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I've always loved the look of weathered greenhouses and potting sheds, but we just don't have cold enough winters to justify building one. For the most part, even annuals are perennials in South Texas, and I'm getting ready to plant Larkspur and Poppy seeds in the ground this week, for heaven's sake.

But, a girl has dreams, and I long for a rustic shed made of salvaged materials that smells of soil and mulch. Let's chalk it up to the Earth Mother in me.



I'm really attracted to the greenhouse above. It has the feel of both greenhouse and potting shed, with a bit of chicken coop charm.  This one is made from totally recycled materials.


In these two photos above from Deep Energy Retrofit (left) and Make zine (right), the use of old, recycled windows is a clever and earth-friendly greenhouse construction method.

From our home to yours ... Merry Christmas! I know you have a lot going on during the holidays, but if you have a few minutes, I'd like to welcome you into my home so we can share the spirit of Christmas together.

This is my sparkle year, with a color palette of gold, silver, graphite, and metallics in pearl and champagne.

Remember my daughter Kathryn's handmade acorn wreath I posted a couple of weeks back? Here it is (above) at the front door along with our small Welcome Tree in the entry.




Remember this hideous little chest (above left) that I transformed over the summer? It was one of my Before & After blog posts. Well, now I love it, and the drawers hold oodles of napkins and napkin rings in a corner of my dining room. It's fun dressing it up for the holidays, too.

On the dining room table, you might recognize my holiday project from last week's post, a zippy-quick handsewn tablerunner. The graphite linen and gold trim works well with the casual elegance of my centerpiece. Evergreen stems, ribbon and bows, ornament balls, a glass compote and some gold-leaf leaves in my holiday color palette dress the table for dinner.


Merry Christmas to me! I couldn't resist adding these '4 Calling Birds' dessert plates by Rosanna (above left) to my dishware collection. So, I'm using them for my holiday tablesetting. The lovely gold birds are so festive, yet they can be used year-round since they do not shout Christmas.

I love the way my wrapped guest favors pick up the golden scheme. I like to add a special collected trinket to the bow. This year, I'm using clock parts I purchased at the Marche aux Puces de Clignancourt (flea market) in Paris.


Here's a helpful hint. I love to use votive candles throughout my house during the holidays, but digging the wax out of the holders afterward used to be a pesky task. I started pouring salt into the candleholder as a base and nestling the candle into the salt. It looks like snow, and as the candle burns down the wax drips onto the salt. Easy to pour out and no scraping or cleanup!

It's time to get the holiday table set and ready for guests. There are only a handful of things to consider when designing a holiday tablesetting. Let's chat about those considerations using a few inspirational photos to demonstrate.


 

The silverware used at a formal table setting should be sterling silver flatware.  It is not necessary that all the sterling silver match, although I like to have forks match and knives and spoons match. Dessert sterling silver flatware, which can be set at the table or brought in with the desert plates, need not match the dinner flatware.

Didn't inherit grandmother's silver service or planning a less formal tablescape? Not to worry. In this day and age, stainless steel will do just fine. But, whatever you use make sure it's the best you have for festive occasions and polished to a blinding shine.

INDIVIDUAL PLACE SETTINGS
Give your guest ample elbow room.  About two feet from plate center to plate center is ideal.  If the chairs have narrow and low backs, people can sit a bit closer together.  I'm a big fan of chargers, so those always are first put around the table at equal distances and set with dinner plates.  Next, the sterling silver flatware is placed in the order of its use, with the implements to be used first farthest from the plate.  The meat fork is placed to the left of the plate, then the salad fork on the outside of the meat fork. Just to the right of the plate is the meat knife with the cutting edge toward the plate.  Outside the knife is the soup spoon. If serving seafood, the seafood fork will rest outside on the right of the soup spoon.

If bread or rolls are to be served, a butter plate should be used.  The butter plate is located above the forks at the left of the place setting.   A butter knife is laid across it, slightly diagonally from upper left to lower right, with the sharper edge of the blade toward the edge of the table.

If you plan to serve coffee with the meal, the cup and saucer go to the right of the setting, with the coffee spoon on the right side of the saucer (not shown in diagram).

