Author Archives: Jennie

Pretty in Pink Tablescape

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big-pink-wedding-dress-designs-for-girlsWhat is it about the color pink that make girls’ hearts go pitty-pat?

Pink wedding dresses, pink shoes, pink handbags, pink upholstery — it’s all about pink for little girls and grown women. There’s the pink aisle at the toy store filled with Barbie and her accessories — and remember when our craft stores were replacing Christmas merchandise with pink and red Valentine’s Day stuff long before December 25?

Pink isn’t all about being sweet and girly. It’s the symbol of strength and fortitude when applied to fighting breast cancer. I remember the first pink suit I bought when I felt I was sufficiently established in my career to get away with wearing pink — and I never went back. In fact, I’m just about to add a new pink blazer to my wardrobe in an unstructured knit to match my new more casual lifestyle — a lifestyle in which my inspiration word is STRONG. Continue reading →

The Morning After: Downton Abbey Brunch

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Setting the table in Downton Abbey style was lots of fun. Hearing from so many of you was wonderful. Having my husband shout at the television last night, saying, “They’re measuring the silverware just like you said!” was even more fun.

GotMyReservations Downton Abbey Tablescape Intro

And so was actually eating at the table.

I will admit that I took down the big candlelabra and replaced it with a five-candle silver candlelabra so that we could actually see each other. Unlike what happened in Downton Abbey last night — remember when they “turned the table”? — my guests were allowed to talk across the brunch table. It’s just not that big.

We removed all the dishes from the staged table in order to serve the brunch plated. Since there were only five of us, it was easy to plate at my kitchen island and serve directly to the table. My husband made a wonderful footman and we had a relaxed couple of hours. We even broke every Downton Abbey rule by keeping the kitchen television on (muted, of course), so Music Man could keep track of the football games. Continue reading →

A Visit to Chicago’s GT Fish & Oyster Restaurant

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Chicago is well-known for its wonderful restaurants, and over the holidays, my family had the opportunity to experience several gastronomic delights. For the next few Fridays, I’m going to continue what I started last week with our visit to Eataly, and will feature some of Chicago’s great dining establishments.

Named after its Michelin-starred chef, Guiseppe Tentori, GT Fish & Oyster has been open since March 2011 at 531 N. Wells Street in Chicago. The 115-seat restaurant’s menu focuses on fresh, seasonal seafood presented in small plates designed for sharing, and the pricing is designed to fill a hole in Chicago’s market by offering outstanding seafood at mid-range prices (source). On the high side of what we consider mid-range, the prices are probably fair for the quality of the food.  Continue reading →

Downton Abbey Tablescape for the Servantless Home Decorator

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This post contains affiliate links; see my PR disclosure policy for details.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie Julie & Julia is where Julie Powell (Amy Adams) types into her infant blog a reference to Julia Child’s famous words from the beginning of Mastering the Art of French Cooking — “Nobody here but us servantless American cooks.” Julia Child believed that with a little bit of instruction and a lot of good directions, servantless American cooks could pull off the preparation of traditional French dishes in their homes.

The same applies to our servantless home tablescaping — if you know the basic ingredients of a tablescape, you can create your version of even the fanciest decor, using what you already own. Granted, for some of us, our “stash” is larger than for others. If you don’t have quite what you need, you can pick up beautiful pieces for very little money on sale or in resale shops. Just follow any blog written by a home tablescaper and you’ll see hundreds of pieces purchased for a song. It makes me sad to find dish sets and linens that were given away by family members who didn’t want their grandma’s treasured home items, but I digress…

Downton Abbey merchandise at Cost Plus World Market

Downton Abbey merchandise at Cost Plus World Market

Over the holidays, Cost Plus World Market was carrying quite a few Downton Abbey-labeled products. Knowing my love for the show, I received a bottle of Downton Abbey wine, Downton Abbey soaps, Downton Abbey mince pies, and I also bought an Edwardian-style table runner and matching napkins that the store sold with the other Downton Abbey products. On sale, of course. Continue reading →

Is Dazzling Blue the New Radiant Orchid?

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I’ve gotten two clothing catalogs that are telling me that blue is the hot color for spring. I read that Dazzling Blue (which bears a great resemblance to Facebook blue) is Pantone’s Color of the Year 2014.

Talbott’s is showcasing “Coastal Classics” in the catalog that arrived today in the middle of Chicago’s snowstorm. Blue. Continue reading →

Eataly Chicago — a Foodie Fantasy Destination

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Yes, I typed that right. EATALY — a very cute pun on Italy, but Eataly is more than just a cute name. It’s truly a foodie fantasy destination right here in Chicago.

Co-owned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, the Chicago location is housed in the former ESPN Zone location near Michigan Avenue at Ohio and Wabash. The 63,000 sq. ft. food palace is the second Eataly location in the U.S. The only other U.S. outlet in New York opened in 2010, but media hype says that the next location will likely be in Philadelphia.The first Eataly opened in Turin, Italy, in 2007 and there are now Eataly locations in many major Italian cities.

Eataly Chicago is a foodie destination with 23 restaurants and food bars, one fine dining restaurant and lots of food products for sale. Upon opening on December 2, 2013, Eataly was overrun with locals and tourists, which resulted in its having to close for one day on December 9 in order to restock after its first week of business. We waited until the Sunday after Christmas to venture downtown to check out Eataly and I was not disappointed. It’s a foodie’s paradise. Continue reading →

Top Posts of 2013

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As a writer and photographer, as well as being a retired teacher, it has been instilled in me that reflection is important to the artistic process and to personal growth.  With this in mind, I watch my stats carefully, although not religiously, and I try not to be driven by what others think. It’s always good at the end of the year to examine what worked and what didn’t in all parts of one’s life — and especially in what one puts out into the universe.

So here goes — my top posts of 2013 and my opinions as to why they got as much traffic as they did. Click into the red title to see the full post.  Continue reading →

A Visit to Our Dickens Village

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Got My Reservations 25 Days of Christmas 2013 Medium ButtonNine days until Christmas! I’m hustling and bustling now that I’ve got my wheels back after my surgery. What about you?

We started collecting Dickens Village houses and accessories many years ago. My mom had a village and my sister-in-law had a village. It was a perfect gift that went on giving year after year — until we all ran out of room. We got each other themed houses based on our jobs and hobbies. We were not slaves to Department 56, and supplemented our collections with resin figures rather than the porcelain ones that break. Over the years in different houses and different communities, it wasn’t Christmas until our Dickens Village went up. Continue reading!

NEW LIFE FOR THE GRAPEVINE WREATH

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13 Days of Christmas! My friend from high school posted on Facebook that working to prepare for Christmas isn’t really work, it’s love, and the concept resonated with me. I LOVE to get ready for Christmas!

Got My Reservations 25 Days of Christmas 2013 Medium Button

Do you have the ubiquitous giant mirror over your sideboard? I see large mirrors used over and over again in home decor, and they are usually over the sideboard, over the couch, or over the fireplace. We have one over the sideboard and one over the piano, and at Christmas time they need to be decorated.

I have not been happy with the lighting situation on my grapevine wreath that hangs in front of the mirror over my sideboard, and I haven’t been too thrilled with the decor I’ve slapped on over the years. I decided this year to be more intentional about creating a vignette with the mirror and wreath.

Where does one go to get inspiration? Why Google images, of course, and then on to Pinterest. At first I thought I’d do something traditional with the party at the bottom, like this.

Click into photo to see the Pinterest entry

Click into photo to see the Pinterest entry

Continue reading →

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