Welcome Cassandra LaValle of Coco+Kelley!
Full of inspiration day in and day out, whether home or fashion related, Coco+Kelley graces our list of very favorite design blogs, and just about everyone else’s list too! Cassandra LaValle launched Coco+Kelley in 2007 and her endeavors quickly snowballed thanks to her natural talent and gleaming personality, which both shine through in her daily posts. We’re positively elated that this nationally-recognized blogger joined our cast of guests, sharing ideas for her favorite tabletop this holiday season. Follow her stylish lead and give it a try! Your holiday table will thank you.
Over to you, Cassandra!
Chic Holiday Tablescape
There are few things I love more in life than setting a beautiful table. After all, creating a space that welcomes guests to join in on intimate conversation, fabulous food, and an evening that is nothing short of memorable is a complete joy for all involved! Needless to say, the holidays are my favorite time of year for this very reason. Of course, with so many pieces of inspiration to pull from, creating my own tabletop for Thanksgiving or Christmas is never easy! This year, I spent hours going through my files and searching online to come up with a table that would be perfect for entertaining all winter long…
When putting together a tablescape, I tend to gravitate towards unusual color palettes as well as a mix of styles and textures to create something a little more unexpected for my guests. Lately, I’ve found myself very attracted to this rich teal blue, and knew I wanted to use it this year as an accent color. By pairing it with golds, coppers and a rusty red we add loads of warmth and a little bit of sparkle – something every table should have!
This time of year, fresh flowers at the last minute can be less than desirable. Unless you’re ordering a centerpiece ahead of time, I find it’s easier (and less expensive!) to put together an arrangement that can be easily moved to a sideboard to make way for a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas roast. Ostrich feathers in a shimmering golden glazed vase are a fabulous way to do this, adding instant drama and texture. Candlelight is always a necessary element for any tabletop, and I really liked the varying heights and the texture of these gold pillar candlesticks to draw out the gold rimmed china and complement the fleur de lys tumblers. The copper glass charger adds more depth and texture to the setting while accents of teal in the taffeta napkins and traditional goblets are all we need to add a little pop of this saturated color.
Don’t forget to leave your guests with a lovely little gift when you can! If I could, I’d be topping each setting with a gorgeous crystal encrusted pinecones for everyone (and one for me too!). I hope you all enjoy a lovely holiday and are inspired to do something new with your table this year!
Welcome Executive Chef Jason Godwin!
Today, guest blogger Jason Godwin, executive chef with Simply the Best Catering in North Little Rock, chimes in with three of his favorite holiday recipes: spiced pecans, brioche and sweet potato gratin. Each is versatile and delicious (a magical combination when it comes to holiday cooking!) and was especially chosen for you, At Home’s readers, to help spice up that holiday menu!
Jason’s resume includes a culinary degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and a stint at the Capital Hotel as pastry sous chef. He also worked with Americorps VISTA in 2004, coordinating chefs who taught classes to low income individuals about cooking cost consciously.
We’re honored you stopped by, Jason. Turning it over to you!
Three Holiday Recipes
These pecans are awesome. You can play with the recipe until you come up with something that you like! I usually add a little cayenne pepper to the meringue, but you could also use cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, etc. Have fun with it! Why not make a big batch of these and package them up as gifts for all your friends and family? The packaging is up to you; these sweet, crunchy, buttery snacks will speak for themselves.
I picked this dough because of its versatility and relative simplicity. It is also a crowd pleaser because of its richness. It is different than many breads in that it has eggs and butter. Every time I make this brioche, I think about how it is almost impossible to find at the grocery store and that, when I was living in France, the brioche section of the supermarket was almost as big as the regular bread section! You can add chocolate chips, dried fruit, cocoa powder, sweet potatoes…the possibilities are endless. I like to roll extra dough out, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, and then roll it up for cinnamon rolls. It also makes a great French toast.
