Sometimes around the holidays all the red and green and gold can be overkill. How about this black and white oil cloth for a modern twist on a Holiday table cloth?
*image via bloomsburystore*
You can even purchase this by the meter, so no matter how big (or small) of a table your holiday feast will reside on, you can make sure it’s stylish!
It was a cold and rainy Sunday and I spent it being deliciously lazy. Lounged on the couch with the dog in my PJ’s all day long and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. Days like this always make me crave a comforting hot beverage like tea or cocoa, but nothing is better than a steaming mug of hot chocolate with a few marshmallows tossed in for good measure.
*All images via Whimsey & Spice*
These Marshmallows from Whimsey & Spice are just like the brand’s moniker. They come in a variety of fun and interesting flavors and their oversized shape is certainly whimsical. The company is a husband and wife duo based out of Brooklyn and their Marshmallow confections come in flavors like espresso, chocolate, cardamom, and rose vanilla.
I plan on ordering a few varieties and hope they arrive by December 25th. Wouldn’t these be great for Christmas morning coffee or in hot cocoa alongside after dinner dessert?
I was at a Holiday Party this weekend and several of the other guests were recently Engaged which got me thinking about my married friends and the upcoming holidays. How cute are these glasses from Furbish Studio? A perfect gift for some one in your life who’s recently gotten hitched!
I know it might seem like lately all I have is cocktails on the brain….and while maybe that’s partially true, I can’t help but think about hostessing around the Holidays. We love having people over and we have actually still never hosted an indoor Party at our new house, we always seem to be throwing BBQ’s. We’re hoping to get around to that this year (or at this rate next year) but In preparation Ive been planning it all out in my mind.
My brain is seeing a gorgeous punch in an equally gorgeous punch bowl. Yum.
I think its true that people gather in the kitchen and around the punch bowl, and since our kitchen is a little cut off from the main living areas, I prefer the idea of our guests gathered around a bowl of something delicious and pretty. All of these options are fairly reasonable so I’m having a hard time deciding which look to go with! Any preferences?
1.Fish Bowl Punch Set 2. PB Glass Punch Bowl 3. Virginia Punch Bowl
When My sister and I were in New York a few weekends back, we went to a members only old fashioned speak easy called Milk and Honey. Its a super exclusive hole in the wall, and we were lucky enough to snag one of their elusive reservations. One of the fun things they do is hand craft stunning cocktails in an old fashioned way, the tricky part is they have no menu. You simply describe what you feel like drinking to the cocktail waitress and she brings you a beverage. Aren’t these drinks gorgeous?
One of the drinks we ordered came with a singular over sized ice cube – which apparently keeps your drink colder with less dilution. Of course I just loved the look so much I had to recreate this at home.
I filled up an old plastic craft box that had built in dividers with water, and let it freeze overnight. To get the ice out of the container, I simply ran it under water and then left the box upside down on a dishtowel on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes until they slid right out. I then immediately placed them back in the freezer on a plate.
The cocktail its self is an attempt at a replication of one we enjoyed at Milk & Honey. It called for bourbon but I substituted with scotch since that’s what I had on hand. Along with it I created a syrup of sugar, lemon, lemon zest, fresh orange juice, ginger and honey. A glass of Scotch, a single over sized ice cube and a generous splash of the syrup is all that went in to this.
Syrup (enough for two cocktails):
3 tablespoons sugar
zest of a quarter of one lemon
One small piece of lemon flesh
a freshly squeezed half an orange
1 tablespoon honey
one small peice of peeled ginger
Place all of these ingredients in a small sauce pan, and add about a third of a cup water. Let everything simmer for 5 to 10 minutes then strain. Allow the syrup to cool, then mix with your spirit of choice, I think that it would mix well in many different ways – even in a glass of champagne!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend – and isn’t struggling as much as I am getting back to the grind this week! Luckily Christmas is right around the corner, and there’s nothing like a little holiday cheer to raise your spirits. Mike and I got the Christmas lights up on the house this weekend, and let me tell you – they bring a smile to my face every night when I pull up to the house after work. Its the little things in life.
Just some simple white string lights gave us the holiday sparkle we were looking for, It really adds that Holiday cheer don’t you think? Excuse the terrible Picture quality – I’m still trying to figure out my new Camera. We have yet to get our Christmas Tree, but we should be fixing that this weekend! Looking forward to tree decorating, spiked cider, and Christmas tunes.
