Miss Luna C's Holiday Rush and a Giveaway!

For the background on this series of related posts, you can read all about the makings of the Traveling Totes Tribe here. Be sure to read to the end for a chance at this month's giveaway!

Since we last traveled, my tote (Miss Luna C) has become my workhorse, as I cross off  tasks on my list for the holiday prep. Seriously, I pretty much am Miss Luna C at this point in time!

Sending seasonal wishes to family and friends, I've been toting around my supplies with Miss Luna C, whether it's from within the house, or even in waiting areas outside of home where I find myself otherwise idling in this busy time. I take advantage of every idle moment to get things done!

Moving from writing Christmas cards to gifts needing wrapped, Miss Luna C acts as my indoor trug for hauling all the necessary things for just about any holiday job.

Wrapping just a few presents at a time makes the job seem less onerous. As you can see, I am just beginning that chore, although there's been a lot of scaling back on material gifts this year on our part....

Speaking of gifts, here's one I gave to myself from the MacKenzie Childs' holiday line (below). I ordered these back in early November, in the hopes of using them with my Winter Wonderland Tablescape, but they were on backorder, so my theme took a different twist without them. I hope to use them for my Christmas morning breakfast with my adult girls and their husbands.

Though appearing to be Courtly Check, they are actually made by another, fair trade company, and "hand-picked to complement" the MacKenzie-Childs designs. The tiny mittens pillow in the second photo of this post is also from that same company, sourced through MacKenzie-Childs.

Lastly, Miss Luna C  has been (and will continue to be) with me, carrying both gifts and cards for delivering, and for toting additional errand pickups after various luncheon outings. It's typical of me to get caught up in the fun of each event, and only get a photo on my way out the door.

Here was one photo opportunity taken (below), with two of my very good friends in town, having lunch together at an Asian restaurant with sushi bar. Our booth looked as though we were seated inside a clam shell - it was huge!

It's an understatement to say the holidays are a busy time, but I do hope you're enjoying them, and taking time for yourself, friends and family.

Unlike my little guy, whom I call 'Augustine', out in the garden, don't be so busy you leave your pants behind as you rush around this holiday season. :) He's found his hat and scarf, but seems to have forgotten his shoes and pants! With the weather we've been having lately, he'll need to shed even those accessories!

Where have all the other Traveling Tote tribe members been of late?  By all means, go check them out at the links below. I tell ya, these girls get around!

Sarah and Miss CC @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Patti with Miss Kenzie and Taylor @ Pandora's Box

Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry

Debbie and Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths

Samantha with Christabel @ Samantha Stone

ONTO THE GIVEAWAY!

Leave Patti @ Pandora's Box a comment for a chance to win a MacKenzie-Childs Flower Market soap dish, balsam scented soap from the Adirondacks and a mini soap from Cape Cod. All are items purchased on her recent travels with her traveling tote!

Patti's Giveaway @ Pandora's Box

A winner will be picked December 27th!

If you'd like to revisit Miss Luna C's previous travels, here are the links to those posts:

Miss Luna C and the Traveling Totes Tribe

Miss Luna C Goes to the Park!

Miss Luna C's Autumn Joy!

Until our next adventure (coming March 1, 2016), thank you for traveling along. It's a pleasure to have your company and visit!

Rita C. at Panoply

Winter Wonderland Tablescape

I've set the sunroom for a winter wonderland luncheon, suitable for the holidays or any winter's day, really. Most of the inspiration found on this tablescape is a compilation of past vintage treasures.

Panoply's Winter Wonderland Tablescape, December 2015

Simple in styling, the table is set for four, using a vintage, white matelasse tablecloth as the base, and layering across with a vintage wool, tartan plaid runner, recently sourced. Napkins are vintage damask, and are shaped into a tree fold. I pulled from purse ephemera for place cards, using old picture postcards of women and children in their winter finery. I set each place card upon a fork, repurposed as easel.

Picture Place Cards, Forks as Easels

The place setting itself is also layered, starting with red chargers from Michael's (new). Next, I used vintage white Mikasa 'Magnolia' dinner plate, cup and saucer. Finally, a newer vintage, Ridgway (England) 'Windsor' in a black transferware with florals and birds is used as a salad plate. The water glasses are vintage, crackled and dimpled Blenko, and the ruby red juice glasses are also vintage, Anchor Hocking's 'Georgian'.

Red Charger, Mikasa 'Magnolia' Dinner Plate, Ridgway 'Windsor' Black Transferware Salad Plate

Silver details on the tablescape are also vintage, a mix of both silverplate (flatware and water pitcher) and sterling (creamer, sugar, tongs, marmalade jar details, and tea strainers).

