Fun with Food and Flowers

I do not know where I saw it (probably Facebook, as I'm not on Instagram, and I rarely scroll Pinterest), but a recent recipe caught my attention that inspired some fun with food and flowers: egg salad filled 'carrots'. 

Blenko 'Blow Your Own Water Bottle' Workshop

At the end of January, a friend and I took the opportunity to participate in one of Blenko Glass Co.'s workshops they offer for the public. Glass manufacturing has a long history in West Virginia, and Blenko's been manufacturing glass in our state since 1921. It's a great experience to not only tour glass manufacturing, but to take part in the process! For one price, participants are allowed to go onto the glass factory floor and work alongside the veteran glassblowers, creating one of their designated production items, and take the item home (after a week of firing in the kiln). The January workshop was to make the iconic Blenko #384 (the 4th design originally introduced in 1938): the water bottle (decanter).

The first thing you do when going to one of these workshops is enter through the gift shop doors - temptation right off the bat!

We then moved in groups onto the glass factory floor, which is basically a huge, 100 year old warehouse with glass furnaces scattered throughout, heating up to 2400° in each. We dressed in layers but most workers were in t-shirts. I went first, and my friend followed after me.

We were shown a table display of colors to choose from that day. My friend and I both chose Azure blue. The master glassblowers led us through steps of guiding a wooden spoon dipped in water beneath the glass blob to cool it, coaching us on blowing the glass into the mold, using the tool to bend the spouts, and then walking alongside us as we put the decanter onto the lehr (a type of oven that cools the glass). They handled the more dangerous and delicate steps in between of heating the glass in the ovens, rolling and breaking off the excess glass from the molds, and the handing off tools used.

A very smart marketing move on Blenko's part is giving each participant a $5 coupon toward any purchase, good only for the day of the workshop. If you bought anything, you were then given the chance to spin a game wheel for a chance at another free item. I bought the water bottle in Elderberry, and won a mini water bottle (I chose Cobalt)!

We returned a week later to pick up our water bottles. So, how did my water bottle turn out? Let me preface my answer by saying that when we participate, we are told that not all products make it through the cooling process. In that case, you're allowed to choose a 'second' from the gift shop as a replacement. Well, mine made it through the cooling without breakage, but.....

Look closely at the dimple on the front of the bottle (L frame, above), and then look at the interior of the bottle (R frame, above). Evidently I didn't blow hard enough because the glass didn't fill out the mold completely! No problem, my friend gave me hers (same color), and she chose Elderberry (same color I bought the day of the workshop). It was all good!

I love the iconic Blenko #384 glass decanter, and I have been growing my collection, using each one frequently. They are 8" tall and hold 32 oz (minis are 6" and hold 16 oz), easy to handle with indented bodies, and have pour lips on both edges, great for either right-hand or left-hand grip. They are often colorful elements featured in my tablescapes, such as the Elderberry in this tablescape.....

.....the Cobalt Blue in this tablescape.........

.....the vintage color, Antique Green, from this tablescape......

.....as well as this tablescape....

I also love using them in seasonal displays, such as the Antique Green one, below.....

.... and this one (Spring Green).

The water bottles can also be used very handily as flower vases. Below is a photo of my current growing collection of Blenko #384s: (L to R) Cobalt (including a 16 oz mini), Azure, Elderberry, Antique Green, Spring Green.

I participated in one of the earlier Blenko workshops in 2016, making Easter eggs. You can read about that here (btw, if you read that earlier post, you'll find I am 0 for 2 in success for end results, lol). If you're ever coming through West Virginia or making plans to, you really ought to check out the Blenko Glass Co. website and see if one of their workshops is being held during your trip. The workshops fill quickly, so keep that in mind! Here's a link to the official Blenko Glass Co. Facebook page also, where I first saw my workshop advertised.

Do you like Blenko or have any pieces, vintage or new? Do you think you'd enjoy a workshop like this? I love reading your comments, so do tell, and thanks for your readership today!

Rita C. at Panoply

(A special thanks to Cecilia of My Thrift Store Addiction's Vintage Charm Party #221 for featuring this post!)

