If you are from St. Louis, you may be familiar with one of the most beautiful stores in the area, Mary Tuttle’s. Located in Chesterfield, Missouri, it has become one of the “must see” retail establishments in the area. Why, you may ask? Because the people who work there, sales associates, designers, and floral artists, have created a home decor oasis that is unlike anything you have ever seen.
This fall, they did not disappoint with a table dedicated to a garden harvest theme.
Beautiful Fall table featuring many of the brands they carry at the store
Michael also created a stunning pumpkin chandelier to place above the table. Such drama!
The designer who created this table was Michael. He’s sort of a living legend at Mary Tuttle’s. He’s worked at the store for many years and has truly created a legendary flair.
The top view of this gorgeous harvest garden themed table
Micheal’s creation has WOWed everyone, including myself. As someone who has enjoyed and studied table scapes for many years, I can truly appreciate the creativity that went into this design. Here are my top five favorite design tactics which Michael has incorporated into this table.
LAYERING
As you can probably tell, this table is a retail display, so it may not be designed to fit a realistic table setting. However, I love Michael’s concept of layering. He has used serving platters as placemats. Which, in and of itself, is a unique approach to setting the table. I also love how he layered the centerpiece. With olive trees for height, and the green leaves for fullness at the base. Within the leaves, he added another layer of pumpkins, gourds, and acorns to mimic a garden where you would harvest your favorite items.
Beautiful collection of gourds, acorns, and pumpkins
STICK WITH A LIMITED PALETTE
Michael used green as his dominant color and brown as his secondary color. Perfect to elicit a feeling of earth and nature. Also, these colors tend to be soothing and relaxing. He infused additional fall colors but only slightly, in the most interesting way, to draw your eye around the table.
BRING IN A FUN SURPRISE
Incorporating a “surprise” element is always welcomed! I love this concept with interior decor, food preparation, and all aspects of entertaining. Guests love it when they “discover” something on the table. Michael used a whimsy surprise by incorporating these adorable wool lambs at every place setting. Each lamb carries a pumpkin and is covered in fall leaves. They were hand-crafted by a local artist who creates these lambs throughout the year.
ADD THEMATIC ELEMENTS
Of course, you cannot create a “fall” table without incorporating decor that is reflective of fall. Michael did that by bringing in Plush Pumkin (R) pumpkins to the place settings.
These pumpkins are soft and beautiful and would be perfect as gifts for your dinner guests to take home. Or, they can remove them from the plate and set them on to the center of the table, adding to the centerpiece.
DO SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Although we’ve already covered the “element of surprise” I do love it when the host or hostess take something that we are very accustomed to and think out of the box. With this table, Michael took the napkins, which we are accustomed to seeing somewhere on the table, and placed it hanging off the chair. So CLEVER!!
If you would like to see more beautiful entertaining ideas. Stop by Mary Tuttle’s, in Chesterfield Missouri. No matter the season, they are sure to have beautiful inspiration from Michael and the entire design staff.
Gold and red Thanksgiving tablescape from Pottery Barn
Today is Halloween and I’m sad because, if you know me, you know that I LOVE everything Halloween! However, I won’t be down for too long because during the holiday season, when one holiday passes, another one is just around the corner!
My focus for the next few weeks is going to be Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving because it’s all about fall… the colors, textures, but most of all, the food! Thanksgiving makes me think of warmth and comfort. I love watching QVC and seeing all the fuzzy blankets, flannel sheets, and pajamas that go on sale. I love the cool crisp air and the fragrance of peoples’ fireplaces burning in the evenings. It’s just a fabulous time of year.
I had a chance to visit Plaza Frontenac, a shopping center in St. Louis, and stop in some of the stores which display beautiful tablesscapes. Here are some of my favorites. Also, I am going to show Christmas tablescapes as well since I know some people like to put out their Christmas china on Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
Another Pottery Barn Fall Table Setting
Stunning silver fall table setting from Williams Sonoma
Loving this color combination of black and gold fall table setting
Another beautiful Williams Sonoma fall tablescape
Reindeer, reindeer, reindeer! I can’t help but adore this whimsical reindeer themed place setting from Pottery Barn
Plaid tableware from Pottery Barn. I will always love plaid. It’s one of the most classic and elegant winter patterns. I can definitely see using these plates and mugs even after the holidays.
Plaid and Santa… Need I say more? Pottery Barn never disappoints.
I also had to post one of her favorite Halloween pumpkins. Sandra calls herself the Queen of Halloween and she LOVES bling!! This pumpkin, encrusted with rhinestones, gold sequins, and a myriad of other stones, is one of her favorites. She posts it every year on her Facebook feed.
As I was going through my photos, I stumbled upon this beautiful fall wedding which I think is wonderful to showcase during my October post. My husband’s cousin, Elliot, married the love of his life, Dawn, in St. Louis. Their reception was at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens and it was spectacular. I loved all the beautiful fall details as well as the personal touches Dawn incorporated into their wedding design. Beautifully done, Dawn and Elliot!
My husband and I enjoying the setting at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens wedding reception.
Wedding dinner buffet filled with a large assortment of delicious cheeses, fruit, and appetizers.
Dawn and Elliot’s dinner buffet was overflowing with delicious menu items which included fruit, nuts, crackers, breads, and lots and lots of different kinds of artisanal cheeses as well as a huge selection of hot appetizers.
Hot d’oeuvres were also served and they were absolute perfection!
Bite sized sandwiches as well as shrimp cocktail shots were also on the buffet. They were displayed with such clever creativity.
More hot d’oeuvres! Bacon wrapped scallops… YES! I love how the serving platters are all different.
The reception was outside, the weather was perfect, and what a beautiful view!
Love this simple yet creative centerpiece. You don’t have to spend a ton of money for perfection! LOVE IT!!
Obsessed with this pumpkin cart filled with white pumpkins for guests to take home. Who doesn’t want an adorable pumpkin to take home and enjoy in October?
Brace yourselves, you are about to fall in love!! While I was working on my 30 day salad challenge (that’s right, I’m making a new salad every day for 30 days), I discovered this recipe. Originally, I made it for my Sun Dried Tomato & Mozzarella Salad. I didn’t add enough olive oil to the recipe initially, so my dressing turned out a bit thick. When I tasted it, I was IN LOVE. I quickly put it on top of some french bread and voila… it was as if it was meant to happen!! Below is the recipe… enjoy!!
Combine all ingredients above in a food processor (leave a few basil leaves for garnish) and pulse until well blended. Spoon the mixture on top of french baguette pieces and top off with basil leaves. If the mixture is too thick, add more olive oil until the desired consistency.
How lucky am I? I got to spend this morning with the beautiful ladies from KCTV 5’s Better Kansas City! Today, I shared my two recipes for something sweet and salty… my “caramel” popcorn made with real maple syrup and lavender sea salt and my apple and goat cheese Phyllo/Filo cups quiches. Get ready, because they are absolutely delicious!!
Enjoy the delicious taste of caramel while benefiting from all the wonderful and beneficial nutrients that come in maple syrup. They include minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and iron. Plus, this syrup is non refined and contains no fat. Below is a recipe for the most simple version which includes the maple syrup and lavender salt. But I got a little creative (photo I posted above) by adding almonds and pretzels to my popcorn. You can add anything you want! And if you want to get super creative, add a “savory” element with a bit of diced turkey bacon!!
SWEET & SALTY “CARAMEL” POP-CORN
1/4 – 1/2 cup – Grade A Maple Syrup (Doesn’t matter if it’s medium or dark, whatever you like best). The range of syrup depends on if you want a heavily coated popcorn or slightly coated.
1/2 cup of pop corn
2-3 tablespoons of butter
Lavender sea salt ( plain sea salt will work as well)
Pop your popcorn. You can do air popped, bagged, or microwave, although I prefer air popped.