The wineglasses chosen for the formal table setting depend upon the menu, but their table setting arrangement is according to size, so that little ones are not hidden behind large ones.  Place them directly above the knives in a straight row slanting downward from the upper left.  Generally only one - at the most, two - wines are served, so a water goblet and one (or two) wineglasses are all that are necessary. I've never served sherry in my life, so there are never any sherry glasses on my table. Frequently wine is not served at all, and iced-tea glasses or simply tumblers for water or mugs for beer are used.

Let's review what type of glassware is appropriate for the drinks being served.

GLASSWARE


Water: full body glass with short stem. Hold the glass by the stem to preserve its chill.

Champagne: a narrow fluted glass, which reduces the wine’s surface area and keep the bubbles from dissipating.

Brandy: brandy snifter. Roll the snifter between both hands and then cup it in one hand – warming the glass brings out the bouquet in brandy.

White wine: slightly smaller glass with wider bowl to capture the bouquet. Hold the glass by the stem to preserve its chill.

Red wine: the bigger of the wine glasses. Hold the glass at the bottom of the bowl where it meets the stem.

Burgundy Reds and Pinot Noirs: a wide bowl to bring out their complexity. The glass is slightly taller than the white wine glass.

• A globe with rubber base and plastic stand
• Epoxy
• Ceramic or plastic ornament
• Distilled water
• Liquid glycerin
• Glitter

1. Look for 7- and 8-inch flower aquariums, which include a globe, rubber base, and plastic stand, at floral shops or online.
2. Use expoxy to attach ceramic or plastic ornament or figurine to the rubber base, which also serves as the lid.
3. Fill the globe with distilled water to just below the opening; add about 1 tablespoon of liquid glycerin (found in soap-making sections of hobby stores) to thicken the water.
4. Sprinkle with glitter.
5. Working over a sink, slowly invert the decorated portion of the rubber base into the water; stretch the seal of the rubber base over the lip of the globe.
6. Attach the plastic stand, turn the globe upright, and watch the snow fall!
7. For extra sparkle, stand the snow globe in a silver wine bottle coaster.



Image and tutorial from Better Homes and Gardens.



My first purchase was the antique, glass-front corner cabinet trimmed in a dusty French blue (left).

The vintage, tufted chair was quite the ugly duckling when I found it tattered and torn in a consignment shop, but I reupholstered it in a Swiss-dotted, Spa blue fabric purchased from Calico Corners. Covering those buttons was a challenge, but worth the effort.

Then, I found a charming settee covered in oyster-colored silk damask on Ebay and added a decorative pillow from antique reproduction fabric in shades of spa blue, taupe and cream.

The antique French bench I bought from a dealer just needed some padding and a new seat cover, so I reupholstered it in the same fabric as the pillow. I love this piece with its years of knicks and dings!



Now that I have learned to appreciate the tranquility in blue's embrace, I keep spotting more and more room decor with cool blue hues. My favorite use of blue is in moderation as an accent.




I really like the Belgian blue table and complementary mantle mirror shown in this House Beautiful spread (above left). A Bergere chair in just about any color appeals to me, but this one (above right) in Spa blue commands every bit of my attention in this image via Decor Pad.



Ever notice how so many blues are named for places - French blue, Scandinavian blue, Venician blue, Agean blue, Egyptian blue ... well, you get the picture. In the photos above Provencal blue steals the show. The toile fabric settee featured in Home Decorating Ideas (left) and time worn doors from House Beautiful show how the French do blue perfectly.


When I think of sumptuous design schemes, the fabric always plays a major role. And, what is more luxurious than velvet - blue velvet in particular? Just take a look and tell me if you don't agree.

The settee (above left) in a Seafoam blue velvet has been in my photo library for so long, I have no idea where it came from, but it still sets my heart aflutter each time I see it.  Los Angeles-based designer Mary McDonald shares a picture (above right) of her bedroom dressed in a lavish Agean Sea blue velvet. Can we say lavish!

Blue is a tricky color with so many different shades, but this House Beautiful spread (above left) shows that even minimal accessorizing in the right blue can have a meaningful impact. I really like the soft shading (above right) in this transitional space of grayed-down blues. Image via The Inglenook Decor.

Going 'green' does not mean going blah. Arrange a few branches in a tall, glass vase. Secure them in place with glass balls, then, hang a variety of sparkling ornaments for a little holiday bling.



The LED lights add glimmer to these branches, giving a rustic decor just the right amount of holiday punch.




Photo via Brabourne Farm.