Fete de la Bastille

Bonjour!
The past weekend Dan and I co-hosted a fundraiser auction dinner with our neighbor Robin benefitting our neighborhood association. Ten Francophile winning bidders were entitled to a feast.

Robin graciously offered her French revival architecture home and she and Dan prepared the menu. Of course, I was responsible for the tablescape.  They didn't have to ask me twice.

 Our dinner was originally set for July to coincide with Bastille Day which was our event theme.   However, due to extensive water damage in Robin's home, the dinner had to be postponed.  Unfortunately, two of our generous donors were unable to attend the rescheduled dinner so we were set for 8.

   As soon as I received the menu it was clear that a formal ambiance would be the only fitting setting for these l'eau a la bouche dishes. The " French Empire" era immediately came to mind.

 I went online to Zazzle to create personal menus for our guests.  I found a very beautiful shade of blue for the cards which also became an inspiration for a 3rd theme color with the already decided burgundy/red and gold.  I used a combination of the most baroque fonts available on the site which are Flemish Script,English Adagio/Presto/Vivace and Garamond Bold/Italic.  

I chose Haviland china for the first 2 entrees.  Host Robin's beautiful deep red silk drapes in her dining room was the inspiration for the colors burgundy-red and gold.  I immediately knew this set would compliment the table and room perfectly. 

Flowers were purchased from my favorite local wholesaler, Flora Fresh Inc.  Floral design is probably my most favorite part of creating tablescapes.  

I used Valhalla china by Noritake  for the 3rd and 4th entrees.

Mocked table setting

A couple days prior to the dinner I created a couple of mocked table settings that included the Noritake set which I shared with my Facebook friends/family to help me decide between the Noritake and Haviland.

Noritake Navy/Gold border china on deck in the butler's pantry

The Haviland received a few more votes but since the Noritake was such a close contender I decided to use both.  The Haviland for the first and main course.  The Noritake for the 3rd and 4th course.  Finally the glass gold rim plate for dessert.  It worked out perfectly.

First up on the  menu was the "moules en crème et Pernod" (Mussels with cream and pernod).

Next was the "Boeuf en croute" (beef wellington) with creamy green peppercorn sauce!

Beef tenderloin brushed with dijon mustard sauce wrapped in duxelle and prosciutto in a puff pastry served with steamed asparagus and fingerling potatoes,fresh herbs and garlic.

The  third entree was pan fried goat cheese salad with hazelnut vinaigrette.

The fromage cart was rolled out for the 4th entree with delicious cheeses from various regions of France with cranberry raisins,dried apricots, quince and sweet liqueur.

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Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed the photos.  I will be linking this post to Naps Between The Porch's Tablescape Thursdays so be sure and visit the website for other great table setting ideas. Until next time, au revoir.

Little American's "Big Boy" Room Makeover

Amazing how time flies....My little American turned 10 in August.  One of his birthday wishes was to convert his play room into his big boy room so he could move in.

Play room Christmas 2016

2 days after his pool party celebration, we began our DIY transformation.....

Initially we were going to hire someone to paint the room.  Surprisingly, our little guy wanted us to do it as a fun family project.

East wall Before

Well, after about 10 minutes of taping off the trim, guess who gave up leaving everything else to Papa and I?

East wall after

The wall color was completely his idea.   Both Papa and I were originally  unhappy with his choice.  However, once the color was up we were both sold.

We found the indoor/outdoor area rug  at Overstock.com

West wall Before

West wall after


The 3 cubby storage benches by Martha Stewart were purchased 9 years ago to furnish the play room.  The bench cushions and storage bins were unsalvageable after years of the Little American's numerous art projects.  Unfortunately, the unique size of the bench made it difficult to find a replacement.  So, instead we used chair cushions found at Ikea.  Red and Blue bins from Target.

Victorian Tile Pathways...Quintessential English!

Before the winter rain in late November, we started on a much needed curb appeal project repainting the exterior, adding decorative shutters and replacing old shrubs with boxwood evergreens and Italian cypress for a more traditional look.   The project also included a new straight pathway from the sidewalk to our front door.  We had it made of concrete with a brick border.  I am happy with the new path but it was not my first choice.  Since I had other home projects I wanted to complete too, I had to spread my funds across the board.

My first choice was a black and white checkered tile pathway like those common in England.  The  style is referred to as "Victorian tile flooring".


Check these walkways out:

The look was popularized during the 19th century neo-gothic revival which is also known as Victorian Gothic.  The style uses mosaic multi-colored  and patterned floors made of polished stone or marble.

Historically, the cost of materials and labor limited this type of flooring to palatial estates and public buildings like universities, government  centers or grand cathedrals.

In the late 19th century that all changed and the more affordable tile making methods developed at that time made the floor pattern tiling available to the growing upper middle classes of the era.

 Thanks in large part to Herbert Minton, son of successful and popular earthenware potter Thomas Minton, this change came about.

Check these walkways out:

 Herbert used his knowledge of earthenware to develop new industrialized production methods for creating decorative tiles known as encaustic or inlaid tiles.

 His new technique allowed mass production and brought this once exclusive look to the homes of many Enlanders.

Looking forward to continuing the curb appeal projects in the spring when the rain stops.  My next task/goal is to add dentil moulding trim above the windows like the images below.

Christmas 2016

Here is to Christmas 2016.  It was a year full of challenges, but it was wonderful decorating the home to end the year on a creative note.  Keeping fingers crossed for a prosperous 2017.  

Christmas day dinner with Daniel's aunties and uncles.

2016 All Hallows Eve

We had  another festive year with several hundred little goblins,ghouls,and super heroes at our door. 

2 days before Halloween, Daniel hosted his 2nd fright night sleepover.

This is a photo of last year's sleepover when the weather was perfect for the kids to enjoy watching their favorite movie outside.

This year we received some much needed rain so Daniel had to host movie night indoors. 

The sleepover was a great success with the kids sugared up and playing non-stop past midnight. 

Halloween Night

Here is our own Pikachu  trick or treating before doing what he now enjoys the most on Halloween....giving out the candy.

A clip of the window projector show by AtmosFX from Daniel's playroom window which was a big hit with the kids and adults.