China Cabinet Metamorphosis to Christmas

One of my favorite things to do while playing house is to change the china cabinet.  Now that it's December, it's time to shift from the fall decorations (HERE) to Christmas.  But this year I had special reason to get it done, and here it is!

Chickadee dishes!!

I had been thinking about "winter" dishes (I already have the Lenox Holiday china--that's another post :) )

but I felt like "we" needed casual winter dishes (now, do you think the other half of "we" thought we needed more dishes?) While at TJ Maxx recently I spotted ONE little bowl waaayyy under a display of pots and pans (I think--I was too excited to notice!).  I scoured the store

for the rest, but only found one more bowl

and

a prize:

These chubby guys--salt & pepper shakers.
They needed a home, and don't you think
Chickadee Home Nest
is the perfect place for them?

I LOVE the hunt.  Can I find what I need?

The happy answer, after many calls for a couple of days, is

YES!!! 

So here is the transformation, from fall to Christmas.



I didn't want to go too fancy; I wanted a woodland, casual feel, so I gathered lots of natural elements:
nests, pinecones (okay, some are silver and glittery), a grapevine sleigh my youngest son bought
for "Mommy" when he was very young.
But I also wanted contrast, so I added reds and whites, and silver, to complement the colors of the dishes.



I made this centerpiece several years ago, but it usually goes on the piano or the dining room table.  I'd never
used it on the china cabinet, but it seemed the perfect addition to the chickadee/nature scene.

And guess who made himself right at home, right out of the Christmas decorations?

The pinecones are lit with the nifty battery-operated LED lights with a timer that I wrote
about HERE.

Let's peak inside for some of the details.

PB goblets from a couple of years ago.

You might recognize the arrangement in the red votive.  It's one of two that I made last Christmas.
I used the other one in my Pomander Tutorial (HERE).
The sweet nest is a gift from DH.  He put it in the tree a few Christmases ago with
a very special gift in it.

The silver Revere bowl holds a PB candle that I'll probably never burn--do you do that too?  Buy a candle and not burn it because it's too pretty? 
Next to it is another favorite Christmas decoration:
One of my real goose feather trees.

And here they are again.  Can you see that the rim is raised and nubby and textured like a real branch?
My crystal trees were a gift from my mother many years ago.  Love and cherish them too.



Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

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 Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

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

 Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

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

 Five Minutes Just for Me at http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com

 Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

 The Lettered Cottage at http://theletteredcottage.net/

Real Thanksgiving Table

The tables we set for "play"--or to post--are sometimes not real tables.  The centerpiece might be too tall, or too big to allow for the other necessities that must go on the table for a real dinner--bread baskets, pitchers, wine bottle coasters, butter dishes, etc., so this is a post about our "real" table.

Our big family dinner was at my brother's this year (at their log cabin--another post for another day).  The Friday after Thanksgiving has always been our day at home--with turkey and all the trimmings again--initially for our children and my parents, and now DILs and babies too.  It's a more relaxed day, and a more relaxed table--our "real" table. 

I used the pomanders I made a few weeks earlier (tutorial HERE) as the basis for the centerpiece.
The amber platter is a recent find at my first auction.  It's an old Tiara piece.  I'd never heard
of Tiara until then, and now I'm in love with this dish.  Perfect for fall.

I L.O.V.E. this flower pot.  My cousin gave it to me years ago; I wonder if she remembers?
I use it every year for fall decorating.
Earlier in the season I had it in the china cabinet (HERE)

I imagined these twig pumpkins long before I found them, so...
THE SEARCH WAS ON!
I found them at a $$ store, where I paid $2 for them...(how does that work?!)

The PGBs (Precious GrandBabies) had their own placesettings with their Royal Doulton Bunnykins

dishes and feather headband for full Thanksgiving effect.



I used white dinner plates as chargers, and though they're not large enough
to be chargers, they added a bit more ummmppphhh to the setting.

Dinner plates are Friendly Village, and the salad plates--I don't remember.



Somewhere along the line I decided that the pumpkins I had so much wanted
were covering up the turkey plates I so love, so I moved them to the top of the plate,
'where I could enjoy both.



The view from our front door--our glorious American flag x 2.

Then...Christmas arrived at our home.

Every year my husband comes home with 2, 3, 4, 5 poinsettias, and every

year I am surprised and thrilled to see him walk in carrying the first one, then

another, then another.  This year was more of a surprise, though, because he came home

with them earlier than usual--because he also brought one for my mother

and one for our DIL to take home with them.

So fall met Christmas...

and we're ready to transition to
the joys of the season.

Tell me, do you have "real" tables that are different from you posted tables?

From our nest to yours, I wish you a sweet and smooth transition into the Christmas season.~

    ~Zuni

Miscellaneous:

Napkins: Crate and Barrel

Table runner:  My pashmina

Goblets:  Pottery Barn many years ago

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  I'd love it if you would follow me; I promise to work hard to make your visits worthwhile.  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

 Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

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

 Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

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

 Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

 Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

 Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Cool Battery Christmas Lights

I was at Kroger today, hoping to find a small string of lights on a white cord to use on a wreath on our front porch.  No 30- or 50-light packages...only 100, and no white cord.