Sharing at any of these given parties: Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Month, Happiness is Homemade, Love Your Creativity, BNOTP, All About Home Common Ground, All About Home Follow the Yellow Brick Home, A Stroll Thru Life, My Wee Abode, Thistle Key Lane, Bluesky at Home, The Dedicated House, Zucchini Sisters, French Ethereal SYS, Delightsome Life H&G, Katherine's Corner TFT, Grace at Home, My Thrift Addiction

Adirondack Basket Floral Arrangement Tutorial

Earlier in the week I shared my outdoor fall decor with you in this post. I used Adirondack baskets filled with floral arrangements as my front door decor. As noted, these shouldering baskets were originally created by Native Americans, intended for carrying gear and harvested foods. Though my baskets are newer, vintage Adirondack styles can be found online in various shopping venues or, alternatively you could choose a different style basket altogether. In today's post I'm illustrating how easy it was to create these arrangements, with inexpensive florals.

There are no affiliate links to my post (mine is an ad-free blog). I'm just sharing information of my own style and sources. The source list pertains to making one basket, and I simply doubled the materials to make two.

Supplies for Each Arrangement:

• 1 Large Basket (mine are Ballard Designs Adirondack, purchased on sale with free shipping)
• Plastic Bubble Wrap as bottom filler (mine came from package shipments received)
• 3 Dry Floral Foam (singles available at Dollar Tree, 3-pack available at WalMart)
• 10 -11 choice florals (4 or 5 like pairs) from Dollar Tree, each pair 12-15" (mine are 4 like pairs (8), plus 3 unique stems, for a total of 11 stems)
• 3 longer floral stems, 21" or so (mine are 1 like pair, 1 unique, purchased at local drug store for $3 each)

Lay all your florals out in like pairs, along with all other supplies, on a working surface.

Keep the taller stems separate from the others.

Roll the bubble wrap as pictured.

Place in base of basket until at least half full, adjusting amount of bubble wrap if necessary.

Place three foam blocks side by side, in basket, on top of bubble wrap. It should be a tight fit so as not to have floral movement once you begin arranging.

Once satisfied with the positioning of the bubble wrap and foam, a quick cleanup with the vacuum keeps the mess to a minimum for OCD people like me.

Starting with what I'll call Layer 1, using the tall pair of like florals as the center point, arrange your choice of two pairs of the shorter stems symmetrically on either side (see picture below). This will eventually be inserted into the piece of foam at the back of the inside your basket (Foam block 1). But don't start inserting yet! Keep going with your arrangement on your working surface. This allows you to visualize the entire bouquet and make changes before inserting into the basket.

On top of Layer 1, start Layer 2 by arranging the remaining one pair of shorter stems and, in my case, three additional unique stems (from the supplies) until the look appeals to you. My centermost florals are the three unique stems -  a white mum, tan hydrangea, and the stem of round seed pods (brown). I arranged them centrally, with the like pair just below, on either side (see photo below).

For the last and final layer (Layer 3, as shown below), place the single, taller (21" in my case) floral stem in the center, and the final pair of shorter stems flanking it, one on each side. Rearrange anything at this point before starting to insert the layers into the foam.

Keeping with how you layered the florals - 1, 2, and 3 - insert those stems in each respective block of foam, 1 being the back piece in the basket, 2 being the middle piece, and 3 being the front piece.

Pictured below is the first layer of florals arranged in the foam inside the basket. At this point, I could see the one, smaller purple flora on the left needed to be situated a little farther left in my arrangement, so I adjusted it. Do this for anything that looks "off".

After working with each layer in similar fashion, you should have a full basket. What I did next was take that final, third layer of floral stems and started bending them forward, as if they were spilling from the basket. You can adjust any of the stems similarly. If it becomes unwieldy in handling, don't worry. You can always just pull the stem out and stick it back in. It's just a little easier to arrange the florals from back to front, in order. My total amount spent for supplies for each arrangement (excluding basket) was $23. If you already have faux florals on hand, your cost could be even less.

As mentioned, since mine are double front entry doors, I created two of these Adirondack basket arrangements.

This is but one season of a suggested floral arrangement for an Adirondack basket, and but one use for the basket itself. You could place this on an outside door as I have, an inside door, shelf, or even on the floor inside an entry or by a fireplace. I have ideas of arranging my fallen birch logs in one for a winter arrangement, or maybe using the basket to store throws in. How else would you suggest using them?

Thanks for your visit today. Feel free to leave your comments.

(A special thank you to Cindy from Dwellings - The Heart of Your Home Amaze Me Monday #286 for featuring this post!)

