Friday, November 28, 2014

Friday Crush


Let's get this party started.

It's a struggle to keep my Christmas-loving heart in check the weeks leading up to this day - the day after Thanksgiving - when I finally allow myself to let loose. Bring on the Nog (that, let's be honest, I've been putting in my coffee for the last 3 weeks), music, decorating, old and new traditions.

This image perfectly ushers in my favorite holiday - snapped by my sister-in-law, Joanna, at King's Market on Edisto Island, SC. And with a little boy nugget coming in WEEKS (no longer months, y'all) it's going to be a Blue Christmas :)

Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving. See you next week!



Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving


Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and delicious food. 
I'm so very thankful for many things this year, not the least of which is this blog and you.

xoxoxo,
D

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Eddie Ross Insta Inspo

Can we talk about Eddie Ross' Instagram feed over the weekend? My eyeballs kept bugging out of their sockets as he chronicled preparations for Thanksgiving at his country house, Pine Hill Farm:

All images via Eddie Ross



Those are some magazine-worthy shots of what I'm positive will be one of the most aesthetically pleasing holidays in history. I, for one, would love to see it in person!

Hope your holiday prep is going well!






Friday, November 21, 2014

Friday Crush


Let's wrap up this week of amazing ideas from Caspari with this blue and white specimen. No, that is not a fancy fine china dinner plate - it's an AMAZING placemat. As in, a set of four will set you back less than $40. I think one of my favorite tabletop items is my Imari placemat set so I think I need to add these classic blue and white ones to my collection and use them on my Christmas table.

I hope you got some good nuggets of table-setting inspiration this week...godspeed if you are planning out your table this weekend. See you next week!







Wednesday, November 19, 2014

My Paper Plate Thanksgiving, Caspari Style

I had just about the best time putting together this Thanksgiving table.

After my visit with Caspari, I came away with so much inspiration that this table practically set itself. Welcome to Thanksgiving chez AO:







Highlights:

- Yay for hoarding tableware! Nothing I already owned was off-limits for this table and I mixed and matched my little heart out.

- Centerpiece vase is the iconic Tobacco Leaf that my mother-in-law was going to toss! It's really shining bright in the center of my Imari tray. And the silver service was my mom's. Crystal is our wedding crystal. The little black eggs are a collection that I've had for YEARS and never see the light of day. Love shopping my house when setting a table and pulling out items with history to use as accents.

- Black candles! I had squirreled away this idea for four years and I love it here.

- I beat Kate and team by using SIX layers on my head place settings. Note that the head place setting (last picture) and side settings (first picture) are slightly different. I only had enough Imari placemats to go around for four since I doubled them up to create more of a rectangular placemat. But I LOVE the result of having the two head settings slightly different - especially with that touch of silver peeking out from behind the plates!

- Yay for hoarding fabric! I have had that green stripe fabric since we moved into this house and have never found a place for it...using it on this table was my nod to my recent Greenbrier escapades. 

Now, if you do the math, you'll notice Thanksgiving is still a week away. Meaning that I will now need to dismantle this table only to recreate it next Thursday as little hands were eager to experience the Gilded Gobbler:


Oh, Ana Claire.

I want to give a huge thank you to the Charlottesville Caspari team for loading me up with tips and inspiration and the paper products I'm using here. Such a phenomenal brand that is my holiday go-to. I'll be posting some more Christmas inspiration from the store in the coming weeks. 


Get the Gilded Gobbler Look:

Monday, November 17, 2014

Thanksgiving Caspari Style

This Thanksgiving, I'm going with paper plates. I'll be about four weeks from my due date, so I'm not trying to complicate things by having to hand wash a service of fine china after dinner.

Naturally, when contemplating paper plates worthy enough for entertaining I immediately think Caspari. You know I'm a HUGE fan of this brand...huge. And lucky for me, not only does Caspari have a flagship store in Charlottesvile - a frequent stop for us - but I also know a gal, Sarah, who went to UVA with me and now works for them. 

