Thanksgiving Table Setting

Thanksgiving is this week... I can't believe it!

So, I am running around getting things accomplished in time for my out of town guests... my parents.

I LOVE hosting them... and I LOVE to cook a big meal.

I also LOVE to plan for a big meal.

How about you?

Part of my planning preparations always include a dry-run with the table setting.

This year, I decided to keep it simple and use elements I already had on hand.

This is the PERFECT time to use my Grandma's china. 

These pieces are so very special to me.

I am blessed to have my Grandma still around, but she gifted these to me over a decade ago. They are vintage [from the 50's or 60's] and I have a service for about 20+ people! Simply amazing! The silver trim on them are so elegant, but yet, the simple wheat sprays provide a casual feel about the pieces. I paired the china with silver glass chargers and my gold silverware.

I wanted the table to have a glamorous style with a rustic twist. So, I added natural elements in the set-up. My authentic deer antlers were just the perfect size and compliment to the centerpiece. I was also able to use my agate coasters in a different way... I turned them into napkin holders! I had some vintage lucite napkin rings on hand and then I just glued the coasters onto them. Easy-peasy!

I echoed the mix of silver and gold in the centerpiece with some simple vases and candlestick holders. I added an additional element of nature with the floral assortments. I wanted to keep them simple and "natural" feeling by just grouping these selections in their appointed vases. I love how they add a pop of color without overshining the china.

Hope you have a wonderful week and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

ARTWORK by JOJO: Need a Pop of Red?

I'm working on some new artwork just in time for the holidays.

How exciting!

Especially, if you are looking for that pop of RED to add to your decor.

I'll be changing up my space at Lost...antiques next week and adding some glamorous new vintage and acrylic furniture pieces! I'll also be including some new artwork.... with pops of RED. 

Here is a sneak peak:

Acrylic on 36" x 48" Canvas | Crimson and Clover

It's beginning to look a lot like....

I'll spare ya. If you are like me, you will be singing that song for the rest of the day!

Happy Friday, friends!

PARTIES: Joyeux Anniversarie

We had a BIG celebration in our home this weekend.

Kiddo turned the BIG 1-0!

That's right! He has now entered the "Double Digit Club"!

Kiddo and I have had a partnership since he was 3 years old when it comes to his birthday party themes. We sit down and have a meeting of minds to think over the last year of his life of all that has occurred and all that he has enjoyed. It's a fun time, in which we laugh, giggle, and/or [sometimes] cry. It's a special time in our mother/son relationship... and then.... comes the decision: "What will be this year's theme?".

Here are his past themes:

Age 1 - Cute as a Bug

Age 2 - Space Cadet 

Age 3 - Georgraphy Theme [Kiddo loved Africa and geography trivia]

Age 4 - Babalu [I Love Lucy Themed - kiddo playing Little Ricky]

Age 5 - Lego

Age 6 - Lego Star Wars

Age 7 - Indiana Jones

Age 8 - Bat Man

Age 9 - Flashback to the 80's

And this year's theme at age 10: Joyeux Anniversarie - A French Themed Party!

Here are the pics and some insight to how we pulled this together.

THE DECORATIONS
Search for "French Theme" or "Parisian Themed" parties on Pinterest and see what you find. Mostly all PINK and girly-oh-la-la presentations. That would not do. Oh no! So, we talked about it and he wanted me to bring in some sophistication. After all, we picked this theme because kiddo has been teaching himself French since this summer. He wanted to be able to speak as much as he could at the party... and he wanted to see French things all around.

I went for a simple casual-elegance approach to the decor.
Muted colors with just a pop of red here and there.

Burlap was a must... and so was his Lego Eiffel Tower set.

I liked the idea of banners... lots of them, but muted.... simple.

Burlap banners hung from the windows, tables, and some furniture. I made these from burlap scrapbook paper and simple black grossgrain ribbon. I purchased the black and white small banners from Edith at her Etsy shop edeenut. They were a perfect addition to the cake stands. I ordered 2 spools and had enough to do several stands and other serving items. The "Bonne Fete" banner was another awesome Etsy purchase from Amy at TheBeesKneesShoppe. She even changed the color of the letters where needed.

I liked the idea of using chalkboard-like stands to label the food [in French.... of course]. They were easy to assemble and I used a liquid pen that looks like chalk. Amazon Prime pulled through on all of these little details, as well as, the little French flags.

THE FOOD
Uh.... can you tell?! SIMPLY PHENOMENAL!

