12.11.2015

Christmas Kitchen and a Tradition

Today I'm teaming up with a few fellow bloggers to share our Christmasy kitchens! I have share bits and pieces of our home on Instagram and on my Fall Home tour but have never shared much of my kitchen! It was one of the rooms I was most excited about when we bought the house because I had never really had my own real (non-apartment) kitchen. I have grown to love cooking through my post-college years (I think the only things I "cooked" in college were microwavable or PB&J's) and so the kitchen has become one of my favorite spaces.


Our table is set pretty simply because to be honest, when you decorate your first home for Christmas it can get quite expensive! I had lived in smaller apartments before and had a few decorations here and there but nothing too serious so we had to start our collection! I found these plates and chargers at Home Goods but you can find a set of dinner plates here.


Adjacent to our breakfast nook (which is in between the kitchen and family room) is our bar. This may or may not been a big selling point for this house. It is the perfect place to store all of the fun glassware that we received as wedding gifts, along with our koozies (very important of course), "top shelf" wine and liquor as well as the regular stuff. The "Merry Christmas to All" sign was yet another Home Goods find and I've had the mirrored frame but I'd guess it is probably from there too! That photo of Robbie and I from our wedding by Ashley Seawell is one of my new favorites and I love getting to see it everyday,



We have friends coming this weekend so I thought it would be fun to set up a little holiday coffee/hot chocolate station. Some of my other Christmas mugs are in the dishwasher but I hope to have more out on the counter. This plaid personalized tray from Emily McCarthy is a new favorite thing for the holidays- I wish I could keep it in my kitchen all year round!

Above the fridge we have framed page from last year's Ashlee Proffitt advent calendar, a drink holder filled with bows for now and booze for later, and another glitter reindeer (we are on our way to having 8 glitter reindeer through the house!)

Originally, I had wanted to share a favorite holiday recipe in this post to go along with our kitchen but nothing really stood out in my mind... well except for these Peanut Butter Blossoms but I've been trying not to keep a lot of sweets in the house. Instead of a recipe that you can actually eat, I wanted to share a recipe for a fun holiday decoration. 

I have great memories of making pomanders at Christmastime with my mom when I was younger. She had a little stand that you could display them all on, I think it maybe was in the shape of a Christmas Tree! I remembered a few years ago when my mom and dad were in Charleston and she made this for my apartment and I knew it would be a great crafty idea to share today! I went out and bought the oranges and cloves last week and sent a picture to my mom saying "guess what I'm making?!" and she sent a picture back of her in the process of making them! Great minds must think alike! ;)
I guess these were not a tradition in Robbie's family because when he came home the other day and I had started my first orange he was so confused! I think the yummy smell of the cloves has won him over since though! This is such a fun and easy little DIY that you can do for the holidays and maybe you can start your own traditions this year!

Orange and Clove Pomanders:
-oranges
-1 jar of whole cloves
-a skewer

After my first orange, my finger had started hurting from pushing the cloves through the orange peel when I realized that if I pierce it with a skewer first it not only was easier to stick the cloves in, but also easier to create your own design! You can add ribbons or other embellishments for the pomander of your dreams!

Want the smell of pomanders all year round? Well, you can get yourself a pomander candle too!

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2 comments:

  1. Your photos and home are so beautiful! Great minds think alike on the coffee corner :) Thank you for sharing the Orange and Clove Pomanders how-to-- I'll have to make a few this season!

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  2. What lovely settings- I especially love the cranberries with the flowers. A beautiful touch!

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