Floral Arrangement - Red Carnations and Roses

When Valentine's Day ends, the flowers remain. But these flowers don't have to lose their meaning after the holiday. They offer the perfect opportunity for creative flower arrangements that will brighten up your home. Here, I repurpose, refresh, and redesign some red carnations by changing vases or adding different leaves and accessories. 

Floral arrangement 1:  add accessory such as a red vase and matching flexible reeds.

Flower arrangement 2: use different greenery

 Flower arrangement 3: use  a different vase and add berries and ferns

floral arrangement 4: use wider leaves to match the blossoms 

floral arrangement 5:  mix with silk flowers to match the surrounding

Chocolate Molten Lava cake

This Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is so ideal for Valentine's Day and for that matters -  any week.  It is so easy and so devilishly delicious!   I wanted something chocolaty, rich and yummy-gooey and this chocolate cake  melts in your mouth and melts your heart!

 Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

  Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks butter

4 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate

4 (1 oz) squares bittersweet chocolate

1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup King Arthur's flour

3 large eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoon  coffee or orange liquor, optional

 unsweetened cocoa for dusting the custard cups

 Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Dust with unsweetened cocoa
•  Melt chocolates and butter in the a nonstick saucepan by using medium low heat. Just enough so that the chocolate is softened. Take it away from the heat. Stir until smooth.
• Stir in the sugar and flour to chocolate mixture.
• Stir gently in all the eggs and extra yolks until smooth.
• Stir in vanilla and/or orange liquor until well combined.
• Divide batter evenly among custard cups.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes.
• Edges should be firm but the center will be soft and jiggly. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and invert onto dessert plate. Serve with ice cream or whip cream or dust with confectioner's sugar. 

Memorial Tribute Wake - Purple Themed Flowers

A very good friend's mother had passed away and I was honored and privileged to help my friend with all the funeral preparation.  We've known the family for so long that it was a very emotional loss for all of us.  But, one of the things that was cathartic for me was the creation of the flowers we used in the reception room.

Flowers always convey kindness, thoughtfulness and help in lifting up someone's spirit.  I wanted to convey that there's still beauty in the midst of sadness. The following purple themed flowers were a tribute and a celebration of life.

Floral arrangement 1

The heart signifying the love we have for her was made and created with the help of my friend and two sisters  to honor the mother. It's made of carnation, pomps, statice, pink cabbage, iris, gypsophilia, delphiniums and a variety of small purple flowers.  

The heart signifying the love we have for her was made and created with the help of my friend and two sisters  to honor the mother. It's made of carnation, pomps, statice, pink cabbage, iris, gypsophilia, delphiniums and a variety of small purple flowers.  

 

Floral Arrangement 2

  Iris flowers and green pom-poms on a clear rectangle vase.  I've added some pearly beads for some effect.

Floral Arrangement 3

baby's breath, small carnation, statice and  iris flowers.  I've added a shade of purple ribbons around the vase to highlight the purple colors.

Floral Arrangement 4

pink cabbage, gladiolus petals and aspidistra leaves on a clear vase surrounded by a shade of purple ribbon.

Floral Arrangement 5 

 gladiolus and aspidistra leaves

FLORAL ARRANGEMENT 6
pink cabbage on a moss covered square clear vase 

 

See also
Periwinkle flowers  

Winter Tea Party Tablescape

Winter Tea Party- Circle of Friends

Party of 10

Once or twice a year, my high school and college friends get together to catch up during the Holiday Season. You know it's good company when even though we haven't seen each other for a while we seem to be able to pick things up from right where we left off.

For this Winter Tea Party's Tablescape, I'm recycling the décor of Christmas Tea Party Tablescape with a little  variation.  I want to feature my special Circle of Friends by emphasizing the Circles in the theme (ornaments, glasses, round tables, platters and food).  Also, I'm featuring the blue more to symbolize that it is a color that is considered "a constant in our lives" (just like these friends of mine). 

 Full circle. I want to bring out the design of the  silvery cone more in the centerpiece through various sizes of the opaque, silver and white ornament balls in and around the tabletop. 

 The table has been extended to accommodate a party of 10.  (See Christmas Tea Party Tablescape for a Party of 6)

 To add a little color around this silver theme, blue wine glasses were added as water glasses (for those who don't drink tea)

 My versatile cloth flower napkin holder is handmade (it could pass for a poinsettia flower).  To highlight the blue flowers, I created  sugar cookies shaped into flowers with blue icing - an edible version of a nametag!
 

I placed 3 clear, tiered servers at each end of the table for easy serving. Notice, the sandwiches are cut into varied shapes to differentiate them.

 To bring about the circular theme, I used two portable round tables and covered them in alternate colors of blue and white.  One is used for the  tea  and  the other for the food that won't fit on the main table: broccoli salad, sweet bread, jam and jellies, fruits and extra sandwiches.  

The silver tea set is from my husband's grandparents.  The two blue champagne glasses  hold alternative sugar selection for others who can't take regular sugar. 

 Lunch Menu: A Variety of Sandwiches

 My friends all have different food requirements.  Some are lactose intolerance, vegans, meat lovers and vegetarians. So, I tried to have a combination of food to make sure all have something to eat.