Sterling and Silverplate Utensils

The tea service rests upon a vintage Fenton "Silver Crest' cake platter, and features a hand-painted teapot. A recent purchase from fellow blogger, Celestina Marie, the teapot comes from her Etsy shop (psst, she's running a 20% off sale through December 20th, 2015!).

Tea Service on Fenton 'Silver Crest' Cake Platter

I really love this teapot for several reasons. The hand-painted composition is, overall, beautiful, I love birds, the cardinal is our state bird, and the black and white check pattern on the teapot resembles the MacKenzie-Childs 'Courtly Check' pattern, which I dearly love. 

Teapot from Celestina Marie Design (Etsy)

This tablescape, once completed, gave me the feeling of a winter wonderland. There are birds on the transferware plates, teapot, and claw of the sugar tong. There are floral themes on the plates, flatware, and teapot. There's an overall wintry feel from the table textiles, from the snow white matelasse to the warm woolen tartan runner to the tree shape of the napkins. While the silver utensils and Blenko glasses lend an icy feel, the attire of the subjects in the picture place cards and the teapot, and the fiery reds in the chargers and juice glasses, certainly are all signs of warmth. Together, it all felt very much like what one might (and I have) encountered on a walk in winter - a wonderland.

Panoply's Winter Wonderland Tablescape, Alternate View

Do you like to walk in a winter wonderland or do you prefer to sit by a cozy fire with a warm drink? Or, do you like both? Or, is your idea of a walk in a winter wonderland more like being barefoot, somewhere with white, powdery sand??

Video tutorial for folding napkins into Christmas trees is found here (clicking launches YouTube).

As always, your visits, comments, and readership are very much appreciated!

Rita C. at Panoply

A special thanks to Jann Olson at Share Your Cup #178 for featuring this post!)

Sharing with any given number of these fine hosts:

One More Time Events

Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday

Rustic & Refined's Table It!

Beverly's Anything Goes/Pink

Snickerdoodle Sunday

BNOTP Tablescape Thursday

Coastal Charm's Show and Share

The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday

A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me

The Scoop

Let’s Talk Vintage

Dagmar’s Thrifty & Vtg Finds
Must Love Home's Wonderful Wednesday

Vintage Inspiration Party

Savvy Southern's WOW

Delightsome Life Home & Garden

Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday

Adirondack Girl's Vintage Charm

CCM's Flea Market Friday

Tray of Bliss' Five Star Frou Frou

Rattlebridge Farm Foodie Friday

Imparting Grace

Mrs. Olson's SYC

French Country's FNF

Do You Want to Build a Hot Drink Stand?

Do you want to build a hot drink stand? Come on, let's go and play!

Oh my goodness, decorating and dreaming of ideas can be so much fun, especially when there's been so much inspiration to pull from on the internet and in hard copy magazines! I've put together this hot drink stand in my sunroom this holiday season, pulling from ideas I've seen and loved, and then adding my own little spin.

The building blocks of any hot beverage stand begin, of course with hot chocolate ingredients.

First the cocoa is prepared (combined with this recipe), and then placed in a mason jar. With a simple quilting square edged by pinking shears, a jute string, and a homemade gift tag tied around the lid, you have a hostess gift!

Add a cute mug (below, Williams Sonoma, a few years ago) and fabric coaster, and you've got yourself a gift set! Keeping a festive water pitcher nearby will assure no one running short of water for heating. These cuties are being added to my hot drink bar, and there's more! 

Using another mason jar, simply epoxy glue a favorite ornament atop the lid (deer head, Lowe's), and you have a marshmallow (and/or chocolate chip) canister. A bit of baker's string tied around the lid makes it festive and gift worthy.

Don't forget the peppermint sticks. A vintage Santa mug holds these yummy sticks (WalMart), which are great for stirring, and easily melting in your drink. What's Santa winking about?

The little message on the spoon he's holding!

For those who opt for coffee, there's a plan for that on this hot drink stand, too!

I fell hard for my blogging friend's (Sharon, The Blue Willow House) original idea of a repurposed office stamp holder. I kept the idea in mind, since I already had the vintage item it was built from. I just put a little different spin on its presentation, and am using it as a coffee stand.

I had the tiny ornaments, unused, from years ago, and the green 'grass' was saved from previous gift packaging. I purchased the handmade, fabric-covered rope basket at a craft festival this year. I simply placed the 'tree' into the basket, filled it with 'grass', decorated it with the bulbs and tiny ornaments, and placed the peppermint bark coffee pods (limited edition) in the base. I tied a simple bow of plaid ribbon for the topper.

