Holiday Windows—such as they are . . .

Okay, I’ll be the first one to admit it . . . these windows did not receive my best efforts, but they still make me smile.
The hops garland is my favorite element—no matter when or where I use it!  The plate rack was constructed by my friend—the design was copied from a German antique I brought home 9 years ago.  The rest of the design came together based on those two elements.

The far end of the window shows an outdoor scene.  the swing is constant and I love it as my focal point.

One of my favorite new decorative accents is this book page garland.  (I think we are offering a workshop to learn how to make on in January.  Check the Artful origins facebook page for new workshops.)
I was inspired to offer the Johnson Brothers “friendly village” by the plate rack—the colors of the annie sloan Chalk Paint™ I used—country grey, old violet and old white—almost asked to display Friendly Village.

A Christmas tree offering a nice mix of ornaments and a cowboy hat topper.

One of best sellers . . . this iron double lantern will see you from Christmas, through New Years and so on.  Decorate it for the season and make a quick and easy impact.

Several items to love here . . . the french wire basket, the wine glasses and a flower pot turned wine cooler.

A holiday cowgirl.


“Merry Christmas”—vintage style!  (Only $185 for the set!)

A new pattern of our quilt, Rustica.

love the pattern on this tablecloth—it’s actually about 72” long.  I decided to feature our brie baker, and our hot chocolate packets.
Note the tobacco basket—still love ‘em!
Thanks for your indulgence!

a merry “little” Christmas

it is December 3rd and I’ve yet to post a picture about the Christmas décor you will find at Hodgepodge, so here goes . . . a little Hodgepodge Christmas, before it’s all gone!

We have a variety of decorative accessories to help you create a traditional table setting or a vignette for your sofa table.  The vintage style “Merry Christmas” sign looks great on the table top, but will hang nicely on the wall, as well.  (We also have a super-sized sign for your lawn or house.)

Here is our Christmas blessing Santos; she holds a glittered silver egg.  This table combines soft greens with mercury glass, glitter silver bell garland and a few rustic touches, as well.

 

The snowy scene on our black and white transferware plates will carry your table settings through the winter.  The simple wreath is a perennial favorite of ours—perfect for a place setting or as a decorative accent on the back of your dining chairs.

 

I’ve said it before, put “it” under a cloche and elevate “it” to place of special interest—doesn’t matter what “it” is! 

These ceramic skates with a mercury glass finish are lovely on their own, but under glass they are truly special.

 

A touch of  sparkle with the glass glitter “Noel.”

These mercury glass canisters are perfect for year ‘round use, but especially appreciated during the holidays.  Incorporate them into a display of vintage ornaments and accents or put them to practical use storing pens and other desktop needs. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas at Hodgepodge without a suitable amount of  burlap!  These burlap trees, matching wreaths and distressed iron finials add a touch of rustic elegance to this display.

 

Here is a pair of winter white owls—perfect for perching in a bookcase.  I would put them on a stack of books and surround them with greenery.   

 

This year we have an nice selection of tree toppers.  Here’s my favorite, a paper cone adorned with  a glitter bird on a nest and a “NOEL” banner. 

 

I plan to post some pictures of our trees in the coming days, but first I need to google tips for photographing Christmas trees.  (Tips provided here are more than welcome, as well!)

Thanks for your indulgence!

Time for thanks

was it just last week?  it seems like at least a month ago.
we gathered together—family and friends—to celebrate the national day of gratitude.
the menu was much the same as it always:   turkey, dressing and the rest, but this year we tried a few new recipes.  my favorite among the new dishes was the the cranberry relish.  it was a last minute recommendation from my mom—she had enjoyed it when our friend, sherry, prepared it last year.  a quick search on the epicurious website yielded the recipe we sought.  a few improvisations made it my new favorite.  I’ll share it below, but first a few shots of our dining room on the big day.







Okay, the recipe . . .
Cranberries in Bourbon

• 
  1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 3 ingredients in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead.) Transfer to bowl and serve.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Cranberry-Sauce-2715#ixzz2DuEYh53B
my changes:
I used two packages of cranberries (didn’t measure); 1 cup sugar and one cup of light brown sugar; the cinnamon and I added about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped, fresh ginger root to the roasting process. 
it was delicious!
the other change this year was that I prepared the turkey using a brining method.  I am sold!  we always smoke our turkey—as we did this year—and I love it prepared this way.  the additional step of brining made the turkey even more moist and tender—if that is possible.  the brining ingredients are simple, but there are a lot of them—so I made it simple by using a prepared jar of brining spice I purchased at our local culinary shop, Ingredients.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Cranberry-Sauce-2715#ixzz2DuEQc0Ue
Thanks for your indulgence,

it takes a Friendly Village

This is my second attempt, in as many days, to write a blog post.  I actually wrote one, but it turned so long and pathetic, I decided to  trash it and start over.

I have, instead, decided to share the best part.

On Saturday, in between all of the “have to” stuff, I decided to make a run to one of my favorite antique shops.  It was actually a “have to,” too, because I was looking for the some props for my window display.  I plan to hang the plate rack I painted at The Hayloft and I was trying to decide what would look best displayed on it.  Then I thought of my favorite dishes.  Sure, I could have used something I already had in inventory, but where’s the fun in that?!?

I’ve decided to transition my window from fall to Christmas the week of Thanksgiving.  I mean, it’s bad enough that I already have five fully decorated Christmas trees!  Anyhoo, the plans for the windows are coming together and they will involve:

Anyone who knows me, knows of my affinity for Johnson Brothers Friendly Village.  It is the pattern I use to set my tables for any event from November through February.

 

I bought 8 more dinner plates, cereal bowls and bread & butter plates.

Those square salad plates . . . my first!  Love them.

A box full of a variety of loot.  The Pilgrim’s Progress book is for my personal collection—it’ll be part of my Thanksgiving display at the house.

 

Love this turkey platter with gold trim.  The beauty of Friendly Village is the variety of color mixed with the fact that it doesn’t have a Christmas specific theme, but the snowy scenes imply the holidays.  The blue  trim on this platter will blend quite well.

 

The mugs are a first, too.  I’ve never had them before. 

Well, there you have it.  The beginnings of a winter window . . .

Thanks for your indulgence.