An employee working in that area asks me what I'm looking for, and nope, they don't have what I'm looking for.

I start to walk away and she says, "Have you seen these?"  No, I hadn't looked at that tiny little box hanging from one of those Mylar (?) strips.

Battery-operated, tiny LED lights--but here's the BEST part...
they have a timer built in!
(And another plus that will definitely come in handy--they can be
immersed in water!  How cool is that?!)

Yes!  I'll take them!  $5.24!  I could hardly wait till I got home from dinner at our son's and DIL's to check them out.

This picture shows how to open the battery compartment, because there are no instructions for that,
and it was NOT easy!  My husband carefully inserted a small screwdriver where we could
tell it would open, and pushed gently.

Look at that little, tiny strand and the teeny, tiny lights!
Would they be bright enough?
Would they work for the wreath?

Yes!  They ARE bright enough! (but short.  The box says it's 3 feet long,
but that must include the bare wire leading to the battery compartment and the compartment itself,
so if you buy these, plan accordingly to have enough length.)
I'll be at Kroger first thing in the morning to get more before they're sold out!

But aren't they oh, so pretty?!

 

Last week I posted a tutorial for pomanders HERE, where I inserted
battery-operated "candles" in the arrangement.  Those have to be turned on and off...
How, I wondered, would my new, nifty, tiny string of lights work
in the pomander arrangement?



PERFECTLY!!
And because they have a timer (do you think that feature is as cool as I do??)  they'll come on
in the evening and back off in six hours!
Love the timer feature!

What ideas do you have for how to use these fab lights? 
           Think they'll work in ICE?!  I'm thinking about how cool it would be to put them in a vase
              with water outside and let it freeze (the battery compartment can't be immersed). 
           Or how about just in a vase with flowers?
           Or in the china cabinet or bookcases?  The cord is virtually invisible, so versatile, they are!              
           Certainly they will be great on the wreaths on the porch, because with the timer there's no need to
                run a cord to a different timer.

I can't wait to hear your ideas on ways to use these nifty things!  Happy decorating!

(Or are you wondering if I've been living under a rock because I didn't go right out to look for these specifically?  I've seen immersible lights, but not this tiny, and certainly I wasn't thinking about how to
use them at Christmas when I saw them this past summer.)

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Oh, and I hope you'll follow me.  I promise to work hard to make your visits worthwhile.  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

 Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

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

 Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

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

 Five Minutes Just for Me at http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com/

 Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

 Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

 Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 

Best Whipped Cream--Ever!

My favorite holiday secret weapon in the kitchen?  My iSi Cream Whipper!  It never fails that when I serve this whipped cream my "taste testers" R-A-V-E about it! 

Plus it's a cool, cool gadget (pardon the pun :) ).

I have the Mini Whip, which holds 1/2 pint of cream.  Don't be misled by the "mini"--according to the iSi website, it makes
about 2 1/2 cups of whipped cream.  I'll trust the folks at iSi on how much it makes, because I've never run short.
 2 1/2 cups of whipped cream is a lot of {DELICIOUS} whipped cream.

With these yummy ingredients, how can it not be DELISH???

Here's the "recipe":
1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add all ingredients to the container.

If you would rather serve CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM (!!!)
simply add 2 tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa Powder to the recipe above,
and you have a delicious mousse!



The secret is in the "chargers"--that give the cream its volume.
(And I DO mean secret--I don't know what the chargers contain, but they surely do the trick!)



And it really IS this easy...
1 - Add your ingredients
2 - Attach the charger (and the spout)
Well...there is one more step--shake a few times, and...
3 - ...Serve!

Serve and impress!

Now, wouldn't you just LOOOVVVE to find one of these under the Christmas tree this year?
Or better yet, why not gift it to yourself before the holidays, so you can use it at every party?

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

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 Home Savvy A to Z Monday party at http://www.homesavvyatoz.com/savvy-homemade-monday-13/

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 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 Debbie’s Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Marty's Table Top Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

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

 Courtney’s, Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Honey's Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

 Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
 Five Minutes Just for Me ar http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com/
and

 StoneGable for On the Menu Monday

 Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Mandy’s Recipe Box

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Pomander Tutorial

In Medieval times pomanders were small vessels filled with musk and other scents that were carried or worn, in the belief that they would ward off infection and to mask odors.  Later, Colonial housewives used fruit to make them to scent their homes.

Today, in a world of artificial scents from sprays, candles, and oils, the Colonial version of pomanders is a wonderful, natural alternative.  Their citrus/spicy scent is parrticulalry nice during the Christmas holidays, and they make lovely gifts for teachers, neighbors, and your favorite barista at Starbucks, but don't wait until the last minute to make them, because they require one or two weeks of drying time.  Once dried/cured, they will last for several years.