Most people think of a gratin as containing cheese. However, the word “gratin” refers to the crust that forms when the dish is cooked. This can be achieved with cheese or bread crumbs, or by using heat to caramelize the natural sugars in the product. Celery root, or celeriac, is widely used in Europe and often in restaurants. It is, however, overlooked in home cooking. It is a fairly gnarly-looking root that can now be found at many grocery stores, and its flavor is mild, nutty, creamy and savory. It is one of my favorite ingredients because of its versatility, as it can be used in soups, purees, gratins and even salads. I would definitely recommend incorporating a root into your home cooking. Don’t be scared…I think you will pleased with the result!
Imagery: MarthaStewart.com, Saveur and At Home in Arkansas
More from Holly Mang of Brick Street Botanical
It’s fitting that Holly Mang of Brick Street Botanical share her ideas for decorating with “holly,” right? Here, the Rogers florist offers a step-by-step approach to creating balls of holly that can dress up doorways, chandeliers and more. “The options are endless,” she says.
Deck the Halls with Holly
Step one: Start with holly branches, a one-third block of wet floral foam, pipe cleaners, pine cones, clippers, scissors and wire cutters. Additional ornaments can be added as well.
Step two: Using a pencil, make a hole straight through the foam.
Step three: Fold a pipe cleaner in half and insert into the hole, leaving a small loop to attach ribbon hanger.
Step four: Flip foam over, place a small piece of holly stem against the foam and twist pipe cleaner. (The stem prevents the wire from ripping through floral foam.)
Step five: Begin inserting holly branches into the face of the foam block to develop a shape.
Step six: Add ribbon to loop on top of floral foam before it is hidden by holly. Continue to cover foam completely with holly.
Step seven: Wire optional ornamental additions such as pine cones.
Step eight: Hang your hand-crafted Christmas decoration wherever your heart desires!
Welcome Holly Mang of Brick Street Botanical!
When we asked Holly Mang of Brick Street Botanical in Rogers to contribute some of her favorite holiday floral arrangements, we were looking for unique ideas that would make a festive statement. But we never guessed that they could also be so easy to do! Of course, Holly has much more up her sleeve as the creative mind behind her fabulous flower shop, but she was kind of enough to share some breathtaking ideas that can be executed quite easily.
Starting Paperwhites in Water and Rocks
A combination of unusual jars or vases full of paperwhites, popular during the winter and holiday months, makes an excellent holiday centerpiece that will last all season long.
- Step one: Fill unusual jars and vases with small pebbles or glass beads.
- Step two: Set paperwhite bulbs on top of the rocks or beads.
- Step three: Fill with water a tad bit lower than the base of paperwhite. (Do not submerge bulb as it will rot.)
- Step four: After roots have developed and greenery of paperwhite is an inch or two tall, change water to a mixture of one part rubbing alcohol and ten parts water. That combination will prevent paperwhite from becoming lanky and falling over.
Voila! Blooms will appear in three to six weeks!
Images from the grand opening of Wilkerson Jewelers’ remodeled showroom
Images from the grand opening of Wilkerson Jewelers’ newly remodeled 2,500 showroom in Stuttgart … Congratulations!
![WilkersonRibbonCutting (2)[1]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/hd_blog_post-36979.jpg "WilkersonRibbonCutting (2)[1]")
The ribbon cutting.
At Home in Arkansas team, left to right:
Lauren Quick Strother, Jennifer Hay, Laura LaRue and Kelly Fraiser
Two Grand Openings
Last night, the At Home team split up and headed to two grand openings. At Wilkerson Jewelers’ remodeled location in Stuttgart, we got the grand tour and enjoyed fabulous hors d’oeuvres (more on that later!), and at I.O. Metro we were greeted by an enthusiastic staff eager to show off their impressive updated space in a festive and friendly atmosphere. The square footage increased by 2,000 square feet, and there’s a room entirely dedicated to wall art. We also loved the rustic new line of furnishings and accessories, called 1492 and hand-selected in far-away places like India and China. I.O. Metro’s CEO, the young and innovative Jay Howard, was there to greet us as well. It was quite an event.
