No Idle Hands Here

I've been a busy little bee whipping up decorations for Christmas. I have to give myself a little pat on the back because they are stinking cute!

Stars were made following these directions and hearts following these.

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A Red, White, & Kraft Folk Holiday

I've decided to switch up my Christmas decor this year. I've stayed true to my simple white and silver theme for several years but it's time for a change. With so much beautiful inspiration on the interwebs it's difficult to not want to try something new.

happy home - heartzeena - ikea

Christmas in my home this year will be all red & white with a folk art feel and a little bit of kraft (or maybe greige or taupe) thrown in for good measure.

creature comforts

The kraft color will come from my gift wrap and some natural wood elements sprinkled throughout.

happy home - cicada studio

I have a bunch of decor projects in the works which I will of course be sharing with you soon.

creature comforts

I even have a DIY project to share that will be simple for you to recreate at home so stay tuned!

alexander girard - petits details

Now that Thanksgiving as come, been ejoyed, and gone it's time to officially kick off the Christmas season. Ho, Ho, Ho!

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Let's Chat: Holiday Traditions & A Few Tips

It's just two days until the big meal will be on the able, just one more day until I need to start preparing it, my house is as clean as it's ever going to be, and I've got my table setting all planned out. I thought it would be nice to take a break from all this preparation and chat about holiday traditions.

This is the pan within which my turkey will be roasting. It was my grandmother's roasting pan. My mother used this pan to roast turkey for all of the Thanksgiving dinners she hosted and it has been with me for the past three years. That pan has seen many generations of Thanksgiving meals and I'm sure will be around to see many more. Do you have an old faithful that comes out of the cupboard for every big meal? How about a recipe that you must make every Thanksgiving?

Here's a corny little story that has basically become a family tradition. We always serve artichokes for Thanksgiving and it must be said by at least one person every year - "It might choked Artie but it ain't gonna choke Stymie!" Every year! It's from the Little Rascals and it's a joke my grandfather loved to tell so we have to keep the tradition going. I'd love the hear some of your family's silly traditions.

I have a few tips to share to keep you as sane as possible during your Thanksgiving preparation. *Do as much as can ahead of time - pictured above is my coffee station. I set that up Sunday afternoon which means it one last thing I have to think about on Thursday. I set up this area because I have a pretty small kitchen so this frees up valuable counter space. All of my servings utensils are gathered and cleaned. This might sound a little OCD but I like to pull out all of my serving dishes and label each with a post it of what is going to be served in it. Anything I can do ahead of time that means I don't have to think on Thursday is worth it! Please share some of your tips for remaining sane during the holidays. I can use all of the help I can get :)

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Thanksgiving Table Setting & A Free Download

I did a quick trial run of the Thanksgiving table last night and I decided to keep it casual this year. This holiday is all about the food so I'll let the golden brown roasted turkey be our centerpiece.

The white pumpkins were scored on Halloween day so they were practically giving them away. The little leaf place cards (not so little in relation to the pumpkins :) whipped in photoshop make a sweet place setting and favor.

And in case you'd like to create something similar here's a pdf for you to print out and enjoy. Maybe you'll come up with a totally new use for them, if you do please share.

Click the image above or here to download the Thanksgiving place cards.

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Inspiration for your Turkey Day Decor

Any other Thanksgiving host and hostesses out there starting feel the panic set in? I know I am. I was cool as a cucumber until this morning when I started to make my list of all the things I need to accomplish this weekend. Luckily I will be armed with my well organized Meal Planner when I hit the grocery store first thing tomorrow morning. Did you download your copy yet? It's a real life saver I promise.

I pulled together some inspiration from previous Thanksgiving themed posts to help to plan your holiday decor. This evening I will be doing a trial run of my table setting and will share that along with another fun free download with you this weekend.

* Table setting (I refuse to use the term "Tablescape") inspiration

* Free download: Place Card/Napkin Wraps

* Simple floral centerpiece ideas

* Fall inspired paper garlands

I will be driving up to the Plaid Piper Farm in Branchville, NJ on Sunday to pick up my turkey. This is the first year that I'll serve my guests a locally raised, free range turkey and I feel really good about it. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I'll share one thing I'm thankful for - I live in a place were I have both easy access to NYC and can hop in my car and drive to a free range farm where I get my food directly from the farmer who raises it. Sometimes New Jersey isn't half bad. Want to share one thing you're thankful for this year?