Oh my, it looks as though it's beginning to snow! We better grab a thermos to take with us!

Come on, let's go and play!

{wink}

Feel free to pin any of these images for building your own hot drink stand.

As always, your visits, comments and loyal readership are welcome, and much appreciated!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing with any given number of these fine hosts:
Common Ground & Cozy Little House: Christmas Open House

One More Time Events

Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday

Rustic & Refined's Table It!

Beverly's Anything Goes/Pink

Natasha in Oz Sundays Down Under

BNOTP Tablescape Thursday

Coastal Charm's Show and Share

The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday

A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me

The Scoop

Let’s Talk Vintage

Dagmar’s Thrifty & Vintage Finds

Vintage Inspiration Party

Must Love Home WonderfulWednesday

Savvy Southern's WOW

Delightsome Life Home & Garden

Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday

Vintage Charm

CCM's Flea Market Friday

Tray of Bliss' Five Star Frou Frou

Must Love Home's Friday Favorites
Rattlebridge Farm Foodie Friday

Imparting Grace
Mrs. Olson's SYC

Art & Sand's Creating Christmas: Sweet & Simple
Design Happy's Holiday Party

French Country's FNF

Creating Christmas with Silver and Gold

Christmastime is probably my favorite time of year. Unlike any other season or event, I go all out in decorating the house and garden for Christmas. Although I'm not one to go out and overhaul my holiday decor from year to year with buying new things, I like to think of different ways to display parts of my existing collections of vintage and antique things. I stick to a traditional red and green mix, with plenty doses of gold and silver for good measure. Several of my decor displays for Christmas are everyday displays, mixed up a bit for a holiday look.

This year, one of the things I changed up was a bell cloche that is displayed in my sunroom, year-round. It's usually displaying objects of nature (nests, shells, acorns, pinecones, etc.), but this time it has a holiday spin. For Christmastime, it's a silver bell! I merely took all of my vintage baby cups, both sterling and silverplate, and mixed them up inside my bell cloche for a Christmas display.

At nighttime, the silver bell cloche lights up with an auto-timed, battery-operated wired string of lights. Simple and sweet.

Other doses of silver are being used in my holiday decor. I have a collection of antique and vintage napkin rings, both sterling and silverplate. I use these rings for the family buffet I host on Christmas Eve, for up to 35 of my immediate family. My collection of napkins rings is large, but I also have a subset within the collection of monogrammed napkin rings (pictured below). 

Antique & Vintage, Monogrammed Napkin Rings: Starting Clockwise, Top L: Mollie, Caroline, Jeff, Mary, "G", Clara, Kristine, Robert, Frank, Norma

Another thing I changed for this year's Christmas decor is my collection displayed in my vintage WWII ammunition basket, last styled for my fall home tour, here. Instead of vintage wooden cutting boards, I'm now showcasing my vintage silverplate trays with a tartan runner on the basket's edge. This basket conveniently rests on the floor, beside my refrigerator, leading into the dining room.

In my dining room, there's a mix of gold and silver, some used in everyday display, others mixed in for Christmas, both right at home, side by side. Below is a collage sampler of my mix of silver and gold used in the dining room, kitchen, and stairway leading upstairs.

What's your preference for using silver and gold in your decor? Do you lean toward one or another, or like using them both together? Do you use gold and silver just for the holidays, or everyday? Is it the same for your choice in jewelry? Have your tastes changed over the years with trends, or has just your personal style changed, regardless of trends?

As always, your visits, comments and loyal readership are welcome, and much appreciated!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing with any given number of these fine hosts:

Creating Christmas (at Trina's Tea Time)

One More Time Events

Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday

Rustic & Refined's Table It!

Beverly's Anything Goes/Pink

Natasha in Oz Sundays Down Under

BNOTP Met Monday

Coastal Charm's Show and Share

The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday

A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me

The Scoop

Let’s Talk Vintage

Dagmar’s Thrifty & Vintage Finds
Must Love Home Wonderful Wednesday

Vintage Inspiration Party

Savvy Southern's WOW
Common Ground & Cozy Little House: Christmas Open House

Delightsome Life Home & Garden

Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style

Treasure Hunt Thursday

Vintage Charm

CCM's Flea Market Friday

Tray of Bliss' Five Star Frou Frou

Thursday Favorite Things

Imparting Grace

Mrs. Olson's SYC

French Country's FNF

Home for Christmas: Winter Greens from the Garden

I've been just as busy outside putting my garden to bed for the winter as I have been inside, decorating my home these past several days. As part of  the "Home for Christmas" blog hop series, co-hosted by Hometalk.com and CountryLiving,com, I'm sharing how easy it is to create your own garden arrangement for holiday decor, utilizing remnants from the garden. Be sure to see all the details and links on the "Home for Christmas" blog hop series at the end of this post.

