Summer Cheesescape

July 20, 2015 Callie Cagney

This past Friday I hosted a small cocktail party in honor of my mom's visit to DC. I had a small group of friend's come over for an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and of course a cheesescape! Prepping for this party was a new challenge for a few reasons. First and foremost- this was the first time my mom would be attending one of my soirees so I wanted to make sure that it was thoughtful, delicious, aesthetically pleasing and of course, fun!

The second aspect that I had to consider (and most challenging) was the size and shape of my new coffee table. Even though my new coffee table still yielded ample surface area, the width is about 4 inches shorter than my old coffee table and my new table has a rounded shape as opposed to my traditional rectangular table. While the table logistics sound trivial, the new size/shape affected the types of linens, flowers and serving pieces that I could use when scaping this spread. Below is a breakdown of both my menu and entertaining accessories used to compile this recent table setting.

The Menu

Cheesescape
Assortment of Olives from Whole Foods Olive Bar
Lemon Hummus Garnished with Fresh Lemon Zest and Thyme
Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip
Olli Salumeria Chorizo Salami
34 Degrees Crisps - Natural and Rosemary
Simple & Crisp- Pear
Fine English Charcoal Squares
Not Pictured - Lemon Honey Ricotta Bites

Entertaining Accessories

Cheeseboard- Nambe Cheese Block with Knife and Spreader
Votives- CB2 Archer Candle Holder
White Dip Bowls- Williams Sonoma Open Kitchen Snack Bowl, Set of 4
Cocktail Napkins- Caspari Zebra Cocktail Napkins, Orange
Cocktail Plates- CB2 Small Cuatro Platter
Cocktail Picks- Julia Knight Classic Cocktail Pick Set
Cheesescape Cracker Stand- Target West Emory Multi-Tiered Stand
Crudités and Pita Chip Bowls- Tiffany & Co. Windham Bowl
Olive and Chorizo Bowls- Crate and Barrel 6" Snack Bowls

This party ended up being a huge success. My mom had a wonderful time catching up with everyone and I was ecstatic that there were very few leftovers to clean up at the end of the night. Small bowls, a tiered cracker stand, bud vases and votives all aided in creating a table that accommodated my entire menu along with all decorations. More importantly, these specific entertaining accessories also provided enough breathing room to avoid the look of a table traffic jam. While it was most important to show my mom a great time on Friday night, I love that I was able to takeaway a new found awareness for both the space and serving potential on my new coffee table.

Simple Summer Tablescape

July 6, 2015 Callie Cagney

Over the weekend, while shopping at the grocery store I noticed a display of pre-made summer flower bouquets. Typically I don't like to purchase pre-made bouquets, because they often look busy, include too many filler flowers and are more expensive than single variety bouquets. However this summer bouquet seemed charming, so I decided to buy it for my table centerpiece this week…big mistake.

When I got the bouquet home, I un-wrapped the packaging, trimmed the ends and placed the bouquet in a vase…it looked like a dog's breakfast! I felt totally duped! These flowers looked absolutely charming when packaged up at the store, but that charm immediately vanished as soon as I transferred the flowers to a vase. In an effort to try and salvage the bouquet, I disassembled the entire bouquet, trimmed and re-arranged the flowers. The result was an improved centerpiece that inspired me to create a tablescape using a color palette based off of my flower bouquet. Thankfully, the tablescape ended up enhancing the aesthetic of the centerpiece and I was relieved to know that flowers weren't a total disaster.

