Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Set the table, please. Okay, so you've had your practice run on Thanksgiving, and now you'll be a pro at setting your table for your Christmas and Holiday meals.

(our Thanksgiving table top)

eed a little help setting your table? Our lives have become pretty fast paced, and since 'TV' dinners and fast food are the norm for some, it is easy to forget how to set a table and the proper place setting of tableware and cutlery. Here is a quick refresher guaranteed to take the stress out of setting the perfect table!

top row from <--- left to right --->
•Bread plate with butter knife (top left of dinner plate)
•Coffee cup (top right of dinner plate)
•Water glass
•Wine glass
 
bottom row from <--- left to right --->
•Salad fork
•Dinner fork
•Dessert fork
•Dinner plate with salad or soup bowl on it
•Knife
•Small spoon
•Soup spoon
   
And for further table setting guidance, here is a short and helpful video to help get you started!
My Home Ideas Video ::How to Set a Table::

So you've set your table...need help styling it? Contact me {jamigoldsmith@yahoo.com} for all your Holiday decorating needs! If you're looking for a few ideas to get you started or maybe a full-home Holiday makeover, I've got you covered.

Daily Drop Cap

Thanksgiving recap

hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Nick & I hosted Thanksgiving this year and had a lovely time cooking, eating, drinking and spending time with family. (Johnny & June enjoyed some left overs too!). Good luck to all of you shopping on Black Friday and enjoy the rest of your weekends!

Happy Thanksgiving

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

―Luciano Pavarotti

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and missing you all in Minnesota!

I better start cooking...

photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

Wednesday (Thanksgiving) Weekend Warm Up

ere is one more pumpkin inspired cocktail recipe to conclude my Autumn drink line-up (on to Christmas cocktails next week!). This one requires a blender, but is simple to make and will be a smashing hit at your Thanksgiving get together! Add these ingredients to your Thanksgiving grocery list and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 part Kahlua

1 part spiced pumpkin pie filling
2 parts coconut rum
4 parts milk
6 ice cubes
graham crackers and cinnamon to garnish

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender on high

Serve in a graham cracker crust rimmed highball glass
Spinkle with cinnamon

from: Food Vu, Daily Drop Cap

{Tuesday Thoughts}

"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day."

-Irv Kupcinet

from: Real Simple

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Lighting the Dining Room

Are you planning on entertaining for the holidays? Take a look at the lighting in your dining room. Does it fit the bill? 

If not, call your electrician! Here are some lighting tips I found from Real Simple, by Joyce Bautista.

“People’s biggest mistake with the dining room is getting all their light from overhead sources,” says New York City–based interior designer Bunny Williams. “It’s cold and not intimate.” She suggests counteracting this effect by dimming chandeliers and pendants to mimic the effect of candlelight.

Create a Centerpiece. If it’s too low, your hanging light will distract your guests. Too high and it will seem disconnected from the table. Ideally, the bottom of a chandelier or a pendant should be about 30 inches above the tabletop, says Ace Hardware spokesman Lou Manfredini.

Strike a Balance. “To give some sense of the room outside that central pyramid of light, punctuate the walls with sconces,” advises Bentel. (Candlestick lamps on a sideboard work, too.) Sconces should be mounted between 5½ and 6 feet high on the wall, says Williams. 

photo by: Jeff McNamara, info from: Real Simple,

Fresh Find Friday!

asy Thanksgiving centerpieces that anyone can create! As you all know, we are hosting Thanksgiving again this year and as much as I like to cook and entertain, I enjoy decorating far more. I've realized that I've spent more time on the internet this week looking for a perfect centerpiece rather than that perfect turkey recipe. (I'll save that for next week!)

These centerpieces have made it into my "Final Three". The first one has my vote. Which is your favorite?

Pumpkin Candle Centerpiece

~ pumpkin ~ candle ~ berry sprigs ~

Natural Table Runner

~ gourds ~ double faced ribbon ~ bittersweet stem ~

Corn & Candles

~ candle ~ dried corn ~ clear glass jar~

centerpiece ideas from: Better Homes & Gardens, Daily Drop Cap

chocolate + chartreuse = winning color combo

Today's winning color combination has been inspiring by my recent winning of

"CHOCOLATE A LOVE STORY"

from the peeps over at Beach Brights. (LOVE THEM!) I'm especially excited to receive this awesome book just in time for the holidays, as we'll be hosting Thanksgiving this year for the second time in a row!

"The touches of white are what make the chocolate brown work, keeping the room from feeling too much like a men's club. The contrast between the white furniture, white accessories, and brown walls is lively and chic."

