Chocolate Orange Squares from Southern Lady

I love Southern Lady magazine and always find great recipes in every issue.

Today I tried a new recipe from Southern Lady's November/December issue - Chocolate Orange Squares. They are kind of like a brownie with a cheesecake filling and an orange chess pie topping. So moist, they melt in your mouth. The only change I would make is to add a bit more orange zest to the topping and perhaps a drop of orange flavoring to enhance the orange flavor ( only because I love a chocolate and orange combination). The top is crispy and flaky , similar to the top of a chess pie. Perhaps a candied orange peel would be pretty on the top of each one- I'll remember to do that the next time! They look so pretty under the glass patisserie stand, a new item that we sell at Romancing the Home.

Thanksgiving Table by the Fabulous Linda Lee

My friend Linda DG has the most unbelievable talent for finding fabulous things. Her Thanksgiving table was set with the most beautiful vintage china that I have ever seen. Using a contemporary glass and acrylic dining table, she layered and layered and layered an incredible feast for the eyes. Petite velvet pumpkins were set on small gold maple leaves. Layered on antique napkins. venetian glass, gilded china, and accompanied by silver twig shaped flatware, it created this tasty mixture of organic with lux.

On the Swedish sideboard, coffee service was set out with an old crusty garden urn, white pumpkins, candelabra and the beautiful vintage silver pieces. I love the mixture of the worn finishes with the sparkle contrast of the silver and china as it creates an elegant contrast of timeless elements.

Down the center of the dining table, pumpkins were placed on moss covered wreaths. Votives and other natural elements were added to fill in the spaces between the wreaths.

Well done my dear Linda!

This is one of my favorite tables. We will be sharing it on Tablescape Thursday at http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/.

Christmas Decor for the Living Room

The mantel with the glorious beaded magnolias from the store - notice the tassels on the ends.
Love this vintage santa riding the wooden horse with its rhinestone saddle - an old dress cuff!

gold, white and platinum collection of ornaments on the Christmas tree.

Angel with the wonderful platinum Christmas tree from the store.

A collection of special ornaments, garland and candles gathered on a silver tray.


Vintage pins and millinary flowers arranged on a Christmas gift box.


More decorated gift boxes serving double duty as risers for the Santa with vintage shoe.

Here are a few pictures of the living room from last weeks Christmas Open House. I just got the antique gilded sofa reupholstered in the new Barbara Barry velvet- a sage, taupey color- very muted and it looks great with the aubusson carpet. A neutral color palatte was used for the Christmas decor in the room, complete with lots of glitter, rhinestones, and velvets. All of the floral pieces used in the mantel are available at Romancing the Home.

Mantels Decorated for the Holidays

Using icy branches, raspberries, and greenery from the store, Candy created this whimsical mantel on the stone fireplace in my family room. The gold and natural colored owl was the perfect element for the focal point in the display. I love the organic elements of the natural foliage balanced against the stone.

Christmas Holiday Kick-Off

Today is the kick off of our 2011 Holiday season. We begin with a private home tour for our customers and share our holiday decorating secrets. Finally we finish the day in the store, showcasing our newest merchandise and sharing tastings from our entertaining book. Here's just a peek of what the day will unveil! It's our grandest Christmas ever and we are looking forward to a very Merry Season!

Patisserie Stand Gets Decked out for the Season

The Christmas season is upon us- especially those of us who are retailers. This next Thursday, Nov. 10th , is our annual Christmas Season kick off, complete with a tour of my home totally decked out for the season. Yes, my neighbors think I am crazy as I decorate the front porch and door with greens and berries- no Thanksgiving pumpkins for this house! In the coming weeks, I will be sharing with you tidbits of our 2011 Christmas decor. This time is our decorated patisserie stand on the kitchen island. This is a great new piece that we sell at the store that is a replica of a pastry stand from a French bakery. We have used tartan, pastry ornaments and vintage pressed glass to create the feeling of a French Bistro in your home. The French bistro napkins are from http://www.eabdesigns.typepad.com/. Vintage candy jars are filled with seasonal candy, and we have used a toast rack to house white chocolate bars embedded with dried strawberries. Tartan plates are available at Romancing the Home.

Cookeville Collectors Club

My friend, Marlene, invited Jill and I down to Tennessee to give a presentation of our new book- "Romancing the Home Entertains" to her Collectors Club. We decided to set up tablescapes using antique china mixed with new elements. The homeowner, Sue, had the most beautiful collection of antique china, so it was fun to mix her treasures with new things from our store, such as the over sized croco gold chargers. She had so many beautiful salad plates, that we decided to mix and match them on the table. Using rhinestone brooches as napkin rings on our animal print napkins, we added a touch of whimsy to the elegant cobalt blue table. The local Kroger had just received the vivid blue orchids, so we could not resist them for our centerpiece. Simply placing three in an over sized vintage compote, we filled the outside with fresh greens. Vintage cobalt and gold water tumblers were mixed with Sue's crystal. The cobalt blue taffeta tablecloth was layered over Sue's gold damask cloth. Sue's beautiful home overlooking Centerville Lake was the perfect setting for this elegant table.

Please joinwww.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for other inspiring tablescapes.