Category Archives: Decorations

Scandinavian Thanksgiving Table Decorations

Posted on by November 20, 2015

Scandinavian Thanksgiving Table Decorations were all about letting small lights reflect off of coppery metal and etched glass. The party started with late afternoon light slanting in through our West windows bringing lots of attention to the glassware and it’s shape and texture. But the centerpieces popped and came alive as the sun slipped low over the city. The copper baskets and balls were ablaze with tiny lights and the glass balls and Christmas lights on the rafters created a gentle glow. It was bright enough to leave the lights off, but dim enough to create an elegant dinner party atmosphere and hide the creases on the tablecloths. What can I say? I just never made it to the ironing. Over the years I’ve collected lots of flatware, china and stemware, and I love that it all sort of goes together, sort of is mix and match and it was a definite focus of these Scandinavian Thanksgiving Table Decorations. I prefer pairing the antique striped French wine glasses I have with tall etched glass water goblets and polka-dotted champagne coupes. The different heights and styles of glasses create lots of visual intrigue. And check out the vase filled with a … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Invitations for Scandinavian Menu

Posted on by November 19, 2015

I want to share with you my Thanksgiving Invitations for Scandinavian Menu. The decoration scheme for my Scandinavian Thanksgiving was all about earth tones and metallics. I used copper baskets and lights, moss, gilded eucalyptus leaves and seeds, and brown and green glass milk balls to set the scene for my Scandinavian Fall flavors theme. Long before guests arrived, my planning was underway. I started menu prep in August, as I always do. Testing started in September and then of course it was time to make the invitations. I used stamps and wrote out by hand the custom invitations and sent them out weeks in advance to try to ensure maximum attendance. The muted paper let the acorns and oak leaves pop on the page and the blue oak leaf was my little nod to the Swedish influence. I love taking the time to make homemade invitations every year. It’s usually a rainy afternoon’s work, but I love letting my guests know that they’re being invited to a very special event. Of course, if you’re not up for all of that, even using a stamp on the back of the envelope of a store-bought envelope can set it apart and … Continue reading →

Daisy Crowns for Midsommars

Posted on by June 25, 2015

Growing up in a Scandinavian community, especially a Northern one that can relate to the Scandinavian obsession with light and sun, you learn about the importance of Midsommar’s Eve. With the special night comes essential Daisy Crowns for Midsommar’s. While of course you can make your crowns with any flowers, my dad cut us a giant bucket full of daisies, which I thought were perfect for the occasion. Their sunny centers decorated our drizzly night and the sturdy but pliable stalks made for easy braiding for first time wreathe makers. I have always carried with me that the wreathes are important to wear throughout the party, late into the night, until it’s time to dance and sing around the fire. We always burned the wreathes just before we put the fire out and headed to bed to keep the witches away. As I researched this tradition before I wrote this post, I discovered that perhaps this particular purpose (fear of witches) was specific to my family and friends. I definitely found lots of evidence that they are traditionally burned late at night, but nothing about the witches. Perhaps a reader will have further insight into the origin of burning the wreathes? Whatever the purpose, the … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday Dempsey Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Posted on by February 24, 2015

I’m really excited to share with you this Happy Birthday Dempsey Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. Today, my nephew Dempsey was born very early in the morning, just about 23 minutes too late to share his birthday with his father, my brother Ivan. Because we don’t know what Dempsey likes yet, and since he can’t eat cake, I made this Happy Birthday Dempsey Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake with his father’s birthday in mind. My brother loves the Peanut Butter and Chocolate combo, so I decided to make one of my favorite old standby recipes from Ina Garten in honor of both Dempsey and Ivan. Truth told, Dempsey came before I had a chance to go grocery shopping so I wanted a recipe I could make with things I had on hand. You will notice that I’ve varied the original recipe to accommodate some leftover Snowstorm Hot Chocolate. I thought it would be fun to share how I substitute and alternate to use up leftovers, but if you don’t have Snowstorm Hot Chocolate on hand or don’t want to make it, it’s really easy to make the cake without it. I do recommend using melted chocolate, rather than cocoa powder because it’s … Continue reading →

Fall Centerpieces in Blues and Rusts

Posted on by October 25, 2014

One of my favorite things about flower arrangement, is letting the vase impact the shape and scope of the piece. Last Friday, I staged a photo shoot for my Thanksgiving Pie Project, (more to come on that SOON!) and in the process purchased bunches of flowers in blues and rusts. Because I wanted lots of different textures, I ended up with plenty of flowers to make about five different arrangements. I always pull out all of my vases and start building from there. The flowers and vases will guide you to make balanced and pleasing shapes. And then you can give some to nearby friends and family, or fill your house with flowers. Here’s what when in my cart: Purple and Blue: Stock, Lisianthus, Statice, Delphinium Rust: Amaranth, Cockscomb, Eucalyptus Lower vases lend themselves to more dense arrangements. I love the impact of the intense blue of the delphiniums, orange of the cockscomb and purple stock next to each other in this closeup. I love this shot that highlights the architecture of the rust amaranth and the seeds of the eucalyptus.In my largest vase, I wanted to break up the square effect of the vase, so I had sprays of … Continue reading →