For this tablescape:

Tablecloth: Ballard Designs Essential Tablecloth
Placemats: Chilewich Gold Dahlia Placemats
Chargers: World Market Rattan Chargers, Set of 4
Water Goblet: Villeroy & Boch Boston Goblet, Green
Votives: CB2 Gami Rose Gold Candle Holders
Napkins: Chilewich Solid Linen Napkin, Freesia Pink
Salt and Pepper Cellars: Sur La Table Blanc Lions Head Bowls
Wine Glasses: World Market Event All Purpose Wine Glasses, Set of 4
Wine Coaster: William Yeoward Georgia Bottle Stand
Wine: La Crema Pinot Noir

The mix of pinks, greens, golds and rattan created a beautiful setting for this casual summer dinner. While the tablescape seemed to salvage the dog's breakfast floral centerpiece, I have certainly learned my lesson. I will heed my own advice (*see this post on Tips for Flower Care and Arranging) and refrain from buying pre-made floral bouquets in the future. So while I may have initially purchased a less than ideal bouquet of flowers, a little rearranging and a beautiful tablescape have transformed this former lemon into pretty palatable lemonade.

4th of July Tablescape

June 29, 2015 Callie Cagney

This year I am hosting friends at our home for the 4th of July. In the past, my husband and I have spent this holiday in a variety of locations (Beach, Mountains, Bay, DC) with both formal and informal settings. While I love the idea of grilling on the 4th of July and creating a chic picnic scene, from my experience picnicking in July tends to be most enjoyable when the weather is below 80 degrees and the humidity is at a reasonable level. Maybe this is just a personal preference, but it is really hard for me to work up an appetite and have an enjoyable dining experience when it's sweltering hot outside (like say, in DC in the dead of summer). In preparation for Saturday's festivities I want to be mindful of tradition yet still provide my guests with a level of comfort, so I plan on grilling outside and serving dinner inside.

When creating this tablescape, I wanted to incorporate a level of sophistication since we will be eating inside, but also incorporate a few festive whimsical touches. I opted for a solids as opposed to patterns so that I could, a) use materials that I already owned and b) keep the table with a classic Ralph Lauren vibe (since he is the epitome of sophisticated American decor). Here is a breakdown of what I used to create this tablescape:

Table Cloth: Ballard Designs
Placemats: Williams-Sonoma (or Similar here and here)
Rattan Chargers: World Market
Dinner Plates: Pillivuyt Basketweave
Napkins: Pottery Barn Hemstitch Linen, Cranberry (love these napkins too!)
Steak Knives: Laguiole
Party Hats: USA Party Hats, Set of 4 (*Recommend Wearing at a Jaunty Angle)
High Ball Glasses: Reed & Barton
Champagne Coupes: West Elm (or similar here)
Wine Goblets: William Yeoward
Coasters: Chilewich
Centerpiece: Tiffany & Co.
Flowers: Locally Grown Red Tulips and Red African Roses (2 Bouquets of each)

Prior to creating this tablescape, I spent a significant amount of time on Pinterest (see my 4th of July Pinterest Board here) trying to figure out how I wanted to go about creating this table setting. In the end, I realized that I could use a bunch of staple items I already had on hand to create this scape. The party hats, red flowers and napkins were the only new additions. **Note- Red Napkins are a great staple to have on hand for entertaining (4th of July, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc…), but it can be challenging to find that perfect shade of red (Cranberry not Cherry Red).

After dinner, we plan to head down to monuments to enjoy the fireworks. While I am going against the norm by hosting an indoor dinner, I am still keeping with traditions through my menu, tablescape color scheme and post dinner field trip. This evening will be a perfect combination of festive and comfortable (2 entertaining musts for me). I hope this post has given you some inspiration for ways to celebrate the 4th of July with your friends and family. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Simple Garden Party Tablescape

June 24, 2015 Callie Cagney

I had mentioned in my previous Father's Day post that I was going to have an evening cocktail party for my dad. Well, that quickly escalated into a full on dinner party complete with tablescape. Honestly, how could I resist the opportunity to create a tablescape with this fabulous venue behind my parent's house!?! Dining "al fresco" complete with this fabulous Frontgate Teak Furniture was an absolute must!

