DIY Packaging for Fall Baked Goods

Fall baking is something I have already started enthusiastically embracing (see this post and my instagram page).  Since apples are just coming into the peak of their season this month I have been focusing on an assortment of apple-based treats.  While my various baked goods have turned out beautifully, my challenge has been the packaging/presentation.  I will spend the time to make a delicious dessert and to have to cover it in either plastic wrap or aluminum foil for transport just seems wrong.  When you go to a lot of trouble to bake a homemade dessert, the last thing you want is to have the treat encased in packaging that isn't reflective of the treat.   

Recently while perusing The Paper Source (love this store!), I came across the most adorable Kraft paper berry baskets by Meri Meri.  These baskets were absolutely adorable and immediately became the inspiration for this post. Best part? They are actually part of Meri-Meri's summer collection so I was able to purchase them on sale! (**you can too!--link below) 

To Make these Goody Baskets:

• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mini Muffins
• Mini Muffin Baking Pan
• Meri Meri Berry Baskets
• Cellophane Wrapping Paper
• Raffia
• Gift Tags
• Gold Pen

To create these festive Fall treat bags, I started by baking up a delicious (and healthy!) batch of fresh Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mini Muffins. Once the muffins were baked and completely cooled I lined a berry basket with a sheet of the red and white checked parchment paper (sold with the baskets) and carefully filled the basket. (*these baskets can hold more than a dozen mini muffins, so if you want to stretch your batches of mini muffins a little further add tissue paper to the bottom of each basket).   

Once the basket was filled with muffins I wrapped them with clear cellophane paper so the contents of the package would still be visible and tied it all together with natural colored raffia ribbon for a rustic Fall touch. The chalkboard gift tags were then personalized with a note written in gold pen, which gave these little treat baskets a final finishing touch.  I love the way they have  turned out and I am thrilled to have a packaging that is both pretty and festive for sharing these delicious fall treats! 

Fall Entertaining Essentials

Over Labor Day Weekend, I decided to get a jump start on "Fallifying"(a word I've made up, meaning to prep for fall) my home.  Since it is only the beginning of September, I didn't think it would be appropriate to have my entire house decked out in fall decor just yet.  Instead, I spent the weekend looking for those items that would become the staple entertaining pieces for me throughout the Fall season.  While there are certainly more than just the 5 items listed below that will be part of my Fall entertaining repertoire, these 5 essentials are great ways to start incorporating small and festive fall accents into your home.  

Geometric Lanterns

Geometric lanterns are a trend that I am noticing in an array of home stores this season, so of course I have immediately jumped on the bandwagon.  I love the fact that these lanterns are a hybrid between a hurricane and a traditional lantern with modern/rustic flare.  You can find these lanterns with closed peaked tops or open hurricane style in copper, brass or zinc, like the ones I have featured above from World Market.  In addition to the fabulous look of these hurricanes, they retail for anywhere between $9.99 and $29.99!  Love that!  With that said, my favorite feature would have to be the fact that the base of these lanterns is nonstick.  Meaning that when the candles melt down into the base, don't worry about it!  Just wait for the wax to harden and then it will lift right out of the lantern.  Great price, chic look and easy care, makes these lanterns a must-have for this fall season.  

Cocktail Napkins

I love a good cocktail napkin and have a bit of a cocktail napkin habit (similar to my pillow, flower and cooking tool habits).   With all of the decorating and redecorating I have been doing lately, I have been a huge fan of prints from various fabric designers like Schumacher, Lee Jofa and Scalamandre.  As it turns out, Scalamandre has collaborated with my favorite paper cocktail company, Caspari, to come up with the most fabulous line of products featuring the famous Scalamandre Zebra and Arrows.  I am in love with these orange zebra cocktail napkins for the Fall season, because they give you that autumn feel without being too kitchy.  These napkins are definitely a chic and updated accessory that I highly recommend adding to your entertaining repertoire this season.   

Wood Slice Serving Board

I have a serious weakness for anything rustic chic and this serving board definitely fits the bill!  Not only is it rustic and very reminiscent of Autumn, it is also extremely versatile.  Whether I am crafting  a new fall cheesescape, serving up delicious sugar cookies or even using it as a base for  a fall centerpiece, this board adapts to an array of situations.   I have seen all sorts of variations on this board in a number of stores, but ended up purchasing mine from Sur la Table, because the care for their board is super easy and it gives off the most wonderful smokey cedar fragrance.  Love love love this board!