My inspiration for a winter greens arrangement came straight from my garden. I cut and saved magnolia branches, eucalyptus from my annual containers, and red twigs from my red twig dogwood bushes. I stopped by Lowe's, where they were selling their fresh Christmas trees, and asked if they had any remnants from trimming trees, and they offered me two bags full - for FREE! I took only one, leaving the other for someone else.

Garden Remnants

A vintage French market basket, sourced from a fellow antique dealer in late November, put my wheels into motion insofar as how I would create my arrangement.

Vintage French Market Basket

So, into the garden shed of supplies I went. I gathered a plastic bucket from prior plantings, a coir basket liner, and some potting soil.

Garden Shed Supplies

I placed the coir liner into the basket, and put enough dirt into the liner to give it some weight.

Fill 'er up!

Then, I simply starting arranging the remnants, using the container principle of thrilling, filling, and spilling (although the thriller only came once the arrangement was inside, see further in post). I put the tallest red twig branches in back. Next, I placed a long branch of magnolia in the center. I snipped branches as needed, until it was spilling enough to please my eye.

Trimming the Fillers

I filled the sides with pine branches, and then stuck a few of the smaller red twigs here and there, for added dimension. I had saved some lavender, but ended up not using it, as my cuts were too short.

Arranging: Thriller, Filler, Spiller

I did tuck the eucalyptus branches into the mix before I called it complete - at least while outside. ;)

Temporarily Finished Arrangement

Once inside, I knew I wanted to add some sparkle - my final, thriller effect. I created the thriller by adding a few pre-lit, silver branches I had on hand to the back. Lastly, I added pre-strung, battery operated wire lights around the lower, front assemblage. Ta da! The finished arrangement, inside.

Adding the Thriller Factor - Lights!

Since I "planted" the cuts into the bucket that I placed inside the market basket, I can add some water and keep the arrangement fresh enough through the holidays. If it lasts beyond Christmas, well, that'll just be a bonus! For now, the fresh smell of pine is filling the family room, next to the Christmas tree, and the lights make me smile.

Detail of arrangment

Now, onto the blog hop!

Stop in and visit any and all of the bloggers who are sharing their ideas in the "Home for Christmas" series by simply clicking on any or all of the links below. It's sure to get you in the holiday spirit, and will be a great source for pinning any number of your favorites, for this year or years to come. A special thanks to the Hometalk.com and CountryLiving.com teams for their joint efforts in co-hosting this series!

Sharing with any given number of these fine hosts:

BNOTP Met Monday

Rustic-Refined's Table It!
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me

The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday

The Scoop
Must Love Home Wonderful Wednesday

Savvy Southern's WOW
Vintage Charm

Delightsome Life Home & Garden

Imparting Grace
French Country Cottage FNF

As always, your visits, comments, and loyal readership are always welcome here on my blog!

Rita C. at Panoply

(A special thanks to Christine at Rustic-Refined's Table It! #74 for featuring this post!)

An InLinkz Link-up

Home for Christmas: Ten Tips for a Highly Organized Holiday Event

I'll be home for Christmas, and I'll be hosting family. As part of  the "Home for Christmas" blog hop series, co-hosted by Hometalk.com and CountryLiving,com, today I'm sharing my top ten tips for organizing holiday events like a pro.  See more details at the end of this post on the "Home for Christmas" blog hop series.

With several years of hosting Christmas Eve dinner parties for my family crowd (of up to 35) in my home, I've learned how to be highly organized, and without hired help. Whether it's Christmas, a birthday, wedding, etc., you may find these tips useful if you're ever the host of such an event.

Without further ado, here are my top ten tips for a highly organized holiday event:
1. Coat, please. If it's wintertime, rather than taking guests' coats and dumping them on a bed in a guest room to later finding yourself in a needless game of "go fish", why not empty your foyer coat closet and use it for guests?  Hangers are inexpensive to buy (or free), and can be readily placed in the empty closet for guests to hang their own coats as they arrive. We use a rolling clothes rack in our basement as a holding place for our own coats when hosting, but you could just as easily put your own coats on the guest room bed, out of the way, prior to your event.

