Hootin’ It Up For Halloween

Welcome to the 316th Tablescape Thursday! The owls hooting up a storm in my backyard recently must have been the inspiration behind this table setting. (Hear that recording here: Night Sounds From The Porch)   I found Mr. Owl in Wal-mart around this time last year. He's actually a cookie jar. I placed him atop two cake pedestals to give him some height in the center of the … [Read more...]




Emergency Substitutions for Common Ingredients

There's nothing more stressful when preparing a big holiday dinner than running out of a key ingredient, especially when there's no time to run back to the store. Here's a list I compiled of popular substitutions for some of the more common ingredients we sometimes run low on. Hope this helps your cooking go a bit smoother this holiday season! Happy Thanksgiving! Image from … [Read more...]




Halloween Tablescape with Spider Cupcakes

Welcome to the 216th Tablescape Thursday! The Witching Hour: Ever since I made knock-off Pottery Barn clock plates, I've been eager to use them in a table setting.  They are finally making their appearance in a table  I'm dubbing, The Witching Hour, a term (per Wikipedia) first used in Washington Irving's short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, to signify midnight. When I read that in Wikipedia, I … [Read more...]




Make Your Own Beverage Tags: A Ballard Designs Knock-Off

Recently, I received an "End of Season" Ballard Designs catalog in the mail.  Excuse me, but would someone please tell Ballard Designs to not rush my summer.  It's just mid July and here in the south summer lasts at least until the end of September, sometimes well into October. Max and I curled up in the green and white chair here in the office and had fun oohing and ahhing from one page to the next.  So … [Read more...]




Linzer Cookies for Halloween

Beautiful and Halloween-festive tablescapes were linked for yesterday's Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to scroll on down and check them all out. How about a little something to put on top of those table settings? A couple of months ago I stopped by a local craft store to check out the Halloween stuff and I came across cookie cutters with a Halloween theme.  They were especially made for making Linzer … [Read more...]




Halloween Tablescape with a Spider-Web Tablecloth

Welcome to the 60th Tablescape Thursday!  Monday I shared a Halloween tale along with some Fall/Halloween porch decor. Wednesday was a day of Monster Mashing. And tonight... Won't you join me...said the spider to the fly?. Welcome to the Killer Cafe...hope the menu (click for a better view) meets with your approval. (Insert evil laugh) No tablecloth is needed...the spiders have been busy … [Read more...]