Seasons Blog

Update Your Furniture with an Easy DIY Project

If you are looking to update a plain piece of furniture, you will love O'verlays - lightweight, decorative fretwork panels that come in many patterns and sizes. They are paintable, and easily attach to furniture, mirrors, walls and glass. Some of the sizes are compatible with popular IKEA pieces and will add that instant upgrade. What a great DIY Project!

Samples of the fretwork designs:

 

Samples of Finished Projects:

Decorating Inspiration: Memorial Day Celebrations

 

 

 

 

 via pinterest

Easy & Fun Patriotic Food Decorating

Memorial Day Weekend, when we honor those who fought for our freedom, is also considered to be the un-official start of Summer. Family and friends across our nation will be firing up the grill and hosting lots of barbecues, get-togethers and beach parties. Here are a few fun, quick & easy ways to add a little "Red, White & Blue" to your weekend celebrations.

 

Use a cookie cutter to cut watermelon in the shape of stars.

 

A simple white cake topped with blueberries and raspberries

 

 

Melt some white chocolate chips, dip the tops of the sugar cones in the melted chocolate

and then roll them in red, white and blue sprinkles. The kids will love it!

 

Thank you to the bravest of men and women

 

 

 

Mother's Day 2012

Stylish Picks in Pink & Green

Spring is the perfect time to feature a very popular color combination - pink and green! Here are some of our favorite personalized products that we offer from Boatman Geller.

What Brightens Your Day?

Sometimes in the course of our busy lives, just 1 simple thing can uplift our spirits and brighten our day. Here are 5 things that work for me... what works for you?

 

The Beauty of Spring

In Love With Ombre

Ombre, a French term meaning shaded with colors graduating from light to dark, is a trend that was started a while back by celebrities coloring their hair darker at the roots and lighter at the ends. That trend has now evolved and expanded into fashion, food, home accessories, flowers, stationery and even nails! The next time you are baking a cake, arranging some flowers or getting a manicure give this a try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Our Ombre Pinterest Board for more inspiration

and links to the photos above.

So Many Ways to Tie a Scarf

It's great to see that scarves have become so fashionable again. They are being worn around the neck, the head, the waist or just tied onto a tote bag for an added dash of color.

Most of us know only a handful of the typical ways to tie them, and we tend to repeat the same look over and over. Recently, I came across a blog site called In The Loop that shares an amazing number of ways to tie scarves of all shapes and sizes. This is a great go-to site with video tutorials that are much easier to follow than written instructions.

 

So grab your scarves, find some new stylish looks and start tying!

 

Celebrate St. Patty's Day With The Best Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe

When I was a teenager, the yearly and very popular St. Patrick's Day Parade would be held on the boulevard where my family owned a bar/restaurant. I was recruited (forced) to help out in the kitchen, making 'complimentary' corned beef sandwiches for all the customers attending the parade and buying green beer. With our hair held back in ponytails and bandanas on our heads, my mom and I would be in the kitchen toiling over the boiling caldrons of corned beef for hours on end. When the day was over, I could not look at (or smell) another corned beef sandwich.

We would often laugh about the shenanigans that went on that day, and I eventually (years later) regained a craving for corned beef on St. Patty's Day. After pouring over cookbooks and tweeking various recipes, I believe this recipe is a winner! It's not your soggy old cabbage, and I think adding the beef broth and Guinness really do the trick.

 

Corned Beed & Cabbage Recipe
Total Time: 5 hours, serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 5 pounds corned beef
• 5 garlic cloves, pealed and lightly smashed
• 10 peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 ounces stout (recommended: Guinness)
• 1 cup beef broth or stock
• Water, for simmering
• 4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into quarters, core removed
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

Rinse the corned beef and put it into a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Make a bouquet garni with the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and add to the pot. Stir in the stout, stock and enough water to cover the corned beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 hours, covered, stirring occasionally.

After 4 hours, add the onion wedges and carrots, and cook for a 1/2 hour. Add the potatoes and the cabbage wedges and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, but not limp, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a plate and allow the corned beef and other vegetables to continue cooking until the meat is tender.

In a separate large saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and a pinch of salt and saute until tender and just beginning to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the cooked cabbage thinly, gently pressing with a paper towel to remove excess water. Add the cabbage to the onion mixture and toss to coat well with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage begins to brown.

Remove the meat to a cutting board, let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice. Arrange the sliced meat down the center of a serving platter and pour a little broth over the meat. Arrange all of the vegetables around the meat. Enjoy!

An Irish Blessing:

For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way,
Good health, good luck and happiness, today and every day.