ITEMS NEEDED TO MAKE POMANDERS:
    *  Oranges, apples, and/or lemons
    *  Cloves (Amount depends on how many  you are making.  They can be purchased in bulk,
         but I had plenty left in the small can I used to make 9 pomanders.)
    *  Ice pick, toothpick, or other pointed tool
    *  Zester/scorer tool (mine is from Pampered Chef and it works beautifully)

You might want to mark your design where the cloves will go.
Depending on the size of your cloves, you will make the holes large enough to make them
easy to insert, but not so large that they won't stay in.

You can also use a zester/scorer to make interesting designs before adding the cloves.

I like to save the zest "tendrils," because they will add interest to the final display.

Set the finished pomanders in a cool, dry place for one to two weeks.
In colder climates the screend porch is a good place unless
it gets too cold, as they shouldn't freeze. 
The garage is also a good option.

The items I used for the arrangement were things I already had around the house:
Fitz and Floyd bowl (pattern unknown);
A small pinecone-and-greenery arrangement in a red votive cup I made a year or two ago;
Miscellaenous pieces of greenery and pinecones;
Battery-operated candles.

These pomanders aren't dry yet, but I couldn't resist the urge to see the finished product, so I put it
together then dismantled it to allow them to dry before I put the arrangement together again.
If you look carefully you will see battery-operated votives tucked in the arrangement,
which adds a lovely glow.

Have you ever made pomanders?  How long did they last?  I'd love to hear how they were received if
you gave them as gifts.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them, and they encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

Carrie’s Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

Home Savvy A to Z Monday party at http://www.homesavvyatoz.com/savvy-homemade-monday-13/

 Susan’s Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 Debbie’s Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Marty's Table Top Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Susan's Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

 Courtney’s, Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Honey's Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Bejeweled Thanksgiving

This past summer I was on Cloud Nine when I found a set of 8 beautiful Limoges plates at Powell Antiques close to home.  And now...[drumroll please]....here they are!  Their debut to Blogland!



Eight plates, two of each of four patterns.
Through my research I can't find a pattern name...
I'll name them EXQUISITE--aren't they?


My first thought was the expected thought--"I can't wait till Easter/spring to use them!" Then other fall and Thanksgiving posts using non-fall china challenged me to use them NOW!

The inspiration finally came--from the most unexpected place and item:  Kroger Marketplace & bargain placemats in a BEAUTIFUL, RICH, SHIMMERY purple!

OK...I'm making this a smmmmaaaalll picture, because, REALLY?! $.79 placemats for LIMOGES?!!

But I love them!  I love that they're shimmery and a beautiful shade of purple, or...
let's call them AUBERGINE--that makes them FANCY!

I already have aubergine napkins that I blogged about and how they came into my life HERE.  Though they're not the exact shade, I now have the placemats to work with too!

Here's the table:

I decided to create a second runner with the placemats by layering them on top of the gold linen runner,
 and not use them at all four place settings.
The centerpiece is the last HURRAH for the roses I dried from our son's wedding HERE.  I got
a month's worth of enjoyment and lots of pictures/memories from those beautiful roses.

Instead of traditional placecard holders I used our Lenox Eternal cream soup bowls with a dried rose at each place.
Amazingly, the colors of the dried roses were perfect for the setting!

The layers:
Lenox Eternal charger
Limoges dinner plate
Heritage (by Federal) Depression glass salad plate
Lenox Eternal cream soup bowl and and stand/plate










Dried Wedding Roses and Crystal
(Berwick juice/cocktail cups)



Color is so amazing, isn't it? Same dishes, yet the setting looks so different
with different backgrounds.
The Heritage salad plate not only adds texture, but it also plays with the
colors of the Limoges plates.



And finally...the LIMOGES plates.  Ta-dah!






Coffee service at the china cabinet/buffet~

Lenox Eternal cups and coffeepot
1847 Rogers Brothers Columbia silver spoons--a {WONDERFUL} hostess gift from my SIL
Crystal server bowl...pattern not known.  (Can anyone help me on that?)
Vintage napkins from my linen collection.








Other pieces:
Water goblets ~ Pottery Barn
Wine goblets ~ Pristine, by Reizart/Gorham
Gold linen table runner with velvet trim ~ Pottery Barn
Gold linen tablecloth ~ Don't remember
Gold flatware ~ gift from my dear grandmother, years ago
Oval s/p tray ~ GW find
Brass candlestick ~ Baldwin Brass
Crystal candlesticks ~ Various/unknown

So...was I able to convert my spring Limoges to fall?

Would you like to be invited to this Thanksgiving table? (I'd love to have you visit!)

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

 Carrie’s Amaze Me Monday at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/

 Home Savvy A to Z Monday party at http://www.homesavvyatoz.com/savvy-homemade-monday-13/

 Susan’s Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 Debbie’s Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Marty's Table Top Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

 Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ 

 Susan's Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

 Courtney’s, Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Honey's Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

 Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com