festive — Blog - Parsley and Pom Poms

I love Saint Patrick's Day. Growing up with an Irish background, both on my Mom and Dad's side of the family, meant that on March 17th there would always be homemade Irish Soda bread, corn beef and cabbage for dinner, Irish potatoes to bring into school for my classmates, and plenty of cute green socks, bows, and clothes to wear for the day. I have even been known to make diorama style homes for the Leprechauns - in hopes I would catch one.

Now that I have an apartment of my own, I have grown up and no longer try to catch Leprechauns, but I still like a little festive atmosphere for the month of March. I decided to head over to a local plant nursery, Midtown Garden Center, and pick up some Baby Tears aka Irish Moss. I painted a few pots of different sizes in Green and partnering hues, potted the greens and added the final touch. I hand painted words, "Lucky", "Irish", and "Lady". Hopefully, my pots will bring me the luck I want. We all have a reason for wanting to get lucky. So, these pots would bode well for anyone, even if you don't have a drop of Irish in your blood. Lucky pots are great as gifts for a friend, teacher, or a fun project to do at home with the kids. All you need is acrylic paint (I used outdoor patio paint from Michael's), pots, pencils, and a plant. Happy Saint Patty's Day!! Luck O' the Irish to ya'! xo RCN

This Thanksgiving season I have spent time working through a few ideas to complete a beautiful tablescape for Turkey Thursday. A few original ideas each year can really make a difference in updating your table and making the holiday feel unique compared to the year before. The smaller details, such as napkin rings, can be the updated touch that can make each place setting feel special and new. My craving to escape the Florida sun and travel back to my northern roots, which is exactly what I am doing for the holidays, has inspired me to create napkin rings out of more fall-like, natural greens, and harvest wheat materials. The rings take little work and fit perfectly in with the warm rustic farm fresh appeal that is planned for our family's Thanksgiving table in Jersey. xo RCN

What you need:

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Faux/plastic wheat bunch (one 6" stem per ring)

Natural dried wheat bunch (one 4 inch stem per ring)

Natural dried rosemary bunch or similar natural dried green (three 2-3" stems per ring)

Natural dried bunny tails (Lagurus) bunch (two bunny tail tops with 1-2" stem per ring)

Red or green protea fresh leave bunches (three leaves per ring)

Note: All dried bunches of naturals were purchased at Michael's and natural protea leaves purchased at Whole Foods Market. The protea leaves were living when rings were crafted, and dried up after a few days of sitting out. Leaves vary in color from green to burgundy and will turn darker once they are dried out.

Take plastic wheat stem and overlap ends, one and a half inches on both sides. Hot glue overlapped ends with a small squirt of glue. Secondly, take natural wheat and attach to about 1/2 to 2/3 of the plastic ring's surface. Adhere with another small dab of hot glue on each end of the dried wheat. Press and hold dried wheat to plastic wheat firmly until glue drys (about 30 seconds or less).

On the 1/2 side not covered with natural wheat, glue the rosemary in 3 layers, overlapping each a slight amount, starting with the longest of the three and placing it towards the top. It helps to bend and make the stems flexible in order to mimic the shape of the ring.

The last two steps include glueing the bunny tail tops beside one another at an angle below the rosemary and layering the three protea leaves on the back side pointing upward between bunny tails and rosemary. Remove all extra glue hanging from rings and you are done.

Enjoy xo RCN