Design & Decor Blog

Is it just me or is it hard to believe that Thanksgiving arrives this weekend? Well, ready or not, it’s coming and if you’re not quite ready, don’t fear. styleathome.com is your one-stop resource for fabulous Thanksgiving recipes and decor ideas. Here are a few I thought might help you pull of an easy but elegant Thanksgiving celebration:

1 Thanksgiving decor: Tips for planning the perfect holiday party
From decor and food to music and hostess gifts, entertaining expert Nik Manojlovich shares the secrets to a truly unforgettable Thanksgiving.

2 Recipe: Turkey with orange-herb basting sauce
This meal is sure to have your dinner guests asking for invitations for next year.

3 Recipe: Classic apple pie
Make your Thanksgiving feast a winner with this classic apple pie.

4 10 Thanksgiving decor accessories
Get your home ready for Thanksgiving with these 10 autumn home accessories.

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Flipping through the pages of Canadian Living’s Holiday Celebrations 2009, I realized I had started to drool. Just, you know, a little. Sure, it’s a little early to get into the holiday spirit but I admit, I like getting ideas early. And anyway, isn’t a Coconut Lime Pie Martini suitable anytime of year?

Canadian Living’s Holiday Celebrations 2009 hit newsstands on Monday (and is available for purchase online, too) and I thought you might want to take a sneak peek. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Cool features:
A Dessert Martini Bar with 8 not-to-miss sweet martini recipes
Tastefully elegant tiny hors d’oeuvres: Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Cool vegetarian section: A sensational pan-global assortment of meatless morsels
AND a tasteful cocktail party menu on a budget

Holiday Celebrations 2009
Price: $5.95

The recipes that caught my eye:

September is a deliciously in-between time of year. It’s kind of warm, it’s kind of cool. You could just as easily get away with wearing a summer dress with a cardigan or your favourite pair of jeans with a t-shirt. Depending on the day, you may find yourself entertaining guests indoors or enjoying one of the year’s final al fresco meals. You just never know in September. Each day is like a little surprise. As we welcome the month, full of optimism and resolutions (there’s something about the back-to-school season that really feels like a new year, even more so than January 1, don’t you think?), check out our list of 10 things to do in September. What are you going to tackle? Me, I’m going to cut that clutter!
Image courtesy of Gap Interiors.

I’ve already had lunch but suddenly, I’m ravenous again …

Recipe: Flourless chocolate cake

Recipe: Mint and zucchini pasta

Recipe: Spinach, ricotta and dill pies

All recipes excerpted from No Time to Cook by Donna Hay. Copyright 2009 by Donna Hay. Excerpted with permission by HarperCollins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

There’s something about Fridays that makes me want to shop. But of course, I’m so busy at work there’s no time for shopping (but for a few stolen moments on my lunch break, of course!) And then there’s the issue of funds. But sometimes, a dose of window-shopping can be just as much fun and just as satisfying – you get the high of browsing but the satisfaction of the fact that your money’s still safe in your bank account! Here’s what I peeked at during today’s window-shopping session, online at tiffany.ca:

1 Black shoulder coffee pot
$1,500

2 Tiffany Sierra votive
$70

3 Audobon cheese serving set
$410

4 Tiffany blue box, porcelain
$100

5 Tiffany summer mug set
$230, set of four

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It’s been a while since I blogged about one of my favourite things – pretty paper. Today’s selection is from Pistachio. They’ve got a small but beautiful collection of paper products (cards, wrapping paper and invitations) and gorgeous gifts and apothecary items. Best of all, the products are made with an effort to preserve the planet.

Their mission: “The story of Pistachio began with a simple idea – being generous, environmentally sensitive and engaged with life is good for us and good for the planet.

We embrace the idea that being environmentally caring doesn’t mean denying, abandoning or refusing the things we love, but rather designing, developing and using products in more informed, eco-friendly ways.”

Love these gorgeous cards and wrapping paper. Check out epistachio.com for more information.

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Every day, it’s inevitable. Around 3pm in the afternoon, I start to crave sugar. I just seem to need an extra jolt to push me through to the end of the day. And today, the perfect match for my sweet tooth would most certainly be these lemon cupcakes.

Excerpted from Cupcake Kit: Recipes, Liners, and Decorating Tools for Making the Best Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans, this recipe is easy and makes a delightfully delicious sweet treat.

“Lemons are always in season and these lemon cupcakes are ready to party, to picnic, to lunch, or to take part in any happy occasion.

The yellow part of the lemon peel has a strong lemon flavor and is used to flavor the cupcake batter and frosting. Be sure to wash and dry lemons before grating the peel, and to grate only the colored part of the rind (the white pith under the rind is bitter). The cake flour used here adds an especially tender texture to these cupcakes. It can be found in the baking section of supermarkets.”

Get the entire lemon cupcake recipe! Plus, check out our food section for more easy recipes.

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I’m sitting at my desk daydreaming about summer (ssh! don’t tell anyone; I’m supposed to be working) and I’m thinking about those long, lazy weekend days and evenings spent out on the backyard deck during summer. What could be better? The warmth of that summer sun; conversation with friends and family; good food; and of course, a refreshing drink in hand. This tableware from Canadian Tire certainly puts me in the mood for some good summer livin’! I love the geometric shape of these high-quality melamine dishes and acrylic glasses and the pretty pattern is cheery and sophisticated. Good to know: All these pieces are top-rack dishwasher safe. You know what that means! Clean up is going to be a breeze!

Prices:
Pitcher: $16.99
Highball: $3.99/glass
Blossom double old-fashioned glass: $3.99
Wine glass: $4.49
Tray: $14.99
Square side plate: $3.99
Square side bowl: $3.99
Square dinner plate: $4.99

Visit Canadian Tire for more information.

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One of the great things about Facebook, besides reconnecting with long lost friends (and maybe a few you’d rather have remained estranged from), is being able to check out your friends’ latest and greatest pictures. Thanks to Facebook, I’m able to stay in touch with friends in a way that we just didn’t seem to have time for before the rise of social networking. I can get instant updates on their travel plans, see every angle of their newborn’s smile and check out what they were up to on the weekend. It’s great fun and while nothing replaces the necessity of face-to-face contact over drinks, it’s a pretty decent alternative when you’re busy. Anyhow … all of this is by way of explanation for how I stumbled upon this fab new find! Whilst snooping, I mean … casually perusing a friend’s photos of a baby shower she’d recently attended, I spied the loveliest, cupcake-shaped cake adorning the buffet table. Love at first sight! Where, oh where did she get the pan to make this, I wondered? But I wondered only momentarily because, in perfect Facebook fashion, everything I needed to know was right there in the comments section with a list of retailers for curious gals like myself. So I hunted it down at Williams-Sonoma and now I’m sharing it with you. Drum roll, please! I give you … The Great Cupcake Pan!

Available at: Williams-Sonoma
Price: $36

Fresh, contemporary and fun, these colourful ceramic bowls are the perfect thing to put you in the holiday spirit. The multi-sized bowls will dress up any table with a burst of Christmas colour and are not only practical but left out on the table, make a lovely decoration for the season. The bowls are dishwasher safe and stack neatly when it’s time to put them away until next year.
Available at: patinastores.com
Price: 19.95 for the set