a plate of honey then in the chopped almonds.
3. Fill glasses with almond champagne and serve.

French 75

via Super Golden Bakes

Ingredients:

1 lemon
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) gin
1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup or sugar
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry Champagne, chilled

In cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.

via

Cheers to 2016!

p.s. I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule next week. See you then.

Easy Holiday Appetizers

December 18, 2015

Easy Holiday Appetizers

With Love From Kat

Like me, I know many of you will have family staying with you for Christmas. Since cooking isn’t on my favorites list, I’m always on the hunt to simple and quick snacks and appetizers I can whip up. I look for recipes that use food items I keep on hand so a run to the grocery store is not needed.

Here are FIVE of my favorite holiday appetizers that will be on rotation at my house in the coming days.

This recipe had me at mozzarella and smoked and there’s nothing more satisfying than a warm, gooey cheese dip on a cold day.

Smoked Mozzarella via Love Grows Wild

I love a classic ham and cheese sandwich and these sliders are the perfect bite size treat for a casual lunch.

Ham & Cheese Sliders via The Girl Who Ate Everything

Alone or as a side dish with dinner, these petite potato bites are as cute as they are delicious.

Loaded Hasselback Potato Bites via The Comfort of Cooking

These prosecution bites are the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

Cranberry Brie Prosciutto via The Brunette Baker

Everybody loves meatballs and this classic pineapple infused recipe is the best.

Pineapple Meatball Poppers via Cooking and Beer

I’ll be back tomorrow with more holiday cheer!

Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour-Part 2

December 9, 2015

Welcome to part 2 of the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. It has been such fun to partner with my 8 fellow bloggers to bring you lots of holiday inspiration.

If you’re coming over from Love Your Abode thanks for stopping in and if you’re one of my regular readers, thanks for your continued love and support! Did you see all the amazing details in Yuni’s decor this week?! WOW, I didn’t think she could top last week but she sure did.

This week on the tour we’re focusing on our entertaining spaces and how we celebrate the season. Entertaining is such a joy and this year will be extra special since my brother now lives in Atlanta and my mom is coming for Christmas.

When I think of holiday entertaining I think of family dinners at a beautiful table so I got a jump on things and set my table for a Merry & Bright Christmas dinner. Playing off the color theme from my Christmas tree decor, I created a classic red & white tablescape with a few fun touches.

***One of the special touches to my table are these DIY placemats I made featuring a Merry & Bright printable art piece from Christina’s Etsy shop, My Love Note Designs ! I’ll be sharing the how-to and more details on the placemats tomorrow so stay tuned.

I wanted a lush looking centerpiece so I used a greenery candleholder in the center of the table. To dress it up, I added mini ornaments and decorative ornament sprays.

And to add layers to the table, I used three different linen pieces—a white tablecloth, a wide red and white stripe runner (made from simple cotton fabric) and a solid red runner from HomeGoods.

I hung a wreath on the mirror and added the metal Noel sign in the middle. I made the bow from ribbon I picked up at Michaels.

I layered each place setting starting with the DIY placemat, a red charger and white china. The Merry Christmas plates are from HomeGoods.

My vintage gold silverware and brass candleholders add a touch of metallic shine to the table. The holly leaf candleholders were a flea market find–one of my favorites ever!

These cute red and white check bags came from the dollar spot at Target and I’ll be filling them with small gifts/treats for everyone at the table. (p.s. I added the rhinestone M sticker to personalize it)

So the console table on the back wall wouldn’t feel left out, I created a beautiful flower arrangement using a mix of fresh and faux flowers and greenery. More on how I made the arrangement later in the week.

Another special touch at the table are the chair cones I tied to the back of each chair. I’ve had these metal cones for years and this year I filled them with a cedar spray, a piece of garland and mini ornaments.

Entertaining at our house also involves a cocktail bar so I added a few holiday touches to our gold bar cart.

The Merry & Bright wall plaque is from Kirklands. I saw it online and had to pull some strings to get my hands on one. I added the cedar sprays, bow and ornament clusters to make it just a bit more Merry & Bright.

And because no holiday is complete without hot chocolate, I snapped this last night as I was addressing my DIY Christmas cards.

Here’s another glimpse of my tree. I made a few changes to it since last week and replaced the chalkboard I had over the table with this mirror I had stashed in the garage. I just love this entire vignette.

And you see that cart next to the table with wrapping paper in it? I’ll be sharing that little project on Saturday. So fun and easy!

I hope you’re enjoying the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. The fun doesn’t stop here…the next stop is OMG Lifestyle Blog. You’re going to love what Elaine has to share this week and if you missed her decor from last week, you can check it out here.

And you definitely want to check out all the other bloggers on the tour…

Confetti Style (yours truly)

OMG Lifestyle

Design Asylum Blog

Refresh Restyle

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

I’ll be back next Wednesday, with part 3 and the tour finale. We’ve got more holiday decor to share and I’ll be doing a wrap up of my Merry & Bright Holiday Home!

You can see part 1 of my tour here.

Holiday Gift Guide–Holiday Hostess Gifts Under $25

December 5, 2015

It’s party season and when it comes to hostess gifts, I’m always challenging myself to take something other than a bottle of wine. My requirements for a hostess gifts are something that is practical, useful and something that will bring joy and that the host! These hostess gift ideas check all the boxes and even better, all of them are under $25.00!

Gold Frame Bottle Stopper–$14.50 Great to hold a photo of tag with bottle variety

Illume Balsam & Cedar Tin Candle–$24.00 One of the best smelling holiday candles on the market!

Gingham Pie Servers–$24.00 The stylish way to serve up pies and cakes during the holidays

Decorative Wood Matches–$3.50 These will make lighting Christmas candles a bit more special

Brass Pineapple Trinket Dish–$18.50 A fun little dish to serve up holiday candies

Martha Stewart Appetizers–$18.56 Anyone who loves to entertain will love this book

Ho, Ho, Ho Acrylic Tumbler–$4.95 ea A fun holiday breakfast glass

Pop, Fizz, Clink printable via Etsy

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Entertaining

November 30, 2015

There’s nothing like entertaining during the holidays. From sit down dinners to causal cocktail parties, creating a festive setting for a holiday soirée takes only takes a few special pieces. Here are my gift picks for entertaining-ware that will make you the star of the party!

SERVEWARE

No. 1 A fun twist of traditional Christmas plates– Dapper Animal Plates

No. 2 A beautiful tray with a festive message–Plated Brass Tray

No. 3 A fun accent on the dinner table–Reindeer Salt-n-Pepper Shaker

No. 4 Tilt Bowls are perfect for serving up any type of holiday finger food {available in red and clear}

No. 5 A sweet little tiered stand to sever up sweets–Gilded Petit Four Stand

No. 6 Dots & stripes to glam up the buffet–Metallic 3-piece Cheese Knife Set

♦♦♦

DRINKWARE

No. 1 Because cooper mugs are cool–Copper Mugs

No. 2 No matter how you say it, say Cheers to the season! Cheers Champagne Flutes

No. 3 A chic way to serve wine, water or just about anything–Bird’s Beak Glass Carafe

No. 4 Personalize a party with these Acrylic Stemware Glasses {set of 4}

No. 5 Hot toddies call for classic Santa Mugs

No. 6 Why not serve custom martinis in festive martini glasses–Set of 2 Stag Martini Glasses

FUNWARE

No. 1 Indulge their sweet tooth with a fun Deer Candy Jar

No. 2 Gift your favorite cookies in this classic Winter Cottage Cookie Jar

No. 3 Whoever gets theses Santa Hat Lidded Bowls will be Ho, Ho, Happy!

No. 4 A personalized platter makes a great gift–Melamine Holiday Tray

Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour

November 27, 2015

I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving. We spent the day at my brothers where we ate too much, lounged a lot, watched our share of movies and even hit up a few stores for some Christmas shopping–the makings for a perfect Thanksgiving.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to get in full-blown Christmas mode!

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve slowly been decorating for Christmas and it’s not because I’m trying to rush the season but for another great reason. This year I’m participating in the Merry & Bright Holiday Home tour with 8 other amazing bloggers. Over the course of three weeks, starting Dec. 2nd, we’ll be sharing our Christmas decor and how we’ve made our homes Merry & Bright for the holidays. Each of us will also be sharing a DIY project we’ve made featuring a holiday decal from Candi’s Etsy shop Welcoming Walls. I can’t wait to show you what I’m crafting.

I’m so excited about the holiday home tour and hope you’ll follow me and the other fantastic bloggers on the tour:

Kellie from Design Asylum Blog

Elaine from OMG Lifestyle Blog

Debbie from Refresh ReStyle

Tamyra from Positively Southern

Kate from Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Amy from Amy Howard Social

Yuni from Love Your Abode

Marsha from M Jones Style

Here’s a little more detail about what’s to come from each blogger on the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour…

On Dec. 2nd we’ll be sharing the highlights of our holiday decor from our front door to our Christmas tree designs.

Dec. 9th is all about celebrating & entertaining where we’ll share how we’ve decked out our dining rooms and entertaining areas for holiday festivities.

And on Dec. 16th there will be even more holiday cheer featuring diy projects, special details of our decor and the other ways we’ve decorated for the season.

All blog post will be live at 7:00 am eastern so you’ll be able to blog hop for the ultimate holiday decorating inspiration.

And you can also check out the tour on Instagram by following the hashtag #merryandbrightholidayhome!

Now I’m off to do some more decorating.

‘Tis the season!

Silk Flower Arrangement // Gold Charger Plate // Brass Taper Candle Holders // Glass Votive Holders—1/2/3

Luminous Coupe Dinnerware // Gold Flatware // Pink Linen Napkins

Metal and Glass Terrarium //Pink Wine Glasses

Three Styling Tips for an Elegant Table:

via Hunted Interior

Blackberry Thyme Cocktail

via StyleMePretty

Champagne Margaritas

via The Kitchen Is My Playground

Ingredients: For 2 Margaritas: 4 T. Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice 2 oz. white tequila 2 oz. Triple Sec 1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice 6 oz. brut champagne/sparkling wine For Sugared Rims & Garnish: About 1 T. turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) About 1 T. granulated sugar Lime wedges Directions

Raspberry Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail

via Heather Christo

Honey-Almond Champagne Cocktail

via Freut Cake

Almond Champagne, chilled Honey 1-cup Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Honey Almonds

Directions: 1. On a cutting board, chop almonds finely. 2. Rim champagne glasses dipping them in a plate of honey then in the chopped almonds. 3. Fill glasses with almond champagne and serve.

French 75

via Super Golden Bakes

Ingredients:

1 lemon 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) gin 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup or sugar 1 cup ice cubes 1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry Champagne, chilled

In cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.

Cheers to 2016!

Easy Holiday Appetizers

Smoked Mozzarella via Love Grows Wild

Ham & Cheese Sliders via The Girl Who Ate Everything

Loaded Hasselback Potato Bites via The Comfort of Cooking

Cranberry Brie Prosciutto via The Brunette Baker

Pineapple Meatball Poppers via Cooking and Beer

Gold Frame Bottle Stopper–$14.50 Great to hold a photo of tag with bottle variety

Illume Balsam & Cedar Tin Candle–$24.00 One of the best smelling holiday candles on the market!

Gingham Pie Servers–$24.00 The stylish way to serve up pies and cakes during the holidays

Decorative Wood Matches–$3.50 These will make lighting Christmas candles a bit more special

Brass Pineapple Trinket Dish–$18.50 A fun little dish to serve up holiday candies

Martha Stewart Appetizers–$18.56 Anyone who loves to entertain will love this book

Ho, Ho, Ho Acrylic Tumbler–$4.95 ea A fun holiday breakfast glass

Pop, Fizz, Clink printable via Etsy

SERVEWARE

No. 1 A fun twist of traditional Christmas plates– Dapper Animal Plates

No. 2 A beautiful tray with a festive message–Plated Brass Tray

No. 3 A fun accent on the dinner table–Reindeer Salt-n-Pepper Shaker

No. 4 Tilt Bowls are perfect for serving up any type of holiday finger food {available in red and clear}

No. 5 A sweet little tiered stand to sever up sweets–Gilded Petit Four Stand

No. 6 Dots & stripes to glam up the buffet–Metallic 3-piece Cheese Knife Set

DRINKWARE

No. 1 Because cooper mugs are cool–Copper Mugs

No. 2 No matter how you say it, say Cheers to the season! Cheers Champagne Flutes

No. 3 A chic way to serve wine, water or just about anything–Bird’s Beak Glass Carafe

No. 4 Personalize a party with these Acrylic Stemware Glasses {set of 4}

No. 5 Hot toddies call for classic Santa Mugs

No. 6 Why not serve custom martinis in festive martini glasses–Set of 2 Stag Martini Glasses

FUNWARE

No. 1 Indulge their sweet tooth with a fun Deer Candy Jar

No. 2 Gift your favorite cookies in this classic Winter Cottage Cookie Jar

No. 3 Whoever gets theses Santa Hat Lidded Bowls will be Ho, Ho, Happy!

No. 4 A personalized platter makes a great gift–Melamine Holiday Tray

Kellie from Design Asylum Blog

Elaine from OMG Lifestyle Blog

Debbie from Refresh ReStyle

Tamyra from Positively Southern

Kate from Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Amy from Amy Howard Social

Yuni from Love Your Abode

Marsha from M Jones Style

Ingredients:
For 2 Margaritas:
4 T. Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice
2 oz. white tequila
2 oz. Triple Sec
1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
6 oz. brut champagne/sparkling wine
For Sugared Rims & Garnish:
About 1 T. turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
About 1 T. granulated sugar
Lime wedges
Directions

Almond Champagne, chilled
Honey
1-cup Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Honey Almonds

Directions:
1. On a cutting board, chop almonds finely.
2. Rim champagne glasses dipping them in a plate of honey then in the chopped almonds.
3. Fill glasses with almond champagne and serve.

1 lemon
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) gin
1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup or sugar
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry Champagne, chilled