The Simple, Intimate New Year’s Eve

Prosecco in non traditional goblets that are less formal than champagne flutes.

Prosecco in non traditional goblets that are less formal than champagne flutes.

Here’s to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;
Here’s to the things that are yet to come
And to the memories that we hold.

With a few rare examples, life should be easy.  New Year’s Eve is no exception.  I envision an intimate setting with Champagne (or Prosecco as a nod to my Italian roots) and a simple set up .  This food board offers taste, variety and texture and will see you and your guest (s) through until midnight without being heavy or overbearing.

Everything was store bought with the exception of the croutons (directions follow) and was assembled in less than 10 minutes:

  • Rosemary ham, hand shredded and piled directly on bread board
  • Candied walnuts
  • Home made croutons*
  • Shaved parmesan
  • Baguette bread
  • Dijon mustard
  • Sliced green apples
  • Crème Fraiche

*cubed baguette bread, tossed with olive oil to coat, salt and pepper to taste, mix in a palm full of grated parmesan cheese, baked at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until browned and crispy.

If the host or hostess isn’t stressed, that seems to me a win for everyone.

I hope that 2016 brings each of you what your heart desires.  May your troubles be as short as your New Year’s resolutions.;)

God’s speed and safe travels.

All the best,

Cindy

A simple set up using some rosemary sprigs throughout.

A simple set up using some rosemary sprigs throughout.

A simple raspberry garnish for the beverage.

A simple raspberry garnish for the beverage.

The home made croutons stand on their own as a savory offering and provide a counterpoint to the sweet Prosecco.

The home made croutons stand on their own as a savory offering and provide a counterpoint to the sweet Prosecco.

Hotel silver bowls make a lovely addition to the food board.

Hotel silver bowls make a lovely addition to the food board.

Antique 19th century French mustard pot along with mother of pearl spreaders at an interesting visual note to the presentation.

Antique 19th century French mustard pot along with mother of pearl spreaders at an interesting visual note to the presentation.

Not quite the count down to Round Top…yet

 

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I’m not quite ready to start the countdown clock for the Round Top Antiques Show; it’s too soon.  But I supposed there is no harm in posting pictures from my last trip there.

Round Top is a small (very small, population 93 on a normal day) town in the Hill Country of Texas.  A coveted place to live, acreage is quite pricey.  I am told by my sister that Governor Perry is building a home in Round Top.

In the spring, the fields along the highways and byways are saturated with the color from the wild flowers, the blue of the bluebonnet or the poppy color from indian paint.  Long Horn’s gracefully graze as if it’s summer and the architecture of the old farm houses remind you of the German influence that settled in much of the Hill Country.

Twice a year, this sleepy little town  completely transforms into an antique mecca.  Dealers from all over the world, with price points that range from reasonable to ridiculous attract over 3 million people.  My sister and I go and make a weekend of it.  We stay in Belleville which is about 20 minutes away.  All the more coveted B & B’s have legacy bookings, with the same people booking every show, so it’s difficult to get something closer to Round Top unless blind luck steps in.

Here are a few shots.  Trust me when I tell you it doesn’t even begin to capture the sheer volume one can expect to see at each show, in the spring and fall.

I’ll be posting some updates for the renovation next week.  We’ll have some major framing completed this week, so the pictures can show the progress.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

xoxo

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Discovery: Save-on-crafts.com

Simple Lines.

One of my favorite “go to” websites is  save-on-crafts.com.  Not only does it have craft items that can be used in a myriad of projects, it offers finished, decorative elements at fairly good price points that fit in cottage and country decor.  Once I started mining the website, I was pleasantly surprised of all their offerings.

Websites like this that carry so many interesting things always seem to spark my imagination and inspire me.  I have pictured and linked to some of my favorites (of the moment) below:

I hope that you find some inspiration, too.

Always,

Cindy

Vintage Reproduction Bottle.

So small and quaint…I am sure I could do something with this.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/honeybottle.html

Zinc flower pot.

