Holiday Dining Etiquette

With the holidays fast approaching, there are sure to be lots of gatherings, possibly including semi-formal or formal dining events. Whether it's a Thanksgiving feast, a Christmas dinner, a New Year's formal, or a holiday wedding, formal dining can be a bit overwhelming if you aren't familiar with which fork goes with which course. I mean, who knows what all of those glasses and silverware are for anyway?

Today, Liberty Tabletop is sharing proper dining etiquette with us. While we all won't have formal holiday parties to attend, I think there are still some great tips to implement at every holiday dining experience, from Thanksgiving dinner at the grandparents' to your office Christmas party.

Preparing for a formal dining event

There can be quite a bit to remember when you are attending a formal event. There's a lot of preparation to do when you go out for a normal meal or social event, let alone a formal one. Usually, all you have to worry about when leaving the house is whether or not you have your keys, purse, and phone. There probably isn't a dress code on a night out with friends, either, and nobody's going to say anything as long as you look vaguely presentable. And everyone knows how to use a knife and fork, so you're unlikely to have to worry about your table manners.
With a formal event there will be a dress code and everyone is expected to know the proper dining etiquette. While this may seem daunting at first, the rules of formal dining aren't so strange once you get to know them. It makes sense, after going to all the effort with your attire - whether a tuxedo or evening dress - to ensure that your behavior is as sophisticated as your outfit.
Luckily, it's not that hard to remember all the rules. They're quite straightforward once you get down to it. It only takes five minutes to read up on what to do at a formal dining event. From passing the salt and pepper to where to place your dessert spoon, you will quickly acquire the knowledge you need to be the perfect dinner guest.

Thanks, Liberty Tabletop for the etiquette lesson.

"Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot." ~Clarence Thomas

Two Year Blogiversary and Favorite Things Giveaway

Over the last two years, I've blogged about the process of turning an outdated house into an updated home that reflects our lifestyle and personal style, my struggles and triumphs, life as a wife and mother, and lots and lots of decor and craft projects. 

While I missed my actual second "blogiversary" (which was right after my grandfather passed), I'm celebrating two years now with a giveaway!

But first, I want to look back on a few of my favorite posts! It's so funny to see how my tastes have changed, and how our home has changed, over the last couple of years. I selected just a few posts to share with you today, but you can always find lots more on my PROJECTS page. 

|| DIY Painted Striped Curtains ||

|| Scrabble Letter Art ||

|| Thanksgiving Tablescape ||

|| Upcycled Trays ||

|| Painted Pillows ||

|| A Collected Home ||

|| Painted Parquet Floors ||

|| Paper Fan Ornaments ||

|| Treat Bag Advent Calendar ||

Now, let's get to the giveaway! This giveaway includes some of my favorite things! For details on what is included, head over to my Facebook page and watch the video! 

***This giveaway is not sponsored.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloweeen Party and Decor Ideas

A couple of months ago, I had to set up a Halloween party and pretend like it was October....in late July! It was all for an article in Southern Holiday Life magazine about kid and family friendly Halloween party tips. You can read that article HERE on page 57.  

Today, however, I wanted to focus on some details of this party that I didn't get to include in my article. All of these photos weren't chosen for the actual issue, so I thought I'd share with you today!

If you notice the Sanderson name, it's from one of my favorite Halloween movies, Hocus Pocus. The film was my inspiration for this party. I imagined the three Sanderson sisters setting up a fabulous buffet of yummy treats to lure the children in. "Come little children..." 

Decor Details

Some inexpensive decorating items I used were:
*Pots with black spray painted branches that I gleaned from my yard. I also stuck a few branched with leaves attached to give it a little texture, then I added some cheesecloth to look like spider webs.
*Old bottles as candle holders. I gathered some old bottles and put taper candles in them. I lit them a couple of days before to make them look old and drippy. I used these on the table and the buffet.
*Cheesecloth as spider webs. I even added the cheesecloth to the doorways for a spooky entry to the room. To make it look like webs, pull and stretch cloth very thin.
*The tablecloth is black cheesecloth. I found this at a local fabric store (Glen's in Sanford) and ripped holes in it and at the edges to make it look old and tattered. It wasn't actual cheesecloth, but it was almost exactly like it. It was very inexpensive.
*Let the food double as decor. I tried to stay with my chosen color scheme when I chose my food. I was using orange, purple, and green and I tried to let the foods showcase those colors.

Food Details

The purple pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate are witch's wands. The zombie brains beside it is actually just mini marshmallows, pretzels, and pecans stirred into almond bark. I spread the mixture onto wax paper and let it set. Then, I just broke into pieces.

These witches hats are just Oreos, Hershey Kisses, and pre-made frosting (the kind that comes in a tube.) Easy peasy. 

I used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter to cut out ham and turkey sandwiches. 

The green punch was so delicious! If you missed the recipe for it, you can view it HERE. 