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Tasteworthy: Seitan Stroganoff

It's heading into that time of year when the air feels crisp and you start to crave warm and comforting foods. In steps the Holiday 2010 issue of Sweet Paul Magazine to satisfy those cravings. It's stunning, as always, with guest features from Uncle Beefy (aka Bradford) and Will of Bright Bizaar I recommend checking it out.

The beef stroganoff recipe caught my attention immediately and with a few simple tweaks for this new vegetarian I had a yummy, comforting, and satisfying dinner. You might even be able to trick a meat eater with this one.

Seitan Stroganoff

serves 6 hungry folks

Ingredients:

2-8 oz. packages of cubed Seitan, cut into 1" chunks (available at Whole Foods)

Salt & pepper to taste

3 tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

2-8 oz. packages of sliced baby bella mushrooms ('cause I'm lazy)

1 tbsp flour

2 c. vegetable broth

1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 c sour cream (if you don't eat dairy try using something like Tofutti's Sour Supreme)

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill


Instructions:

Season seitan with pepper and brown in butter for a few minutes on all sides. You my need to do this in a few batches. Remove seitan from pan and add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Season with salt to taste. Saute until onions become soft then stir in flour. Add broth, stir well, and simmer for approximately 10 - 12 minutes. Add seitan back to the pan with the dijon mustard and sugar. Simmer for another 5 - 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add sour cream and dill. Heat through but do not cook the sour cream. Serve over a bed or egg (or egg-less) noddles.

Yum.

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Foxy Wedding Guest Ensemble for a Song

I have a family wedding coming up a few weeks before Christmas and I'm stumped about what to wear. I have my go to dresses but I've worn them to several weddings already and I'm sort of over them. I did some virtual shopping at my favorite cheap haunts to see what I could put together for under $100.

dress - earrings - lipstick - ring - shoes

dress - belt - lipstick - bracelet - fishnets - shoes

dress - clutch - ring - lipstick - earrings - shoes

Thoughts? Opinions? I'm leaning toward the olive dress but I've never worn a short dress to a wedding, think it can work? A cute cropped tuxedo jacket might make it feel more evening. I'm open for suggestions so feel free to send them my way.

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Be Prepared to Be Jealous

This gorgeous piece of mid century bedroom furniture now lives in my home.

And this highboy came along with it.


As did two of these awesome night stands,



a headboard, and two really neat hourglass shaped mirrors. This was my birthday gift, could you die? I almost did, Nick really hit it out the park.

This mid-century furniture set is from my favorite local shop, Semplice, who has recently created The Vintage Co-Op. The Vintage Co-Op is a collaboration between Semplice and Jerry's Antiques & Estates to bring seek out flea market finds and estate sale gems with a modern point of view.

In the second photo you get glimpse of the Paris in Gray set from Little Brown Pen, there is a better view of the set here.

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Real Estate Stalking: Maplewood, NJ

This afternoon I'm actually stalking a home that is attainable. It's not a million dollars and It's not in London or Paris. You're probably thinking, "Where's the fun it that?" but honestly guys, how cute is this house?

Wouldn't you smile every day when you approached that adorable peaked entry? I would. The best thing about this house is that the interior is just as perfect as the exterior. I would certainly change a bunch of things about it because that's what I do but that doesn't mean I don't still love it. I also have to give a big thumbs up to the homeowners for cleaning their house and hiding all of their crap before having photographs of their home taken. It's so refreshing to see a real estate listing for a home that is neat, clean, and clutter free.

The flow of house is great. It feels really bright and open which is no doubt due to the abundance of large windows. Ready to hear the things that I would like to change? The fireplace definitely needs to be painted. I would probably paint the brick a light gray and the firebox matte black. I might want to floors redone but I haven't completely decided. From what I can see in the photos they are in excellent condition but they are too orange and shiny for my taste. I'd like them to be a walnutty brown (but not to dark) with an oiled instead of poly finish but I'm not sure it would be worth the huge mess that the project would create. And don't shoot me but, I would paint the wood trim. All of it. In the entire house. It's more orange than the floor and I don't think I could live with it. Plus look how nice it looks painted in an upstairs bedroom:


You agree with me now, right? Another thing I love about this house, the kitchen:

Sure it's pretty out dated and doesn't look like anything too special but it's clean, functional, and spacious. I could live with it in this state for a long time before I got any ideas about renovating. It could use a few tweaks. I think if you got rid of that crazy orange paint, replaced the counter top with a butcher block, added a farm house sink, and got rid of those black appliance you could be pretty happy in this kitchen. Plus it has a window over the sink which is probably going to be a deal breaker when it comes time for me to buy a house. Silly, I know but we all have our things.

