Creating a Centerpiece with Ordinary Things

It is very easy to get into the habit of doing the same thing over and over again-especially when something is tried and true. At the holidays, I attempt to switch things up a bit and create new ideas out of common things. As Susan and I were getting more treasures out of the barn, we came across several pieces of milk glass and decided to create a simple holiday arrangement/centerpiece.

We started with a tray. This wooden tray was in the mud room, filled with papers that I hadn’t gone through in quite some time. After wiping off the dust, we were had our base piece. Any tray that you have laying around will do.

Next we chose this dish towel as it is a nice holiday red color. I like the texture and pattern, but again, any towel, napkin or piece of fabric of your choosing will do. Placing it at an angle creates interest. Probably should have ironed it, but once it is covered, who will know?

Next we added a combination of artificial greens and some fresh clippings from the yard. Getting different textures and shades of green was the objective.

We also added some ornaments. We found these large glass orbs on one of our shopping trips and I love the vibrant color. Any ornament will do. Next we took a few pieces of the milk glass and filled them with white roses and red berries. Using different container shapes adds multiple heights. The all-white color theme gives it consistency. You could use coffee cups, glasses, any container ready to hold water and flowers. Also, the rule of thumb is to have an odd number of pieces-not sure who’s rule it is, but it seems to work!

Lastly, we added a taper candle in a milk glass holder for height and dimension. This was a simple, easy and yet festive arrangement that would look great on any table. The milk glass containers will be available soon on our online store. Please let me know what everyday items you use for centerpieces! Happy creating!

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Tale of 2 Connecticut Yankees

Have you ever walked into an antique store and spotted a stunning piece of furniture or treasure, only to look at the price and go into sticker shock? We all love beautiful things, but don’t necessarily have the means or the desire to pay and arm and a leg. So my dear friend Susan and I thought we would combine our love of travel, our affinity for unique treasures, and the excitement of a bargain. Why not create a home business to promote the lost art of “gracious living” at a reasonable price?

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Five years ago, we started 2 Connecticut Yankees, to be “thrifty purveyors of antiques and fine objects”. Susan is a fellow Yankee also born and raised in Connecticut. For those of you unfamiliar with the term “Yankee” we are known for our thriftiness and flinty character. We save, reuse, recycle and make do or do without. While many people come to this lifestyle on their own, Yankees are born that way and can do little to overcome these traits.

We wanted to make our shopping from 2 Connecticut Yankees different. It was important for it to be an enjoyable experience for our guests so we treated our events like a party, welcoming people into our home. The goal was to just have fun, provide lovely things for a fair price and be joyful in finding a forever treasure. There was no pressure to buy. Our knowledgeable friend, Leslie, helped us get started.

We also saw this as an opportunity to showcase other women in small business to give them exposure and display their wares. We included florists, a beekeeper/honey-maker, pastry chef, seamstress and other artisans.

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Our plan was to host 2 to 4 events per year out of the barn at Bella Terra. That would allow us time to replenish inventory and still be able manage the rest of our lives. Susan and I had fun searching for that unique item and staging the barn for our sales.

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We had quite a few successful events and most importantly, we enjoyed the gathering of our friends and the help of our families. And then life, as it tends to, got in the way. Between raising children, caring for our parents and working, we found less and less time to travel, seek bargains and host on our barn events. So 2 Connecticut Yankees was put on hold, for all the right reasons.

The good news, is that there is a barn full of wonderful treasures that we are slowly putting on the Bella Terra website. It’s been a fun learning curve (well, mostly) and with time, we hope to get all the items posted and available for purchase.

Please bear with us as selling online is new to us and we imagine there will be some glitches.

The Store will be officially sometime next week. Have a wonderful Sunday!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

The kitchen at Bella Terra is a mess–a happy mess- but still a mess! But the pies are made and the table is set. pumpkinpies

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Wishing you and yours a happy, safe and blessed Thanksgiving.

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Tried and True Recipe- Egg Casserole

You know you have a winner when everyone asks for your recipe~~and that is exactly what happened at a recent brunch. I’ve used this egg dish many times and have adjusted it according to what ingredients I had in the refrigerator or the garden. It’s easy to assemble and serves well either hot or cold. I’ve added corn, chopped tomatoes, cooked bacon, fresh herbs and the dish is always a crowd favorite. Start with the following ingredients: eggs, Monterey Jack cheese, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, diced green chiles, butter and seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

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Melt the butter and add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix until well blended and eggs are beaten.

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Pour blended ingredients into a buttered 9×14 inch baking dish.

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Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Egg casserole will be nicely browned on top –insert a toothpick and will be done if it comes out clean.

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Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving. Depending on the size of the piece, will easily serve 10-12.

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Mary’s Green Chile Casserole

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

10-12 eggs

1/2 Cup Flour

1 T. baking powder

1 pint/2 cups cottage cheese

1 large can (or 2 small cans) green chiles diced

1/2 cup melted butter

1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese (grated)

Salt, garlic powder, pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Pour into a buttered 9×14 pan. Bake for 15 minutes on 400 degrees and then 30 minutes on 375 degrees. Great for any meal of the day! Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

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Dinner in the Orchard

Each year we look forward to hosting our Dinner in the Orchard. It’s a charitable event for our church’s music program and seats are sold at the church auction. Many guests come year after year for a delightful evening of fine food, wine and friendship. We try and mix up the theme and this year, we decided to focus on the wine selection. So in preparation, we spent an afternoon with our dear friend, Jenna, who is the owner of a very hip wine bar/store in Phoenix called Central Wine.