2. Rely on the numbers. Other than the obvious of planning your groceries for the intended headcount, there are a few other things to consider when hosting guests. Make sure every person has a seat for eating. I like to keep the house from looking like a cafeteria, so I make sure any added chairs fit into my decor (Parsons chairs from other rooms work great). I then make the choice of either snack trays or small drink tables available for each chair with coasters set by each. I set the tables I have, and then make utensils readily available at the buffet line for those who will take seats elsewhere.

Setting the Tables

Buffet Service: Dishes at Start, Extra Utensils on Sidebar

3. Do as much of the food preparation in advance as possible. I literally have all of my food cooked, baked and/or in serving dishes in advance. All I'm doing the two hours prior to guests arriving is heating things up and setting things out. I have family members that help with some of the dishes, and they deliver those dishes on Christmas Eve morning, where they slide into the fridge or coolers until the evening heating and serving.

Make Ahead Main Dishes, Desserts, Appetizers

4. Plan an organization chart for the buffet. It's important to have a good flow when serving a large number of people. I use hand-written teepees to label all the items I'll be serving, and pull out all my serving dishes in advance (usually two days in advance), to make sure everything will fit. Also important to consider is where electricity will be necessary for crockpots, roasting pans, coffee makers, etc.

Org Chart for Buffet Service

5. Don't forget to plan space for the drink station, appetizers, and dessert bar. By far, I find it much easier to let guests serve themselves drinks, apps, and desserts, as well as the meal itself. We plan a bar set with glasses, ice, mixers, etc., and have a cooler indoors (during inclement weather) or outdoors with better weather). We keep ice in the cooler and a towel at the ready for drying up drips, and on a tile floor in case of mishaps. This makes mixing and mingling much easier, while I handle last minute prep tasks.

Dessert Station

6. Is that my drink? If you're using real glasses, I suggest using wine charms, ribbons, or some other type of identifier for each person's glass to minimize confusion and keep drinks organized. If using cans or bottles, consider koozies that guests can write their names on and take with them. This would make a great take away for guests!

Charms for Glassware

7. Plan for gift exchange and cleanup. We play the white elephant gift exchange, so I make the numbers in advance for guests to pull from. No one likes the overwhelming task of cleaning up after an event, so plan for it. Have large garbage bags ready for unwrapping gifts. For food trash, we keep two trash cans in our kitchen, one for compacting, the other for food waste that doesn't go in the disposal. I use cloth napkins at Christmas, and keep a holiday basket in the laundry / powder room where they can be dropped after use and laundered later.

Gift Exchange - Who's on Cleanup Duty?

8. No butts about it! Invariably, there will be smokers in the group. Have a designated smoking area outside, at the ready with either ashtrays or a sand-filled pot for the butts.

Designated Smoking Area With Container for Butts

9. Privacy, please....If you provide your guests with the option of leaving the powder room as fresh as you originally had it, a simple can of your choice of air freshening spray can even be worked into the decor (in a nearby basket).

And most people don't wish to use the same towel as others before them - that's just gross! Do everyone a favor and leave the towels as pretty decor. Buy a supply of disposable, fingertip towels as an option for guests to use once and toss.

Powder Room Decor

10. If you provide take away 'thank yous' for guests, prepare and have them ready and waiting near the front door as guests leave. If your event is casual enough and you offer leftovers, make sure you save your reusable plastic containers leading up to the event, or purchase an assortment inexpensively beforehand. I would never do this other than with family, but I tell them BYOT - bring your own tupperware. ;)

All of these tips make my life a whole lot easier as I ramp up for the big event of Christmas Eve. Feel free to pin from this post so you can refer back to my top ten tips for organizing your holiday event. And one last thing: plan time for holiday fun! All work and no play makes for a stressful holiday. Make sure when you're planning a big event that you make time for yourself. Have fun with the holiday, take time for yourself and loved ones, enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.

Taking "Me" Time During the Holidays

Now, onto the blog hop! 

Stop in and visit any and all of the many bloggers who are sharing their ideas in the "Home for Christmas" series by simply clicking on any or all of the links below. It's sure to get you in the holiday spirit, and will be a great source for pinning any number of your favorites, for this year or years to come. A special thanks to the Hometalk.com and CountryLiving.com teams for their joint efforts in hosting this series!

Sharing with any given number of these fine hosts:

BNOTP Met Monday

Rustic-Refined's Table It!
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me

The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday

The Scoop
Must Love Home Wonderful Wednesday

Savvy Southern's WOW

Delightsome Life Home & Garden

Imparting Grace

As always, your visits, comments, and loyal readership are always welcome here on my blog!

Rita C. at Panoply

An InLinkz Link-up