I fell in love with a few other details. A three season sunroom with a beadboard ceiling that I would NOT paint:

And I even love this odd attic space:

I wouldn't even bother taking the paneling down. I would just paint the entire room white (except maybe those two wooden cubbies), tear up the fug carpet, and install inexpensive plywood flooring to make the place look all Scandinavian like. You'd love it I promise.

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Free Download: Thanksgiving Meal Planner

It's been awhile since I've done whipped up a free download and forgot how much I enjoyed putting them together. This meal planner is as much for all of you as it is for me. I'm the Thanksgiving dinner host in my family and my head has been swirling with ideas for the meal. I know I need to get it all down on paper before I forget some of things that I want to make. The meal planning process will be just a little it more enjoyable with this pretty worksheet.

Download your free Thanksgiving Meal Planner here

Consider this a little gift from me to you and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Stay tuned because I will be sharing a Thanksgiving dinner table decor project soon.

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Visit Local: Warwick, NY & The Hudson Valley Wineries

So Friday I turned 30. Yup, it happened. Unlike my fellow fabulous Scorpio Cassandra, there was no fan fare here on the blog. I just quietly let it happen. The few years leading up to 30 I was one of those, "What's the big deal, it's just another year?" people but as the date approached that definitely changed. I won't go into all of my turning 30 angst, I'm sure there are many of you out there who get it. Lets chat about a fun weekend getaway instead, shall we?

I love to travel but like many I'm limited by available vacation time, funds, etc. which means I usually get to take one or perhaps two long distance trips a year. That is definitely not enough for me. To satisfy my wanderlust I've been wanting to do more local traveling so as a great way to kick off my 30th year my boyfriend and I (and Milo) spent the weekend in the Hudson Valley.

After only about an hour in the car our adventure started on a portion of the Appalachian Trail that traverses the ridge of Bellvale Mountain, part of the Sterling Forest State Park. I think we might have been one week past peak fall foliage for the area but the views of Greenwood Lake from the ridge were pretty fantastic. This a 7 mile section of the trail but we only hiked about 3 miles in and then hoofed it back to the car. The trail is clearly marked however there are sections of exposed rock and some moderately steep climbs/descents so I would consider this an intermediate hike. Also, make sure the do a thorough tick check post hike. Milo had a stage 5 clinger but he was a good sport as I yanked it off of him.

We stayed at what I think might be the only dog friendly Bed & Breakfast in the area, Meadowlark Farm. Charming is definitely the word for this place. With only three guest rooms you feel more like your spending the night at a distant relative's home than a B&B. The host and owner Dorothy is very warm and is a great resource of things to see and do. The king suite was lovely and had a private bath (with not so great shower pressure) and a comfortable seating area.

The B&B is only about 10 minutes for the Village of Warwick which is again charming and quaint and all of those lovely things. There's a nice variety of restaurants but were pretty pooped after the hike we so we had a casual meal at an Irish pub. Big thumbs up to the Blarney Station for offer vegetarian versions of French onion soup And Shepard's pie. After dinner we enjoyed our first drive-in movie (thanks to a tip from Dorothy) located about 5 miles outside of the village center.

a few more photos from the trip

Sunday we had a casual lunch in Sugar Loaf, NY. Don't let the website fool you it's even quainter than the Warwick downtown but it's worth a quick visit and a stroll. If you go check out The Candle Shop. They only sell one candle scent, the Sugar Loaf scented candle, in a bunch of shapes and sizes. The shop owners are as adorable as their little shop and you can watch them make the candles while you shop.

The Hudson Valley is home to about 25 small to medium scale wineries most of which are open to the public for tastings and tours. In the vicinity of Warwick is the Swanagunk Wine Trail 11 wineries nestled between the Shawangunk Mountains and the Hudson River. Our pace was set to leisurely so we only visited two of the wineries along this trail, Applewood Winery and Warwick Valley, but we tasted some great wines and enjoyed the drive through the countryside. I'm eager to plan a return visit in the Spring with a group of friends so we can hit up more of the wineries along the trail.

I loved this local trip and will definitely be planning more for the near future. Do you travel local? What are some of your favorite nearby places to visit? I would love some recommendations so please share!

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Sweet Paul Goodies for Sale

The lovely Sweet Paul, master of the elegant craft and divine food styling, is drowning in props which is lucky for us because he's clearing out his stash.


New items will be added to the shop each week so check back often to see what goodies are available.

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