Holiday Table

Today I am entering the Home Goods contest that Kate from Centsational Girl is hosting. Here is the table that I set for Thanksgiving. I usually set my holiday tables with my Lenox china, however, in the spirit of the theme, I used mostly all items that I’ve purchased at Home Goods. The only things that aren’t from Home Goods are the crystal stemware and the pumpkins. The water and wine glasses are Lenox solitaire platinum, the champagne flutes are Tiffany’s. The faux pumpkins are from Michael’s.

The dinnerware is a classic white by Villerory and Boch. It has a very faint chevron pattern around the rim. The napkins have the same chevron pattern. The silver napkin rings also from Home Goods are great. They match everything and I use them all the time.



This odd shaped bowl I found on clearance. They were a steal at $2 each…Villeroy and Boch as well.

I have a thing for mercury glass and have grown a small collecting over the past year or so. I love this candle stick, which holds a standard pillar. The one with the roses is great because I can use it as a vase, as I’ve done here, or I can put a small votive or tea light in it as well. I love that it can do double duty.

Thanks for stopping by! I’m so excited about this contest. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Home Goods!!!


Gina

Christmas Craft {Ribbon Art}

Hi everyone,
I’m sharing a really easy art project that I quickly whipped up last night. I’ve seen versions of this out there is blogland and wanted to try my own take on it.

All I did was take an old piece of artwork that I had and didn’t care for anymore. I took it apart and removed the glass. Then I just inserted a piece of cork that I had and glued that to the cardboard backing of the frame. I placed the matte on top of the cork so that I knew how much space I had to work with, but I didn’t glue it to the cork. I wanted to be able to use the matte again later on if I wanted to at some point without damaging it.



Next, I cut my green grosgrain ribbon at my desired lengths and hot glued them in place. Then of course I had to add a little shine because I LOVE this to have a little glitz to it, especially for the holidays. I used small gems (the ones with the flat back) and just glued them on the ends as ornaments. I added a larger one on top for the star. Really easy. Sorry I don’t  have a step by step in pictures, but I’m sure you get the idea.
In other versions of this project, the purpose of the cork was to be able to tack on things, but I just liked the look of the cork because of its color. I don’t plan on tacking anything onto this artwork. I supposed that on a larger scale, this would be great for Christmas cards or even as some sort of advent calendar.
So today is the first of many link parties to come. I’m joining all the parties…hope to see you all there!
Happy Crafting!

Gina

Super Easy Pecan Squares

Pumpkin pie is a staple for most people on Thanksgiving, but in this house, pecan pie is what we love. We’ve always made pecan pie, but it is one of those desserts that’s really sweet and filling. So, over the past few years I have been doing pecan squares instead. So easy, and so much better because instead of having a big piece of pie, you get to have a small square that’s really just the right portion. Then of course there’s room for apple pie and lemon merigue tart, which I always make also.
                                            




So here it is:

Pecan Pie Squares

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish
Beat the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly and evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Next, mix the corn syrup, 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir in the pecans. Pour this mixture over the hot crust and spread evenly.
Bake 35 minutes or until filling is firm around the edges and slightly soft in center. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
At this point, I cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the whole thing just sit over night. I find that this is the best way to make sure the squares don’t get too gooey when  you’re trying to cut them. For this reason I would definitely make this a day or two ahead of when you want to serve them. This is so helpful to be able to do this ahead of time when there are so many other things to get ready for the big Turkey day.

Enjoy!!!

Gina