Holiday Recipes YOU will LOVE!

 

Source

 

I'm in the baking mode and have been busy this week baking up a storm!  My good friend Sue came over Saturday and we made all kinds of goodies with my girls. My kitchen looked like a cookie factory!  It's a fun tradition we do every year and makes us get in the Christmas spirit.

 

 

 We had tons and tons of cookies and plated them all up and gave them away.

 

Source: Duncan Hines

 I did not make these beauties but am going to give them a try!

 

Aren't these ornament cupcakes from "Duncan Hines" and the above nutcrackers adorable.

 Great school/classroom Christmas party ideas.

 

Source:  Duncan Hines

 

Gingerbread boys would make some school kids giddy!  I've got to try this too!

 

 Shortbread cookies are my all time favorite cookie.  They are buttery and literally melt in your mouth!

Love the bell shapes and flowers we made this weekend.  This recipe is the absolute best and everyone that puts one in their mouth just about falls over with their deliciousness.

 

The ones we made this past weekend are already all gone!

 

Mom's "Easy" shortbread recipe

 

Blend together:

4 sticks butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cornstarch

 

Add:

4 cups of flour

 

Kneed well and roll out 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into desired designs.  Don't use large cookie cutters, the cookies are filling.

 

Bake at 275 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 

Sprinkle with icing sugar!

 

I'm going to make another batch this week and decorate them like below!

Red door cookies with gold hardware... 

Black ones will be cute too!

 

I'm in love with these!  I'll post pictures when I'm done :)

 

My husband loves pecan pie so I'm making this recipe I found on Pinterest.

 

 He is going to love these  Pecan Pie Bars

 

My good friend Terri got me hooked on this wonderful trail mix.  Honey roasted peanuts, craisins and white chocolate chips.  This is what I made for my neighbors last year and will do the same this year. It's Christmasy, colorful and addicting as well as absolutely delicious! 

 

 Easy to make:  equal parts of all three ingredients.

 

Happy baking Ya'll

 

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my Design Portfolio with lots of before and after photo's.

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Christmas Column & Holiday Decor Inspiration

 

This year I decided to decorate my column for Christmas.  It sits in my foyer and I have always loved it.  It's incredibly special to me because my husband made it for me one Christmas.  I still have memories of him carrying it down the hall on Christmas morning with my then 4 and 5 year  old piggy tail girlie's.  They helped him paint it and sand it! 

 

 

He was so clever.  To embellish the column at the top he used drapery hardware and filled in the holes on the sides and it worked perfectly.

 

Our Christmas tree usually goes where the column is each year but I decided to mix it up this year.

 

I made this arrangement about 6 years ago and love the concrete urn it's in.  The antlers were added last year.  Hanging a little "Rejoice" to it has made it have a special touch of Christmas and it is a time to Rejoice!

 

  

 I created and embellished the garland as I went along and unpacked all my Christmas items. 

 

 

 Added this blue bird and some fun feathers that a client gave me.  The red ribbon is so gorgeous in person.

 

 Something sparkly and colorful always makes me happy and mixes it up a little.

 

 

My dining room chandelier was embellished with some garland and a crystal snowflake.

 

 

I have slowly added to my "large ornament" collection.  The blown glass ones are my favorite placed in my large green bowl that I keep out all year.  What I love about this centerpiece is that it doesn't have to be moved when we use the table because guests can still see each other. 

 

 

I find that when decorating for Christmas, it's always better to use LARGE scale items instead of a lot of little items.

 

 

I added this little holly wreath to the top of my armoire.  Hung it on my candelabra.  It seems happy there with the my collection of old stair banisters.

 

 My bust got put on top of my large candlestick this year.   He watches over me while I work in my office.  You can see a peek into it to the right. 

 

 

The tapestry that hangs in my entry is from the Paris Flea Market (they use to hang in a castle).  I bought 2 and one of them is getting made into a bench as we speak.  Will be a collection from my new One by One collection, coming soon!

 

 

I adorned his head with a holly wreath :)  He always wears my wooden necklaces and I think it makes him look really cool.

 

 

HO HO HO

 

 

 I bought a poinsettia and placed the stems in different vases around the house.  I got this idea from Lauren Liess at Pure Style Home  last year.  Filed it away in my "Christmas" file in my brain last year and pulled it out this year.

 

 

I added this garland to my wall sconces in my living room.  Layered different kind of garland to give it a nice fresh "real" look.  Again, a little sparkle and fruit  goes a long way.

 

 

Some more of my large ornaments on my mantel.

 

Decided not to do the traditional garland this year.  Wanted something with less fuss.  I'm trying to "simplify" this year so there isn't such a huge put away day! 

 

The garland on my wall sconces is plenty!

 

  

I did add a little greenery to my bookshelf .

 

 

My front door swag got some extra berries and pointsetta's this year. 

 

I also added this little elf boot to the bottom and it's adorable.

 

 

My entry planters got a large red bow and a red berry wreath.  I have one on each side of my entry so they really look great.  Especially when they are all lit up at night!  I put lights in the fur trees and around the wreaths.

 

 

My pansies are doing well this year even though it's been so warm!

 

 

My large glass vase is filled with driftwood I've collected from all over.  I placed berries on the candlesticks and hung a little pine cone and greenery on the lip of the vase.

 

These metal trees I found at an estate sale and stenciled them to make them look more sophisticated.  They are now on top of my refrigerator with the driftwood my husband found for me on one of our beach trips :)

 

 

Hope this post inspired you to mix it up this year.  I love making each year different and maybe you will do the same!