Copper Wine Coaster

I love a splash of copper. Well, if we are being honest, I really would love a whole sea of copper.  The reality- not in my budget, so I am sticking with loving a splash of copper.  Most home good stores are chock full of copper accessories right now.  My favorite piece at the moment would have to be this Copper Wine Coaster from Williams Sonoma.  With the chic style of the rustic brass handles and the warmth of the coaster's color palette, this is the perfect accent to any autumn table setting.    

Phantom Wine by Bogle

There is no question that I enjoy a nice bottle of wine on occasion. Sometimes to a fault.  Recently, I was talking about wine with a friend of mine and she asked if I had tried Phantom by Bogle.  Bogle has been known to produce wines that are great for everyday drinking, so naturally I was a little confused when she emphatically recommended this particular label.  It still peaked my interest, so I purchased a bottle to share with my husband over the weekend.  Let me just say…I totally understand now why my friend was raving about Phantom by: Bogle.  This wine is FABULOUS!!!!  OMG so delicious and instantly became worthy of my Fall entertaining essentials, because in addition to this wine being very delicious, it is only offered seasonally (in the Fall).   If you are looking for a great bottle of wine to try this fall, I highly highly recommend picking up a bottle of Phantom by Bogle.  I promise, you most certainly will not be disappointed!

This happens to be my favorite time of year, so of course I have wasted no time with starting to transition my home from Summer to Fall.  I absolutely love these entertaining pieces mentioned in today's post as well as other items that I will be sharing in the upcoming weeks/months.  Now if only the Fall weather would get the memo that it is time to start cooling off our 90+ degree city! 

My Best Advice for Anyone Planning a Wedding

My husband and I are celebrating our second wedding anniversary this weekend, which naturally has gotten me thinking about weddings and specifically my own wedding.  I absolutely loved my wedding and honestly, every bride/groom  should love their own wedding.  It's a celebration tailored to you and your significant other with all of your nearest and dearest gathered to help you celebrate this special time in your life.  

At a high level, my husband and I got married in the mountains of North Carolina two years ago.  I had grown up going to the mountains every summer since I was a few weeks old, so it has always been a very special place to me.  I had always envisioned having an elegant rustic chic wedding that was not too big in size, but rather intimate, detail oriented and would leave all of my guests with memories of a special and fun weekend.  It ended up being a perfect wedding filled with an outpouring of love from everyone and a day that I will always remember.

Having had some time to reflect on the whole wedding experience, I can tell you that there were some valuable pieces of information I picked up along the way that really helped me to get the most out of the entire wedding experience.  Below I have compiled a list of my best pieces of advice that I hope anyone with a wedding in their future will read and take into consideration when it comes time to plan their own wedding.   

Pinterest

Having a destination wedding definitely presented an additional series of challenges when it came to planning.  I only had a set number of times where I was able to travel to North Carolina during the planning process, so not only did I need to make sure I maximized my time while I was there, but I also had to get creative with how to stay productive throughout the duration of the planning process while away from the venue.  One planning vehicle that I found to be extremely helpful was Pinterest.   Especially when working with my florist and consulting with my hair and makeup stylist.  I would simply pin all of my flower and hair ideas to my Rustic Chic Pinterest Board and both my florist and stylist could easily access my ideas.  Pinterest is a free tool that allows you to gather and organize all of your ideas and images into a collected space.  It was a total lifesaver for me and something I highly recommend considering for your own planning purposes. 

Thank You Notes

Handwritten thank you notes are a non-negotiable for me.  I personally believe that if someone has taken the time and spent the money on a gift for you, you need to thank them properly, with a heartfelt written note and in a timely manner.  From the moment I began the planning process, I immediately ordered personalized stationery for thank you notes.  Every place we registered offered a thank you note tracking tool, which supplied the name of the gift giver, address, gift item and date of purchase.  I would check the lists almost daily and as soon as I would see a new gift purchased, I would write the thank you note and put it in the mail.  By the actual day of our wedding I only had a handful of notes to write.  The thank you note process became infinitely easier primarily because I kept up with them from the start.   The last thing you want is to have a million thank you notes hanging over your head after you get married.  Get them done ASAP!

My Favorite Wedding Planning Tools

In addition to Pinterest, there were a few other planning/organization tools that I found to be extremely helpful during the wedding planning process. 