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Amaze Me, DIDI, BNOTP, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story,SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, 

Oh Deer! Christmas Tablescape 2017

Hi there, and welcome back to another holiday post here at Panoply, this time featuring a Christmas tablescape. I am a lover of Christmas, using all things red, green, and more. Whether it be solids, checks, and/or plaids, the more, the better.  Add a dash of vintage, and you have my kind of Christmas! This time it's all of the above, in a tablescape theme I'm calling "Oh Deer!"

This tablescape started with a plate I found that seemed to say,  "hey, pick me, pick me!" with color, pattern and festive fun printed all over it. 

I've had a set of white deer ornaments for a few years, intending to use them as place cards, but (see photo collage below, starting clockwise, top L)....the first year I only used one, gluing it to a mason jar to hold marshmallows. This year I used two more white ones in my red truck in my sunroom. Then my friend, Patti, at Pandora's Box, was up for the challenge of painting four more of the white deer ornaments in the classic, MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check pattern for me. Patti also made the toss pillow you see as the backdrop for the four deer in the MacKenzie-Childs inspired CC pattern. Patti not only accepts commissioned projects, she also sells MacKenzie-Childs inspired items she creates, too.

Oh dear deer, I was in heaven! You can see a tiny wire ring on the center of each deer head, originally for hanging. I left it on, to allow the option of using again as an ornament, but it also anchors the place card.

Sometime this past summer I bought the flatware I'm using on this table and I really like its weight and faceted pattern. I am tempted to replace my current flatware with this. The tartan napkins with grosgrain trim add a tailored touch.

The vintage tartanware napkin rings are from Scotland. The patterns are still legible on each one, starting clockwise, top L: McPherson, MacGregor, Leslie, McDuff.

I wanted to make some clove-studded oranges for fragrant holiday decor this year, so my first one was used for a classic Williamsburg apple centerpiece. It starts with a tree-shaped block form, with nails strategically placed for piercing the fruit. Elements used and design styling of the centerpiece can be as varied as the individual creating it. The most typical Williamsburg apple centerpiece is with red apples, topped with a pineapple, the classic symbol of Southern hospitality. Since my table is set for four, I chose to make a smaller profile. With classic red and green, I used small red apples and limes, and my orange with cloves in a star pattern as the topper. I filled the space voids with greens from the garden - pine, magnolia and holly branches with berries.

The finished Williamsburg apple centerpiece was raised on the table by placing it on an ironstone cake stand, a trick I use often, which allows more space on the table beneath it.

Other table textiles used (besides the tartan napkins) are a drop cloth as tablecloth base, topped with my spiral runner, hand-made by my daughter. Courtly Check mini stockings are on the table behind the place cards, to be used as pouches for the checked deer, intended as guest favors. The place cards themselves are simply 3 x 5 index cards, folded, and held closed with Washi tape.

The chargers, originally tartan plaid and used here, were chalkboard painted in black (seen again here and here).

The ruby red water goblets (12 oz) were a [lucky] vintage, estate find, and match smaller juice glasses (6 oz) I have.

Filling out the table for warmth and candle glow, I added two antique, ironstone cafe au lait bowls. I filled each with fresh cranberries, a votive candle and a garnish of pine.

The table was finally complete, and came together very organically, over the course of a few days. With dusk comes little lights in the sunroom, adding to the warm and cozy, festive spirit of the season. 

As you can see, I have used a mix of many patterns on this table (and in the sunroom, in general), with a good measure of solids to ground it all. It was fun, and I hope you take away a bit of inspiration for yourself from the various things I mixed. The complete source list is provided at the very end of this post.

Your visit is welcome and appreciated. As a vintage and antique dealer, playing with dishes is one of my hobbies. You can see more of my tablescapes by going to the 'Tablescapes' menu item at the top of my homepage (if on a mobile device, scroll to bottom and click on 'View Web Version' first. It's also found in the list of labels, or by typing 'tablescape' in the search block, both on my sidebar.

For even more inspiration, have a look at the many other bloggers' listed below, with direct links to their Christmas tablescape posts, as part of a blog hop I am participating in this week. As with last week's home decor hop, this is once again hosted and organized by Chloe Crabtree of the blog, Celebrate and Decorate (thank you, Chloe!). I will be updating the list as the week continues, so you can come back here anytime as a central reference for all the table inspiration. 