ALL of the food.... I mean ALL of it.... came from Mercat Bistro in Dallas.
This is my kiddo's favorite restaurant. And I mean.... FAVORITE.
The ambiance is fantastic and the food is wonderful. He asked me if it would be too weird to have their cheesecake as his birthday cake. I thought it was a wonderful idea! It snowballed from there.

We had one of our many special lunches at Mercat Bistro when I asked the manager, Mr. David, if it would be possible to order a couple of cakes for his party and maybe a few other items. He sat down with us... and before you knew it, we had a superb party menu planned!

They packaged all the food up so nicely and all I had to do was place the little French flags in the sandwiches and set the items on my white serving dishes.

It not only looked lovely.... the guests devoured everything in site!
A MAJOR hit!

Our menu from Mercat Bistro included the following:
Charcuterie Plate with Crustinis
Plateau de Fromages [Cheese Plate]
Amandes [Almonds]
Olives [Olives]
Sandwich au Poulet [Chicken Sandwich]
Parisira en Sandwich [Ham Sandwich]
Gateau au Fromage [Cheesecake]
Macarons
Eclairs
Profiteroles

THE FUN
When each guest arrived, we handed out berets for them to wear.
Our guests were such great sports, a couple even arrived wearing French Soccer Jerseys and had their faces painted with the French Flag! LOVE IT!

Of course the guest of honored and his parents dressed the part, too.
We had scarves, striped shirts, sweaters or jackets and our berets. Kiddo had a special CDG Airport shirt from smashtransit on Etsy.

A French Party would not be a party if we did not have French music playing.
We enjoyed listening to a complete array of Carla Bruni selections.

We had a little candy bar set up for that extra sweet-tooth craving.
It was a fun way to incorporate a little bit of color.

We also had a French Trivia game my wonderful hubby put together.
And... our traditional scavenger hunt!
This time..... it was in French! We had to find 10 of each hunted item. Thankfully, there were French speakers on both teams. So, it was a fare game. But, I think the boys still cheated.

The boys won. We are now tied 2-2.

The party officially ended in 2 two hours. But, we planned on people staying quite longer. And about 8 hours later.... our final guests departed. We have a good time!

Special Party Favors from Mercat Bistro - French Flag Macarons

And that, my friends, is how we pulled off a French Themed Party for a now 10 year old boy!

AU VOIR!

Shared at Thrifty Decor Chick.

WORDS: Grace

Just passing on a little bit of wisdom that was sent my way... this means a lot to me.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

ARTWORK by JOJO: This one is for me!

I loved working on my latest commissioned piece [found here] SO much....
I decided to paint a similar look for my foyer.

I went with a larger scale:

Acrylic on 48" x 60" Canvas | Maverick

We LOVE this addition to our space!

It's SO big... SO bold... SO FABULOUS!!!

I can't wait to get it framed in a nice gold floating frame. It will be the perfect touch to this piece.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

And... if you are getting the cold front.... STAY TOASTY!

ARTWORK by JoJo: Commissioned Piece

Completed this commissioned piece for a beautiful couple this week!

It was based off a similar piece I had already sold which the clients really loved.

BUT, no need to fear! 

We worked together and decided to do the same style, colors, and size for their commissioned piece.

And here is the completed artwork.

Acrylic on 36" x 36" Canvas | Commissioned Untitled Piece

And I am thrilled to say, it will now make a glamorous statement in the wonderful couple's home!

BAM!

Have you seen a piece of artwork which has sold, or you like... but, maybe want it in a different colorway? 

We can always work together to see what we can accomplish!

Go HERE to see more Artwork by JoJo.

LIVING LIFE: Our Costumes

We had SO much fun this Halloween!

Like always.... It was a BLAST getting our outifts together.
Here and here is a reminder of what we did last year.

Can you guess who we were this year?

It was SO much fun! It all started with my jacket. I found it at a flea market in January.
It sure did get that creative ball a rollin'!

"Life moves pretty fast. 

If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, 

you could miss it!" 

-Ferris Bueller

We really enjoyed playing the roles of Ferris Bueller, Sloane Peterson, and Cameron Frye.

We love the Dallas Contemporary and we knew we wanted to take some shots of the infamous Museum Scenes at this fabulous museum. We are SO thankful for their wonderful team there.... one of which became our photographer for the shoot. Thanks SO much! And Piotr Uklanski's work is such a GORGEOUS backdrop for these shots. Just phenomenal!

What were you for Halloween?

Does your family ever coordinate?