• Martha Stewart Keepsake Wedding Planner- This binder came with dividers for all of the different wedding categories, pocket protectors for vendor business cards and even a zipped pouch for special keepsakes like the heirloom handkerchief my my mom gave me at my bridal shower to have attached to my bouquet on the day of my wedding (something old).  This planner is inexpensive and a great repository for storing all wedding related documents that you can't file online.  
• Wedding Planning Websites- The Knot and Wedding Wire were both great tools for not only locating vendors in the area, but they both provided great wedding prep checklists that served as comprehensive guides and checklists for the to-dos that needed to be accomplished in preparation for the big day.   My one word of caution here is-  don't treat these checklists like everything listed is an absolute essential must-do item.  They are comprehensive almost to a fault in that regard because not every item is necessary.  Treat the lists as helpful guides, but don't feel bound to them.

The 2-Day Rule

My favorite piece of advice, came from my mom on the Thursday before my wedding.  She told me that day that we have done all we can do to prepare and now it was time to enjoy.  She then followed it up by telling me that she would be really disappointed in me if I didn't enjoy my own wedding.  She was so wise to say that because honestly it's really easy to get caught up in the details and miss the big picture.  The truth is that there will be things that go wrong or not according to plan on your wedding day.  It happens to everyone and there is no way to plan for it other than to mentally prepare yourself for the inevitable and be OK with it.  

I am so beyond grateful for her words of wisdom that day.  Because of her, I was able to look past the little mishaps and focus on my marriage to my husband and all of the close friends and family who had traveled long distances to help us celebrate this major milestone.  

While there was plenty of planning, work and stress along the way it was all totally worth it because marrying my husband was the best day of my life.  Having gone through the process, I can say that these are my definitely my best tips, but I have plenty of helpful hints, advice and lessons learned that I plan on sharing with you all in the future.  If you have any specific wedding questions not covered in today's post or would like to hear more about a particular topic, email me at redefiningdomestics@gmail.com. 

Photo Credit for this Post- Jonathan Burton Photography

34 Degrees Giveaway!

I am so excited to announce that this week I have partnered with 34 Degrees to bring you a very special (and my first) Instagram giveaway!  As you all know, 34 Degree Crisps are a cheesescape  and entertaining essential for me .  The versatility of these delicious crisps has afforded me the latitude to not only create delicious cheesescapes (see here and here), but also creating delicious hors d'oeuvres and even desserts!  

This prize package for this giveaway is the ultimate entertaining starter kit.  Not only will the winner receive a complete set of 34 Degree Crisps (yep, every flavor!), but they will also receive a cheese pairing guide and a complete set of recipe cards that are chock full of ideas and inspiration for how to pair and share these delicious crackers.  To round out this fabulous prize package, 34 Degrees will also be including one of their fabulous canvas tote bags and an array of fun buttons (I am personally obsessed with the I {heart} Cheese button…too cute!).  This tote also makes for a great picnic basket for say, packing/carrying a delicious and romantic cheesescape for two!

Prize Details:

• A set of 34 Degrees Crisps (all flavors)
• 34 Degrees Canvas Tote Bag and Buttons
• 34 Degrees Recipe Cards

How to Enter:

1. Follow both calliecagney and 34 Degrees on Instagram
2. Tag 2 friends to at least one of 34 Degrees Giveaway photos that I post this week. **The more tags and likes you make on photos posted by myself and 34 Degrees throughout the week increases your chances of winning.  

Announcing a Winner:

On Friday, August 21st, 2015, we will select a winner and announce the results that afternoon on Instagram.  

Even though this contest will only produce a single winner, 34 Degrees has recently partnered with Destini Store Locators to launch the most fabulous app, that anyone can use to locate every flavor crisp in their area.  

For more information on the latest happenings and recipes from 34 Degrees I definitely recommend checking out their Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter accounts.  I have found all of these resources to be extremely inspirational when preparing my cocktail menu for upcoming party.  Stay tuned throughout the week for more ideas on how you can pair and share these most delicious crisps!  

Thank you 34 Degrees for sponsoring this post. 

A Few Thoughts on Houseguest Etiquette

Earlier this week I was chatting with a girlfriend about our weekends.  I was telling her all about my mom's visit to DC and she shared her weekend experience with a less than perfect houseguest.  I firmly believe that you "do better when you know better," so I have decided to share my thoughts today on a few etiquette musts for being a houseguest in someone else's home.  These have been staple rules that I have followed as a houseguest and boy have these rules served me well!   While I have certainly spent a lot of time on this blog discussing all of the ways to make your guests comfortable, I think that it is also important to take time to share my thoughts on the opposite perspective, the guest!  So without further adieu, here are my 6 essential rules for being an exemplary houseguest. 