• Cucumber sandwiches in buttermilk bread
• Turkey and cranberry sandwiches  on sourdough bread
• Cream cheese w/dates nuts on raisin bread
• Ham & honey mustard sandwiches
• Smoked turkey w/ raspberry mayo
• Roast beef w/champagne dill mustard
• Artichoke dip for cut up vegetables
• Asparagus wrapped in bacon
• Broccoli Fruit Salad
• Ham and Tomato Pies  - for  the male guests who preferred a little heartier food

Ham and Tomato  Pie before baking

ready for baking  

 Sweet Rice Bread to accompany the Ham & Tomato Pie.

Homemade jams:  Strawberry jam, lemon curd, Orange peach jam

Dessert

Peanut Butter Cookies

 Russian Tea Cookies

Cookies and Cream Fudge

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

 Caramel Turtle Fudge Bar

Madeline Cookies (dipped in Chocolate w/coconuts)

Assorted Teas

  

The oversized wine glasses are filled with Cookies and Cream Fudge and Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

Dessert is served in the dining room area (where the Santa theme is more pronounced) after the games .

Russian Tea Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies 

Caramel Turtle Fudge Bar

  

Game Gift

As part of the party, I like to have a little game to liven up the party. We used the living room where the spirit of Christmas is in full bloom because of the Santa theme.

As a present for the game - a basket is filled with breakfast items: coffee mug, jam, hot cocoa, caramel cookies, a bag of coffee, ornament, a bag of cookies, and aromatic candles (not seen)

GIVEAWAY PRESENT

As the party starts to wind down, I give a parting gift of my special banana bread.  I also add a wrapped box of tea as an accompaniment.

Banana Bread

HO, HO, Holidays!  Enjoy!

See also:
 Christmas Tea Party for a Party of 6
Graduation in December
Christmas Buffet Tablescape

Christmas Buffet Tablescape

It's that time of year where I feel so alive and festive!  Christmas is one of my favorite seasons where I love catching up with everyone.  I like having an open house for friends, neighbors and relatives where people can come in at any time and have an opportunity to catch up.  With this type of gathering, I like doing a buffet style of several appetizers and a couple of hot main meals.  For this Christmas Tablescape, I've chosen Santa and the poinsettia as the theme.

Along with my nativity collection, Santa is my one  constant décor during the holidays because he evokes good cheer and most of all the idea of giving.  But, I also wanted something different that would highlight the colors of the season, thus the poinsettia. 

  

 I've always been enthralled by poinsettia flowers and was even more fascinated when I found out the symbolism behind it.  For Christians, they are called the Flowers of the Holy Night.  It is said that the shape of the poinsettia flower are sometimes thought of as symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus, and the red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. But, in the  language of flowers, they symbolize good cheer and success, bringing wishes of mirth and celebration.

Since the table already has the dominant color of red, I wanted the food to show off more by having clear and silver platters, then draped a gold mesh to bring the gold out of the poinsettia. 

 Aggregate heights are important to show the different appetizers and makes for an interesting visual .

The centerpiece features the colors of Christmas.  The vases were embellished with poinsettia flowers. I put Santa on the side next to the utensils and I filled the sleigh with plastic candy ornaments, toy like items to show Santa's bounty.  I used red and gold stars (symbolizing the star of Bethlehem)  to break the flower pattern and to give it more texture.

  

 Santa on his own corner under a Christmas tree surrounded by Poinsettia

 To flow with the clear platters, I'm using wide-mouthed candlesticks as utensil holders and keep the poinsettia theme for this small table. The round boxes were hand painted in green and sparkler pens were used to design the flowers. 

Food labels for people who have special food requirements.  I used  seasonal photo holders for the labels.

Next to the buffet table is the dessert table.

This is that one time of the year where I like to use some of my old favorite seasonal dishes and candlesticks. The colors and design of the platters pulls together the theme of Santa and the greenery.

To create a visual break within the buffet table and the dessert table, I surrounded a small Christmas tree with Poinsettia instead of having it draped.

GIVEAWAY

 As people leave, I give a parting present that matches the theme of my table - thus, a Santa acorn.

Happy Holidays! HO, HO , HO

Law School Graduation in December

Joy, Joy, Joy!  A great celebration on top of the holiday season - passing the state bar exam after Thanksgiving gives a new meaning to a graduation celebration in December.  This Graduation Tablescape celebrates a special person for going through one of the most rigorous and rewarding challenges of an educational career. 

 Because it is a holiday season, but this is mostly a graduation celebration, I didn't want to use the standard colors of Christmas.  So I used blue and white color scheme instead for the male celebrant and accessorized with silver and gold for his high standards and (yet I'm still able to mix in some holiday accessories).

  

Dessert  Buffet Table

 An angel heralding his accomplishments, stars represent his accomplishments,  the gift boxes represent the joy of learning of passing the bar, and the cones represent the height of this achievement. 

A wreath was surrounded with symbolism of his academic accomplishment: His dream to be the best he can be, his high class standing, his Law Review contributions and the pride and joy of his parents and family. 

The table was accessorized in different heights to again symbolize achievement.

This picture shows the aggregate heights of the plates.

Wine glasses were used as a creative "sugar alternatives" container.

 Accessories surrounding the table highlight the blue and white theme.

 The blue and white theme is extended to the windows of the room. 

A small tree in the room was decorated with ornaments that shows the emotions of the moment.