Red Christmas Tree

This tree actually resides in our dining room - I love it.  It is so festive and we have really added more red without adding more gold.  I think that is one of the reasons I have grown to love it so much....a tree with pretty much just one color, but lots of shapes and sizes.

We have gotten away from stars or angels at the tops of our trees, instead, we have found different materials over the years and "crowned" the tops of the trees with it. 

No theme here (like the Wine Themed Christmas Tree) - just another tree in our house that I think is beautiful and wanted to share.   Enjoy the photos - I hope to inspire you!

Wine Themed Christmas Tree

This holiday season, I wanted to share the variety of Christmas trees that decorate our home this time of year.  Here's the first one - and religiously the first tree I work on each year. 

The idea behind this tree started in our first home.  Our lower level was complete with a tasting area and wine storage the size of a closet.  We had a skinny tree that was the perfect addition to the space.  Upon moving, we no longer had such a specific area dedicated to wine consumption!  But - it fits perfectly in the corner of our breakfast room.

We have collected cool wine ornaments over the years - some of them were sets that even came with wedges of cheese!  I even have a crystal wine glass ornament that came all the way from one of my favorite crystal manufacturer's - the Waterford store in Ireland (thanks Mom & Dad!) 

The rest of the tree is covered with lots of artificial grapes, berries, and raffia.  The tree skirt was an easy choice - we bought 3 yards of burlap, perfect!

Here are some photos - I hope I have inspired you!  Cheers!

Pound Cake, Strawberries, and Dark Chocolate Skewers

This is another yummy treat from the 2011 holiday season.....I saw this image on Pinterest and loved the idea so decided to serve it for the Couples Euchre Night we hosted last December. 

Instead of angel food cake, I used frozen pound cake thinking it would stay on the skewers better.  Alternating strawberries and pound cake, I threaded them onto a skewer.   After melting some dark chocolate over a double boiler, I drizzled over the skewers and refrigerated until serving.

Family Memories and Holiday Decorations

Pine cones are an important part of my family's history.  They were incorporated into the decor of the home in which I grew up as well as where my mom and dad currently reside.  Over the years, they have also become part of my own decorating. 

Why so important?  Well, my parents had known each other for quite some time, then in the fall of 1965,  they went for a walk to collect, you guessed it,  pine cones.  Then, started dating after that.    Now, we have pine cones as a beautiful symbol for our family!

When the holidays roll around, we have a large, shallow bowl that graces our kitchen table and is filled with gold, spray-painted pine cones.  A few years ago when my older one was still in pre-school, he brought home this giant pine cone decorated with red and green glitter.  As soon as I saw it, I knew the perfect place to show it off each Christmas season!  It now sits right in the middle of all of those other pine cones, and I love it! 

Our kitchen table is a popular place in our home, as I'm sure it is in yours.  All meals at home are eaten here and although we have to move the centerpiece each time we dine, I still love having the boys see this every day during the holiday season.

How do you decorate using family memories?

Holiday Party Invitations

The hubby and I have been throwing a holiday cocktail party since before we were married - this year will be our 16^th one (we had to skip a year while we were in a rental house after moving to Arizona.)  These soirees have certainly changed over the years – the first one being in our apartment with about 10 friends (you know who you are!) and everyone brought appetizers to share. 

Over the years we have been all over the board with invitations too.  They have all had a similar, elegant theme – but we have gone from printing them ourselves on pre-designed cardstock, to designing them ourselves and having them printed, to going through an online process to order directly, etc.   This year, we changed it up again.  I found a design I liked on Etsy through the Fine and Dandy Paperie store. I purchased the template, sent her the text for the invitation, we did two rounds of proofing, and voila – I had the images (one for the front, one for the back) on my hard drive.   She has lots of great stationary options on her site, definitely worth checking out.

While thinking about the text for your next party invitation, always remember the key components: date, time, place, attire (if you are going for something specific) and definitely the date by when you need people to respond.  If you have hired a caterer and need to give final counts to them on a specific date – make sure your RSVP date is a few days before that.  In the past we have used “please accept or decline by X date” or “please respond by X date”.  If I don’t hear from them, I call them – which I read in one of my etiquette books from when I was getting married – is perfectly fine to do!   If you are the recipient of an invitation, remember – the hosts are working hard to pull this all together and have invited YOU to their party, give them the courtesy of a response before the date on the invite!

Evite is also an option - perfect for tracking guests responses, asking guests to bring something to share, etc.  Evite will also prompt you along the way to ensure you incorporate all of the key components of an invitation that I mentioned above. 

 

 

Christmas Cranberry Margaritas

I made these last December when the hubby and I hosted Couples Euchre in our home.  At the time, I was just starting to take photos to add to this blog (that wasn't live yet) so it's not very creative on my part and pretty much a copy of what I found on Pinterest!

Not only is this gem of a cocktail a tasty (and strong) one, but it is also so pretty and festive!   The blogger who original posted this recipe is Ezra Pound Cake and you can find the original recipe here.  She adopted it from Rebecca Rather's The Pastry Queen Christmas cookbook.

The cute candy cane cocktail stirrer is part of a set of 6 - all different colors - from Neiman Marcus. I received the boxed set as a hostess gift many years ago at one of our holiday parties.  I love them - they are perfect for the Christmas season and over the years, we have enjoyed using the whistle to signal the need for another drink! 

Give this one a try this holiday season and let me know what you think!  Cheers!

Cranberry Margaritas
Serves 4
Recipe from Ezra Pound Cake

Lime wedges
Sugar
Ice cubes (for shaking and serving)
1/2 cup cranberry juice or cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup silver or other 100% agave tequila
1/4 cup orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, Citronage)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Garnishes:  thinly sliced limes and fresh cranberries

Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and dip the edge in sugar to coat.  Fill the glasses with ice and set aside.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all the ingredients and shake. 

Strain into ice filled glasses and serve.

Christmas Tree Cheese and Tomato Appetizer

Another photo from last Christmas before I had The Bubbly Hostess blog up and running!  This is SUPER easy and a great appetizer for the upcoming holiday season. 

I found the image on Pinterest and it linked back to Cabot Cheese.  You can certainly use whatever cheese you like (I did) and as suggested in the recipe, swap out the cherry tomatoes for olives.  But I liked the festive red of the tomatoes on my tree!

Holiday Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato, and Mozzarella Bites

I made these last holiday season but found this photo the other day and decided to add to the blog.

These are a great addition to any holiday table and super easy to make.  You can also use a good ole' sliced baguette instead of the cutouts.

Holiday Inspired Pesto, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Cheese Bites
Serves 6-8

26 slices of bread (I used wheat bread)
1 clove garlic, cut in half
4-5 sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
Jar of store bought pesto (or certainly feel free to make your own, I was in a pinch for time!)
1-1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375

Using a cookie cutter shape of your choice (I used stars and trees), cut out all of the shapes with the bread.  Rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic.  Place bread on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or so until it is browned.

Once the bread is toasted, let cool.  Spread some pesto on each slice of bread, top with cheese then sun dried tomatoes.  Serve.