This was the first time I had ever done a Halloween party, and I have to say, it was one of the most fun to decorate for! I had a great time coming up with all of it! I hope you can maybe incorporate some of these ideas into your next Halloween shindig! 

Halloween Potion Punch Recipe

If you've been searching for the perfect Halloween party punch recipe, then search no further. This recipe is simple and quick and tastes soooo yummy!The lime green color really makes it look like a potion.

This punch has been kid tested, and they all approved! So, make some for your Halloween party and drink up! 

____________________________________________________________________

Halloween Potion Punch
*Lime Hawaiian Punch, 1 Gallon
*Large can (46 0z.) of Pineapple juice
*One small bottle of Sunny D (10oz. or 11oz. That's an individually sized bottle.
*Green food coloring if desired.

Mix all together and chill. Serve and enjoy!

Fall Home Tour 2015 Part 2: Living Room and Entry

View part one of my fall home tour HERE!

Welcome back to part two of my fall home tour! Today, I'm sharing my living room and front entry. I have a neutral palette in my living room to start with; gray walls and gray furniture. So it's really easy for me to change accent colors in the room. I chose to add some bright pops of fall color for the season and it's playful and fun.

While adding the pops of color, I also tried to add some fall texture. A warm, cuddly throw, furry pillows and a velvet pillow and pumpkin. (Sources: throw blanket--TJ Maxx, white pillows--I made them with faux fur fabric, black and white pillow--Ikea, gather pillow--Target, orange velvet pumpkin--TJ Maxx).

Fall Essentials free printable from Jones Design Co.

At the end of July, I already had my front porch decorated for fall because I had to turn my Southern Holiday Life article in early. Since then, the front porch decorations was looking a little sad and worn out, so I replenished it with some mums (which weren't available in July), some new plants and pumpkins. 

Here's what my porch looked like for the SHL article:

And here it is now:

It's pretty simple. I have a really hard time keeping my mums looking pretty, by the way. I have this problem every year. For the most part, I have a green thumb but for some reason, mums are a problem for me. If anyone has any tips, I'd appreciate them! 

That's it for today! Hope you enjoyed!

Fall Home Tour Part 1: Kitchen and Dining

Hello! Welcome to my fall home tour! I had so much to show you that I decided to break up the tour into two posts. Today, I'm sharing my kitchen and dining room. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the living room and front entry. Now, let's get started!

I'll also be sharing some of the items I recently purchased, including those I bought at the Market on Chapel Hill, Scott Antiques Market, and the Yellow Daisy Festival. I usually do a post after the Chapel Market and I didn't this year, so I thought I could just kill two birds with one stone. This frame is in our side entry. We hang our keys and things here and I usually try to keep a wreath or something hanging on the frame. I found this banner at the Market in Urban Farmgirl's booth. I'm not one to take myself too seriously and I like a little bit of quirk in our home to keep things light. So cute!

I added only simple touches in the kitchen; a couple of grapevine balls and warm wood tones....

....and a pumpkin pie towel I also purchased from Urban Farmgirl at the Market.

This "Cups for Days" rack is also a new purchase. I snagged it on Decor Steals and I read that they only offer it a few times a year and it sells out pretty quickly. I'm so glad that I was able to get it before they sold out. I'd been eyeing them since I saw something similar on Fixer Upper. (They do have one on Joanna Gaines' website, although it's a little more expensive than the one I bought.) 

Distressed frame, Scott Antiques Market

This Spiked Cider Rewined candle smells so amazing. Such a great fall scent. I picked this candle up at the Market. I also saw these recently at the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain, Georgia, but I'm not aware of anywhere local that sells them. (They are poured into recycled wine bottles.)

Antique Ceiling Tile Frame, Scott Antiques Market

I loved using wheat in my fall decorating this year!

I painted this white pumpkin about a month ago. I was inspired by some that I had seen on Pinterest and just had to make my own. 

Campfire mini sign, Kreations by Design on Etsy

I kept my dining table simple this year. The statement is the sheet music runner that coordinates with the grapevine wreaths. (Check out the tutorial for those HERE.)

The inspiration for the whole look this year was this free printable that I framed from Jones Design Company. Muted oranges, blues, and whites.

This area is kind of tricky for me to decorate. I think it was a built-in china cabinet originally, but when we moved in there weren't any shelves. (And obviously there still aren't). I think there were glass shelves here. Anywho, we usually set up all of the beverages here when we have company and it works out great. (Yet another project to complete on our very long list.)

And lastly, one of my favorite recent purchases.....this beautiful painted wooden sign from Susie Harris that I purchased at the Market on Chapel Hill.  She does such beautiful work! 

I've really enjoyed decorating for fall this year. The new gray paint color made everything so much easier for me since I didn't have to contend with that garish green. I hope you've enjoyed my tour and I would love for you to come back tomorrow for the rest of the tour!

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