I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas ~

Just this morning I wrote a blog post about how I was wanting to cling to fall a little longer. Well, this evening, after an outing to a local gift shop, I'm already feeling the excitement of the holidays! I do love all the sparkle, glitter and glow that goes along with the season. I usually stick with traditional colors for Christmas ~  red and gold in particular. Not that I haven't experimented with an all silver tree one year, multi-colored another year, a rustic, all-natural tree yet another year. But, I always seem to gravitate back to the traditional colors that say "Christmas" to me. Needless to say, I've collected a whole lot of red and gold ornaments over the years. Well, today I went to the Christmas Open House of one of my favorite little shops in town, where I took these photos:

So, now I'm dreaming of a pink Christmas! With so much red and gold already in my Christmas bins, I don't think I can do a complete pink Christmas this year, but perhaps a touch here or there ~ someplace in my house! Maybe my bedroom? I think I'll fill a clear glass bowl with some of these to sit on my vanity:

Here's more gorgeous Christmas pinks to feast your eyes on, all courtesy of Martha Stewart.com, which can be found HERE:

I'm now officially in the holiday spirit! Linking this to: 

 Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!

Homemaking Weekend Link-Up at Hope in Every Season

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Until next time, have a wonderful weekend!

Cindy

Outdoor Tea Party

Ah…the lazy, hazy days of summer! No better time to invite a few friends or neighbors to an outdoor tea party. Impromptu or planned, it’s easier than you may think. Set up a portable table in a corner of your yard or patio, or cover the picnic table with a colorful cloth and floral-pattern paper party napkins. For a centerpiece, gather blooms from your own garden (or from the local farmer’s market) and place in a vintage pitcher or vase. Even a few interesting-shaped branches will do. Lemons or limes placed in a clear glass bowl also make a lovely centerpiece for an outdoor theme party. For a more natural look, look for a few smooth, medium-sized stones and lay down the center of the table on a layer of moss (available from most craft or flower shops.) Intersperse votive candles among the stones to cast a warm glow. If you wish, you can even hang a chandelier or colorful paper lanterns from branches of a tree. Vintage teacups in a floral pattern and mismatched teaspoons add an elegant, yet fun and casual flair. Plus, they can be collected throughout the year at thrift sales and antique stores.

Offer different varieties of tea and set out milk, honey and sugar. Serve tea sandwiches, such as watercress, cucumber and cream cheese, or egg salad (with bread crusts removed.) Sweets might be petit fours, fresh berry tarts or mini-cupcakes. The idea is that no other cutlery other than teaspoons should be needed at an afternoon tea. Everything should be dainty finger-food, and it’s generally a good idea to serve both savory and sweet foods. For a traditional English tea, consider scones with jam and clotted cream (for an easy, delish recipe for homemade scones, see my previous post “Tea and Devon Scones.”) For fun, you might want to ask guests to don fancy hats, or keep it simple casual dress. Anything goes, really, just relax and enjoy these first long days of summer!

　
Martha Stewart’s Crisp Vegetable Sandwiches:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, basil, tarragon, or mint
8 slices wheat bread
1 piece (4 inches) cucumber, very thinly sliced into rounds
2 radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons softened butter

Place cream cheese and herbs in bowl; stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Spread cream cheese on 4 slices of bread; layer with cucumber and radish slices. Spread remaining slices of bread with butter. Place, butter side facing down, on radishes. Trim crusts; cut sandwiches in half.