Old Fashioned Croquet Party Décor

Posted on by June 11, 2015

Full disclosure, the Old Fashioned Croquet Party started with my desire to shoot a garden party in my parent’s garden. It’s incredibly beautiful and I knew that late June would be a wonderful time in terms of the garden being in full bloom. Next came assembling my friends. It’s important to have a game or activity to keep people happy when you’re going to be making them take photos and stand around, especially if lots of your guests a tiny humans. Croquet seemed perfect to me, and came with the added bonus of providing a natural menu theme and dress code. Croquet is traditionally played in all white, and there’s nothing like monochromatic coordination to make your friends and family look fancy and formal. It doesn’t hurt that all the white really stood out against the dramatic green of the lawn and surrounding garden. And since Croquet originated in France, a slightly French menu felt natural. Finally, it was time to style the table and the food. Fortunately, we were staying with my parents and they’re both natural collectors of beautiful things (have you wondered where I inherited a pathological send of needing many sets of wine glasses?), so I had … Continue reading →

Croquet Tournament

Posted on by October 25, 2014

The croquet party was a huge success. We all looked amazing in our dress whites. It was a wonderful day of family and friends, in the beautiful setting where Marc and I married, EIGHT! years ago, in my parents’ garden. We were joined by many of the family and friends who supported us then, and now. I feel blessed to have so many people who were willing to hit thrift stores for baby whites, get all dolled up in the middle of the afternoon, and wear white to a garden party. But it was worth it. We looked good. Ladies… And gentlemen. Hudson stole the show… and the wickets.  And then the tournament began. Hydration was essential. Things got intense. Marc needed to take a break. Fortunately Hudson shared his bench.Susan was full of useful croquet lessons. And plating lessons. Things got intense off the course as well, with a competitive plating.  I declared a tie in the name of peace, happiness and a job well done.Somehow, Susan managed to finish the course, despite the fact that everyone kept sending her into the woods. And of course, we had a wonderful day, after all, everyone like mallets and a game … Continue reading →

Peony Season Table Setting

Posted on by October 25, 2014

This June, our vases and bowls have been devoted to Peonies. I love them so. I love watching them day after day, transforming from one stunning shade and shape to the next. I love them when they’re a tight bundle of petals and I’m waiting, hoping they have big plans to open. I love them when they’re all the way open with just a touch of wilt to them, and the petals begin to fall off, gracefully, one at a time, until you try to pick them up to thrown them away and then, whoosh, a big pile all over the table complete with a yellow stain on the bright white table cloth. And since I’ve been all about the pink wine all month, just very simple whites and pinks both in flowers and linens was the way to go.   I started with a mix of medium pink and blush peonies.I found these antique wine glasses this month at a new little flower store in the neighborhood. They’re from France in the ’50s and the striped are etched. They were such a perfect contrast to my champagne coupes with dots that I couldn’t resist them. I love to mix … Continue reading →

Millinery Lesson: Pink Roses Derby Hat

Posted on by October 29, 2015

As a seasoned Kentucky Derby and Derby Party goer, over the years I’ve had need for a lot of hats. I bought my first real hat from Linda Campisano in Evanston, IL and I still love it. However, real hats are really expensive. And they’re big, with big hat boxes that require lots of storage. So more recently, I’ve taken to making my own Derby Hat. Sort of. It tends to start with my favorite black sun hat (and a mint julep!). And lots of wire. Because at the end of the Derby, I want to be able to remove all my flowers and glitz and glamor and return my black sun hat to its original condition. When it comes to Derby Hats, it helps to start with your dress in terms of millinery design, because it will help you pick colors and a theme. Of course, you can match the dress to the hat, but since I had the objective of not buying a new dress, I picked out a dress I bought at the end of the summer that hasn’t seen much wear. It’s pink and black, so, my hat is too. I knew my mom had some … Continue reading →

Spring Pussy Willow Wreathe

Posted on by October 25, 2014

I’ve got one more Spring decoration idea for you. When I bought pussy willows for my Easter Decorations, they were about four feet long, and I cut them down to fit into my small centerpieces. That left me with lots of extra branches. I took eight branches of about equal length and formed a rectangle by alternating which branch overlapped (like a lattice). Then I used wire to secure the joints. Finally, I added a ribbon and a length of artificial red dogwood flowers. Finally, I hung it on the door. Fortunately, Marc knocked into the wreathe and it slipped down to a corner. The diamond hanging configuration looked way better than the rectangle. Funny how that works sometimes. Below you can see a closeup of the corner when I fastened the ribbon and the flowers. Gorgeous and inexpensive. I think the whole wreathe was less than $8. … Continue reading →

Easter Decorations

Posted on by October 25, 2014

Believe it or not, here at the Dirty Laundry Kitchen we’re already thinking about Easter. I have lots of ideas for Easter decorations that will make your Easter table simple but gorgeous this year, in robin’s egg blues and and array of greens. I made little grass nests for beautiful blue eggs with wheatgrass and forsythia from the grocery store. Blown eggs from Araucana chickens were an important part of my Easter Decorations this year. It’s easy to do. Buy a dozen now, and prep them in the next couple of weeks while you’re doing your regular cooking. I use a pairing knife to notch a small hole into each end of the egg. The smaller it is, the cleaner the eggs look from the outside, but the harder they are to empty out. Once both holes are complete use your lungs to force the egg out of the shell. It’s surprisingly hard work, so you’ll be glad you planned ahead and don’t have to do them all at once. You can save some for dyeing, too. This way you have eggs that can be out on the table without risking disease and death! Sometimes I remember to plant some … Continue reading →