Always looking for an excuse to have friends over, we purchased a few bottles of the wine favorites and then had our friends vote on which foods pared best with the wines. So with the wines selected and the menu finalized (thanks again to my favorite caterer, Julie Greder), we began the decorating and preparations.

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After years of painstakingly stringing lights and paper lanterns through the trees (with my dedicated friend, Connie), my husband, Scott built a removable structure where he hangs the overhead lights in a stable and safe way. This year we tried something different-we suspended small glass vials and filled them with roses, which gave the appearance that the flowers were floating over the table.

The party begins on our front terrace with hors d’oeuvres, Prosecco and music. The terrace is large enough for 30-40 people but small enough to feel intimate.

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Before sunset, we moved to the orchard for the sit down dinner. This is the first year we had our guests pre-select their entree, so they were given a specific colored ribbon to tie to their chair so the servers would deliver the proper selection.

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Our good friends, Don and Leslie are so knowledgeable about wines, and Don agreed to be our sommelier for the evening. He did a fabulous job educating us on the different wine pairings between courses. From the crisp, bubbly Prosecco to the spicy Syrah, Don led us through the details of each wine and instructed our palettes to capture all the wine’s nuances.

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It was such a fun, lovely evening, with old friends, new friends, great food, fabulous wine and lots of laughter….and we raised some money too!!!!

~~Dinner in the Orchard Menu~~

Bacon wrapped stuffed dates with bleu cheese

Seared scallop with artichoke puree

Brie with caramelized apples on walnut toast

Botter Prosecco

Arugula with lemon olive oil and Parmesan

Chateau Graville Graves Blanc

Choice of Entree

Roasted Chardonnay Salmon with currant risotto and spring vegetables

Filet Mignon with caramelized onion, balsamic glaze, Yukon mash and asparagus

Domaine Faury Saint Joseph Syrah 2013

Trio of Desserts

Mini Lemon tart, Chocolate flourless cake, Pecan Bar

Miss Eva’s Beehives

Chateau Rieussec Sauterne 2010

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Hosting an English Tea Party at Our Historic Home

What an honor to host a charitable English tea party event at Bella Terra, our historic home in Phoenix, Arizona. Speaking at this tea is New York Times best selling author, Rhys Bowen. Since Rhys Bowen is British, our fundraiser’s theme is a proper English tea party. And if you aren’t familiar with her books, you must add them to your reading list! Many are on the New York Times Bestseller’s list.

The Entrance

This afternoon event is set outside. As guests arrive, they travel through the gated entrance with a tea cup wreath to the side garden.

The Attire

And what is a tea party without a fabulous hat! Nearly all participants arrive wearing such lovely head attire. Fortunately for me, Dillards has such a great selection of springtime head wear. And the tea length Ralph Lauren dress is a comfortable choice for this event.

With anys fundraiser, one needs to minimize expenses. My dear friend, Linda, let me to borrow her extensive collection of old English china.

The Table Setting

Susan, my lifelong friend and co-sponsor is the best person to help organize the event. Using Party People, we easily rent the tables, chairs and linens. Julie Greder is a very creative local caterer. She creates a fabulous menu centered around the English tea theme.

The tables, set in the side garden, remain cool under the shade of the immense date palms. As our guests gather and mingle, we serve chilled champagne. It is such a civilized time to make new friends and participate in interesting conversation.

The Menu

Everyone claims their seats at the tables, and we begin to enjoy the delicious menu. Teacups are filled English tea. The menu includes: Currant scones with fresh Devonshire cream and lemon curd; cucumber dill, champagne egg salad and tarragon chicken salad sandwiches (no crusts).

Next, for dessert, come lavender shortbread cookies and chocolate praline tarts. Rhys regals us with her stories of being an author. With a longstanding career as a an author, we learn about her inspiration for her settings and character development.

The Presentation

As a parting gift, our guests receive a package of French macarons from Bonbon Macarons. These macarons rival anything I’ve tasted in Paris.

The Charity

With nearly 40 people in attendance, we raise significant contributions for a non-profit organization that works through one of our local high schools. Family to Family Foundation provides scholarships to students in rural El Salvador.

Living in a low socio-economic area with no funds for schooling, these children are unable to receive an education. Each year the students from Brophy College Prep travel to this village in El Salvador to meet these scholarship students.

What an enjoyable and very informative day! Between the delicious food, stylish hats and outfits and Rhys’s delightful personality, it is the perfect afternoon. We hope this will become an annual fundraising affair.

Thank you for joining me on my very first blog post! I hope this inspires you to subscribe and follow more adventures from Life at Bella Terra. To see the second fundraising English tea event with Rhys Bowen, please click here.

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This post shared with 617th Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

For more information about Rhys Bowen and her books (I just completed the Royal Spyness series), check it out here: http://rhysbowen.com/

Photos were done by Unfading Beauty Photography http://unfadingbeautyphotography.com/SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave