Blogging Bloopers Party, 2010

Welcome to the first ever Blogging Bloopers Party...a party where we poke a little fun at ourselves and share some of the unplanned "stuff" that happened during this past year of blogging.


I didn't realize until I actually started putting this post together, but all my blogging bloopers seemed to have centered around tablescapes. I am proud to announce I didn't set a single thing on fire this past year! See, I'm making progress! ;)

However, I did discover it isn't the best idea to leave napkins out on the porch overnight before taking pics of a tablescape. I put this "Alice in Wonderland" table setting together one evening but decided to wait until the next day when the light was better to take photographs. During the night, a huge storm came and I awoke to find the humidity had caused all the nicely pressed napkins to "melt" right over the plates.




I started to take the candy napkin rings off and iron all the napkins again, but I quickly discovered the napkin rings had begun to dissolve in all the humidity during the night and they literally crumbled apart at the slightest touch. When I removed them after taking pics, there were little candy spots on all the napkins. Moral of this story...if a rain storm is coming, take in the napkins and the napkin rings if they are made from real food! At least I found them before the ants did! :) (You can see more of this Alice in Wonderland tablescape HERE.)




Moving right along to our next oops...one afternoon I decided to create several mini tablescapes on the bistro table out on the deck. It was 185 degrees outside that day...yes, it was! It was soooo hot, I eventually had to slide the patio table with the large umbrella over to the bistro table to partially shade me and the table so I could snap some pics with out succumbing to heat stroke. Now that's tablescaping dedication! ;)



At one point, I stopped and ran inside for about 5 minutes, probably to get some water. I returned to find this! The heat was so intense it had melted the candle inside my beautiful Colonial Candle Hurricane lantern. I didn't exactly share that part with you when I showed the tablescape in a post. ;)




This was another tablescape I created during that same insanely hot day out on the deck. A reader noticed later that I had placed the flatware on opposite sides of where it actually goes. This is what happens when I stand on one side of the table and set the other side by reaching across the table. LOL Plus, the heat had completely fried my brain by this point!




I'm sure we've all done this...taken all our pics not realizing we never lit some of the candles on our table...until we are actually sitting down to create the post. At least it was the small ones I forgot to light. (You can see more of this tablescape HERE.)




This was the infamous "ant" blooper, the one depicted on our party button. I created a tablescape using Mikasa's beautiful Modern Butterfly china. For the centerpiece, I combined store bought flowers with a sedum, called 'Autumn Joy' I had growing in my garden. Apparently, the Autumn Joy came into my home with lots of 6 legged friends attached.




Once I began taking pics, I discovered the little hitchhikers. They began popping up everywhere, including on the rim of the globe covering the candles. Think of them as live, moving accessories...at least they coordinated with the color scheme! :) (You can see more of this tablescape HERE.)



I've been saving the best, or should I say worst, for last. I came across this absolutely gorgeous Paula Deen Christmas tablescape online one day. You know how I LOVE to create tablescapes that have a touch of whimsy or fantasy to them...so a moss covered table with magnolia chargers sounded like something I absolutely HAD to try!





I was so excited to see Paula's Christmas china was one I actually have and love, Lenox, Winter Greetings. It was a sign...I had to try a moss tablescape! I searched and searched for sheet moss, the type of moss used on Paula's table, but whenever I could find it (like at Michael's) it was kind of expensive...and I need a lot to cover the whole table.




So, just imagine how excited I was when I came across moss in the dollar store for...you guessed it...only $1 a bag. I was so excited, I bought 20 bags just to make sure I had enough. In the end, that turned out to be about 9 bags too many. I only used 11 bags to cover my table. I put down large plastic bags on the porch table and sprayed the bags with an adhesive so the moss would stick really well. Then I got busy creating the tablescape.




Isn't it beee-u-ti-ful?! Looks just like the Paula Deen table doesn't it? NOT!!! :) Paula's was all nice and green...and fuzzy.




Mine looked like bad 1970's shag carpeting! HA! ;)




I didn't want the flatware to touch the moss, even though it was completely dry and sterilized, so I placed the forks in a crossed design on the plates. I placed the knife and spoon on whimsical garden angels I had found months before in Dollar Tree. For coasters, I used little clay garden signs with whimsical gardening messages carved into them. Cute idea, right?




Until you looked closer. Yep, shag carpeting!



So this was the tablescape I never posted. I shared it with my sister and a few trusted friends that I swore to secrecy...right Bill and Kathleen? ;) Now that it's out here on the Wild, Wild Web, they can't use it to blackmail me some day. ;) LOL


So, that's just a few of my bloopers for 2010. I'm sure there are lots more, but these were the ones I thought to save pics of during the year. Can't wait to see your bloopers for 2010! Start saving your blooper pics for 2011 so you can join in the fun next January! :)

Please Read:
If you are participating in the Blogging Bloopers Party, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name. Then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

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A Christmas Tablescape and a Candlelit Tree: Welcome to the 123rd Tablescape Thursday!

Happy Tablescape Thursday! I hope your week has been going great. I haven't even started to think about taking down all the decorations...not looking forward to that job.

Before we say goodbye to Christmas completely, I'm excited to share Cornelia's tree all aglow with real candlelight in her home in Switzerland a few days ago. You may recall from THIS post, each Christmas Eve Cornelia lights real candles on her tree for the first time for the Christmas season. They are lit again each night afterwards. Here's how it looked this Christmas Eve:













Doesn't it just take your breath away? Soooo very beautiful!




Each Christmas, to make room for their tree, Cornelia moves her dining room table and chairs into her drawing room and the tree is set up in the dining room. So Christmas dinner is held in what is normally Cornelia's drawing room. Have you ever been tempted to do that...swap your living room for your dining room?





We're dining by candlelight tonight in Cornelia's beautiful home in Switzerland...




Cornelia shared, "The China is Le Manoir by Villeroy and Boch. The cutlery is silver by Jezler /Reed pattern. The ornaments on the plates are Swiss chocolates."




The side plates are by Royal Copenhagen "Peterchens Weihnachten.






The crystal stemware is by Peill/Germany. Isn't it gorgeous?!







The napkins are Swiss embroidery and the tablecloth is by Le Jacquard Français.




So beautiful by candlelight.




Cornelia, thanks so much for inviting us into your home this Christmas! Each visit has been a fantasy come to life!






Please Read:
If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name. Then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

You may see a red X once you enter your link. No one else can see the red X, it's just there in case you make a little mistake and need to delete your link and re-enter it.

If you'd like to use the Tablescape Thursday logo button in your post, just copy and paste it to your computer and upload it to your post as you would any photo. Or, just grab the html code you'll find under the "Join a Party" heading at the top of this blog.

Please, link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. This is important because it helps those who are visiting your blog, find the other wonderful tablescapes posted for this Tablescape Thursday, thus increasing visits for all participants.

Please, don't add your post name/blog name in ALL CAPS...it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links. Thanks!

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course. :-)


Little Reminder: Thank-you for linking back to this post so the regular visitors to your blog will find all your fellow Blogger's posts linked here for this Tablescape Thursday. Don't forget to use your permalink. : )

New Year's Eve Champagne Punch, Delicious and Easy to Make

If you've been reading BNOTP for a little while, you may remember a Champagne punch recipe I shared a few weeks ago. I'm posting it again today because it's also a great punch for New Year's Eve, too.

If you are making this for a small gathering of 2-4 people, one batch will do. If you're having a larger gathering, you'll want to make several batches because it's always a big hit and goes quickly. I went through 4 batches (with none left over) when I had a party with 25 in attendance. (So, that works out to be around 1 batch for every 6 folks in attendance.)


Champagne Holiday Punch

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works great)
Small amount of Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur you prefer)
Red sugar
Green sugar

In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard cinnamon and cloves.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
Add cranberry juice and pineapple juice.
Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.

Right click on pic below to save it to your computer, then just print it off...much easier than having to write it all out.

Dip the Rims in Nonpariels for a Festive Occasion:

For a New Year's Eve party or a birthday party, I like to dip the rims of the glasses in nonpareils, instead of the the colored sugars I use at Christmastime.




When you get ready to serve this punch, just pour a little Grand Marnier or any orange liqueur into a shallow dish. Pour some nonpareils into a bowl.




Dip the rim of the champagne glass into the Grand Marnier, then into the bowl of nonpareils. Then pour the punch into the glass.

You can serve the punch from a punch bowl and ladle it into the glass, but since the opening of a champagne glass is so small this can be pretty messy with the punch ending up running down the sides of the glass. I found it's much easier to just pour it from a pitcher.




Or, if you have a beverage server similar to the one below, that will work well, too.




You may wish to print off some copies of this recipe because your guests are going to be asking for it. :) Or, just tell them it's an old family recipe and you've been sworn to secrecy. ;)



Your Reviews:

Some of you tried this recipe after I posted it before Christmas and here's what you said:

I made your champagne punch and served it before a luncheon I hosted yesterday! It was a true hit, and oh so very delicious! The addition of using the red and green sugars to rim the champagne glasses is a very nice detail! Thank you for sharing this with us! Loved it! It's a recipe that goes straight to my favorites file! ~At Home with a Country Lady


Made this Friday night for our annual neighborhood Holiday Party.
It got RAVE reviews and a request to make it again for Saturday's Cookie Swap. Thanks a million for an EASY, WONDERFUL treat!! ~Anonymous

Colonial Williamsburg Apple Tree Tutorial: Welcome to the 101st Metamorphosis Monday!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope your holidays have been wonderful!

Recently, I created a Colonial Williamsburg style, apple tree centerpiece for our Christmas dinner table setting. I've had several requests in the past for a tutorial showing how this centerpiece is made...so when I made the centerpiece this year, I took pics along the way. :)




To create the apple tree shown above, you'll need some greenery. The greenery I gathered from my yard included magnolia, holly and nandina berries, but you can substitute other types of greenery like boxwood, cedar or pine. I guess you could call the photo below my "Before" for this Met Monday.



You'll also need an apple tree form. Mine was given to me over 15 years ago by a friend with whom I worked. I'm not sure where she found it. They usually have them at the Williamsburg Marketplace online, but when I checked this evening I couldn't find them. They may be temporarily sold out due to the Christmas holiday because they usually have them in stock. If you are interested in buying a form, check their site again later in the year and hopefully they will have them back in stock.




If you know someone who is crafty or a woodworker, perhaps they can make one for you. As you can see, mine is just a wood cone, attached to a round wood base. It has what appears to be long finishing nails protruding at regular intervals around the cone. Note: The nail that is protruding from the very top of the form, in the center, is longer than all the other nails.




I always place the apple form on a towel so I can spin it around as I work without scratching the surface I'm working on. I bought two bags of small apples. I use small apples because large apples tend to be too big and make it difficult to create three rows around the tree, and still leave the top row of apples low enough to not interfere with the pineapple topper.




To get started, just take an apple and push it onto a nail. I always start at the bottom and work my way up. I like to leave a small space under the apple for tucking in greenery later.




Here's how it looked after the first row. If you finish and there's a big gap between your first and last apple, you'll need to pull the last apple you placed back off and find a fatter apple in your stash of apples, or re-adjust the ones that are on the tree over a little. You don't want to pull apples off and on a lot because the more holes you create in your apples, the sooner the apples will begin to go bad. But don't fret about that too much. I always end up having to adjust some apples and my trees still last well over a week...even close to two weeks. I don't remove the stems from the apples since they don't seem to interfere in any way.




A view from the top...




Start a second row of apples around your tree. I always stagger the rows but inevitably some apples will end up directly over other apples. Again, don't worry about that...we aren't shooting for perfection here. :) I don't leave a space between the rows of apples (or at least, I don't do so intentionally) because I don't tuck greenery underneath the apples within the apple tree itself. I only do that under the first row of apples.




In this pic, I'm starting the third row. As I'm working, I'm spinning the towel around and around with the tree sitting on top of it. It slides very easily so the work goes quickly. The whole tree only takes about 25-30 minutes to assemble.