"Chartreuse green, pulled from the artwork and repeated on the sofa cushions, adds an invigorating punch of color. The Persian rug brings an important element of pattern into the room. "

room from: My Home Ideas, Rosanna American Bungalow White Mini Vase Set, rug: Emmett Eiland's, pillow: Crate and Barrel

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

Marvelous Mulled Wine

by Stephen Phillips

enturies-old, mulled wine is a delightfully festive alternative to wine by the glass for a fall dinner party or celebration. Infuse Cabernet Sauvignon with sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks, then top it off with port and brandy. Remember the ladle, and you're ready to enjoy this centuries-old delight.



Ingredients:

• 2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12 whole cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups port (a sweet Portuguese wine)
• 2 cups brandy

Preparation:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the port and brandy, into a large copper or cast-iron pot (not aluminum). Simmer while stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add port and brandy.
4. Heat for 30 seconds.
5. Pour all into a large heat-resistant bowl or leave it in the pot.

from: Fine Living, Daily Drop Cap

{Tuesday Thoughts}

great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.  ―Dave Meurer

from: Real Simple, photo by: Joshua Paul, Daily Drop Cap

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

ecorating tips for your living room. These Makeover Monday ideas come from Real Simple this week. Here are a few simple and easy ideas to liven up your living room without breaking the bank!

photo by: Ngoc Minh Ngo

"Craft an instant end table with a stacked set of your favorite reads."

If you don't already own books such as these, you could stop by your local thrift store and pick up a couple handfuls. Choose books with colors that go well together like these above.

photo by: Mark Lund

"Give emphasis to a neutral room by adding a few smart hits of color."

If you have a neutral palette to work with, such as this one above, adding a few hits of color can be as easy as adding a couple colorful throw pillows, a potted plant and a couple of matching vases.

photo by: Mikkel Vang

"Highlight rich colors, such as chocolate brown and soft purples, by placing them against a backdrop of white."

Rich colors such as these, stand out the best and have the most impact when they have a white background to back them up. Let your colorful focal pieces shine by giving them a white back drop.

from: Real Simple, Daily Drop Cap

Fresh Find Friday!

Be careful today, it's Friday the 13th!

his Friday's Fresh Find comes from The Kiwi Tree, which I found over at Lis Loves (love her blog)! The Kiwi's Tree specializes in greeting cards and let me tell you, I laughed out loud (quite a bit) as I scrolled through their selection. Just take a look!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny, clever and straight to the point! Their products are available in select retail stores and online. You can keep up with the girls from the The Kiwi Tree on their Blog!

Today, I'd also like to send a big thank you to

Miss Brown Eyed Belle

for awarding me the

Thanks, BeB!

ndigo + tangerine: Opposites on the color wheel, indigo and tangerine are the perfect color combination to awaken the senses and perk up a dull palette.

If you're looking for a new color scheme for your home, take a look at the color wheel. Colors that are opposite each other are complimentary colors and work well together. The indigo + tangerine combo offers high contrast and draws maximum attention!

Drop Cap, room from: decor pad, white formosa tray from CB2, orange and cobalt bowls from Etsy

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

ere's your warm up for the weekend:

Pumpkin Martini
"The Pumpkin Martini has long been a favorite cocktail for fall. Although it has recently become difficult, well impossible, to find pumpkin schnapps or any pumpkin liqueur. Until another pumpkin liqueur comes on the market again you can substitute pumpkin spice syrup or pumpkin puree."

Ingredients:
•1/2 oz Sylk Cream Liqueur
•2 oz vanilla vodka
•1/2 oz pumpkin liqueur or pumpkin spice syrup
•1 tsp whipped cream
•cinnamon stick for garnish
Preparation:
1.Pour the Sylk Liqueur and vodka into a shaker filled with ice.
2.Shake well.
3.Add the pumpkin liqueur or syrup.
4.Shake again.
5.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
6.Top with a teaspoon of whipped cream.
7.Garnish with a cinnamon stick
from: About.com:Cocktails

{Tuesday Thoughts}

"Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.”
―Mary Kay Ash

from: Real Simple, photo: James Baigrie

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

I got this tip from the Home & Family Network as I was browsing inspiration images for an upcoming project. This is a really simple tip that anyone can achieve in their home.






ll the Trimmings

"Painting is one of the quickest and most dramatic ways to add personality to a room. If you choose a different color for each room, however, you run the risk of sacrificing a sense of cohesiveness. When decorating with color, one effective interior decorating idea is to:

*use the same color for all of the trim, doors, and ceilings throughout your entire home*

This helps to achieve a sense of continuity from one room to the next. Choose a neutral color, such as a smooth white, that complements your home’s décor and strikes a pleasing contrast to all of your paint colors."


See? Simple and easy, right?!