Easy DIY Holiday Centerpiece : Pale Pink Amaryllis, Magnolia Leaf & Cedar Flower Arrangement

For Emma's party I wanted the create a very soft and feminine flower arrangement that would be fitting my soft and feminine little lady.

Just as I designed her invitation (here's the post about the invitation) to just have a glimpse of Christmas, I didn't want the arrangement to be overly "holiday," but I wanted it to be appropriate for the season.  I think it is important to always decorate seasonally - arrangements seem to "fit" better when the seasonality is considered... not to mention flowers that are in season are easier to find and of a higher quality.

I selected these soft pink amaryllis along with magnolia leaf and cedar sprigs.  The arrangement came together very easily.

Here you can see the shiny green and velvety brown magnolia leafs - my favorite.  They are so easy to use and seem to "make" any arrangement I use them in.

Here is the arrangement on the night of the party with the cakes in the center of the table.

Here are the Easy DIY steps.  You can certainly use red amaryllis for a more traditional holiday centerpiece for Christmas.  I think you'll see how easy it is!

Start by placing the cedar sprigs in the vase that is filled with water.  Trim the stems before you put them in so they just drape over the sides.  

Next, insert the amaryllis - I used three stalks that had 3 blooms each.  



Finally, insert the magnolia leaves around the base of the flowers.

Here is the easy-to-pin step-by-step!

Christmas Cookies | Sugar Cookies

As I'm preparing for my Holiday Christmas Cookie Brunch Workshop next week, I'd thought I'd share my tried and true, favorite recipe.  This is the same recipe my mom used when my sister and I were growing up, decorating sugar cookies for each and every holiday.  The dough is incredible to snack on!

Jenny's
Deluxe Sugar Cookies

 

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of cream of tarter
1 tsp of baking soda
1 egg

In your Kitchen Aid fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and powdered sugar.  Add Flour, vanilla, cream of tarter, soda, and egg.  On slow, stir together ingredients just until combined.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board and wrap it with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.  

Unwrap the dough and put it on a floured board.  Be sure to flour the rollin pin, as well. 

Roll out dough until 1/4 inch thick. 

Cut shapes.   Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  




Bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees just until the edges begin to turn brown - baking time will depend on size and thickness of the cookie.  

Utilize scraps of dough by making them into a ball and re-rolling them and cutting shapes.

Royal Icing

3 egg whites
4 cups of powdered sugar

In the Kitchen Aid fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until almost frothy.  Add in the powdered sugar and whisk on slow until smooth.  You may need to add more or less powdered sugar or water to achieve desired thickness.  For sugar cookies, you want the icing to be thin enough that it will fall back on itself and smooth itself out, but not too thin so it will run off of the cookie.

Good colors are so important to making professional looking sugar cookies.  Here are my tips :

Red : When making red you need to use a lot of food coloring.  I also add orange to the red to make it less pink.  Add just a touch of green to the red to make it less electric.

Green : I add a little bit of yellow and orange to green to make it more of a natural green.  For christmas, I like to use two shades of green - light and dark. 

Blue : I add a little bit of yellow and orange to blue to make it softer.  It is a more sophisticated looking blue.

Packaging Baked Goods in Your Kitchen - Creative & Resourceful Ideas

When I owned a catering company, I learned that it, indeed, is “all about presentation,” as they say.  I’ll never understand how someone can spend so much time and effort into making a delicious and beautiful treat, then put it into a plastic tupperware box or put it on a paper plate wrapped in plastic wrap.  Drives me crazy... I realize that most people do not have all the time in the world to dream up how to package their cookies.  Yes, I know there are more important things.  Buuuut, it is so easy with just a little effort.

Take a cue from you favorite retail boutiques, do they put your purchases in a plastic grocery stack?  No, they wrap your items lovingly in tissue sealed with a branded sticker and then into a color coordinated gift bag.  Packaging your kitchen goodies nicely might even make them taste better... if that is possible.

Now, you can find all of this packaging supplies in my online store : Everyday Occasions - enjoy!

 Kitchen Packaging Supplies
   
Cellophane Bags (buy here)
2.5" circle labels
Small Rectangle Labels
Parchment paper
Bakers twine
Scissors
Various Ribbons & Colorful Twine

Here are some of the examples of how I have used these materials throughout the year :

 The BEST Buttermilk Biscuits & Homemade Blackberry Preserves

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies in bags with twine tie

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies with Foldover Card 

Banana Bread packaged in parchment tied with twine

oohh... look what's inside!  (recipe here)

Black and White Cookies with Large Circle Labels, Ribbon & Cello Bags

Black and White Cookies with Large Circle Labels, Ribbon & Cello Bags 

Mini Chocolate and Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies in Cello Bags with Foldover Card 

Mini Chocolate and Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies in Cello Bags with Foldover Card packaged in a mailer box with parchment paper, then tied with natural twine.