Monday

Everyday Living | Belle Bleu Interiors | Home is Where the Boat Is

The Little Yellow Corner Store | Bluesky at Home 

Tuesday

Red Cottage Chronicles | My Kentucky Living | Savvy Apron | Rattlebridge Farm

The Red Painted Cottage | Knock it Off Kim

Wednesday

The Painted Apron | A casa di Bianca | Hey Fitzy | Dining Delight

Corner of Plaid and Paisley | From My Carolina Home

Thursday

Life and Linda | B. Lovely Events | Rosemary & Thyme | Sweet Sensations

Our Crafty Mom | Panoply (you are here!)

Friday

My French Twist | Me and My Captain | Celebrate & Decorate

Nourish and Nestle | PMQ for Two

Oh Deer! Christmas Tablescape Source List

Chargers - Michaels, chalkpainted

Dinner, Salad Plates - Big Lots

Deer ornaments - Lowes, handpainted by Patti at Pandora's Box

Drop Cloth tablecloth - Lowes

Spiral holiday table runner - handmade gift from daughter

Tartan Napkins - Mark and Graham

Tartan Napkin Rings, Williamsburg apple centerpiece form - eBay

Flatware - Lucca (Fortessa) - Sur La Table

Glassware - Georgian (Anchor Hocking), Cafe au lait bowls, cake stand - vintage and antique finds
Checked mini stockings, Washi tape - MacKenzie-Childs

Merry Christmas!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: One More Time, Pieced Pastimes, Best of the Weekend, Snickerdoodle,  Amaze Me, DIDI,  BNOTP, Show & Share, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, Foodie Friday & Everything Else and I'm also sharing at Common Ground and Follow the Yellow Brick Home: 

Holiday Home Style 2017

Welcome, everyone, to my holiday home style 2017! If you're new to my blog, my mentioning just a few things will clue you in on my decor style. I am traditional in my decor, with a fusion of vintage and antique items in the mix. I love Christmas - it is my favorite holiday. Each year, I break out all my reds, greens, plaids and checks like there's no tomorrow. With that, let me share some of my new holiday home styling I've done for Christmas 2017.

We updated our kitchen early in 2017, and one of the smartest styling decisions I made was to reconfigure my breakfast area's bar / wine rack to open shelves. This has allowed me much more flexibility in decorating and in how the space is actually used. Pictured below, you can see my holiday home style for 2017 in that area.

I've made this bar area - which is immediately adjacent to the kitchen - a self-service, hot beverage bar. MacKenzie-Childs chargers and mugs are as stylish as they are functional, and serve as the backdrop. Most of my nutcrackers have found a new home here, and tartan plaids can be found throughout, on everything from the riser box (top shelf, holding tree candle), to the mugs and dishes (second shelf), down to the tray and napkins on the counter.

Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are garnered in a handmade covered rope bowl from a local artist, perched on a Courtly Check pedestal, while spoons are held in a small pot.

The little night light in the back corner is a vintage find - an angel trumpeting. She is perched on a silver compote topped with a small Courtly Check plate.

Just behind this bar, with open flow entry from both the kitchen and breakfast area, is the sunroom. It is my favorite space in the house for relaxing and casual entertaining. The sunroom is a spacious 16' x 20', and for Christmas, I usually style this space with a woodland, rustic approach. With windows on three walls, and a ceiling which is all windows (with built-in blinds), the light is incredible in here. Although climate controlled with a separate heating/cooling unit, we use mostly indoor/outdoor furniture and other vintage pieces to minimize sun damage.

The winter area rug grounds my favorite seating area which includes the chaise lounge. I've very liberally mixed various plaids and patterns in this area for the holidays. The stepback hutch pictured below is one of the carefree vintage pieces I use in this space. It is situated on the wall directly behind the beverage bar just shared. You can also see the kitchen through one of two sliding glass door entries, and a reflection of the chaise in that glass. A loveseat glider with plaid throw sits in front of that door.

Here's a closer view at how I've styled the hutch in the sunroom for Christmas 2017.

The top shelf is styled with collected spools of yarn and cotton thread - perfect as trees - and topped with red bells. The tan Santa mugs are estate sale finds. The plates on the hutch sport sleighs filled with holly, birds and gifts (Pier 1, last year).

