My Paris Apartment, Reveal

So, maybe it's not quite a Paris apartment but I desperately wanted a change in our chateau and painting the dining room seemed like the obvious solution....that's a stretch but it's all I've got!

From Sherwin Williams Backdrop to Sherwin Williams Alabaster here is final product.

I love, love the change! Even though Alabaster is a cool shade I really like it as a palette for all of my warm colors.

If you missed my last blog about the dining room you can find it here!

(On a side note, some other whites I considered were Swiss Coffee, Steamed Milk, and White Dove.)

'Til next time!

Hostess Gifts

What to bring??  

It's such a dilemma, especially in the military community, when there is such a wide variety of events to attend. 
Hostess gifts need not be elaborate and should not be costly, they need only to be thoughtful. And they aren't always necessary, but, an RSVP and a prompt thank you note are.
 As a senior spouse, this is my take on hostess gifts.

If you are having brunch or lunch in someone's home I think a hostess gift is always a kind gesture. 

Some great examples of mid-day hostess gifts are:

Candles...who doesn't love them? And you will probably use them before you have to pack up and move them! Candles are my go to gift to give and one of my favorites to get.

Small bouquet of flowers or

  fresh herbs, you could even attach a simple recipe.

Thick, fragrant bars of beautiful soap. 

Note cards with a monogram or simple design…with some forethought (which is rare for me!) I have taken a photo of a friend's house and had them made into note cards.

My favorite book to give is "A Short Guide to a Happy Life" by  Anna Quindlen, it's such a sweet read. 

I always appreciate homemade gifts or unique gifts that are from the giver's hometown. When I'm in Charleston I try to pick up something regional like jams or coffee that have my hometown written on the label.

Wrapping isn't always a must but at least a bow is nice.

Include a card so the hostess knows who it's from if she can't get to it right away.

At mid-day I don't bring alcohol but if you're good friends with the hostess I think it's ok. 

For evening events…a nice bottle of wine, champagne, or liqueur is appropriate (unless the host and hostess don't drink!) I try to bring something that will appeal to the couple.

 We once received a little basket of mini muffins and coffee for breakfast the next morning…it was a great gift! 

Yum, cookies in a jar...a hit for the host and hostess!

I love cheese buttons, I often give them as evening hostess gifts with my favorite cheese, Manchego. Find your favorite little novelty item and use that as gifts. 

I always keep a list of what I've given to whom.

It's always a good idea to keep a "stash" for that impromptu invitation.

Be mindful, if the invitation says 'No Hostess Gifts', please respect the request as not to embarrass the hostess or other guests.

There are events (hosted by a general officer or SES) when hostess gifts are not necessary. You can always check with your local protocol office when attending an event at their quarters if you're unsure.

Again, always be sure to write a thank you note anytime an event is at someone's home or they have paid for your meal at another venue.  

'Til next time!

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Some other great suggestions:

Dish towels with a unit crest, monogram, or local scene

Any great cooking or dipping oils

Dark chocolates

Local honey with a honey dipper

Personalized cocktail napkins with spreading knife

French Sea Salt 

This Quarters One Dining Room

You know the old saying…military quarters are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get…or something like that!  Oh boy, that has certainly been the case with us. If you followed Q1 at Ft. Riley, you may know that our quarters were so large it had a dining room with a table that sat 24! It was very unusual and we were blessed. 

See more photos here!
Our current space was built in 1899 and comes with all the quirks that are so endearing about "updated" historic quarters, hmmm... let's just say I'm warming up to these cozy accommodations. Here are a few before shots of our town house style dining room.

This odd configuration was a fireplace once. I'm not wild about the built-in shelving.

I don't even know what to say about the world's most unattractive heating and air boxes that are positioned in the worst possible places in this house.

The chandelier is beautiful but it's too small for the room and hung too high. I am planning to rehang it in the guest bedroom.

These two windows are the only source of natural light. 
I might have made a mistake in painting the walls Backdrop by Sherwin Williams.  I adore the color with all of my gold and red, but, it's very dark on a dreary day…which we seem to have a lot of here, lately.
So, here's what we've done so far..

 I'm not sure how many more moves this old china cabinet can take, we purchased it when we were stationed in Italy, and it has held up pretty well considering its travels! Love my Italian gold fabric, it has hung in many different spaces.

Our own dining room table that sits 8-10 on a good day.

 A painting of Delft and my new sconces I picked up at La Bella Luce. I added the crystals for some bling, what else would anyone who knows me expect?!

 I love Rembrandt's last self portrait, 1669. This reproduction is quite a bit larger and several years younger!

 Because the room is generally dark, I kept everything silver and white on the shelves.

When I use something here I just rearrange to fill the empty space!

This is a dark Instagram photo but I wanted to show the curtains, I chose to hang them this way to open the small room.  Four panels would have just made the room too closed in.

Backdrop is a warm neutral grey brown that goes beautifully with rich colors like gold and red.

 When I unpacked my dining room chandelier I discovered it was in need of some repair so I'm waiting to get that done and then have all of my chandeliers hung at once.

Thankful for Trader Joes, the best place for well priced flowers!

The loveliest jewel of all in these quarters, our daughter!

I am not a professional designer but I do love to pretend to be one! I am happy to share ideas and give a glimpse of the inside of quarters not everyone gets to see. 
 And lest I sound ungrateful…far from it! We're in a beautiful spot and I actually am happy to have downsized. 
'Til next time!
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Christmas at Quarters One

Basically, the only decorations that went up this year at our house were the ones that the movers didn't take up to the storage room, or at least didn't bury too far into it. The best thing about this Christmas, though, is that all of my children and my husband are home for the first time in 5 years….and to me they are the best decorations of all.

We have a tradition of putting only lights on the tree when Bill or one of the boys is deployed at Christmas so it's been a while since we've seen this guy!

The staircase is longer than this but this is as far as I managed and I think it still looks simple but festive.

 

Stockings are finally hung!

I have a large cloche in an antique silver bowl I filled with silver ornaments from Germany and a nesting bird from The Gatherings.

 This wooden horn came from Germany purchased at a Cristkindlmarkt, I just love those festive markets.

My dream car!

We even managed a dinner party in our tiny, I mean cozy, new dining room…

One of my favorite desserts…a Panettone Trifle, so simple! 
Sweeten to taste 1 container of marscapone with sugar or stevia, layer pieces of panettone, drizzled with coffee liqueur, and marscapone in a champagne flute. Serve room temperature. This can, and should, be made several hours ahead of serving.  

Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Eve Eve!!