Happy New Year Party

Happy New Year! Dirty Laundry Kitchen is now about a year old. I want to take a moment to thank you all so much for reading the blog and sharing 2013 with me. There’s no place I’d rather be than in my home, cooking and sharing my passion for life with friends and family. This blog is all about that passion. You’ve all made that possible. So thanks. A new year calls for reflection and celebration. And lots and lots of sparkles. You can see how I decorated for New Year’s Eve below, and check out my Happy New Year Party. Here’s a closeup of the glittered pom poms and holly leaves next to the gold candles with silver candlesticks. I think they came out great. Here you can see that I put glue all over some of the leaves, but others I painted just the edges. This way there was lots of contrast on the leaves.  The glittered holly leaves looked amazing.Using skewers and styrofoam balls, I made the glittery pom poms. I just dipped them in glue and rolled them in glitter. It was really fun, but I totally forgot how messy glitter is! I wrapped some of … Continue reading

Holiday Décor

I love setting the scene with Holiday Décor. These winter decorations make the house feel cozy and warm when it’s cold outside. Added bonus, with all the fresh fir and citrus, it makes everything smell good too. I like using seasonal ingredients as Holiday Décor while they await their turn to be the kitchen stars in an eventual recipe. Oranges are Holiday Décor in the winter along with berries, and your more traditional holly and pointsettias. Sometimes you want winter, but not Christmas. Marc and I both have December birthdays, so I try to keep some décor around that’s not red and green. Look for satsuma oranges with leaves at your local grocery. Sometimes florists have them too, believe it or not. Pile them on a platter that’s simple, or offers color contrast. Add a vertical element with a small vase of twigs or berries. It’s simple and best of all, it’s a very thrifty way to decorate, since it’s edible. Most of the year, my Swedish horse is full of lemons. They’re bright and happy. But it’s fun to change things up. This year, I emptied out the lemons and replaced them with pine cones, all of which were … Continue reading

Fall in Wisconsin

This year, I had the good fortune of heading to Wisconsin for Fall Festival weekend. It was amazing to be back; I ran into old friends, visited my family, and enjoyed the glorious fall colors. We drove around the county enjoying our favorite fall roads. Fall in Wisconsin might be my very favorite Fall of all.We checked on my dad’s concord grapes. We picked out a favorite stone wall in Ephraim. We watched a maple leaf caught in the beautiful moss on a stone fountain. We foraged for bittersweet vines, wild holly, millet, milk weed pods, various berries and branches all in the name of gorgeous fall décor. Then we created a beautiful door decoration for my parent’s back door. Finally, knowing I was headed back to the city, we sought out some beautiful fake foliage for me to take back. The result was a stunning wreathe of my own with lotus flower pods, dyed artichokes, cotton, and imitation bittersweet. What a wonderful way to be welcomed home everyday, and what a wonderful way to welcome friends over for special fall events. Let’s just say, I’m ready for Thanksgiving.   … Continue reading