Holiday Sugar Cookies in cello bag, tied with twine and card

Chocolate Brownie Cupcake... yum!

Holiday Table Setting | Centerpiece Ideas for Christmas Table

I'm re-sharing this post from last year - enjoy!  Later this week, I'll be sharing some photos from our holiday parties this year!

Cozy & Elegant
Holiday Dinner Party 
Table Setting

This year, I continued my "Handstitched Holiday" theme to my table setting.  As I mentioned, I have never before officially had a 'theme' for decoration for Christmas... this just sort of happened, but I like it.  It makes every decorating, wrapping, baking and table setting project so easy. 

I like this long brambling 'centerpiece' that runs the entire length of the table versus just one centerpiece element in the, well... center.  To achieve this look, I placed sprigs of cedar to create a swag look.  Next, I placed two boxwood topiaries (that used to live on my mantle...) and dressed them up with a red and natural striped ribbon.  Finally, I tucked in various shapes and sizes of chunky white pillar candles. 

The table is set with my Spode brown and ivory china dinner plates, white hemstitch linen napkins, country wine and water glasses, and pewter flatware.  I wrapped the napkin in jute upholstery webbing - you can find it in craft stores in the upholstery section.  On top of each napkin I placed a gingerbread candy cane cookie. 

Here is a close up of the topiary - it is fake... cake you tell?  It is the only fake thing in my entire house, but I really like them so I don't care!  They're my rules, I'll break them if I want to.

I love this cedar greenery - the little yellow tips add a great dimension and texture.

Gingerbread House | My First Time | Holiday Baking

This is the first time in my entire life that I have made a Gingerbread House.  Ever.  I know - even Jill didn't believe me when I told her.  Apparently she's made several over the years.  Humph.  

In honor of our adventure here in Massachusetts I wanted to make the house just like our house here in Concord - a cozy little Cape Cod.  I love how it turned out - dormer windows, evergreen garland and all!  

I have to say, I have a lot of respect for anyone that has made a gingerbread house before... it was tougher than I'd anticipated!  Mike helped me assemble it - and let's just say, it is not like the pieces fit together like a snug puzzle.  I had to keep reminding myself that it was a cookie, not a carpentry project.  Small gaps and holes in the seams (and one cracked wall...) were not that big of a deal.  It is a cookie! 

Here is my photo documentation of the entire process.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for the gingerbread dough.  It is different than a typical cookie dough- tougher with very little rise in the baking, which is important because you don't want the pieces of dough to change shape or size.

 

I created templates of all of the pieces I'd need.  Measuring and cutting straight lines are very important. 

Here are all of my pieces ready to go. 

I highly recommend rolling the dough out onto your silpat baking liners or parchment paper, then placing that liner or paper directly onto the baking sheet.  If you roll out the dough onto the counter, then try to move it, your cut outs will distort and change size and shape.  Even the smallest difference can mean a big hole in your house! 

I rolled the dough out onto the silpat, then cut around my template.  I put the silpat directly onto a baking sheet, then into the oven. 

After the cookies had baked and cooled, I decorated them with royal icing.  I learned something new, again.  I would have thought the decorating should be done after assembled, but it was so much easier to make straight lines on the pieces before they were put together as a house.

These are the front and the back pieces.  I did a trial run on the back so it would be perfect for the front.  I knew that where I planned to display the house - no one would see the back!  I modeled the door off of some of the colonial homes we saw in Deerfield, Ma. a few weeks ago.

The sides.  I think the 'snow' in the windows adds some personality to the home.  

I shingled the roof pieces with a 'brick' pattern.  The two dormer windows got a snow swept look, too.

These were the other pieces that I needed for the dormers... they were a little complicated to create!

I used little pieces of cedar greenery to create a garland around the front door.  I attached it with my Royal Icing 'glue'.

What a cozy little cottage!  Now for the snow...

I made a small batch of Swiss Meringue to create pillowy snow drifts around the house.  I put the meringue in a pastry bag, then cut a very large hole to pipe it out of.  

Swiss Meringue

4 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
1 pinch of cream of tarter

In the top bowl of a double boiler (glass bowl sitting on a sauce pan with simmering water), whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tarter.  Cook mixture in the double boiler over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until sugar has dissolved.  If you rub the mixture between your fingers, you should be able to tell if the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to your kitchen aid fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk on high for 7-10 minutes.  The mixture will cool and froth into a thick meringue as it whips. 

I tried to make it look wind blown and natural.

I LOVE meringue.

Finally, I sprinkled powdered sugar on the meringue and the house for that 'fresh' dusted snow look! 

Do you dare try to make a gingerbread house this year?  What are your secrets and tips!?