Don't Arrive Empty Handed

Whether it's a bottle of wine, a small gift or homemade coffee cake, you should always arrive with some sort of small thank you token in hand (click here for a few housewarming gift suggestions).  Chances are that your host when to quite a bit of trouble to clean and prep the house for your arrival, so arriving with a token of appreciation in hand is both warranted and appreciated.  In addition, the size of the gift/gesture should also reflect the length of your stay.  If your trip is only for a night or two then a bottle of wine or homemade coffee cake is more than adequate.  However, recently I stayed at my sister's house for a week which called for sending a more substantial housewarming gift (plus she is my sister).  So I ordered her a set of cheese knives to say thank you, which are actually still on backorder, so I included a printed out picture of the gift in a card that I gave her when I arrived.  

Treat your Host and/or Hostess to a Meal

When you are staying at someone's house for a weekend, chances are that your host is picking up the tab for the majority of the food and beverage that is being consumed.  It is an extremely nice and appreciated gesture for the guest to chip in for at least one of the meals.  So whether you are treating your host/hostess to dinner at a restaurant or even making breakfast for the host/hostess at the house.  The point is that you should be responsible for at least one meal to remove some of the burden from your host/hostess.  On my recent trip to San Francisco to visit my sister and brother-in-law, we took them out to dinner one night and then I cheesescaped another night since we were staying at their home for a week.  Both events were great fun, very much appreciated and made my husband and I feel like we were doing our part to contribute during our extended stay.  

Pick up after yourself

Hosts/hostesses tend to say things like "make yourself at home," when guests arrive…don't take that literally.  Yes you want to feel comfortable, but keep it within reason.  Meaning, you should still make your bed every morning, don't leave an explosion of clothes on the floor of the bedroom or bathroom and do not leave your used dishes in the sink (the dishwasher is probably a whole 6 inches from the sink, so rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher!).  In addition, offer to help out.  If your host has served dinner, offer to help clear the dishes or if they are tidying up a space, maybe offer to take out the trash.  Regardless, be helpful and make a conscious effort to refrain from being a messy guest.  

Don't Overstay Your Welcome

Before you book your trip to stay with someone, I would recommend talking to your host or hostess about your length of stay.  It is always a good idea to run your arrival and departure dates/times by your host or hostess before firming up plans.  An ideal weekend stay is to arrive after work on Friday and leave after brunch time on Sunday.  Leaving on a Monday can be an inconvenience to a host or hostess, especially if they have to work.  The same goes for arriving before they are finished with work for the day (like on a Thursday or Friday mid-day).  In those situations, I would suggest that you assure your host or hostess that you are self sufficient (ex. can get yourself to/from the airport, can keep yourself busy with activities around town until the host/hostess is home from work).  In essence, you want to think of your stay as an addition that enhances the weekend and does not create a burden.  The same goes for a longer stay (more than a weekend but maximum of 1 week).  

Strip the Bed

One of the first things that a host or hostess will do when a guest departs is to clean the house and get everything back into working order.  One aspect of the cleaning involves washing the sheets that were used by the guest during their stay.  Stripping the bed is a simple thing that you can do when packing up to leave that will really be a huge help to your host or hostess.  On the day of your departure remove all sheets and pillow cases from the bed you had been using and ask the host or hostess where they would like for you to put the dirty sheets (ex. leave them on the floor in the bedroom or take them to the laundry room).  Fold the blankets and comforters at the foot of the bed and stack pillows neatly.  In addition, collect all of your used towels and add them to the pile of dirty sheets.  

Thank You Note

A hand-written thank you note is an absolute MUST after staying at someone's home.  This should be written within the week post stay, but honestly the sooner you write that note and get it mailed the better!  Notes that are sent after a week are still appreciated but tend to lose their "oomph," because the moment in time has long since passed.  Be sure to include a couple of sentences detailing your favorite parts of the trip, but refrain from being overly wordy.  People want to be thanked, but they do not need to receive a novel.  A nice and thoughtful note that expresses your appreciation for their hospitality will go a long way and will close out your visit on a very positive note.  If you are in the market for personalized stationery, I highly recommend checking out the American Stationery Company.  They have a wide selection of high quality stationery at very reasonable prices.  I am a huge fan of their products.

In addition to these tips on etiquette, my final piece of advice would be to just enjoy your visit and the people you are visiting.  Weekends and trips go by quickly, but keeping these etiquette tips in mind during your stay will help to ensure that a return trip invitation is extended to you in the future.