Holiday Party Planning Guide - Tablescape

Earlier in the week we talked about picking a theme for your holiday gathering. Do you have one? I do! Remember, I'm going with vintage. A retro cocktail party, to be exact! My love for Mid Century Mod is bleeding pink and avocado green this season and I can't get enough of it. So, we've picked our theme, sent out the invites, and now it's time to start checking things off our master checklist.

Up next is decor. My house is decorated in fairly traditional Christmas flare. Green tree chocked full of Hallmark ornaments, handmade ornaments by mom when I was younger, and now handmade ornaments made by McKinley in school. Those are my favorites! But, I've added a little something old to this years decor. I put up my antique aluminum tree and all the antique Shiny Bright glass ornaments that we've found over the years. It's gorgeous! Oh, and did I mention that I have an old light color wheel? The whole look is perfection!

I have so many pins from Pinterest to share regarding a vintage inspired tablescape. And guess what? More than half are pink! I've never been a pink girl, but this year, I am over the moon for it! Maybe it's the whole Mid Century Mod thing or maybe it's the fact that Michael's has totally fed my obsession. I went in for ribbon the other day and walked out with an entire holiday decor of everything they had that was pink. Okay, not everything because there are still pieces I want, but let's say about 50%! Needless to say, I'm covered in pink glitter and I couldn't care less!

So here are the inspiring tablescapes I found on Pinterest.



 

And here are all the things I bought at Michael's!

I'm sorry, but there was no way I was going to pass up a pink Santa, at half off, wearing white fur! 

 
Isn't my aluminum tree gorgeous!!

So here's what I plan to do. I will add a white tablecloth to the kitchen table and arrange the bottle brushes, church, and a large glass hurricane full of pink and avocado green ornaments in the center of my table. I may even add candles. I have lovely silver candlesticks that hold tealights. And I plan on hitting up my local Home Depot to dig through their evergreen scrape pile like I did last year. The greenery lasted through the remainder of the holidays and allowed for a subtle hint of pine. I will arrange the greenery throughout the tablescape as well.

I will place the serving pieces around the table, black and white Christmas pieces I received as a gift from my aunt several years ago. And it just so happens that the pattern is very Mid Century Mod inspired, even though they came from Target! I plan on bringing out my bar cart, even though it's red, and decorating it as well. I may have to give that some thought regarding the clashing of colors. As Tim Gunn says, I will make it work.

Oh, and I found the coolest website that gives a tutorial on how to give everyday tumblers a little Mid Century update as well. Definitely going to have to give this a try! 

Lastly, here's a little sneak peek into a DIY drink stirrer I found that would look darling on the bar cart!

There you have it! My tablescape inspiration and the pieces I picked to create mine. Now that you have your theme, what would you use to decorate your table? Would you go completely DIY? Scour the amazing sales at places like Michael's is currently offering, or go brand new with your purchase?

I can't wait to hear what you're up to! What do you think of my party so far?

XO,
Andrea

Healthy Eating - Overnight Oats

The first time I had ever heard of overnight oats was on an episode of The Pioneer Woman. Apparently, she had them during a trip to Colorado and started making them at home. At first I was little skeptical, but intrigued at the same time. Oatmeal in a jar, that you make the day before, store in the fridge, and then eat cold. I'm not a huge fan of cold oatmeal. 

I love oatmeal, but get bored with the same instant packet flavors. My favorite is Cinnamon Spice, but it's hard to find, and I can't stand the Apple Cinnamon. Those dried apples have a hard texture at times. I started thinking again about the overnight oats. 

I've been eating like crap lately. And it's starting to show. Jeans are a little snug, double chin is starting to form, and I just feel sluggish. I went to the doctor the other day, only to find out I have allergies, and had to be weighed beforehand. Why is that? I'm going in for congestion and a low grade fever. I'm pretty sure my weight has nothing to do with it. However, I was weighed and that number sucked!! It caused me to really start thinking about healthier eating habits.

I started scouring Pinterest for overnight oat recipes, and while grocery shopping yesterday, I started stocking up on different ingredients from the recipes I found. There are so many options! For my first attempt, I went with a vanilla almond with blueberries that I found on Tastes Lovely Pinterest page. However, I'm not a fan of nuts, so I skipped the actual almonds and went with the almond milk. And it's good. I don't miss the sugar, brown or regular, and it's super filling. I feel good about what I'm having for breakfast, something I skip because I don't have time to make it yet I make it for McKinley every morning, and I'm hoping it sticks with me for the entire morning.

It was super easy to make, and the best part, I have no excuse for not eating something healthy in the morning. It's right there in the fridge!

 

 

 I must admit, I didn't eat it directly out of the fridge. I heated mine up. I just can't imagine eating cold oatmeal. And, what I'm most shocked about, is that I didn't miss the sugar. It seems almost unnecessary now that I've had it like this. There are several different recipes I'm going to try. I'm thinking the pumpkin version and apple cinnamon (made with applesauce) sound great for fall. And loading it up with various berries couldn't be horrible, right? 

Have you tried overnight oats? Is it something that sounds appealing? If you are currently eating it, what are some of your favorite recipes? I'm always up for a recipe swap.

XO,

Andrea