Media Week
We launched our Media Week on Monday, and that evening enjoyed dinner with Tobi Fairley at Copper Grill in Little Rock. We were joined by the president of our parent company’s home design division, Adam (a renowned wine blogger/aficionado to boot!), and also our internet specialist, Mitch (at right). It was a great week of learning about online opportunities available to local businesses, particularly through social media. For more information, visit http://design-sherpa.com/.
At Home’s been busy…
A busy couple of weeks for the At Home in Arkansas team! Last week, we participated in the annual Holiday House at the Convention Center in Little Rock, sponsored by the Junior League of Little Rock. That’s Katie manning our booth and offering subscriptions; everybody loved our tree!
(P.S.- Stay tuned for snippets on what we’ve been up to this week, including our trip to the grand opening of Wilkerson Jewelers’ newly remodeled space in Stuttgart AND our trip to the VIP party celebrating I.O. Metro’s newly remodeled space in Little Rock!)
Welcome Brandy Thomason of Bella Vita Jewelry!
Please welcome Brandy Thomason of Bella Vita Jewelry! I personally fell in love with Brandy’s jewelry one Saturday morning at the Argenta Art Market, where I noticed her table surrounded by people trying on her beautiful earrings, necklaces and other creations. At Home featured her work in our Fall Weddings issue (click here to see it), and while planning our guest blogger series, we just knew we had to have her. Here, Brandy gives you a beginner’s guide to making earrings. Start practicing now to make them as gifts, or better yet, gather a group for a jewelry-making party! This should get you started nicely, and don’t miss Brandy’s design and idea tips below for more ideas.
You’re a gem for stopping by Brandy!
Handmade Jewelry for the Holidays
Giving handmade gifts is by far one of my favorite things to do, especially for Christmas. Now, I can’t say everyone on my list will be getting handmade jewelry this year (I don’t know how much my Dad would like a necklace with a pair of matching earrings, no matter how much love I put in them), but the women on my list will be taken care of one by one with a special piece of jewelry designed by me.
In my opinion, the quickest and easiest pieces of jewelry to design and construct are earrings. So, we will stick to the beginner lesson of designing basic earrings and assembling them into wearable pieces of art
Materials and Tools:
Round Nose Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
Wire Cutters
Head pins (the wire finding the beads go on)
Ear Wires (the wire finding the beads attach to and also the part that goes in your ear)
Glass Beads
First step: String a bead or beads on the head pin.
Second step: Position the round nose pliers above the bead and bend the wire back at a 90Ëš angle.
Third step: Rotate the wire around the round nose pliers so that it forms a loop, and continue turning the wire so a complete loop is formed. Cut the excess wire at the base of the loop.
Fourth step: Now, attach the earring drop to the ear wire. To open the loop, grasp the side of the loop closest to the opening with chain nose pliers and move this side of the loop toward you (imagine how a door opens). Attach the loop to the ear wire. To close the loop, grasp the open side with chain nose pliers and move away from you until the loop is closed and the end of the wire is flush with the base of the loop.
Fifth step: Voila! A fantastic pair of earrings ready to put on or wrap up as a special gift.
Brandy’s Design Ideas & Tips
- To make a smaller loop with the head pin, work closer to the tip of the round nose pliers. If you want to make a larger loop, start the 90Ëš angle further back from the tip of the round nose pliers.
- The more beads you choose to put on the head pin, the longer your earring will be.
- Birthstones make great earrings and even better gifts. Go out to your local bead store and search for stones in the corresponding birthstone colors. If they don’t have the semi-precious stones, ask to see the Swarovski crystals. Swarovski has a crystal that corresponds with the birthstone colors.
- Add in some metal spacer beads to add dimension and a more finished look.
- Go thrifting for bags of “junk†at flea markets, resale shops, estate sales, etc. This is an eco-friendly way of turning something old into something special and new, and you never know what you will come across.
- Have fun and don’t get overwhelmed, which is easy to do especially when you are new to jewelry designing and shopping for materials.
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