Prior to Father's Day, I had spent time with my mom exploring different shops in the area, both boutique and mainstream (i.e. Target), in order to create that perfect balance of casual-chic. I had a huge amount of success throughout my weekend search and lucked out big time with the weather staying beautiful throughout the day and evening on Sunday (**Florida in the summer = Monsoon Rain all the time!).

Here is a breakdown of how I went about achieving this fabulous garden chic look for my Father's Day dinner party:

To create this casual/chic garden tablescape, I started by setting out these Pottery Barn Water Hyacinth Placemats. I chose to use these colorful D. Porthault Vintage Napkins that I had found earlier that weekend at Kofski's Estate Sale in West Palm Beach (8 Napkins for $10!). Since my napkins displayed in this tablescape were a special find, I have included a link to these similar napkins that I think would also look great with this garden themed setting. For drinkware, I opted for these Baccarat Harmonie Highball Glasses (a similar but more affordable option are these Reed & Barton Soho Highball Glasses), which I filled with fresh mint and lime infused water. To add a pop of color and tie into the color scheme of the napkins, I used these "coasters" from Target (they are actually jewelry dishes). I finished off the look using three different types of flowers (2 potted and 1 fresh cut) in muted rustic vessels to give the table a true garden feel.

For the bar, I wanted to strike a balance of both elegant and simple. Since we are now in the midst of summer, using this Reed & Barton Ice Bucket (pictured above) was absolutely essential. In addition, I kept a pitcher of my fresh lime and mint infused water on stand-by to easily refill glasses throughout the evening. Since this table was set for dinner (a time of day where the outdoor temperature was slightly cooler), I served a deliciously fruity Napa Cellars Zinfandel in these Riedel Glasses. **White wine and Rose are definitely the summer wines of choice, but my family prefers red wine, so that is what I served. To complete the look (and tie into the color scheme of the table) I accented the bar with these orange Williams-Sonoma Coasters.

The dinner party was an absolute success and it was so nice to be able to spend the evening with my parent dining "al fresco." After putting together this spread, I have to say that I have total outdoor space envy and am completely in love with teak outdoor furniture. It ages so beautifully, is extremely comfortable and creates a perfectly neutral setting for hosting an array of functions. While I was sad to have to leave, I took comfort in realizing the silver lining...I can't wait until my next visit to Florida for round 2 of "al fresco" tablescaping!

Father's Day Gift Ideas

June 19, 2015 Callie Cagney

Let's face it, buying gifts for guys is not easy. Whether its my husband, dad or brother, I have always struggled with what to get them. I don't know the latest and greatest video games and I can't fulfill their dream of owning a Porsche or a fancy watch, so I completely understand why men are often gifted with neck ties and socks. I am not saying that that's the way to go, but I can understand why people end up resorting to those practical pieces of apparel.

Father's Day is Sunday and this year I felt like I had to come up with something pretty special after I set the bar for myself with my Mother's Day Gift. I got to work brainstorming and honestly the best advice I can give when trying to think up a gift is to ask yourself "What would (insert name of gift recipient) really enjoy?" You really do have to take a quiet moment to think about a genuinely fitting gift for the individual. When thinking of what to get my dad, I realized that I hadn't seen him since February, which was just entirely too long to have been without a visit. So I decided that whatever I was going to give him would be in person and flew down to Florida last night for a surprise visit.

My surprise visit has beyond thrilled my dad. While I wanted to share a bit of what I am doing for Father's Day with you all, I also wanted to provide you with helpful gift ideas in today's post. Below are a few great ideas to fit a variety of interests and a range of price points.

Vagabond House Steak Knives (Set of 6)

My husband and I received these rustic Vagabond House steak knives as a gift this past year. Initially I wasn't sure how much I would use them since they are extremely unique in appearance. Of course it only took one try with these very sharp steak knives to realize how fabulous they are! Thanksgiving, winter holidays and even rustic picnicking have all been great opportunities to use these Vagabond House Steak Knives (*Currently on backorder through Vagabond Houses Official Website, but available here with free shipping!). In addition to their functionality, I love that the knives are made in the USA and the handles come from naturally shed elk antler. This is a perfect gift for the dad who loves a good steak and/or appreciates fine cutlery. *Note- If you plan to give these knives (or any cutlery) as a gift, always make sure to include a penny with the gift.

The Nest Thermostat

I learned about this product from a friend of mine, who is very environmentally conscious. After she bought her home, she was left speechless when she received her first utility bill (more than double the cost of what a normal apartment utility bill should be for the month). She immediately got to work researching ways to reduce her energy consumption and came across the NEST Thermostat. This device is replaces your current thermostat and has been engineered to create cost effective energy usage in your home by learning your heating and cooling habits and then adjusting the temperature accordingly. What makes this gadget even more fabulous is the fact that it hooks into your WiFi and can be operated from your cell phone through the NEST App. The month after my friend had the NEST installed in her home, she her utility bill reduced by more than half! My husband and I bought one for our home and we now pay less each month in utilities than we in our old home (and this house is 500 square feet bigger!). The NEST is a great gift for the dad who loves gadgets and of course, saving money!

Apple TV

"High Tech" has never really been my thing. When my husband and I first moved in together he declared that the first order of business was to purge the house of all of my box TV sets for more updated models (my boxed TV sets worked perfectly fine, but in the spirit of "Pick and choose your battles," I let him have this one). In addition to the television upgrades (ala Costco!- Love that place!), he then started in on upgrading our sound systems and movie watching capabilities. While there were plenty of technological additions to our house, there was one that really stood out to me as being noticeably fabulous, Apple TV. Apple TV give you access to Netflix, Hulu, media purchased through the iTunes and much more. You can also sync your Mac Computer or other iOS device to your TV using the Apple Airplay feature. Installation is super easy and I have found it to be extremely user friendly. If your dad doesn't have a Mac Computer or other Apple products, Google Chromecast is another option that works similar to Apple TV, but it's PC-friendly.

A Framed Photo

This is a low cost idea that is extremely personal and something that my dad absolutely loved when I gifted it to him for Christmas last year. You can take any photo to your local pharmacy photo center and they can print a larger version for under $5 and then I would suggest looking into one of these pre-matted silver plated picture frames (a personal decor favorite of mine--see this recent post). Bonus- Frames are currently 30% off at Pottery Barn this weekend in celebration of Father's Day!

Benton's Ham

This was an idea that came to me after binging on both seasons 1 and 2 of The Mind of a Chef. The Mind of a Chef is a television series on PBS that profiles various chefs, their cooking, travel, history, humor and science into a beautiful cinematic journey. One of the episodes featured Benton's Smokey Mountain Country Hams. Benton's prides itself on tradition, producing slow-cured hams and bacon that have been aged for 9-10months. Chefs, food critics and culinary professionals laud Benton's Hams as being some of the best in the country. Since my dad has always been a ham lover, purchasing gourmet hams for all special holidays, I decided to send him a Benton's Ham for Father's day. He actually had the ham for breakfast this morning and his immediate response after trying it was, "WOW!" Although this is not a great last minute gift option, since you need to order the ham by mail, it is an extremely high quality product that makes for an excellent gift.

In short, my surprise visit went off without a hitch and my dad was truly touched that I flew down to be with him this Father's Day. We have lots of activities planned during my stay, but on Sunday I am taking the reigns and plan on serving him a very special Father's Day Breakfast, followed up with a fun Father's Day Cocktail Party that evening (complete with a Cheesescape of course!). Even though I am giving him an actual gift (See Benton's Ham Gift Idea), I still wanted to incorporate a personal/homemade touch into my Father's Day plans. I know I have said this before in previous posts, but I think it is important to reiterate that it really is the thought put into a gift that always seems to go further than the actual gift itself. Whatever you end up doing to celebrate the father figure in your life this Sunday, just make sure it's full of thoughtfulness and about them.