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A patched together lifestyle of thrift and charm...
Showing posts with label hospitality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospitality. Show all posts

May 10, 2017

Make Food Pretty Instantly...

It's a simple thing really - and takes almost no effort....


This bowl of oranges looked 'okay' - but rather plain on their own...
  till I tucked in some fresh sprigs of mint tea.
Now all that juiciness just begs to be enjoyed.

It also helps that the bowl itself is pretty - but really...
Two sprigs - and now the oranges are a feast for the eye.

Other sprigs to try depending on what you're serving... 
Parsley, fresh herbs and edible flowers like pansies.
And tea?  Anyone can grow it!  Even in a container.


Here's to simple and pretty hospitality!  ~Joyce



Apr 6, 2017

Serving Others for Thrifty Thursday...

Lately - I have been feeling like way too much of my life is 
centered around 'me' with not nearly enough 'ministry' happening.  
What is ministry?  'Serving others in the name of Jesus' (my definition).  
Most folks do this through their church.  But I've been asking the Lord 
how I can serve Him more in my everyday life; from right here at home.  
centerpiece/ feedsack fabric runner/ Quilted Nest
 Turns out if you ask God such a question - you can expect an answer!  

My week began with an early little family Easter dinner.  
 We had ham - with plenty of leftovers.  Sometimes I send some
 home with my daughter.  But this time I had other plans.   
I became aware of a neighbor & friend whose child is in the hospital.  
I offered a casserole.  An egg dish is kid & budget friendly.  

I had some white chocolate chips on hand from a 'sale' find - so
 used them to make brownies.  Some for my neighbor and some for
 a lady at church who is not on her feet right now.  More ham went
 into a double batch of ham & bean soup for the lady at church.  
(My alterations: I cut chicken broth in half and didn't use a turnip or cumin)

My dear sister is on activity restrictions right now from a recent surgery. 
 I only had about an hour 1 day - but she lives fairly close.  
A quick store run met a 'grocery list' need for her and of course 
we had a sweet visit when I delivered it.


And now I wonder what next week will hold?
Ministry opps are all around us... but we need to invest some time -
 and yes, some money.
But God is good!  If we're willing to serve - He provides.  
I couldn't believe the way the ideas came to me when I needed them.

I'd love to hear how you 'minister' out of your home.  ~Joyce





Feb 24, 2017

Friday Finds & Buffet Dessert Idea...

It's time to share my Friday Finds with you.  Always a treat for me. 
 This was my haul from yesterday... some for me and some for you. 

The shabby candle holders were too good a deal to pass up.  
($2.50 for both!)  So home they came.  I'll enjoy them in various places...

 For now they are joining my dining table centerscape...

The 80's handpainted towel rack with the lovely roses 
and cameo Victorian gal is available here...

And need a ladies meeting snack idea?  I was at a girl's function
 last evening and they served 'Make Your Own Trifle'...

It started with your choice of pudding in the bottom of a cup...

...to which you added your choice of fruits 
(they had anything you could think of!)...

 ...and chunks of cookies and cake.  Oh my!
And they didn't forget the succulents that are so 'in' right now.

Happy Friday Friends!  ~Joyce




Apr 24, 2016

Placemats or Tablecloth...

In setting my table today for a small gathering of 4... 
I was contemplating using placemats in lieu of a tablecloth.

But it looked too crowded and busy for such a small table.  
Then it hit me - 
  
...one placemat in the center would be perfect! 

And it complemented a jar of irises and lilacs nicely.

The lilacs are not quite in full bloom - 
so they should get prettier as the week goes on.

And those would be 'ants on a log' hiding underneath - 
also known as celery with peanut butter and raisins.
This was my first fresh flower cutting of the season.  

 Soon we'll enjoy some picnic table dining and placemats will work there.  
Welcome warm weather!  ~Joyce 
Linking to Monday Funday





Mar 11, 2016

Pretty Brunch Serving Ideas....


This week I attended a ladies' brunch of long time friends.  
Our common thread is that we all worked & sold at the same antique mall.    
I was struck by all the pretty serving pieces.  Like this fruit dish - 
on a paper doily - on a silver tray with silver serving utensils...


 And the 3-tier plate stand filled with yummy baked goodies...

 Even the water pitcher - while humbly filled - was a beauty in silver!
(Don't you love our 'complimentary' reflections?)

Appropriate for the ocassion - we ate off of lovely vintage dinner plates 
on a vintage pink damask tablecloth with matching pink damask napkins...
Pink is - afterall - the hostess's favorite color!

And the tomato cheese quiche?  Amazing! 


I'm thinking I need to invest in more silver.   It makes such a pretty table.  
To read more about this gal brunch - check out my friend's blog post.  
She was the hostess!

I'm also thinking it's been a while since I hosted something.
Gonna have to fix that...  ~Joyce



Aug 22, 2015

Throwing a Party With A Busy Schedule...

I decided to throw a Girl's Day Out Party
at our nearby summer cottage.   
As usual - I had precious little time to plan and create. 
So I resorted to my 'panic' method. 
 
First - I pray for ideas and a bit of creativity. 
Second - decide on a simple menu and ask others to bring something. 
Third - plan a simple décor. 
Fourth - think of an activity or 2. 
Fifth - be OK with what doesn't get done!
 
For this party's decor- I was thinking 'feminine'
 and 'What do I already have on hand?'   
I chose lace tablecloths, flowers from my garden and aqua mason jars. 
I also wanted something to serve as a canopy to say 'party'. 
 
I ripped an old white tablecloth into strips and tied them together
to create a long ribbon and then tied on shorter pieces 
here and there for a cascading effect.  
I may have spent about an hour on this project the night before. 
 

As I was hanging the bunting the next morning -
my neighbor  thought it looked like toilet paper.  (smile) 
 
I arranged bouquets onsite from a bucket of flowers from my garden at home - also snipped the night before. 
I figured whatever I didn't get done in décor before everyone got there -
we'd work at together once they did. 
(A great way to take pressure off!)
 
 
 
Bouquets were scattered on various lace-covered tables...
 
 
...and I called the 'decor' done! 
 (Amazingly - I got done before any guests arrived!)
 

So what was my simple menu?  
Chicken Salad (with grapes) on Croissants
Strawberry and Walnut Lettuce Salad with Celery Seed Dressing
Fresh Fruit Platter
Candy
 
I asked everyone else to bring (if their schedule allowed)
either a snack, appetizer or dessert.

Activity?   After lunch some went hiking and some went thrift shopping. 
We connected again at the cottage for a bit of chatting before we departed.
 
Worked out great!  Thank you Lord for an awesome day with friends!

Linking to the Let's Talk Vintage party

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