The second shelf has a few woodland creatures: my woodland elf Santa, a deer topped Ball jar, ready for candy or marshmallows, and Mr. Fox, one of my most recent finds. The 'tree' in front of Mr. Fox is a stack of vintage, graduated Scotch Brand tape tins! It, too, is topped with a red bell. Another vintage Santa mug and thermos finish off that shelf. The matching lunchbox to the thermos is sitting on the hutch counter with another (taller) thermos. I keep dishes conveniently at the ready on the hutch, accessible near the kitchen space, which I typically use for buffet food service with company.

The sitting area pictured below is just across from the chaise area and french doors to the outside. The area rug with loaded truck motif is just inside the french door opening. My trusty olive bucket, filled with my fallen birch logs, pine cones, red ball ornaments and lights is just beyond the opening.

The outdoor furniture in the sunroom is almost thirty years old and has held up to high heat and heavy use. The chairs swivel and rock slightly, so they're conducive to engaging with company in various directions of the long space. The baker's rack holds some of my garden books and supplies, and there are a few plants in this back area. The corner table is set with whimsical holiday decor, new this year.

Another plaid blanket from my vintage stash was first draped over the table, and the new-for-2017 decorating followed. I started with my red truck (first used here).

The deer couple are driving the truck, with the freshly 'cut' tree (preserved boxwood), and have already strung the lights. ;)

I then proceeded to create a snowman. With three preserved boxwood balls I've had for years, and a dowel rod from the garage, I simply skewered the boxwoods to make the snowman. I found sticks and dried magnolia seed pods to trim as arms, eyes, nose and buttons. The top hat was a tree topper. I placed the snowman inside a gift box atop a stool covered with polyfill, the end result giving the appearance of snow on a hilltop.

My inspiration for the snowman came one evening while perusing my MacKenzie-Childs holiday catalog. I had everything on hand needed for this, so the savings was huge when you compare the two. Once Christmas is over, I can simply deconstruct and use the boxwood balls otherwise.

MacKenzie-Childs Snowman Topiary Inspiration

A view of the sunroom from the breakfast area (below).

Playing around with new holiday vignettes each year is always fun, and mixing with my existing decor is always my goal. I have begun a new holiday tablescape, and it will appear in a post next week, and I hope you'll return. :)

Once I play around with new ideas, the rest of my holiday decorating flows in traditional, tried-and-true fashion. For example, my outdoor decor was set on Black Friday, with a perfectly mild weather, sunny day. The Japanese maple has yet to drop its leaves; meanwhile it frames the poinsettia flag in the garden.

Capturing the photo below just as I finished the outdoor decor, I was delighted to find the crescent moon centered between my dormer windows. Simple pleasures!

If you'd like to see how my traditional holiday decor runs through the rest of my home and garden, you can click on my 2016 tour here. It's also still featured on my sidebar.

Thank you for visiting today, and I hope you'll come back again! If you're a new reader and like my content, you may subscribe to my blog on my sidebar by providing your email. That way, new posts will conveniently arrive in your inbox when published. I am a non-revenue generating blog, and I do not sell or provide your email to anyone.

This week, I am participating in a holiday home tour, hosted and organized by Chloe Crabtree of the blog, Celebrate and Decorate (thank you, Chloe!). See the complete list of bloggers participating below, each and all sure to inspire you. I've provided links to their blogs, and I will be updating the list as the week continues, so you can come back here and find the direct links to each one's holiday home tour.

Monday

Everyday Living | My Kentucky Living | Panoply (you are here!)

Tuesday

Savvy Apron | Hey Fitzy | Celebrate & Decorate 

Wednesday
Belle Blue Interiors | Red Cottage Chronicles | Dining Delight | Bluesky at Home

Thursday

The Painted Apron | Corner of Plaid and Paisley | Living With Thanksgiving 

Friday

From My Carolina Home | Supper Table Talk | Me and My Captain | Our Crafty Mom 

Do you completely change your holiday decor from year to year, or are you a traditionalist, keeping and re-using most or all of your holiday decor? Do you purge - selectively or entirely - your holiday decor each year? I'm curious. Leave me a comment if you care to share your thoughts.

(A big thanks to Kathryn at The Dedicated House Sunday Showcase from Make It Pretty and Richella at Grace at Home No. 277 for featuring this post!)

Happy Holidays!
Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: One More Time, Amaze Me, DIDI,  BNOTP, Show & Share, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, Totally Terrific Tues,  SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, Foodie Friday & Everything Else and I'm also sharing at Common Ground and Follow the Yellow Brick Home: