Candlelight and Reds to Warm Our Winter Days and Nights

As in much of the country, in Ohio we’re experiencing record-breaking low temps and snow. With those record-breakers we’ve managed to have a few of those beautiful, bright days where you need your sunglasses because of the bright snow. Sun…always good news!

How do you feel about winter? Do you suffer from Winter Blues, or are you able to grin and bear it? Or do you love it? I’m a summer girl—it’s got to be way up in the 90°s for me to be chased inside to the AC. So, although I’m blessed to not suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I do suffer from just being plain ol’ cold. Never too many layers for me! But, I have to admit, the snow has been BEAUTIFUL!

It all started innocently enough one day back in December…we got some snow, and thought perhaps it meant we’d have a white Christmas (we didn’t) —

We didn’t even have that much snow, and a white Christmas is certainly not guaranteed around here, so, we welcomed it! It was mid-December (you can see our neighborhood tour of snowy cottages decorated for Christmas here), and like I said, it was oh, so Christmassy and pretty!

Well, six weeks later, and we STILL have snow! We got about 6” yesterday, and this morning 3” more came along. And we’ve had many a windy day with wind-chill factors in the minus teens! And for the start of the week? Temperatures—not wind-chill factor—in the -16° range. No, it’s not a typo…MINUS 16°F with wind-chill factors expected in the -30° range! We’re starting to feel a little like hibernating bears! Under the covers, snoozing through long leisurely naps sounds pretty good.

But again, God’s paintbrush gives us the gift of beauty. Yesterday, as I worked at the table near the screened porch, I had to go grab my camera, which doesn’t begin to do justice to what my eyes were seeing.

I love the dusting of snow on the table and the floor! That’s the howling wind blowing it in!

And the snowflakes clinging to the screens made them look lacy and beautiful. Hard to complain when this is what we see from our cozy warm homes! And see how much snow is on the picnic table?!

This has been our after-Christmas vignette on the screened porch, now kissed with snow.

Today we came home (yes, we ventured out!) and I looked out on the screened porch and patio (as I’ve done A LOT lately, to see what’s happening out there, LOL), and another lovely sight it was:

I quickly brought our {new} mirrored candle piece out to the screened porch, to enjoy the fire and snow.

Doesn’t the snowy log cabin look warm and inviting? Yes, I DID light a candle in it (have always wanted to do that!)—but only for a brief moment. :)

Do you ever fall for the one-for-her/one-for-me shopping mantra? This was one of those cases. Our DIL loves candles, so when we saw this candle “piece” at one of our favorite shops—The Morgan House—we knew it would be a great gift for her, and we (yes, Mr. CHN was in on it) decided we needed one too!

The winter/fire theme continues inside on our dining table, where pine cones and evergreens have reigned since after Christmas, as our January winter ‘scape.

Other parts of our home are also sporting plaids (here), to warm our surroundings.

These roses are from our Three Kings celebration (here), and as many of you know by now, old roses are dear to me. It’ll probably still be a while before I get rid of them. :)

…and the red roses, also from the Three Kings celebration.

The January vignettes in our home are usually in whites and silver with touches of evergreens—something more serene after all the colors of Christmas. This year, for some reason, I wasn’t tired of the red and kept some out. Boy, am I glad I did! The red in the plaid-and-silver vignette, the china cabinet (I showed you a peak of it last week), and other areas has really helped to warm our home this cold and white and snowy January!

So how are you staying "mentally” warm this winter? What colors bring you comfort and warmth during the winter months? Fill me in—you never know how long this cold spell’s going to last—I may have enough time for a switch! :)

Stay Warm!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Tartan (Plaid) Is More Than Just for Christmas!

As I think back, I think I’ve always loved plaids, and especially the traditional tartans. (As an aside, according to Wikipedia, “Tartan is often called plaid in North America, but in Scotland, a plaid is a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder as a kilt accessory, or a plain ordinary blanket such as one would have on a bed.” Isn’t that interesting?) So…"Tartan plaid” is a repetitive term, thus my title having plaid in parenthesis.

I wish I’d had time to look for a picture of myself when I was probably 4 or 5, dressed in a a Black Watch (cotton) dress with a matching Black Watch purse! It was taken at the Havana airport when my parents and I were traveling to or from the US to Cuba. I’ll have to find that and share :).

As a family we’ve always recognized the Epiphany, and lucky children that we were, the Three Kings made a stop at our home even when we came to the US. AND they did not visit American homes! Lucky us! Now that we have grands and we’ve started also hosting a party to celebrate the Epiphany (HERE), it seems that we’re enjoying the Twelve Days of Christmas even more. So much so that this year, unlike other years, I was in no hurry to take the tree down! By the time we had the party we’d already de-Christmased by putting a way the Santas, the stockings, and other decorations that started to say “Christmas” a little too loudly, and what was left felt glow-y and calm. We didn’t even take the tree down until January 10!

Our Christmas china cabinet went from this:

To this:

The Boehm Chickadee and Holly china stayed because it’s not a Christmas pattern—it’s a winter pattern. I took away the feather Christmas trees, the poinsettias, etc., and left it as a winter scene, including touches of red (I’m loving red this January—could it be to add color to my world, given all the snow and rain and gray, very cold days we’ve had??). Anyway, more on the china cabinet in another post.

So, in my “red” mood, I decided to BRING ON THE TARTAN! I hadn’t really been able to do much with plaids at Christmas, and really, tartans are a year-round design element, but particularly effective during the winter months.

  During Christmas this writing desk was the playful area—it’s where I placed the two gingerbread houses the two oldest chickadees made, and that set the tone for a candyland setting (that too, will be another post, now probably closer to Christmas 2014).

My father’s suitcase (you can read about it HERE), as well as the old wood trunk had lived under the writing desk already, so I was happy to put my dad’s suitcase to use by filling it with plaid throws and tablecloths. The now-ubiquitous-to-my-decorating hydrangeas filled the blue-and-white cachepot.

I’ve always loved the mix of tartan and silver and gold, so the vignette consists of shiny, mellow silver pieces and blue-and-white pieces. The roses in the background are from the Three Kings Celebration! They’re starting to show their age, but those of you who’ve read my posts on roses know how much I love roses as they age ever so gracefully.

Blue and white and silver…classic.

The cordials are set in a smaller gallery tray that then sits within the larger gallery tray, to provide more interest and texture to the setting, softened by…you guessed it, hydrangeas! (I keep them in a large plastic bin, which makes it easy to reach for them as needed.)

These vintage damask napkins with their plaid touch are near and dear to me—they, and the matching tablecloth—were often in use at our dinner table when I was growing up. My mother and grandmother (who lived with us) always, always, always set the dinner table with a tablecloth.

This corner is bringing me a lot of new-year cheer, because it showcases many of my favorite things: blue and white, silver, crystal (the vase), and plaids.

Not to mention actually having my dad’s suitcase in use in a more “interactive” way.

 

So tell me, how do you feel about tartan other than at Christmas? Do you use it other times of the year? Are you one of the luckies who have a room with plaid upholstery, OR even plaid wallpaper? If you do, I’d love to see pictures! I hope you’ll share!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Donut-hole Tree Tutorial

Waaayyyy back before the Internet (we may have had some sort of dial-up) and YouTube,I tried my hand at a croquembouche:

Source: http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com/2010/05/may-2010-daring-bakers-challenge-40.html

Yes, siree, I did. Made the dough, the cream filling, followed the recipe from one of my beautiful Christmas cookbooks to.the.letter… I made it to take as a showpiece to our family Christmas Eve dinner, but the cookbook didn’t say to keep it on the cool side, so eventually each puff started to slide d-o-w-n the cone. Even our sons, who were teenagers at the time, were so sad for me (it was touching, really). I ended up removing all the puffs and taking them on a platter. :(   Thank heavens they were delicious!

The Donut-Hole Tree I made for our Three Kings celebration this year (HERE) was a much easier alternative to a croquembouche. Certainly not as fancy, but certainly a much easier, fun “adornment” for the table.

(BTW, the idea came from One Charmed Party, where she made it for a Halloween party with regular donuts.)

Tutorial:

I started with a Styrofoam cone about 15” high, but of course you can use any size that’s suitable for your party. I will tell you that this 15” one required 4 or 5 dozen “holes,” so it holds A LOT (in fact, Mr. CHN had to run to the store for more!)

The cone can of course be purchased anywhere, but wouldn’t you know? I walked into our local Goodwill store and there was one, still in its original packaging, for a whopping $.25! Because I was concerned about cleanliness—with or without the packaging cover/from Goodwill or a regular store—and I wanted to be able to re-use it, I wrapped the cone in heavy-duty foil. Though probably not necessary, I held the foil in place with pearl straight pins so they’d be easy to find/remove after the party.

The trickiest part to building a donut-hole tree is holding it in place so it doesn’t tip over as the “holes” are removed.

Now, the last time I tried to use this candle holder (see picture below) with a candle, the long “spike” (what is that called?!) was so long that it broke the candle, so I’d asked Mr. CHN to cut it for me. Luckily, he hadn’t gotten to that, so I retrieved it from his workbench—it was PERFECT for the tree, because its length stabilized the Styrofoam perfectly!

To add dimension to the black candle holder I set it in a frosted-glass, beaded candle holder, but I still needing to secure the “hole” thing :).  Solution? I attached it with this awesome product—Scotch Restickable Discs. The black candle holder was “stuck” to the frosted-glass one, which was then “stuck” to the crystal cake plate. These discs are AWESOME! I use them everywhere in the house! Have you tried them yet?

To build the donut-hole tree:

1.  Insert the foil-covered Styrofoam cone into the spike in the candle holder.

2. Starting at the bottom, insert a toothpick close to the base of the cone, then insert a donut hole into the toothpick, making sure the toothpick doesn’t come through the hole.