Here's how it looks with the third row completed...




A view looking down with all the apples in place...




I used almost all of the apples in both bags...just had four left over.




I always purchase the smallest pineapple I can find to use for the top. It's hard to find a small one sometimes. A really big pineapple can tend to overwhelm your apple tree. I don't go from store to store looking, though. I just buy the smallest I can find wherever I'm shopping. Also, try to use a pineapple that has pretty foliage on top. You don't want the top of the pineapple to be too crushed or too beat up, if you can help it.




I always pull the holly I use from this large holly bush in my yard. In years past, it would be covered in berries, but for the last few years it has had very few. I think it could be because it is being shaded by a huge oak tree growing nearby. By the way, this is the same holly bush where the mockingbird sang his midnight serenade. If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you'll remember that post. They are amazing birds to hear...if you have cats, they will enjoy listening, too! ;)




So, with holly at the ready, I got to work...





I cut little 4-5 inch pieces and tucked them in between the base and the first row of apples and in between the apples....really just anywhere there seems to be a good size gap.




Here's how it looked after I had filled in with some of the holly. I don't use a glue gun...the holly will usually stay by itself. If a piece falls out occasionally, just tuck it back in again.




Another view...see the gaps where I still need to add holly or greenery? You could also use boxwood in between the apples and that would be beautiful.




I usually cut a few magnolia leaves to put underneath the tree. If you don't have magnolia in your area, just gather some other type of greenery...maybe cedar or pine. I had just tossed them on the table here to show you about how many I had gathered.



I spread the magnolia leaves out in a circle pointing outward and forming sort of a star shape. Then I place the apple tree on top of the leaves. Just adjust the leaves as needed.

Tip: When you are ready to lift the apple tree to place it in the center of the table atop magnolia leaves or whatever greenery you are using, be very careful. The tree is quite heavy. I normally slide the tree on the towel to the edge of the table and pull it part way off the table so I can get under it to lift it up to place it in the center of the table. Another method to move the tree would be to delay placing the pineapple on the top and grab that tall center nail to aid you in lifting it to the center of the table. Then, just place the pineapple on top and add greenery around the pineapple while it's in the center of the table.




Since my holly never seems to have many berries, I always cut berries from the nandina in my yard. I don't use any of the greenery from my nandinas because I have found it wilts after only a day or two. Holly lasts a nice long time without wilting.




I always place the berries at intervals around the base. I tried tucking some in around the top (see below) but didn't like the way that looked, so I removed them.




Last year I added a ribbon around the top and I really liked how that looked, so I did it again this year. A red ribbon might have been a better choice, or perhaps even a plaid one. I just reused the sheer gold ribbon I already had. So here's my "After" photo. :)




And here's how it looked in the center of this Christmas table setting. You could also create this centerpiece using apples and limes or apples and lemons...or even all pears. I think the combinations are really almost limitless. It just needs to be a fruit that is small enough to do at least three rows around the cone. I don't think two rows would look as nice as three.




Last year, when I showed my apple tree on my Christmas tablescape, Kimberly, who reads BNOTP, decided she would create a similar tree for a different occasion...a bachelorette party. I had often thought of using the form for other events or holidays, so I was excited to see what she would create.

Kimberly went with a pink and green theme for her party...and here's how it turned out. How fun is this! Now unless they are growing pink pineapples somewhere, I'm guessing Kimberly painted the pineapple. I love it with the flowers tucked in between. :) Great job, Kimberly...and thanks so much for sharing this photo!




Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Looking forward to seeing your Before and Afters!


Metamorphosis Monday:
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday: Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

If you'd like to include the MM button in your post, just copy and paste the Met Monday button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the MM logo under the "Join the Party" header at the top.

Please include a link in your MM post back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Why is this important? When you include a link back to BNOTP, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other awesome "Before and Afters" linked for this Metamorphosis Monday. If everyone links back, this maximizes the visits for all participants.

Please DO NOT type in all caps...it spreads the links waaaay out. Thanks! :-)

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course.