#i used linen for the backing of my table runner and that was pretty delicious to hand quilt. but i would need to dye it to use here | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

merzelifestyle · 3 years

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Home for The Holidays - 2020

What a year 2020 it has been so far! Just as many of you, we spent our Christmas home with just my immediate family. Although it was different, we made the best of it and look forward to the days when we can spend our days with extended family and friends.

I spent some time prior to the holiday’s thinking about how I could make this year a special Christmas celebration. I decided to decorate a little more using traditional Christmas colors. I also set a formal dinner table using my family’s Lenox dishes and the gold flatware handed down from my mother. I wanted to bring joy to my dinner table and celebrate family traditions.

I served a typical Christmas dinner with prime rib and yorkshire pudding. All the traditional food items that remind you of the holidays.

The difference this year is that we all got into the kitchen and cooked together. It was so lovely to come together and work as a team. We all really enjoyed it and made special memories that I am sure we will never forget.

We had a few Zoom calls with extended family and friends to catch up and toast the holidays. It really helped to see our loved one even though we could not physically be with them.

For me, a Formal decorated table really makes a celebration special. Although I only had to set a table for three, I still wanted it to be filled with sentiments of joy and celebration perfect for the occasion.

"Christmas is not an external event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart." -- Freya Stark

Because My dining room is painted blue, I decided to decorate with blue and gold as my primary colors, along with contrasting vibrant red jewel tones using a lovely centerpiece of red roses and other festive blooms and berries.

I filled up the empty space with flowers, votives, gold trays with sparkling drinks and found gorgeous evergreens, Christmas berries and other natural items in my back yard to add to my design.

Here is my table design in progress. I love experimenting with napkins when setting a table and often leave it for last. I often look for ways to incorporate colors from the other parts of my table into each of my place settings.

I absolutely adore using deep jewel tones when decorating a table. I experimented with both the royal blue and deep red velvet ribbons to decorate each of my place settings.

Is there one that you like the best? I would love to hear from you as to which is your favorite. Maybe omit completely?

These monogrammed linen napkins are my favorite and decided not to use any ribbon at all. Since they are elegant enough to stand on their own, I felt that by adding a ribbon, it would take away from the overall beauty and elegance of each place setting.

Once I finished with this end of the table, I still had a good amount of room that I needed to fill on the other end of the table. I did not need any extra place settings on the other end, therefore I had to fill the empty space with something festive and useful.

I added a laminated gold serve platter and put my cocktails on it to add some festive touches. These Kir Royale cocktails were seriously delicious. Traditionally, this cocktail is simply a sparkling wine with a blackcurrant liqueur.

The recipe is given below.

""Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life."" -- Charles Dickens

RECIPE

Items you need

(This is per glass)

2-3 tsp of Cream de Cassis Liqueur Creme de Framboise

Prosecco or Champagne

Blackberries, Raspberries or blueberries

Sprig of Rosemary

How to assemble your drink

Place 2-3 blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries in the empty glass

Add your 2-3 tsps. of Liqueur…

Next, carefully add your Prosecco or Champagne to the glass. If you do this, your drink will have a small separation between the liqueur and the sparkling wine. It’s a very pretty presentation.

Next, add the rosemary sprig to the glass.

Enjoy!

HINT: I use a 90 degree bent spoon and bring it all the way down to the bottom of the glass just above the fruit and liqueur. Pour the Prosecco right onto the spoon so that the spoon catches the sparkling wine…pour very slowly until the glass is almost full.

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together" -- Alexander Smith

Ambiance is essential during the holidays, especially on the dinner table. On this table I added several different types of votives and scattered them here and there to add mood lighting.

I do believe that design is all about the details. I’ve added a few items that would allow for my tablescape to flow throughout. I added different hues of blue along with reds using berries to coordinate with the plates and the centerpiece. This beautiful lace and pearl runner added another layer of texture and color along with elegance to celebrate the holiday.

""May peace, love and prosperity follow you always.” " -- Mary Madore-Hickey

The thing is…this has been an exceedingly difficult time for so many this year. Even more reason to make it as special as you can for those you love. Spending a little time creating a festive tablescape will go a long way in helping friends and family celebrate this time of year.

Relax and enjoy your day

As with everything I post on my blogs, if you have any comments or questions, please leave them here or email me through my contact page. I would love to hear from you and welcome it anytime!

Design with your heart™️

Happy entertaining and season’s greetings my friends!

Mary

"may your home be a place where friends meet, family gathers, and love grows." -- Anonymous

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