3. Repeat the toothpick/hole process, adjusting the location of each toothpick to keep them close to each other.

4. Continue to build the tree in “rings” around the cone.

Finish the top of the tree with a donut hole at the top or a fancier topper if you have one (I was running late, because I didn’t want to build the tree too early to keep the holes fresh, and I hadn’t thought of a topper until that moment). Fill with edible greens (I used dill and it worked well, because it gives the illusion of evergreens). The tree was surrounded by Rolo Caramels, because they look like little crowns :), and they complemented the gold dots on the candle holder I’d used.

The possible uses for this tree are endless—Valentine’s Day, Easter, really, any holiday, any brunch, any reception! I hope you build your “tree” often! I know I will. 

And as for the croquembouche? I might try it again. Experience (and help from the Internet/YouTube) will make it a lot easier. :)  Have you made a croquembouche? Did it work the first time, or do you have a story to share?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Three Kings Celebration

Well, our tree is still up, as are most of the Christmas decorations, because at our house, the Twelve Days of Christmas are very special, and yes, still part of Christmas. It’s a time when we slow down from the mad dash of the pre-Christmas activities that allows time for reflection. Though the anticipated high winds (and temps well below zero) forced us to bring some of the porch decorations inside, the indoor decorations remain at least through January 6th. When they’ll get put away is anybody’s guess :), because we haven’t even talked about it!

And, if you’re familiar with Chickadee Home Nest, you might recall that the Three Kings visit our home and leave {a few} more gifts for the little chickadees. That’s the way it was done in Cuba, and we want to carry the tradition on.

The last several years Mr. CHN and I have had a gathering at our home to celebrate the Three Kings’ arrival at the manger (you can see the 2012 post HERE).

Did you know the Three Kings are not named in the Bible? I need to look up where their names, Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar originated—does anyone out there know and can save me the research?

AND…

Did you know that there is no mention in the Bible of there being three? The three gifts are listed, but it could’ve been one, or twelve, or any number who came to honor Him and bow down at His side. 

Last year’s decorations for our Three Kings celebration were about jewel tones and large kings at the table. This year, the tone was set by the Mexican nativity scene my MIL and FIL gave us years ago~

Since I love the story of Jesus’s birth and the Three Kings following the star to reach Him, I love nativity scenes and have several, so I rotate them. This one was set out for Christmas 2012 (you can see it HERE), but it only came out for the Three Kings celebration this year.

 

  Last week Baby Love (the oldest chickadee) set Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar (from the unbreakable but lovely Fontanini set they play with) away from the nativity scene, since they hadn’t arrived yet.

 

At our Three Kings celebration each of the three oldest children was allowed to place one of the Three Kings back in the nativity scene.

 

We looked at pictures and talked about Baby Jesus’s birth and where He slept, how the Three Kings followed the bright star to find Him, their names, and the gifts they brought, then the food was served.

 

This was the setting before the food was presented.

 

The Reason for the Season.

In the background you can see Mary and Joseph’s detailed, hand-painted gowns. Such wonderful craftsmanship!

 

And here they are!

Melchior,

Gaspar,

and

Balthazar.

Aren’t their faces so sweet?

And now… Come on, everyone! The treats are served!

The menu was simple, and geared more to the children, but because I can only go along with so much junk food for the baby chickadees, we also had yogurt for them (hiding sweet little one’s face) and vegetables. Our almost-4 chickadee asked to sit in the high chair after the littlest was done and asked me if I would get him some vegetables! Yes!! :)

 

The idea for the Donut-Hole Tree came from One Charming Party, where she made it with regular donuts. (I’ll have the tutorial for my version next week perhaps?). It was a big hit visually as well as for the palate. The Donut-Hole Tree is surrounded by Rolos candies, because they look like small crowns.

We also served a variety of turrones (tiered server and to the right of the server), or nougat bars, that are made in Spain but were immensely popular in pre-Castro Cuba. They are the “little dessert” of choice in every Cuban family’s holiday gatherings. My mother’s friends in Florida still send them to her every year. As a hostess gift one guest brought individual guava pastries—we call them pastelitos de guayaba--(front) that were delish, and are always a welcome addition. (Unfortunately, I was a bit late taking pictures of the food, thus the empty plate to the left.)

 

The wood Crate and Barrel “vessel” was perfectly suited for this gold-yet-rustic table. After all, there was nothing fancy about Baby Jesus’s manger.

  Drinks were served at the bar setup…punch with crown ice mold, and Cuban hot chocolate (recipe will follow soon)! Remember Starbucks’ now-discontinued Chantico hot chocolate? I STILL miss it, but this is a worthy replacement, and I might add, worth every.single.calorie. To add a few more calories enhancements to it: Whipped cream made with my iSi whipper (you can read all about this favorite gadget HERE) and mini chocolate morsels served in the sugar scuttle.

 

The frozen juice ring was made with my Nordic pan, with dried apricots and Craisins as gemstones.

And before closing, a few more pictures of the Mexican nativity scene for your enjoyment ~

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

I WISH EACH OF YOU THE VERY BEST IN 2014!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Thursdays at http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

PS – Are any of you having trouble with Blogger’s search feature? I haven’t been able to search other blogs or my own.