A while back, I reached out to Sarah to ask if the shop might be interested in collaborating with me on some holiday entertaining posts. The answer was an enthusiastic yes, so last Saturday I made a stop in Charlottesvile and met up with head merchandiser and store manager Kate Wade who walked me through the glorious holiday displays currently gracing the store.

Kate is wicked talented and shared a wealth of information with me which I'm attempting to pass on to you via cleverly named (by me) tablescape ideas, photos, and tips.

Today, it's all about turkey.



I was so drawn to this table in the shop because that centerpiece is so eye-catching in person! All of the traditional colors and motifs of the holiday are present, but accented with unexpected details like animal print and feathers.

Takeaway Tips:

1) Height

Don't forget the vertical space of a table! Kate says that they always try to work upward when designing their tables to give the eye various levels to enjoy. Although a tall centerpiece may not be practical when it comes time to actually eat - no one says you can't have one to display and delight your guests and then move it to a sideboard during the meal, especially if you need the room for serving plates. 





2) Vary your place settings

Who says your plates have to match? I know we are all comfortable mixing a dinner plate with a different salad plate, but why not vary your dinner plates? Something that is quite easy to do when you go with paper. I love the various dishes and flatware used at this table - the look is still cohesive but feels rich with so many elements.

3) Napkins are your friends

Napkins are your secret decorating weapon. Kate and her team use them everywhere to add bits of color, pattern and texture to their tables. Look how a dinner napkin is displayed hanging under the turkey place-setting. Or how two napkins are used to cradle a soup bowl. My favorite trick is to use a cocktail napkin in a coordinating pattern under wine glasses. They are inexpensive and usually a great accent of pattern to use around the table.



Get the Wild Turkey Look:





This table was calling my name with its pop of plaid and use of Imari, one of my all-time favorite Caspari patterns. I loved the very traditional feel created by the whole look and this table directly inspired what I'll be creating in my own home.

Takeaway Tips:

1) Layer

Y'all, that one place-setting has five layers to it. FIVE! A red placemat, an Imari placemat (offset to peek out on the left), a rattan charger, a napkin, and a dinner plate. But it by no means feels overdone - it feels rich and lovely. This is when your hoarding tendencies can benefit you. I know I love to collect these items and by layering them, I get to use several of them at once.








2) Limit a theme

I think this is more pertinent when entertaining with paper products, but it's easy to let a theme get out of control. Turkey plates, turkey cups, turkey napkins, turkey napkin rings. But Kate and team kept the turkey in check, only using this lovely turkey motif on the dinner plates. This way the table feels cohesive and on message, but doesn't overwhelm.

3) Break out the fancy with your paper

Like anything in life - your home, your clothes - mix the high and low. There is no reason not to use your crystal when you're entertaining with paper plates. Break out the vintage silver. Decorate your table with your heirloom vase filled with fresh flowers. The beauty of paper plates is they let you use a fun pattern for that moment in time, but the way to truly pull the look off is to use the same pieces you would use with your china.


Get the Tartan Turkey Look: 




Later this week, I'll bring you what I am doing with my own table for Thanksgiving. I'm really excited at the pieces (and LOADS of inspiration) that I brought home from Caspari - below is a preview of what I'll be pulling together to serve my own holiday meal:




Get This Look:   



Don't forget to check out the entire Caspari collection online - SO much to choose from for the upcoming holidays.




Friday, November 14, 2014

Friday Crush


My absolute favorite find of the whole Greenbrier trip was this BANANAS cherry wallpaper by Carleton Varney called Kate's Mountain Berries. They had it for sale in one of the gift shops and I wanted to bring rolls and rolls of it home with me and paper every single surface with it. And let's discuss how perfect it is for Christmas! It might be inspiring my Christmas card this year. I'm adding it to my dream wallpaper wishlist (imagine a powder room with black and white tile and a red pagoda lantern!)

As you can see, I'm still riding my Greenbrier high and plan to do so as long as humanly possible. Grateful for a nice weekend at home, though. Hope you have a great weekend...see you next week!



Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Back from Heaven

Carter and I are back from a wonderful weekend away.

It's going to take me a while to sift through what I think are hundreds of photos from the Greenbrier so, for now, I'll leave you with a taste of our weekend via my Instagram feed (I know, lame if you follow me there as you've seen these but I'm offering some additional commentary):

First stop was the Caspari store in Charlottesville where I met up with some of the team for a little Thanksgiving collaboration that is coming up on the blog next week. LOTS of holiday entertaining inspiration coming your way! I couldn't resist posing with the cheetah. God bless that maternity vest, as I basically wear it every day.


Next stop was the University of Virginia to meet up with old college friends for a mini-reunion that was incredibly fun. I took this picture at Pavilion X on the Lawn as the shutters have the most sublime shade of green that I'm thinking may need to go on our own house.


After Charlottesville, we made our way to White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia - home of the Greenbrier. THERE ARE NO WORDS. Inspiration for days. I took a picture of everything. Even the toilets. Seriously.


A dapper Carter Shuffler enjoying a mint julep before dinner. Fun fact: he wears bow ties every day to work. And we all know how handy he is. Handy and handsome = score on my end.


Likely my favorite photo from the weekend. My delicious cup of coffee in the Main Dining Room the morning we left. The breakfast brunch was bananas and the pink china was stunning. 


All in all, it was a stellar experience and completely lovely to spend some time with just Carter but we were pretty stoked to get home to this nutty human:

I'll share LOTS of Greenbrier images as soon as I go through them and look for holiday inspiration from Caspari next week!





Friday, November 7, 2014

Friday Crush


Crazy week = 2 blog posts. This week has been a doozy.

I am beyond thrilled that it's over AND that the weekend is beginning as Big C and I are taking a little time away for the next couple of days to soak up some quality time before we become a family of four (in about 7 weeks).

First stop is Charlottesville and our alma mater, the University of Virginia, to spend some time with old friends at a reunion. There will be a stop at Caspari HQ, obvi. More to come on that...

And the next stop...y'all, the NEXT stop...is...wait for it....THE GREENBRIER.

AND THEY WILL BE DECORATED FOR CHRISTMAS.

My brain and soul have yet to take this in.

I've been yammering about the Greenbrier for years and although it will only be a 1-night engagement, it's all I need. Just to gaze upon its finery will be enough to delight and inspire me for the foreseeable future.

Per Pinterest, the photo above is from the Greenbrier. My plan is to hunt down this staircase during our visit to confirm.

Enjoy your weekend...see you next week, when I hope to be back a little refreshed and definitely inspired!






Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Barn Door

Now that the Shuffler children are going from 1 to 2 players, our thoughts have turned toward a further basement renovation. You'll recall that we already renovated half of our basement into our family den. It was perfect for mini Ana Claire.

But now AC is a rambunctious (almost) two-year old that needs space for some big girl toys and the soft play area we have now in the den will be claimed by baby brother for rolling around, chewing and spitting up.

The space we have deemed worthy for this upgrade is across the hall from the den and we'd like to give it a nice wide opening so the two rooms flow a bit better. But this means that a normal door likely won't cut it and I want to reserve the option of shielding the mess room from visitors on occasion.

Enter the barn door. Like this one I saw on Etsy:


That's a fun color. I don't embrace barn doors so lovingly as to have one in my bedroom but I understand their appeal - and cool that this one leads into a pretty bathroom. For my taste, this new play space seems like a good fit for one...especially since the sizing can be flexible.

The photo above is from this Etsy listing which is for the hardware only, but the shop seems to have some cool doors and hardware to choose from...I definitely bookmarked it for the future.

I'm thinking our door might also be a good place for Ana Claire's masterpieces that she's creating on an almost daily basis...at the moment they are a cluttered stack pinned to our fridge but a big door like this one might be a fun display opportunity. All TBD...

What are your thoughts on barn doors? Awesome inside? Best left on barns?





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