very fun holiday projects and recipes

Happy December 1^st to you all! As we head right into the Christmas holidays, I think our creative selves come out a little bit more.

 

That’s why it’s always inspiring to flip through the pages of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style to gather ideas and implement them in our own homes.

The winter 2021 issue that you see above features a really yummy recipe for Hummingbird Cake.

  

Have you ever had Hummingbird Cake? It features the flavors of pineapple, banana, and pecans all held together with the most delicious cream cheese frosting!

 

I can’t divulge this old-fashioned classic’s recipe at this time, but you can find it in this issue on the last page.

 

 

There are also a few of my DIY tree ornaments featured in the winter issue. 

 

This second Country Sampler Farmhouse Style edition is really full of great holiday inspiration too. It's the special Christmas bonus issue. Check out the domino garland I made above from vintage black dominoes and wooden beads.  

The home tours are especially beautiful, and aside from that, I’m excited to share that I have 8 projects featured in this issue, including 3 garland ideas and 2 DIY pillows.

 

A few of my other favorite projects include utensil holders, a Christmas tree shaped pillow and a nativity scene stenciled on a pillow.  

 

Be sure to pick up a copy or two, if you see them at the store. I really think you'll love them!

ciao! fabiana

 

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the prettiest tables for Christmas

The prettiest new pattern is out from Pacific & Rose. It’s called Gayatri Red and is just so perfect for setting the most gorgeous Christmas tablescape.

 

There are lots of options for this print too: tablecloths, placemats, runners and napkins. You can see the Gayatri print featured above in the placemat where it’s beautifully coordinated with the Gayatri Red Buti print napkin.

 

The Buti pattern is a sort of “mini-print” version of the larger more dramatic pattern you see on the “Jaal” pattern in the tablecloths, placemats and runners.

 

Here’s my table set with the gorgeous Gayatri Red Tablecloth. I made a festive floral arrangement using all white flowers like roses, hydrangeas, baby’s breath and alstroemeria, and then I popped in a few vibrant red roses for a punch of holiday color.

 

All the flowers are from Trader Joe’s, and I just used wet floral foam in an oblong vintage brass container to hold everything together.

 

For an extra punch of this amazing pattern, I layered placemats on the tablecloth to define each place setting nicely.

 

As you can see, I used the smaller print Buti napkin here again for a pretty pattern play, especially with the red transferware plates. It all blends together so nicely.

 

For a real dose of holiday cheer, mixing this red pattern with the green Caroline pattern is so fun!! Here I've traded out the red placemats and napkins for the green.

 

And here we have a red on green on red combination, 

which I absolutely love!

  

 

The possibilities are practically endless with different ways to combine these patterns. The Caroline green on its own is just so chic! Again, I’ve layered the tablecloth with placemats and napkins for a cohesive look.

 

 

For a more colorful look, it’s fun to combine the Caroline green tablecloth with the Gayatri red placemat and the Caroline blue napkins.

 

Not only is this a really fun look, but it also works so nicely for families that celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, better known as Chrismukkah.

 

Table runners offer a more casual and informal look, and all these pretty patterns are available in the runner format. Layering the coordinating or complementary placemats and napkins is pretty fun.

 

As you can see, the new Gayatri red looks fabulous with some of the other more established Pacific & Rose patterns like Ivy Green and Pomegranate.

 

Personally, I love playing around with these beautiful patterns with my collection of red and white transferware dishes. They look so pretty together!

 

These patterns make setting the table at Christmas just so easy because of the festive prints and colors, which by the way are all created and printed by hand in Jaipur, India.

 

I love having lots of options for setting the table during the holidays, and as you can see, these patterns just work so great with each other that it makes tables setting a real pleasure.

 Check out PacificAndRose.com for more!

ciao! fabiana

 

 

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happy thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is inching closer and closer. It’s that funny time of year between fall and Christmas when pumpkins coexist nicely with Christmas trees. I’m thankful for that, as well as a thousand other things, both big and small.

 

I can’t wait for the arrival of family tomorrow, the smell of turkey roasting in the oven and the wonder and amazement of how quickly it all goes by as we head into the end of another year.

 

This is the time to treasure those precious moments.

 

Now that the table is set, it’s on to making some of the side dishes and maybe a dessert.

 

The plan for today is to make the Creamy Green Bean Salad. This is a new yummy recipe that I saw Katie Lee make on The Kitchen. I’m going to get it all prepped for tomorrow.

 

The sweet potatoes and stuffing are already made… Yay!

 

I'm making a Chai Apple Galette for dessert. It’s actually a combination of three different recipes. It’s in the oven now and smells heavenly! The chai flavor comes from a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, cardamom and lemon zest added to the apples.

 

If you’re interested, I can share the recipe soon.

 

I just love how the candlelight brings everything to life at the table and casts such pretty shadows.

 

As for the table setting, combining my favorite things is always a success. Candles, pumpkins, pretty glassware always adds such charm to a Thanksgiving table.

 

Happy Wednesday, my friends.

ciao! fabiana

 

 

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Table linens by August Table

Succulents, pumpkins and trees from Armstrong Garden

Eucalyptus foraged from my friend Maureen's garden.

 

more thanksgiving table inspiration

 

It’s only 17 days until Thanksgiving! I’ve always been a huge fan of this holiday, not only as a lovely time for gathering with family, but also for all the yummy food served on this big day.

 

Households across America will soon be setting their tables for this special feasting day, and it’s what I like to call one of the biggest tablescaping days of the year!  

 

For this table, I pulled out some of my favorite vintage wares and combined them in a whole new way. There’s no reason to run out and buy all new things when hosting a dinner party.

 

Use what you have and maybe treat yourself to one or two special items that you know you’ll treasure for years to come.

 

Here you can see I have my favorite ivory Wedgwood plates, Serena and Lily’s raffia placemats (that I use sooo much all year long), and these sparkly amber glasses.

 

These fabulously faceted glasses were made by the Indiana Glass Company and are called Whitehall Glasses.

 

I just love how they sparkle in the candlelight.

 

These pretty little Limoges bread plates are a new find. I couldn’t resist the adorable autumn leaves that decorate them. I found twelve of them at a local thrift shop last week.

 

That’s my new little "vintage" splurge for this table.

 

The large brass lantern, white turkey compote dish and the large tureen were also thrift finds from the past few years. 

I softened the look of the built-in buffet with a few olive branches from the garden. Pumpkins and votives finish off the look. I hope you enjoyed the peek at this latest table. Thanks for checking in with me...

 ciao! fabiana

 

 

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