 

 

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my Design Gallery!

Follow me on Pinterest and be inspired this Holiday Season!

 

 

Turquoise Christmas with a touch Peacock

This is my 5th year to decorate a lobby in Dallas. 

My inspiration from the start has been this artwork that goes all the way up their lobby area. 

 I immediately thought of a peacock and it's color scheme and knew that would be what this lobby needed.

You can see here how the garland really looks great with the color scheme they already had in the artwork.  See our ladders in the background as we decorate their tree too. 

I'm always amazed at the colors that God has created that inspire us!

I added shimmery copper touches to the garland because I knew that would make a beautiful contrast!

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle....I've become very good at my bow making skills!  It's all about wired ribbon!

I love using greenery that looks real filled with pine cones and different color greens.

Decorations all lined up for the tree!

The completed tree!

Now it's time for me to start decorating my house!  It's a mess right now but I started by putting greenery on my chandelier :)

Hope your holiday season is getting off to a good start!

I can't wait to add my crystal snowflakes to my chandelier next!

Linked to the above blog today :)  Loads of great Christmas decorating ideas!

Visit her blog here

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my Design Portfolio with before and after galleries to inspire you!

Grandma's Half Day Decorating Transformation

I received a call last week from one of my clients.  Her mother-in-law was moving into a Retirement Home and she needed my help transforming her space "using what she had."  They had everything delivered to the space and just needed me to make it to feel like home.

 

 

My installer and I arrived and got busy immediately hanging drapes & all  her artwork.  She had two white wicker chairs that are very special to her and wanted those incorporated into the living room sitting area so that's what we did.

 

Added red pillows from one of the couches to the white chairs and they started to look more apart of the space.  Pulled some white pillows out of the closet and added them to the couch to marry the furniture together.   I switched lampshades with lamp bases, fluffed, tweaked, etc. and it really came together nicely.  Her oil paintings that she purchased in Italy were hung together and they really add color, character and charm. I'm sure those paintings bring back loads of fond memories.

 

 

Very white and boring before.

 

Drapes always make a room feel warm and complete.

My client had some draperies taken down in her house last month because she got new ones (see photo below in her dining room before we took down) and we decided to just use the panels in Grandma's living room.  Love re-purposing and they look totally different in their new space.

 

 

 

Sorry not such a great after.  The coloring is off but you get the idea.

She has a great little patio area outside too.

 

Feels cozy now and she was THRILLED that her wicker rockers were incorporated.

 

 

This is what it looked like when we arrived.

 

See what I mean by drapes changing everything!!!!  The hardware is important too.  Don't skimp on your hardware, it can really bump your draperies up to the next level and make a room look so classy and sophisticated.

 



 

Grandma got a new bed and new soft, comfy bedding and we just made it look beautiful.  We hung her new curtains too.

 

 

I took pillows that were on her couch and used them on her bed.  Adding some color and interest to this inviting haven.

 

Grandma was happy to see all her bluebonnet oil painting over her bed and had a story to tell about the stork artwork next to the lamps.

 

It was awesome at the end of the day because she played me a beautiful song on the piano before I left.  It gave me goose bumps all over!  What a beautiful woman and beautiful legacy she is leaving for her family. She is rich with character and it just pours out of her.

 

 

 I feel honored that I was asked to make her home beautiful.

 

Today was a day once again where I feel thankful I get to do what I do, such a blessing!

 

 

 

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see more before and after transformations.

 

Follow me on Pinterest and be inspired.

 

 

Best Holiday Appetizer's EVER

 

Everyone is looking for a dip to take to a party this time of year!  I was sick of my regulars like spinich dip, cream cheese with jalepeno jelly, artichoke dip, etc. etc.  I needed something new!!!!

 

Jalepeno Popper Dip

 

I found this recipe on "Simply Gourmet's" blog and stashed it away in my cookbook a while back.  I pulled it out and decided to try it for Thanksgiving Day since I was in charge of taking Appetizers. I know it's not a good idea to take a new recipe to a gathering but this one looked amazing!!!!

 

 

and it was a great hit!  Totally devoured!

 

Recipe: Jalapeno Popper Dip

6-8 slices of bacon, diced and cooked crispy

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, soft

1 cup of mayonnaise

4-6 jalapeno's, chopped and deseeded. The seeds will make it fiery hot.

1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup diced green onion

Topping:

1 cup of crushed crackers ( I used Ritz)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 stick of butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all of the ingredients into a medium bowl. Stir well.

Transfer to an oven proof dish. The size of the dish depends on how thick the dip is. The thicker the dip the longer it may need to warm up. 

The dip is usually about an inch thick.

Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle all over the top of the dip.

Bake the dip for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

 

 

The other one I made is incredibly tasty and so easy to make.  You can make it the night before too!

 

CRANBERRY

AND

 ROSEMARY SPREAD

 

 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoons dried sweetened cranberries

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt

 

I doubled the recipe.

 

Place all cream cheese into a bowl and using a spoon, fold in all ingredients until well combined.

Serve along side crackers or toasted baguette slices.

 

YUMMY!!!!!!

 

On another note, I stenciled these pillows this evening.  I found the linen pillows brand new and then decided to add this fun stencil to it for the season. 

$24.00 if you are interested in purchasing it.  This does not include shipping.  Email me at ruth@decrenew.com if you are interested.

 

 

$24.00 as well!

Hope you are finding time to do the things you love this holiday season.

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my Design Galleries.  Loads of before and after pictures to get you inspired.

 

Follow me on Pinterest too!