Scalloped edge tin has a french feel.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/flowerbucket3.html

 

This small table top tub has the look and feel of ironstone.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ceramicdish.html

 

I love these footed tin vases. My head is brimming with ideas for these.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/flowerbuckets2.html

 

I could see this as a lantern or a showcase for collected treasures.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/glasscase.html

 

Love this tin lantern. Has a colonial feel to it.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/metallantern1.html

 

Grey chipped bar stool.

It comes in red, too!

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/barstool.html

 

Reproduction vintage padlocks that really work. Great!

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/padlockandkeys1.html

Rustic zinc tin, great for lining with parchment and filling with edible goodies.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/tinpots.html

Discovery: Wire and Linen Lanterns from Lunabazaar

Wire and Linen Lantern

I am forever perusing the Internet for fun and interesting websites with products that inspire me.  Lunabazaar.com is just one of those sites.

Particularly this Wire and Linen lantern.  I am already thinking towards spring when there is this transitional time between spring and summer when the weather is quite glorious.  It isn’t cold like winter or hot like summer, but rather just right.  I love it when I can throw open the windows and doors and really enjoy my little old cottage in the way it was intended.

Being able to light candles and lanterns and enjoy some sitting time on the porch is one of my favorite things.

Lunabazaar.com has many things to look at like mercury glass ornaments and candle holders, paper parasols, glass vases and many different colors, cut glass small decanters and string lights.  They are a great source for accents for your home styling or items to support a color or a theme for a party or gathering.  Take a look, this website has a lot to offer and I think you will enjoy it. I have embedded some of their wonderful merchandise below.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

Pearl Opal Glass Vintage Candle Holder

Mercury Glass Candle Holder

Gilded Glass Candle Holder

Glass Votive Holder

Cotton Lace Parasol

Perfume Bottle

Paper Parasol

It’s New to Me: SecondShoutOut.com

 

secondshoutout.com

 

When I discover (or as in this case, was shown the way) a new place to find vintage items, it feels like I have hit the jackpot: ding, ding, ding.  My good friend Vince from Good Look, Inc. pointed me in the direction of secondshoutout.com and I am IN LOVE!

I won’t go on and on about it….check it out here and see for yourself!

Until Next Time,

xoxo.

Cindy.

Remember to click twice to bigify!

Opportunity for Refinement

 

Vintage Eastlake Frame.

Alabaster.

 

White Field Flowers.

Gray Antique Wood.

Ironstone.

 

Vintage Eastlake Frame. Alabaster. White Field Flowers. Salvaged Wood. Ironstone. Similar in tone, but different in texture and all present an opportunity for refinement.

Lovingly, I say that my kitchen is not the most refined kitchen.  It doesn’t have high end finishes like carrera marble, a tiled back splash or a sparkly chandelier.  It is a simple straightforward space with plenty of opportunity for refinement.  I try to think of it in terms of being a room, not a kitchen.  This opens up my thinking when making these small, but impactful changes.

This particular vignette started out with decorative objects that were holdovers from the kitchen before I embarked on my budget friendly remodel.  My eye and taste have evolved and I am now setting about to fine tune the style of the kitchen to flow better with the rest of the house.

An antique jug lamp, vintage soda bottles, a bread board and a folk art painting have been replaced with an alabaster lamp, a beautiful ironstone pitcher, an eastlake frame with a 250 year old nautical print and a newish mercury glass hurricane globe paired with and perched on top of an architectural and antique baluster do the trick.  These small changes have added a great deal of style to the entire kitchen.  The are the first thing you see when you enter the house and the first thing you see when you enter the kitchen and they set the tone for the entire house.

Thanks to my good friend and great shop owner, Vince at Good Look, Inc located the lamp, Eastlake frame and ironstone and Nancy at Ella Elaine, here in DT McKinney was the source for the mercury hurricane.  They both have such wonderful taste and style that I have benefited from.  Thank you!

Take a look and see what you think.  I hope you walk away with some inspiration!

Always,

Cindy

Before.

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