"January is for coffee, February for love,
March into spring, April - all of the above,
May comes with sun, June says holiday!
July we soak in warmth, August we pray...
September is orange, October the year's nearly over,
November we eagerly wait, December... we start over"
Happy Holidays Y'all!
'Tis the season to drink wine. Red wine. And while we're at it, we may as well get creative (read cheap) and soak in DIY ideas that shout festive. Here are 3 of my favorite ideas created in the 29. Kitchen this holiday season. All they need is 1 part skill, and 2 parts love.
1. Menu Scrolls - As a private chef and dining experience host, a menu is everything to me. I like to give my guests something to refer to as the courses are being served, while not giving away too much. My menus highlight the ingredients/components of the plates put in front of them, but not quite the entire dish itself. What's not fun about the guessing game huh? Also makes for good conversation on the table! For one of my recent 12-course (yes, your heard right, 12!) tasting menus, I rolled up the paper into scrolls and added a strip of red ribbon to it. Simple, pretty & saves space on the table!
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2. Party Favors - Whilst not mandatory, I do like to give a little something away on special occasions. And what's better than a creative, social, indian-inspired dining adventure? One that ends with a take-away breakfast pot! Cookies are so 2014. My overnight oats are ready to be devoured the next morning, perfectly snuggled in a box made of disposable plastic glasses (you can see how to work with paper cups here) and of course the ribbon for color. So simple, yet so elegant. And so easily adapted to any color theme with just a switch of fabric! I might be cheating on my husband with Pinterest. Oops.
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3. Individual X'mas Trees + Table Decor - This was my absolute genius of a discovery. Nothing says the holidays like a beautifully lit Christmas tree in the background of a dinner table. But we don't quite celebrate Christmas so getting a big tree just to decorate for guests seemed a bit over the edge. Got me thinking, how can I shout 'celebration' and yet not have the very pinnacle of holiday decorations? The answer - individual trees for the guests that are not only cute but also elevate the decor of the table profoundly! And so extremely easy to make. Just grab those old wine bottle corks [I bet you have a pile of 'em by now!], pinch a hole and stick in a twig of pine. That's it! I added a handmade paper ornament on top of each for authenticity. What can I say, I like to leave my guests with full stomachs and starry eyes....
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Hope you enjoyed these easy creations. Do share your holiday favorites via the comments. I'd love to hear from you.
A big warm Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours. Eat up, stay warm and see you on my table in 2015!