Put the popcorn in a bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan, bring your maple syrup to a boil. Add the butter and let the combination boil for 2-3 minutes. You can mix the butter and syrup slightly, you don’t have to constantly stir the mixture in the pan, move your spoon through it once or twice and leave it alone. Have your popcorn, baking sheet, and salt on standby and ready to go. While your syrup is hot, you have a small window to work with the popcorn. Once the caramel is ready, pour it over the popcorn and mix (I use a wooden spoon) while the caramel is still hot. Keep mixing until the popcorn is well coated with the caramel, then quickly spread it out on a cookie sheet and begin salting with the Lavender salt.
Once you are happy, give it 5-10 minutes to dry. Once the caramel popcorn is dry, you can place it back in the bowl and serve.
WARNING: No matter how good the popcorn looks, don’t serve it when it’s wet. Your guests will have sticky caramel on their fingers which is difficult and no fun to get off. Additionally, you can add other things to the popcorn. Salted nuts, pretzels, bacon (for a bit of savory), dried cranberries (for a bit of sour), or anything else you like. Just remember to add these items while the caramel is hot and you are mixing it with the popcorn.
These are super easy and can be made for wine tasting parties, breakfast parties, brunch, lunch, dinner… you name it!! They are beautiful to serve and delicious!!
APPLE AND GOAT CHEESE FILO/PHYLLO QUICHES
12-24 Filo/ Phyllo Cups (available in the refrigerated section)
1 Red & Delicious Apple
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Half & Half
1/2 package of Goat Cheese
Nutmeg
Dried blueberries and cranberries
Honey
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the Filo/Phyllo Cups in a lightly greased mini muffin pan. Dice the apple and place a few small pieces in each Phyllo cup. Mix eggs, half & half, a dash of salt, and a dash of nutmeg together in a measuring cup. Carefully pour a little bit of the egg mixture in each cup. Finally, put a generous amount of goat cheese on top of each Filo cup. Place the mini muffin pan with the Filo/Phyllo cups in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and arrange on a plate. Drizzle with honey and serve.
How Do I start off #31DaysOfHalloween?! With these super easy Spider Egg Meatballs! They are simple to make and wonderful for parties or even a quick snack! This recipe was adapted from Pillsbury and I prefer using their rolls because they are nice and fluffy. Enjoy!!
Ingredients
1 can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands!™ refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
10 refrigerated or frozen cooked beef meatballs, thawed
1/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
2/3 cup finely crushed seasoned croutons
1 1/2 cups of pasta sauce, heated
Preparation
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Split each biscuit to make 10 rounds. Press out each biscuit half to form 3-inch round.
Sprinkle each biscuit round with cheese to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top each with meatball. Bring up sides of dough over meatball; pinch edges to seal. Brush rounded tops and sides of dough with butter; coat with croutons. Place, seam side down, on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Place appetizer pick in each biscuit-wrapped meatball to form meatball pop. Serve with warm pasta sauce for dipping.
Looking for some fun back to school party ideas! I’ve been busy this year with some fun projects. I hope they inspire you to create something wonderful!
This year, I was in charge of the Back-To-School Party for my 2nd grader! It was so much fun and I created some fun centerpieces as well as an adorable wreath for his teacher that is all the rage on Pinterest. Since we had a buffet at our party, I thought it was cute to create a fun little sign to jazz the buffet up. Here is my sign and how I made it.
First, I purchased pencils and crayons at Target. They were at an incredible price of $1.00 for 24 pencils and .50 for a box of crayons. Then I needed a round object. Any will do. I found a lid from a whipped topping container. But really, any round object will work… even cardboard.
Then, I simply hot glued my pencils in a star burst pattern on the lid. Then, filled in the empty areas with crayons. Everything needs to be hot glued very thoroughly. Lastly, I hot glued the round chalkboard to the pencils, added a ribbon bow, and wrote “Welcome Back” on the chalkboard. Done!
For my son’s School Halloween Party, I wanted to do something different, but didn’t want it to be too much work. So, I decided to customize store-bought cupcakes. All I did was dip some fresh strawberries in candy chocolate coating and sprinkle them with Halloween sprinkles. I placed each strawberry on top of the cupcake and added a gummy worm… because all kids LOVE gummy worms! The party snack was a success!!!
